AP Top 25: Takeaways From Week 2 Poll
The AP Top 25 for Week 2 was released on Tuesday. Here are takeaways following the best opening weekend in the sport's grand history.
The AP Top 25 for Week 2 was released on Tuesday. Here are takeaways following the best opening weekend in the sport’s grand history.
Here are some instant AP Top 25 takeaways from the newest edition of the poll.
Top 5 woes
Former Top 5 occupants Oklahoma and LSU were defeated on Saturday in their season openers, which prompted both teams to fall. Florida State, which for a good portion of Monday night looked as if it was going to suffer a similar fate, rallied back to stun Ole Miss and move up one spot to No. 3. The Sooners dropped from No. 3 to No. 14, while the Tigers fell from No. 5 to No. 21—a 16-spot drop. Both OU and LSU have the schedules to work their way back up the rankings, but they also have issues that need to be resolved in order to be College Football Playoff contenders by the end of the season.
B1G Time
Both Ohio State and Michigan are the class of the Big Ten, according to the AP Poll. The Buckeyes scored 10 offensive touchdowns and rolled up a school-record 776 yards in beating Bowling Green, 77-10. But all eyes are on what happens in two weeks when OSU travels to Oklahoma, which will be a desperate team after its opening clunker to Houston. Urban Meyer’s squad moved up two spots to No. 4. Meanwhile, Wilton Speight and the Wolverines posted a 63-3 win over Hawaii, which was their most lopsided victory since 1975. Jim Harbaugh’s squad went through the entire game without having to punt. Michigan moved up two spots to No. 5.
While the Buckeyes and Wolverines may be the class of the league, do not sleep on Wisconsin and Michigan State. Wisconsin, which beat SEC foe LSU at Lambeau Field, went from unranked to No. 10 and jumped Michigan State, which remained at No. 12. That means that 33 percent of the Top 12 in the country hail from the Big Ten.
Houston has lift off
Following its thumping of Oklahoma, Houston rose all the way up to No. 6 from No. 15—a jump of nine spots. The Cougars have not only positioned themselves for a return trip to a New Year’s Six bowl spot, but they at least have put themselves in the very early conversation to crash the CFP Top 4. Of course, it’s early. But the Cougars are legit, and they could get the breaks they need from some Power Five teams in the long run.
Join the club
In addition to Wisconsin, Texas, Texas A&M and Miami (FL) all made their way into this week’s AP Top 25 after being unranked. The Longhorns are No. 11, the Aggies are No. 20 and the Hurricanes are No. 25. Texas delivered Charlie Strong a huge opening victory over Notre Dame, giving Longhorn fans hope for a bright future behind the arm of Shane Buechele and the legs of Tyrone Swoopes.
Overrated/Underrated
Washington jumped six spots to No. 8 this week after its win over Rutgers. While the Huskies have a favorable schedule, a six-spot jump was certainly eye-catching.
Georgia moved up nine spots to No. 9 after its win over North Carolina. The Bulldogs have a future star quarterback in Jacob Eason, and they certainly have as good of a chance as any team to win the SEC East.
Tennessee dropped eight spots to No. 17, which is warranted considering its performance against Appalachian State in the opener.
