No. 1-128 College Football Rankings – Week 2
Campus Insiders' 1-128 college football rankings heading into Week 2 of the season. After the greatest opening weekend in college football history, here's how all 128 teams grade out.
Campus Insiders’ 1-128 college football rankings heading into Week 2 of the season.
This list will essentially be my weekly power rankings, and the first few editions may be a little untraditional. For example, you will see an 0-1 LSU team ahead of a 1-0 Army squad in the college football rankings because the belief is that the Tigers would beat the Black Knights on a neutral field. However, you will not see LSU ranked ahead of Wisconsin. That would be ludicrous.
You will also see a team like TCU, which did not look strong defensively in its opener against South Dakota State, ranked fairly high because I am still projecting the Horned Frogs to win the Big 12. Again, it is all about not overreacting after one week of play.
No. 1-128 College Football Rankings
128. Charlotte
127. New Mexico State
126. Hawaii
– There are road warriors and then there are the Rainbow Warriors. Traveling from Hawaii to Australia to Ann Arbor for the season’s first two weeks is about as exhausting as it gets.
125. North Texas
124. San Jose State
123. Massachusetts
122. Old Dominion
121. Miami (OH)
120. Kent State
119. Eastern Michigan
118. Idaho
117. Akron
116. Troy
115. Texas-San Antonio
114. Georgia State
113. Buffalo
112. Ohio
111. Tulane
110. Louisiana-Monroe
109. Ball State
108. Iowa State
107. Fresno State
106. Bowling Green
105. Rice
104. Florida Atlantic
103. Virginia
102. Kansas
– Round of applause to David Beaty for winning his first game as the Jayhawks’ head coach. After a trying – and winless – 2015 season, Kansas’ head coach was emotional on the podium after picking up the W.
101. FIU
100. Texas-El Paso
99. SMU
98. Central Florida
– Another team off the schneid. The Scott Frost era got off to a fast start with UCF’s 38-0 win – it’s first victory since 2014.
97. UNLV
96. New Mexico
95. Rutgers
94. Arkansas State
93. Purdue
92. Louisiana-Lafayette
– ULL fired defensive coordinator Melvin Smith just one day after dropping the season opener at home to Boise State, 45-10.
91. Nevada
90. Northern Illinois
89. Illinois
88. Central Michigan
87. Wyoming
86. Colorado State
85. Tulsa
84. Texas State
83. Utah State
82. East Carolina
81. Syracuse
80. South Alabama
79. Oregon State
78. Temple
77. Connecticut
76. Memphis
75. Wake Forest
74. Boston College
– New season, same problems for Steve Addazio’s team: a strong defense held down by a sputtering offense.
73. Kentucky
72. Army
71. Vanderbilt
70. Indiana
69. Maryland
68. NC State
67. California
66. Louisiana Tech
65. Colorado
– That’s how you open a season: by slamming your in-state rival to the tune of 44-7, not to mention shutting them out for the first three quarters.
64. Missouri
63. Navy
62. Duke
61. Cincinnati
60. Northwestern
– A goal line fumble aided in Northwestern’s upset defeat to Western Michigan.
59. South Carolina
58. Georgia Southern
57. Air Force
56. Mississippi State
55. Georgia Tech
54. Washington State
53. Toledo
52. Middle Tennessee
51. Virginia Tech
50. Western Kentucky
49. Minnesota
– Tracy Claeys might need an intervention on the proper time to go for two.
48. Arizona State
47. Texas Tech
46. Penn State
45. Arizona
44. West Virginia
43. Appalachian State
42. Pittsburgh
41. Utah
40. Auburn
39. Western Michigan
38. Kansas State
37. South Florida
36. Marshall
35. BYU
34. Southern Miss
33. San Diego State
32. USC
– There’s no shame in losing a neutral-site contest to the defending champs. However, there is shame in losing to the defending champs 52-6.
31. Nebraska
30. Oregon
29. Oklahoma
– From penthouse to outhouse in the blink of an eye. Oklahoma needs to right the ship quickly, with a Week 3 battle against Ohio State now taking on even more importance.
28. Arkansas
27. UCLA
26. Miami – Mark Richt is still refreshed after his team put up 70 on FAMU. Welcome to the top 25 of the college football rankings.
25. LSU
24. Boise State
23. North Carolina
22. Florida
21. Ole Miss
20. Notre Dame – The Irish lost to Texas in dramatic fashion, and will likely rebound quickly. That said, Brian Kelly needs to iron out his quarterback situation ASAP.
19. Oklahoma State
18. Iowa
17. Texas A&M
16. Wisconsin
– Nobody told the Badgers they were supposed to lose up in Lambeau. They were, by far, the more physical team on the field on Saturday.
15. Washington
14. Louisville
13. Michigan State
12. Tennessee
11. Texas
10. Baylor – Scoring 48 points in the first half is a cathartic way to put an offseason full of turmoil in the rearview mirror. Jim Grobe also handled the Kendal Briles situation with aplomb.
9. Houston – Houston has something special. Let’s hope Greg Ward’s shoulder injury is nothing serious, and that it doesn’t linger all season.
8. Georgia – Nick Chubb may not be human. What an incredible reintroduction to the college football world.
7. Stanford –
The Cardinal played things a little too close for comfort against Kansas State on Friday. Luckily, Christian McCaffrey has no problem taking the team on his shoulders.
6. TCU –
It is going to be a loooooong season for TCU if the Horned Frogs can’t shore up the secondary.
5. Michigan –
All the offseason theatrics are immediately forgotten after beating a road-weary Hawaii team like a drum.
4. Clemson –
It wasn’t in commanding fashion, but Clemson was efficient in dispatching of Auburn. There was no question who the better team was, and it was great watching Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams pick right back up where they left off.
3. Ohio State –
Think J.T. Barrett was reading all the preseason quarterback hype about Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson while wondering where his name was?
2. Florida State –
Monday’s game against Ole Miss looked a lot like the 2014 FSU squad: flat in the first half, and a clod-blooded assassin in the game’s final 30 minutes.
1. Alabama –
A team replacing its Heisman running back and still trying to figure out its quarterback situation just hung half a hundred – plus six – on last year’s Pac-12 South champion. Wow. Alabama is firmly planted on top of the college football rankings.
