Week 2 has concluded, and it was a roller coaster weekend for a lot of fanbases (we’re not immune to that, unfortunately). With a few top 25 losses in the bank, let’s take a look at how the AP voters rearranged the Week 3 poll.
No. 1 – Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0, LW: No. 1)
The Buckeyes solidified themselves as the number one team in the country, following up their opening win with a dominant 70-0 win over Grambling. Julian Sayin set the Ohio State record for most completions to start a Buckeye game, finishing 18-for-19 with 306 yards and 4 TDs.
Ohio State received 57 first-place votes. The Buckeyes will host in-state foe Ohio this weekend.
No. 2 – Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0, LW: No. 2)
Penn State got off to a slow start, but eventually pulled away from Florida International in a 34-0 victory. Given what we’ve seen from a few other top-five teams, I’d probably have Penn State a few spots lower for now, but the voters have a hard time breaking from their preseason vision. The Nittany Lions received 5 first-place votes and will face FCS opponent Villanova this weekend.
No. 3 – LSU Tigers (2-0, LW: No. 3)
The LSU Tigers had a similar Saturday as Penn State, sluggishly putting away Louisiana Tech, 23-7. Clemson’s performance against Troy, coupled with the Tigers’ game against Louisiana Tech, probably hurts LSU slightly, as I would have the Tigers at No. 2 given their stronger resume than Penn State, but the voters disagree. LSU received two first-place votes and will host Florida (woof) this Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
No. 4 – Oregon Ducks (2-0, LW: No. 6)
Mike Gundy should have never poked the bear of Dan Lanning. The Ducks exploded for a 69-3 victory over Oklahoma State, and the voters took notice. Oregon got a first-place vote and jumped two spots to No. 4, which is where I would have them as well. They’ll get another bloodbath opportunity this weekend when they travel to Northwestern.
No. 5 – Miami Hurricanes (2-0, LW: No. 5)
Miami followed up its opening win over Notre Dame with a 45-3 drubbing of Bethune. Suddenly, the Hurricanes have a huge matchup this weekend with South Florida, which we’ll mention later. Miami is solidly a top-5 team right now, and they’ll have several opportunities over the next month to bolster their resume even more.
No. 6 – Georgia Bulldogs (2-0, LW: No. 4)
The Bulldogs looked rusty in Saturday’s rain-delayed victory over Austin Peay, 28-6. The good news is that we don’t have to wait long to get an answer on Georgia as they travel to Knoxville this weekend to face No. 15 Tennessee.
No. 7 – Texas Longhorns (1-1, LW: No. 7)
My first real gripe with the AP voters. A 1-1 team should not be a top 10 team three weeks into the season, but that’s why this poll has its critiques anyway. Texas took care of San Jose State, 38-7, but there were a few plays where Arch Manning looked to be grimacing as he threw the ball. Hopefully, that’s not an issue this weekend as the Longhorns host UTEP.
No. 8 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-1, LW: No. 9)
Despite not playing this past weekend, the Irish, who are still winless in 2025, moved up in this week’s poll AND remain in the top 10. Great job, voters! They’ll get a crack at a quality opponent this weekend as Notre Dame hosts No. 16 Texas A&M.
No. 9 – Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0, LW: No. 11)
The Fighting Illini took Duke to the woodshed in the second half, outscoring the Blue Devils 31-6 en route to a 45-19 win in Durham. Illinois becomes the fourth Big Ten team to jump into the top 10, and the Illini will have one more tune up game before conference play, hosting Western Michigan this weekend.
No. 10 – Florida State Seminoles (2-0, LW: No. 14)
It didn’t take long for the AP voters to fall back in love with Florida State, bumping the ‘Noles into the top 10 after a 77-3 win over East Texas A&M (who is ready to get back to FCS play). The offensive onslaught was more than FSU scored in their first five games combined last season, and is tied for the second all-time scoring day in program history. The ‘Noles are off this weekend.
No. 11 – South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0, LW: No. 10)
Much like their rivals, Clemson and Georgia, the Gamecocks also dealt with an hours-long rain delay that pushed their game against SC State well into the South Carolina night. South Carolina needed another special teams play from punt returner Vicari Swain, who housed two punts in the first half, helping cover some of the Gamecocks’ first-half lack of offense and eventual 38-10 victory. Swain technically leads the Gamecocks with three touchdowns this year, all punt returns, which is exciting, but also slightly alarming if I’m a South Carolina fan. The SEC slate will kickoff this weekend as the Gamecocks host Vanderbilt.
No. 12 – Clemson Tigers (1-1, LW: No. 8)
It was another abysmal offensive performance in Death Valley, as Clemson trailed Troy, 16-3, at halftime of a rain-delayed first half. The Tigers would come out and score 24 unanswered points in the second half to survive the scare, 27-16, but it was enough for AP voters to send the Tigers outside the top 10. I would have them out of the top 15 for now if I had a vote. Clemson will get a big test this weekend as it travels two hours down I-85 to face Georgia Tech.
No. 13 – Oklahoma Sooners (2-0, LW: No. 18)
John Mateer is going to be a difference maker for Brent Venables’ squad. The redshirt junior quarterback threw for 270 yards and one touchdown, and added 74 more yards and two touchdowns on the ground, leading the Sooners to a primetime win over Michigan. Oklahoma has an odd road trip to Temple this weekend.
No. 14 – Iowa State Cyclones (2-0, LW: No. 16)
The CyHawk Trophy winners get some love from the voters this week, up two spots after their classic 16-13 win over rival Iowa. Matt Campbell’s team looks like the best squad in the Big 12, and the rest of their slate stacks up nicely for a playoff run. The Cyclones will travel to Arkansas State this weekend.
No. 15 – Tennessee Volunteers (2-0, LW: No. 22)
The Vols are hot to start the year, putting up 72 points in yesterday’s win over East Tennessee State. That was enough to catch the voters’ attention, pushing Tennessee up seven spots into the top 15. Part of the leap could also be the Vols hosting No. 6 Georgia this weekend, a squad Tennessee hasn’t beaten since Josh Dobbs’ hail mary in Athens in 2016.
No. 16 – Texas A&M Aggies (2-0, LW: No. 19)
The Aggies cruised to a 44-22 win over Utah State, despite quarterback Marcel Reed leaving in the second half with an injury. To my knowledge, he will be able to play this weekend as Texas A&M travels to No. 8 Notre Dame.
No. 17 – Ole Miss Rebels (2-0, LW: No. 20)
Lane Kiffin’s team avoided disaster this year, beating Kentucky on the road in a close matchup. I’m not completely sold on this Ole Miss team, but they’ll get another SEC foe at home this weekend as they host Arkansas.
No. 18 – South Florida Bulls (2-0, LW: NR)
The story of the weekend was the Bulls going into Gainesville and knocking off Florida (and likely beginning the end of Billy Napier’s tenure). South Florida has now knocked off ranked teams in back-to-back weeks, and the Bulls will have another chance to do so this weekend as they travel to No. 5 Miami. We’re heading for 2007 levels if South Florida wins that one.
No. 19 – Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1, LW: No. 21)
The Tide responded to their opening loss with an absolute whopping of UL Monroe, 73-0. Given how FSU played this weekend, I was slightly surprised the voters didn’t move Alabama up more, even though I would have them around this area as well. The Tide will host Wisconsin this weekend.
No. 20 – Utah Utes (2-0, LW: No. 25)
The Utes may be in a two-man race with Iowa State for the Big 12. Utah exploded for 63 points in a home win over Cal Poly. I think Utah is massively underrated, and I really like New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier at quarterback. The junior has five touchdowns and zero interceptions while leading the team with 112 rushing yards and a score on the ground. I’ve got Utah around the 14th-place mark. The Utes will travel to Wyoming this weekend.
No. 21 – Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0, LW: No. 24)
The Red Raiders get a bump after beating Kent State, 62-14. Texas Tech is right there behind Utah and Iowa State in the Big 12 race, and they’ll get the Utes soon, but this weekend, the Red Raiders will host Oregon State.
N0. 22 – Indiana Hoosiers (2-0, LW: No. 23)
Indiana gained some more love from the voters after beating Kennesaw State, 56-9. We won’t get to learn anything new about the Hoosiers this week though, as they host in-state rival Indiana State on Friday night.
N0. 23 – Michigan Wolverines (1-1, LW: No. 15)
It wasn’t a terrible night for the Wolverines in Norman, but overcoming Brent Venables’ defense with a true freshman quarterback was too much for Michigan to handle. Underwood still has room to grow, and the Wolverines will get the chance to regroup this weekend as they host Central Michigan in the Big House.
No. 24 – Auburn Tigers (2-0, LW: NR)
I hate to say it, but Jackson Arnold looks so much better in this Auburn offense than he did at Oklahoma. The Tigers cruised past Ball State, 42-3, and the Auburn play-calling approach seems to be working. I thought this team may have gotten more love from the voters, as I have Auburn inside the top 20 after Baylor’s win over SMU yesterday. The Tigers get one more cupcake game, hosting South Alabama this weekend.
No. 25 – Missouri Tigers (2-0, LW: NR)
The country got to learn just how fierce the Border War is between the Tigers and rival Kansas, and the two played an excellent game this past weekend, with Missouri pulling away late, 42-31. We’ll see what the story is with Missouri in a few weeks when they host South Carolina, but this weekend, they’ll get Louisiana at home.
My Two Cents
A few thoughts through week 2 for me. Ohio State and Oregon look like the two best teams in the country, but resumes are still important, and LSU and Miami have two good wins to bring to the table that Oregon does not. Penn State is living off the preseason hype, and I have to knock them for not scheduling anything tougher in the non-conference slate.
South Florida has two top-25 wins. Granted, neither team is still ranked, but I think credit still has to be given for the way the Bulls have won those games, yet they are behind teams like Texas, Notre Dame, and Clemson, who have already lost. If South Florida knocks off Miami this weekend, I would love to see any arguments opposing them to a top-10 ranking. Right now, they’re in the drivers seat for the G5 playoff bid.
Florida State and Oklahoma should both be higher in the poll. They have two of the better wins this season and look really impressive in their bounce-back campaigns. As I stated in Utah’s ranking, I think the Utes are also underrated. I’d have Clemson lower than 12th in my vote. Seeing the way they played Troy, I think a steeper punishment by the voters would have been justified.
We’ll learn more this week with some big-time matchups between Georgia and Tennessee, South Florida and Miami, and Texas A&M and Notre Dame. Get some eyes on Vanderbilt-South Carolina as well if you can.
