The opening weekend of college football offered results that were sure to shake up the rankings in part because so many ranked teams played each other. But while Week 2 offered just one matchup between ranked teams, we are sure to find some changes thanks to stunning results and some concerning performances from those squads who entered the weekend ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.
No. 18 Oklahoma taking down No. 15 Michigan will certainly bring about changes, but our projection is that the Wolverines won’t fall out of the top 25 out of respect for the opponent and the nature of the matchup. The same cannot be said for Florida, which boasted one of the more talented rosters in the SEC but will find itself tumbling after a home loss to USF as a three-score favorite. It’s a win that will propel the 2-0 Bulls into the top 25 for sure but also lead to big-picture questions for Billy Napier after the failed opportunities against an in-state foe from the American.
Bowl projections: Oregon rises in College Football Playoff bracket as Florida, Clemson exit field
Brad Crawford
Florida was not the only ranked team to lose to an unranked opponent and not the only top team to look less than impressive in Week 2, so there is the potential for plenty of shifting in the rankings.
Here’s how we expect the new AP Top 25 to look on Sunday after Week 2 results:
1. Ohio State (Last week — 1): Grambling’s coach indicated an awareness of the game that was about to unfold when speaking with the media this week, so no one, including the Tigers, was surprised when Ohio State started rolling early. Julian Sayin was nearly perfect with an 18-of-19 passing day that totaled 306 yards and four touchdowns (but one INT), and the Buckeyes put 70 on the board after being held to just 14 in Week 1.
2. Penn State (2): The argument that Penn State is making for voters every week is that this is one of the best teams in the country. That is not what leading 10-0 at halftime against FIU looked like, especially with some of the execution issues that contributed to the surprising margin. But after cleaning things up after halftime and pulling away for a 34-0 win, we’re projecting Penn State won’t get displaced from the No. 2 spot.
3. LSU (3): Any push to make LSU the No. 1 team in the country — something that three voters did declare last week — has likely cooled after a sleepy performance against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers held on for a respectable win but won’t be making a run at the top spot until there’s another win last week’s against a top opponent.
4. Georgia (4): If you want to find Georgia fans who are frustrated with a lower offensive output, you can find them. But when the opponent is Austin Peay the voters mostly just want to see a controlled game. Georgia never trailed, didn’t allow a touchdown and advanced on to next week for the first big test of the season against Tennessee.
5. Miami (5): No major changes for Miami in the rankings after a 45-3 win against Bethune-Cookman, but the positivity continues for Carson Beck and his handle of Shannon Dawson’s offense after a 22-of-24 showing for 267 yards and a couple scores.
6. Oregon (6): It’s very possible that the sticker shock of 69-3 against a power conference opponent will have voters moving up to No. 3 or No. 4. And since the Ducks got one first-place vote last week, there’s real mobility to move up should they appear in the top two spots on more ballots. Oregon has defeated its first two opponents by a combined score of 128-16, showing no signs of a regression as the 2025 team takes aim at another Big Ten title.
7. Texas (7): Arch Manning bounced back from his 2025 debut with five total touchdowns in Texas’ 38-7 win against San Jose State. Manning himself pointed to some “sloppy” play that needs to get cleaned up, but Texas (and the voters) will take the win and move ahead with tougher tests not he horizon.
8. Notre Dame (9): The Fighting Irish were off in Week 2 and will be back in action next week at home against Texas A&M.
9. Illinois (11): The final score won’t indicate how close Illinois was with Duke for long portions of Saturday’s early slate, but the Fighting Illini did what good teams do and make the Blue Devils pay for their mistakes. The final result is a 45-19 win that should satisfy the voters looking for Illinois to meet expectations of a team making its case to be inside the top 10.
10. South Carolina (10): The Gamecocks had to deal with significant weather delays in Columbia but pulled away for a comfortable win against South Carolina State.
11. Clemson (8): We are projecting a drop in the rankings even in the wake of a win, as Clemson’s goodwill with the AP voters — where the Tigers checked in two spots higher than the Coaches Poll in the preseason — has likely eroded through two weeks. Clemson trailed 10-0 and had to rally back to win 27-16 against Troy.
12. Florida State (14): No sign of a hangover from taking down Alabama as the Seminoles put themselves into the record books with the one of the highest-scoring performance in program history. Saturday’s 77-3 win is tied for the second-highest point total in FSU history, trailing only an 80-spot from the eventual national champions in 2013.
13. Oklahoma (18): John Mateer met the moment against a gifted Michigan defense, and the Sooners did their job creating enough pressure on Bryce Underwood to deliver one of the bigger home wins of the Brent Venables era.
14. Iowa State (16): The only 3-0 team in America has two wins against power conference opponents and continues to find ways to out-execute its competition in one-score games. On one hand, Iowa State’s 16-13 win was reminiscent of many CyHawk Trophy games in the past, but it’s also indicative of a team that’s ready for the one-score wars of Big 12 play.
15. Texas A&M (19): There was some concern coming out of an otherwise sweat-free win against Utah State in that starting quarterback Marcel Reed left the game after an awkward fall on a run. Mike Elko confirmed that the injury is not serious, which is a big deal considering the next game is a road trip to South Bend to play Notre Dame.
16. South Florida (NR): The Bulls are now 2-0 with two wins against teams the AP voters had ranked in the top 25, so it’s worth considering that those same voters will react aggressively to the win against Florida in The Swamp. Few teams have a better combination of two wins to start the year than South Florida, and Miami is up next in the Bulls’ parade.
17. Ole Miss (20): It’s clear that Mark Stoops has the recipe for dragging Ole Miss into the mud, but this year the Rebels had enough answers to avoid a potentially season-upending upset loss. The final score didn’t exactly match pregame expectations, but voters won’t penalize the team for a one-score win.
18. Alabama (21): Carrying a 42-0 lead into halftime was exactly what Kalen DeBoer needed to do for the fans who turned out to Bryant-Denny Stadium for the home opener. Ty Simpson was sharp and the offense was methodical, providing a nice palette cleanser following last week’s loss.
19. Tennessee (22): On a day that featured several crooked scores, Tennessee joined the party with a 72-17 blitzing of East Tennessee State. With 117 points across two wins, it’s clear Josh Heupel is comfortable with the Vols’ new quarterback, Joey Aguilar, and now their top-25 bona fides will be tested in the SEC opener against Georgia.
20. Indiana (23): Curt Cignetti was quite displeased with several aspects of Indiana’s season-opening win against ODU, and it’s clear a week of practice had the Hoosiers playing with a bit of a sharper edge in Week 2. Indiana did a better job of finishing drives and at one point had six straight possessions finish in the end zone if you take out the end-of-half kneel.
21. Texas Tech (24): No major changes for absolutely pummeling Kent State. The Red Raiders had a 48-0 lead by halftime and cruised the rest of the way to a 62-14 win.
22. Utah (25): The Utes broke into the top 25 on the backs of a lopsided win that might have gone overlooked by some voters because of its kickoff time, and then followed that up with a lopsided win (63-9) that might have gone overlooked by voters because of the opponent (Cal Poly).
23. Michigan (15): There won’t be an overreaction for Michigan given the opponent and the setting, but the Wolverines are definitely in that position for voters where another loss will have them on the outside looking in on the top 25.
24. Missouri (NR): What a statement for the Tigers, storming back from a slow start to beat Kansas 42-31 in a renewal of their rivalry. Beau Pribula checked a lot of boxes in terms of bringing a spark to the passing game, and the Tigers ran the ball effectively behind an offensive line that did a good job of getting a push up front. Missouri has a favorable schedule and now gotten off to a strong start, and could not only break into the top 25 but be set for an extended stay in the rankings.
25. Arizona State (12): There is certainly a case for Arizona State to drop all the way out of the rankings, but their position was so strong in the preseason it might be difficult to see the same fate as Florida. The Sun Devils were on the road against an SEC opponent, so there might be enough forgiveness from the voters to stay inside the consensus top 25 but many voters will drop the Sun Devils in favor of a BYU, Georgia Tech, USC or TCU.
Projected to drop out: No. 13 Florida, No. 17 SMU
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