College Football Rankings: New No. 1 And Jumbled Order After Upsets, Close Calls

A new No. 1 emerged after Week 2 because the rankings matter, playing games in your respective weight class is important and top-5 matchups in September are hallowed and heralded as holidays. For this, we give thanks and genuflect. But onto business. It’s always good to win. But is it better that Ohio State lost to Texas? Is it better to beat Oklahoma or lose to Michigan? We don’t have to know the answer to that question now, but it’s reasonable to believe we’ll need to know by December. In fact, Oklahoma showed that to be true last season. A loss to Texas was not as bad as Texas’ loss to Florida. The difference? Florida had a terrible 4-8 record. Texas had a 9-3 one. All things equal — all things being wins — the program with the best loss usually gets the nod. It’s one of the quirks of our sport. Like Michigan, which won a game on the scoreboard but who I dropped to No. 25 and the AP Top 25 Poll dropped entirely because of how it won that game. Style points matter. And your opponents influence your style. Both Michigan and Oklahoma need each other to be great for the rest of this season if they want to leave no doubt about their worthiness for inclusion into the College Football Playoff. And they’ll get to play Ohio State and Texas, respectively. But no matter who won Saturday night, a new No. 1 was always going to emerge. It’s a perk of playing a top-5 matchup when the rest of the sport is too cowardly to schedule such a game on its own. So now, Texas holds the best win in college football and an undefeated record. That gives it the strongest argument to stand atop the sport after Week 2. That also means Ohio State owns the best loss in the sport, and no self-respecting college football expert or fan is going to hold this loss against the Buckeyes nearly as much as, say, Michigan’s controversial win against Western Michigan. And so it goes for the next 11 weeks. Before we move onto Week 3 or beyond, here are my top-25 rankings from Week 2. Week 2 game: 59-3 win vs. Norfolk State The Cavaliers performed like we’ve come to expect them to since their breakthrough season last year. Beating up on FCS opponents isn’t a great metric for finding out how good a program is, but more than 230 rushing yards and six yards per carry on average is a healthy stat for Virginia coach Tony Elliott’s team. Week 2 game: 38-32 win vs. Air Force The Bison proved they can be a big-play offense when they need to and against a service academy at that! North Dakota State created eight explosive plays in the definitive win against the Falcons. Week 2 game: 45-24 win vs. Georgia Tech A workmanlike win for a top-25 team against an unranked opponent on the road? A rarity in this ruckus Week 2. But it’s worth saying: Tennessee did not make this win harder than it needed to be, unlike others in the SEC who did, such as LSU, or just flat-out losing like Oklahoma. Style points from me for simply taking care of business. Week 2 game: 43-10 win vs. Arkansas Utah continues to look like a team that can not only contend for the Big 12 title but also one that could break into the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. And all in Utah coach Morgan Scalley’s Year 1. Week 2 game: 56-10 win vs. UC Davis Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings put together a second-straight 300-yard passing performance Saturday against the Aggies and was nearly perfect in the execution: 14-of-16 completions for 337 passing yards with five touchdowns. I find it more instructive, though, that SMU did not commit a single turnover in this game after posting four in its season-opener against Florida State. Week 2 game: 16-14 win vs. Utah State White-knuckling a win against a program FCS Idaho State beat last week is not ideal for a Huskies team that has aspirations of playing for the Big Ten title this season. Week 2 game: 52-3 win vs. Campbell Florida not only scored 35 points in the second quarter, but it also got three touchdowns from wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who returned back-to-back punts for touchdowns and caught one to cap an outstanding day against an underwhelming opponent. I would love to see the Gators play the Wolverines. Week 2 game: 17-10 win vs. Oklahoma The Wolverines looked like a Kyle Whittingham team Saturday, and I wrote about it. They weren’t amazing offensively, but they were committed to running the ball. Defensively, they played man coverage and sought one-on-one pass-rushing matchups against a Sooners offense it routinely beat. For some, it was the first win of the season for the Wolverines. For Michigan, it’s undefeated, and that’s everything. Week 2 game: 77-6 win vs. Southern U Bruh, the score was 70-6 at the end of the third quarter. I daresay Southern coach Marshall Faulk has never suffered a worse whooping as a football professional. The Cougars ran the ball for 388 yards with six rushing touchdowns. Houston quarterbacks completed 15 passes combined, and five of those were touchdowns. Week 2 game: 27-9 win vs. Temple The Nittany Lions began shaky, but quarterback Rocco Becht is good. He finished the day with 273 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win. Yes, Penn State started slowly, but this is a good football team with a chance to be a great one this season. Week 2 game: 38-21 win vs. Kansas I’m convinced quarterback Austin Simmons is an elite passer, and he can be the difference-maker for a Mizzou team that played a consecutive week without Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s best running back in 2025. Simmons completed 19-of-29 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns, but several of those incompletions were dropped by his receivers. Week 2 game: 39-31 loss vs. Oklahoma State Damn, Dan. Look, I wrote about this loss. And without piling on here, suffice it to say, this isn’t the end for the Ducks. But try convincing an Oregon fan of that. Week 2 game: 28-17 win vs. Arizona The best part of this win was getting to see quarterback Bear Bachmeier actually uncork a 25-yard touchdown pass to receiver Reggie Frischknecht to seal the victory late for the Cougars. Bachmeier hasn’t received a lot of opportunities to hit defenses over the top because so much of the Cougars’ philosophy revolves around a steady and abundant run game. But now, we know he’s got that throw in his arsenal when BYU needs it. Week 2 game: 35-24 win vs. Oregon State Texas Tech led a middling-to-bad Oregon State, 14-7, at halftime despite not allowing a single first down and just 22 total yards. Did the Red Raiders find a way to pull this game out? Yes. Did they learn their secondary can get roasted by Beavers wide receiver Jesse Legree for 240 receiving yards on eight catches with a pair of touchdowns? Also, yes. Week 2 game: 45-17 win vs. Kentucky Alabama didn’t take a lead in this game until there were three minutes left in the third quarter, and that lead came after the Crimson Tide scored their first offensive touchdown. And then the dam the Wildcats had so carefully built broke loose. The Tide scored 32 in the second half on five straight scoring drives. Week 2 game: 41-9 win vs. Charlotte Charlotte is in a tailspin of its own. The Niners haven’t beaten an FBS program since 2024 and haven’t beaten a Power Four one since 2021. Ole Miss beating Charlotte was less a win and more of a formality. Week 2 game: 49-30 win vs. Louisiana USC is the Big Ten’s only Week 2 top-10 team that played like one. Neither the offense nor the defense gave an inch to Louisiana, and Riley’s Trojans continue to look formidable. Week 2 game: 48-20 win vs. Arizona State Unlike some in the top 10, the Aggies hosted a Sun Devils program that could’ve given them a game — and did. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko will take a hard look at his secondary after it allowed Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris to make nine catches for 189 yards with two touchdowns. Week 2 game: 45-14 win vs. Louisiana Tech The Tigers committed four turnovers in the first half. Three of those were interceptions thrown by quarterback Sam Leavitt, and the Bulldogs were in a 10-7 rock fight with the Tigers, despite Louisiana Tech accruing zero — yes, zero — total yards in the first half. Lane Kiffin better fix whatever broke for two quarters against a team that LSU was supposed to annihilate, start to finish. Week 2 game: 24-23 loss vs. Texas Before losing to Texas, the Buckeyes had won 115 consecutive games when leading by 20 points or more. Prior to this game, the last team to come back and win against the Buckeyes while down 20 points was 2011 Nebraska. But hey, best loss of anyone so far. Week 2 game: 77-7 win vs. Florida A&M Pad the stats, Miami. Putting up a school record of 856 offensive yards against an HBCU program you paid $760,000 — including $40,000 to The Marching 100 — to travel eight hours south isn’t as impressive as Canes fans would like to think. But, sure, go off. Week 2 game: 52-0 vs. Rice The Fighting Irish led their Group of Six opponent, 42-0, at halftime, and quarterback CJ Carr had his way against an Owls team that doesn’t represent the kind of competition we’d expect to test Notre Dame. Carr’s stat line — 16-of-20 completed passes for 253 yards with four touchdowns — is indicative of how easy beating Rice was for him and this team. Week 2 game: 70-20 win vs. Western Kentucky As is often the case when top-tier teams play Group of Six squads, Georgia made light work of the Hilltoppers in a game that will do wonders for Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton’s Heisman Trophy campaign. And he put up some Tecmo Bowl stats: completed 13-of-16 passes for 234 yards with five passing touchdowns. Week 2 game: 55-0 win vs. Howard The Hoosiers performed exactly as they should against a private HBCU to which they guaranteed $525,000 for visiting Bloomington. Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker caught three passes, and all three went for touchdowns. This happened alongside Hoosiers running backs Leo Beebe, Jr. and Turbo Richard each rushing for more than 100 yards. Week 2 game: 24-23 win vs. Ohio State The Longhorns became the first team to come back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the AP’s No. 1-ranked team in 30 years. After a good game, a historic comeback and the best win of the season, Texas deserves the top spot.