Another week of college football is done and the season is starting to roll along now. We are finally starting to see who actually belongs in the conversation for the conference titles. Let’s take a look at who rose and who fell this week.
1. Ohio State (1)
The Buckeyes started off slowly against Hawaii last week which caused Urban Meyer to replace Cardale Jones with J.T. Barrett. Things finally got rolling for the Buckeyes late in the game as they pushed their record to 2-0 and their defense stepped in a big way to get the shutout.
2. Michigan State (2)
Michigan State got the biggest win of the week by beating the defending Rose Bowl champion Oregon Ducks. Connor Cook had a much better showing, going for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Spartans earned their victory and their spot at number 2.
3. TCU (3)
The Horned Frogs looked much more like their old selves as they welcomed in FCS power Stephen F. Austin. Of course, this was just a throwaway game as many were, but the Horned Frogs got their offense going and will need their confidence as they move closer to Big 12 play.
4. Alabama (4)
Derrick Henry did it again this week. The Crimson Tide were only going up against the lackluster Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State, but the team seems to have found its identity, especially at the quarterback position.
5. Baylor (5)
Baylor was like many other teams this week as they had a cupcake game against Lamar. The team came out and showed its dominance. Shock Linwood had a huge day on the ground going for 130 yards and three scores.
6. Georgia (8)
The Bulldogs got a big win as they pulled away from Vanderbilt late in the game. One thing that reared its ugly head in the game was the quarterback position showing its inexperience. Despite Greyson Lambert starting off slowly, he picked it up late in the game and his defense was able to carry them to victory.
7. USC (9)
The Trojans just keep getting better and Cody Kessler is showing why he is a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy this year. His play is going to need to stay consistent as he tries to help lead his team to the PAC-12 title.
8. Auburn (6)
The Tigers need to do something about their quarterback position and fast. Over the first two games, Jeremy Johnson has 5 interceptions. His two against FCS team Jacksonville State nearly caused the SEC to lose another game to that team. The Tigers got the job done, but barely.
9. Clemson (10)
It was all defense for the Tigers as they hosted Appalachian State in Week 2. The shut out the Mountaineers for most of the game while returning an interception for a touchdown early in the first quarter. The team added on two more interceptions later in the game. The Tigers are quiet right now, but they are finally starting to make some noise.
10. Oregon (7)
The Ducks played a great game against the Spartans, but unfortunately one too many mistakes led to their ultimate downfall. The Ducks will be just fine, but Vernon Adams just needs to get back into a better rhythm if he wants to keep his team in title contention.
11. UCLA (12)
Josh Rosen had another huge for the Bruins as they moved to a big win over UNLV. He has his team rising at the right moment and this team is getting scary early in the season.
12. Florida State (13)
The Seminoles finally got their offense going in the second half of the game, but Dalvin Cook had been on fire all day long. If he continues to do what he is doing, there’s no reason why the Seminoles can’t get to the ACC championship game again.
13. Notre Dame (11)
Malik Zaire is out, DeShone Kizer is in. Zaire got injured in the game against Virginia and that’s all the Cavaliers needed to give the Irish a big scare late into the game. The Irish must learn how to finish games if they want to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff.
14. LSU (14)
LSU needed every bit of the clock to pull out the win over rival Mississippi State despite the Heisman-esque showing from Leonard Fournette. Huge win to open the season for the Tigers and they have a huge game against Auburn in Death Valley next week.
15. Georgia Tech (15)
Another big performance for the Yellow Jackets. It was a team effort for the Jackets as eight different players got into the endzone, but let’s see how they fair in their first real test of the season next week against Notre Dame.
16. Ole Miss (17)
It may not be against big boy opponents, but the Rebels have pulled off huge numbers in their first two weeks of play. The team has scored 73+ points in two consecutive games for the first time in SEC history. This could be a sign of things to come in the SEC this year.
17. Oklahoma (19)
The Sooners got a huge win over the Tennesse Volunteers as they had to come back. They made the comeback inside a hostile environment of Neyland Stadium. Despite his two interceptions, Baker Mayfield had a huge second half for the Sooners and is certainly living up to the hype right now.
18. Texas A&M (18)
The Aggies are looking hot right now and they could be the biggest threat to the cream of the crop in the SEC West right now. The trio of Kyle Allen, Brice Dolezal, and Christian Kirk are very dangerous and should continue to be that way all year long.
19. Arizona (20)
Even without Scooby Wright, the Wildcats are looking pretty fierce. They did a great job blowing out the Wolf Pack and they hope this is just a stepping stone towards the PAC-12 South Championship.
20. BYU (NR)
Two games, two huge wins for the Cougars. Tanner Mangum came on strong in place of the injured Taysom Hill and now this team looks like they could be making a push as the other independent team in the FBS to come knocking at the CFP selection committee’s door.
21. Utah (NR)
The Utes have looked very good from Week 1. After the big win over the Michigan Wolverines, the Utes handled in-state rival Utah State this week and look poised to make noise in the PAC-12 this year.
22. Wisconsin (25)
The Badgers got a much needed win this week after their embarrassing loss to Alabama Week 1. Joel Stave looked much comfortable in the pocket this week than he did last. The Badgers look like they could be on the right track now.
23. Northwestern (24)
The Wildcats didn’t let the Week 1 win swallow them in upset glory. They continued to play very well on the defensive side of the ball and gained even more confidence going into the conference play. It’s going to be interesting in the Big Ten West to say the least.
24. Boise State (22)
The Broncos allowed the BYU Cougars to stay in the game a little too much Saturday night and it looks like that ended hurting them in the end. The Cougars are going to need MUCH better quarterback play if they want to have any shot of winning the Mountain West, much less get back to a New Year’s Six bowl game.
25. Arkansas (16)
The Razorbacks are lucky to even still be on this list. I don’t know how they did it, but they went from one of the hottest teams of the country after a huge win over UTEP where Brandon Allen looked unstoppable, to getting nearly shutout by Toledo, a team traditionally known to have an amazing offense and terrible defense. I guess Bret Bielema just got a taste of something we like to call KARMA.
Fell out of rankings: Arizona State (21), Tennessee (23)
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
