While much of the college football action we saw in Week 1 involved a series of highly paid and highly favored elite programs taking a sledgehammer to various overmatched cupcakes, there was still some very consequential action taking place across the power conferences this past weekend.
AP ranked teams went 20-0 in the Saturday action and the SEC went 16-0 overall in the opening weekend for the first time since 1997, but we may not see much, if any, movement around the top of the rankings moving into Week 2. Or will we?
What the New AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Will Look Like for Week 2
25. Florida. The losses by 24th ranked Louisville and effective No. 26 Clemson should open room for the team right behind as the Gators smashed Florida Atlantic in Jon Sumrall’s debut.
24. Missouri. Austin Simmons was solid with 4 TD passes to crush Pine Bluff as the Mizzou offense awaits Ahmad Hardy’s return after being shot this offseason.
23. Virginia. A sluggish debut for No. 23 Houston could inspire enough ballots to dump it in favor of a Cavaliers team whose 2-0 record includes a dominant win against a good NC State side.
22. Iowa. Another defense-plus-ground game masterclass for the Hawkeyes in shutting out Northern Illinois and going into the Iowa State rivalry game.
21. Utah. Morgan Scalley’s debut went off without a hitch in a rout against Idaho, with both lines of scrimmage passing their first test after undergoing a lot of turnover.
20. Tennessee. Faizon Brandon and Mike Matthews look like an elite pairing for SEC defenses to go up against after putting on a clinic against Furman.
The Middle of the Poll
19. SMU. Rhett Lashlee said his team tried everything they could to lose, but the Mustangs’ offense led one last touchdown drive in the fourth to break a tie with an inspired Florida State and start 1-0.
18. Michigan. We’ll debate that fateful second forever, but the Wolverines are winners on the books, and there are serious questions around Bryce Underwood’s development.
17. Penn State. Rocco Becht had 4 touchdowns to open up the Nittany Lions’ new regime, which shouldn’t really be tested until mid-October.
16. Washington. Not as explosive a start as the Huskies wanted, but Demond Williams led 2 fourth quarter TD drives to take down Washington State.
15. BYU. What might be the Big 12’s best defense looked the part in smashing Utah Tech.
14. USC. So far, the Trojans are doing everything right, even recording a shutout in Gary Patterson’s second game calling this defense.
13. Alabama. Ryan Coleman-Williams had some more drops, but the ground attack had 5 scores off 227 yards, which is what this offense needs to see more of.
12. Texas Tech. A nice rout against Abilene Christian is a confidence-booster for the Big 12 championship hopefuls.
11. Oklahoma. John Mateer and this Sooners offense looked more confident in pounding UTEP and before heading into a road date at what looks like a wobbly Michigan.
The Top of the AP Rankings
10. LSU. AP pollsters were reluctant to put an unproven but promising team too high at first, but after humiliating Clemson by 41 points in Lane Kiffin’s debut, they should be more confident in giving the Tigers a raise.
9. Ole Miss. A spirited win over ranked Louisville will likely be considered more impressive than LSU’s win by voters and warrant the better position.
8. Texas A&M. No problems for the Aggies in a 50-0 rout against Missouri State.
7. Miami. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney set school records in a rout against Stanford, a promising start for the ACC title favorites.
6. Indiana. The reigning champs pounded North Texas as expected, but there was some talk that the Hoosiers’ defense didn’t play as tough as it could.
5. Texas. No talk about Arch Manning being a bum this time after a 59-7 win over Texas State, but he has a chance to not only avenge his first loss, but put his team in contention for the No. 1 spot in a rematch with Ohio State. Win, and they should get it.
4. Notre Dame. Whatever Marcus Freeman said at halftime clearly worked, coming back from a sluggish early start to pull away and used a pick-six to take down Wisconsin with a 28-3 second half run.
3. Oregon. It’s not every day a highly-ranked winner falls in the poll, but some voters could give the Ducks a slap on the wrist for their lackluster showing against a Boise State team they were favored against by 25 points, especially given how narrow the voting margin was between Oregon and Georgia to start with.
2. Georgia. If the Ducks fall, the Bulldogs will be the beneficiary after pounding Tennessee State by 60 without even trying.
1. Ohio State. No expected change for the vote-leader at No. 1 in the AP poll after the Buckeyes pummeled Ball State by 53 in the opener, but a much tougher test comes this Saturday in the Lone Star State, one of four road games against ranked opponents to come.
Movers: AP Top 25 College Football Teams Moving Up, Down in Rankings
Schedule: When the AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Come Out for Week 2
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