Week 2 AP Poll Review

It was an entertaining first weekend of the college football season, with three top-10 matchups that all went down to the wire. The string of matchups began with Ohio State squeezing by Texas to start Saturday and LSU prevailing over Clemson in the nightcap. On Sunday, Miami and Notre Dame played an excellent game down in Coral Gables, with Miami ultimately prevailing in front of the home crowd.

What did we learn from week one? Some answers to that question will lie in how the AP voters submitted

their ballots this week, and to be ever so sure, there was absolutely no controversy amongst fans and pundits alike. Everyone was in agreement, and we moved on in unison (or did we?).

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (LW: No. 3) – The Buckeyes vault to the top of the AP after their 14-7 victory over then-No.1 Texas. The Buckeyes made the famed phenom Arch Manning look exactly like what he was: a first-time starter making his true debut on the road against the defending national champions. The Buckeyes took the majority of #1 votes this week, landing 55 of the 66 available first-place votes. Ohio State hosts Grambling this weekend.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions (LW: No. 2) – The Nittany Lions were in talks to jump to No. 1, but the voters gave James Franklin’s team just seven first-place votes. Penn State defeated Nevada at home, 46-11, and will get another snoozer this weekend as they host FIU at noon.
3. Louisiana State Tigers (LW: No. 9) – You can argue that Brian Kelly’s team had the most impressive win of the weekend, going into Memorial Stadium and knocking off Clemson. LSU showed improvements along the offensive line and clamped down on Clemson’s explosive offense. You have to feel like they bolstered their SEC and playoff chances by checking this one off the list. Three AP voters listed the Tigers at No. 1. This weekend, LSU will open its three-game home stand against Louisiana Tech.
4. Georgia Bulldogs (LW: No. 5) – Kirby Smart and Georgia looked business as usual in a 45-7 rout at home versus Marshall. Gunner Stockton tossed two touchdowns and ran for two more in the win. The Dawgs will host Austin Peay this weekend.
5. Miami Hurricanes (LW: No. 10) – The U got a huge win at home over its nostalgic rival, Notre Dame. The Hurricanes hadn’t beaten a top-10 team since… Notre Dame, in 2017. Miami looked like the best team in the ACC, and Carson Beck looked like his old Georgia self. If the Canes stay healthy, watch out. They will host Bethune this weekend (don’t look now, but Florida and Florida State are both on the docket over the next month).
6. Oregon Ducks (LW: No. 7) – Someone out there still thinks Dan Lanning’s squad is the best team in the country. The Ducks certainly looked fine in their opening 59-13 victory over last year’s FCS runner-up, Montana State. We probably won’t know much about their status until their trip to Penn State at the end of the month, but they do get power competition from here on out. Oregon will host Oklahoma State on Saturday (imagine this game in 2011?).
7. Texas Longhorns (LW: No. 1) – Texas walked away with more questions than answers after Saturday’s disappointing loss to Ohio State. Steve Sarkisian is now 12-13 against ranked opponents at Texas, which isn’t bad until you see the Longhorns are 4-12 versus top 15 opponents under Sark. It’s a wonder why Texas doesn’t get the same heat as other schools when it comes to these top matchups. This weekend, the Longhorns can regroup at home against San Jose State.
8. Clemson Tigers (LW: No. 4) – Disappointing. That’s all I really got for this one. After losing at home to LSU, Clemson is now 5-7 against top 15 teams since 2021, but none of those victories have come against SEC or Big Ten opponents. Clemson is 5-8 versus non-ACC power conference teams in the same span. Will Cade Klubnik win a big game this season? He’ll have a couple more chances to do so, but not this weekend. Clemson hosts Troy at 3:30 p.m.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (LW: No. 6) – The Irish played well and had about as good an outing in a loss as they could have hoped for with first-time starter CJ Carr. Notre Dame will need to get Jeremiyah Love going if they want to get their momentum back. The Irish are off this weekend before hosting Texas A&M in week 3.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks (LW: No. 13) – South Carolina got a lot of love (too much IMO) after beating a mediocre Virginia Tech team (yes, I know the irony). Some of this may have had to do with Alabama’s loss, paving the way for the Gamecocks to emerge as that third or fourth-best team in the SEC. LaNorris Sellers played well against the Hokies, but the Gamecocks need to get their run game going soon. They cannot continue to let Sellers take those hits and expect him to stay healthy all season. South Carolina will host in-state FCS opponent South Carolina State this weekend in their home opener.
11. Illinois Fighting Illini (LW: No. 12) – Illinois looked the part with a 52-3 win over Western Illinois to open the season. They will face their first true test this weekend on the road at Duke.
12. Arizona State Sun Devils (LW: No. 11) – Arizona State played with its food just a tiny bit as it hosted Northern Arizona this weekend. That very well could have been conservative coaching not to show any cards since Arizona State will travel to Mississippi State this weekend. I heard they were using cowbells in their practices. I don’t think they had enough to simulate what they’ll face in Starkville this weekend.
13. Florida Gators (LW: No. 15) – We saw just enough DJ Lagway to get the job done and keep the star sophomore healthy. The Gators handled Long Island and will get a more formidable opponent this weekend in South Florida (who very well should have been ranked this week).
14. Florida State Seminoles (LW: NR) – At one point on Saturday, as I stood in Littlejohn Coliseum at Clemson watching the Alabama-Florida State game, the famed Tomahawk Chop broke out amongst Clemson and LSU fans as Florida State stretched its lead to double digits over the Tide. It was a resounding result that sent Seminole stock soaring and Alabama stock crashing. After a tumultuous 2024 campaign, it was good to see the ‘Noles bounce back. FSU will get a few tune up games the rest of the month, starting with East Texas A&M this weekend.
15. Michigan Wolverines (LW: No. 14) – Michigan didn’t blow anyone away with its 34-17 victory over New Mexico, but freshman phenom quarterback Bryce Underwood looked impressive in his Wolverine debut, tossing for over 250 yards and a touchdown. Underwood will be in the spotlight this week in his first road start as Michigan heads to Norman, Oklahoma, to face the Oklahoma Sooners. College GameDay will be on site for the first game after Lee Corso’s retirement.
16. Iowa State Cyclones (LW: No. 22) – Maybe this ranking for Iowa State was a correction by the AP voters, who did not move Iowa State after beating Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, in week one, but felt the need to do so after the Cyclones pounded FCS opponent South Dakota this past weekend. Nevertheless, we’ll see if Iowa State can maintain momentum as they host in-state rival Iowa this weekend for the CyHawk Trophy.
17. Southern Methodist Mustangs (LW: No. 16) – SMU jumped right out of the gate with a 42-13 win over East Texas A&M. The Mustangs will host in-state rival Baylor this weekend.
18. Oklahoma Sooners (LW: No. 18) – The Sooners remained unchanged as they rolled over Illinois State, 35-3. John Mateer set the Oklahoma record for most passing yards in a Sooner debut, with 392 yards and three touchdown tosses. Mateer gets his first true game on the big stage this weekend when Oklahoma hosts Bryce Underwood and No. 15 Michigan, the only ranked-versus-ranked matchup in week 2.
19. Texas A&M Aggies (LW: No. 19) – No change for the Aggies either as they put away in-state opponent, UTSA. A&M gets one more tune up game as they host Utah State this weekend.
20. Ole Miss Rebels (LW: No. 21) – Lane Kiffin ran up the score against Georgia State, beating the Panthers, 63-7. Style points have always been Ole Miss’s thing under Kiffin, and Saturday was no different. This weekend, the Rebels get a revenge game against Kentucky, which may have kept the Rebels out of the playoffs last year by defeating Ole Miss in Oxford. Does Mark Stoops have another trick up his sleeve this year?
21. Alabama Crimson Tide (LW: No. 8) – The dynasty is dead (glad we finally let that out after nearly 20 years of frustration). Alabama won’t be what it was under Saban, but that’s not to say the Tide can’t turn things around and still make a run in the SEC. With Jam Miller back healthy, Alabama still has all of its goals in front of it. This was no doubt the worst hit to Alabama’s stock since losing to UL Monroe in Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa, but it’s not a knockout punch yet. Speaking of UL Monroe, the Tide will host the Warhawks this weekend (yes, I am thinking the same thing you are).
22. Tennessee Volunteers (LW: No. 24) – The Vols looked really good in their opening win over Syracuse, and I was surprised the AP voters didn’t move them up higher. Joey Aguilar looked like he was a returner in Josh Heupel’s offense, not a first-time starter. If this is any indication of what the rest of the year looks like, the SEC race just got more interesting. Tennessee will host FCS opponent East Tennessee State this weekend (and Georgia after that).
23. Indiana Hoosiers (LW: No. 20) – The Hoosiers and the AP voters will be at odds all season long, I can already tell. Indiana looked meh in their opener against Old Dominion (granted, we have seen ODU knock off Virginia Tech and give South Carolina a run for its money in recent years, so maybe we’re slighting them too much). Despite the win, voters dropped Indiana three spots in this week’s poll. The Hoosiers get another cupcake in Kennesaw State this weekend.
24. Texas Tech Red Raiders (LW: No. 23) – Texas Tech’s offense lit up the scoreboard in a 67-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Red Raiders will get Kent State at home this weekend.
25. Utah Utes (LW: NR) – The second newcomer to this week’s poll is Utah, which looked mighty impressive in its 43-10 win over UCLA. I thought the Utes should have been higher than several of the teams in front of them, but it’s clear the voters were already asleep by the time the Utes kicked off at 11 o’clock on Saturday night. Utah gets Cal Poly at home this weekend.

Overall, the poll was relatively on par with what I would have done. Other than Utah and Tennessee being higher and Clemson and South Carolina being a spot or two lower, I think the voters got it right. With only one ranked matchup this weekend, it’s hard to see the poll changing much unless some upsets occur.