Week two saw two elite top-15 matchups, yet the major movement in the poll came in the latter half. Our biggest riser was the Maryland Terrapins who moved from unranked all the way up to number 20 after their beatdown over Syracuse. The Washington Huskies were the biggest faller as they dropped from 11 to 22 after their loss to Cal.

Full Top-25 and analysis:

25. Iowa State Cyclones (1-0)

Previous Ranking: 25

Last Week: DNP

The Cyclones did not play in week two but still find themselves in the top-25 after a weak showing from many teams in the 20-30 range. Quarterback Brock Purdy is the reason why Iowa State will see success this season, but the talent of the rest of the young team might not be on par with Purdy.

24. Boise State Broncos (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 23

Last Week: W 14-7 vs Marshall

Boise State followed an impressive week one win in Tallahassee with a dud at home, yet like all good teams, they pulled out the win. True freshman QB Hank Bachmeier continued to impress (282 YDS, 1 TD), and the Broncos could very well find themselves undefeated ahead of their October 12th matchup against Hawaii.

23. Washington State (2-0)

Previous Ranking: Unranked

Last Week: W 59-17 vs Northern Colorado

The Cougars offense has beaten up on lower level competition to start the season, and it looks like once again coach Mike Leach has a quarterback to run his pass-happy offense. Anthony Gordon has completed 81.1 percent of his passes for 884 yards and nine touchdowns. Heisman hopeful?

22. Washington (1-1)

Previous Ranking: 11

Last Week: L 19-20 vs California

After a dominating week one the Huskies and Jacob Eason were getting some national recognition. Fast forward to the wee hours of the night on Saturday and Washington took a major step back with a loss to California. Eason threw for 162 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Was Washington overhyped, or could Cal be better than we think?

21. Michigan State (2-0)

Previous Ranking: Unranked

Last Week: W 51-17 vs Western Michigan

Michigan State has done its job to open up the season in dominating two G5 teams. Brian Lewerke has looked solid following an injury riddled 2018 campaign, and redshirt freshman Elijah Collins has taken a stronghold on the running back job. Sparty’s elite front seven has given up negative six rushing yards in two contests, but they have a tough task this upcoming week with Eno Benjamin and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

20. Maryland Terrapins (2-0)

Previous Ranking: Unranked

Last Week: W 63-20 vs #22 Syracuse

Coach Mike Locksley has the Maryland offense moving at an all-time high after putting up 79 and 63 points respectively. Many believed Syracuse was the second best team in the ACC coming into the season but the Terps put that notion to bed beating them by 43. Josh Jackson is not a dynamic passer of the football, but Maryland has speed all over the field. Tayon Fleet-Davis, Jake Funk, and Javon Leake combined to make one of the best and fastest trio of running backs in the country. Watch out for Maryland, ACC.

19. UCF Knights (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 21

Last Week: W 48-14 vs FAU

UCF put up yet another huge win over a lower-level opponent. Dillon Gabriel and Brandon Wimbush both have completion percentages below 53 percent, yet they have combined for seven passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. The ground game for the Knights is averaging 325 yards per, and they already have four players with 100+ rush yards. Though Stanford has not looked good to start the season, they will be a tough test this weekend for UCF.

18. Virginia Cavaliers (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 19

Last Week: W 51-17 vs William & Mary

Virginia rolled against W&M as Bryce Perkins combined for 260 yards and three touchdowns. The Cavaliers defense gave up just 193 total yards as they look to be a real contender in the ACC. Junior safety Joey Blount and senior CB Bryce Hall make up one of the better back four duos in the country.

17. Oregon Ducks (1-1)

Previous Ranking: 18

Last Week: W 77-6 vs Nevada

After a devastating week one loss to Auburn the Ducks rebounded by shellacking the Nevada Wolfpack. Justin Herbert was an efficient 19/26 for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns. Oregon added 221 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Oregon is still very well in the mix to win the PAC 12.

16. Texas A&M Aggies (1-1)

Previous Ranking: 12

Last Week: L 10-24 vs #1 Clemson

The Aggies went into Clemson and did not play well at all and were a garbage time touchdown away from putting up a measly three points. With that being said, Brent Venables runs one of the best defenses in the country, even in a retooling season. Though, Kellen Mond averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt and the rushing attack only gained 53 yards. It is definitely not time to panic but A&M still has Auburn, Bama, Georgia, and LSU on the schedule. Yikes.

15. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 17

Last Week: W 61-0 vs Central Michigan

The Badgers offense and defense are clicking on all cylinders as the have outscored their first two opponents 110-0. First year starter Jack Coan threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns. He looks like a guy that can lead the Badgers to the Big Ten title game. Not to mention Jonathan Taylor has 302 yards and eight total touchdowns on just 40 touches.

14. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 15

Last Week: W 30-0 vs Rutgers

Iowa looked impressive in their shutout of Rutgers as they held the Scarlet Knights to just 125 total yards of offense while picking up 438 themselves. This Hawkeye offense has proved to be very balanced through two weeks and quarterback Nate Stanley has yet to turn the ball over. The running back room looks deep as three players have over 89 rushing yards on the season thus far.

13. Auburn Tigers (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 16

Last Week: W 24-6 vs Tulane

The Tigers avoided a letdown week after a huge win against Oregon by topping the Green Wave of Tulane by 18. The offense did not have the greatest showing as they averaged just 4.6 yards per play, however, the defense once again looked stout giving up just 223 total yards.

12. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 14

Last Week: W 45-13 vs Buffalo

The most impressive part of the week two win over Buffalo was Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford, a first year starter, completed 16 of 22 passes for 279 yards and four scores. He added 51 yards on the ground. He is up to 667 yards and six TDs on the young season. If Clifford continues his strong play Penn State will be a contender in the Big Ten East.

11. Texas Longhorns (1-1)

Previous Ranking: 8

Last Week: L 38-45 vs #6 LSU

In an all time game in DKR the Longhorns fell a touchdown short, though, they had the opportunities to win this game. Sam Ehlinger looked terrific, throwing for 401 yards while adding 60 on the ground. The struggle for the Horns came on the defensive end, specifically with their young corners. Todd Orlando must give them some help as Texas approaches Big 12 play, specifically in two weeks versus Oklahoma State.

10. Michigan Wolverines (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 7

Last Week: W 24-21 (OT) vs Army

Michigan barely squeaked out an overtime win over Army this past weekend. Shea Patterson looked lost at times and the run game managed just 2.4 YPC. Though their defense played solid, they did not make big time plays in big time moments. Luckily for Michigan they escaped with a win and can move on to a showdown in Madison on the 21st.

9. Florida Gators (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 13

Last Week: W 45-0 vs UT-Martin

The Gators followed up their non-convincing win over Miami by clobbering UT-Martin. They handled their business as Feleipe Franks was 25/27 with 270 yards and two scores. The run game managed 231 yards while the defense held UT-Martin to just eight first downs. Florida seems likely to be 5-0 headed to their October fifth matchup against Auburn.

8. Utah Utes (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 9

Last Week: W 35-17 vs Northern Illinois

Utah started this game off slowly but another efficient game from Tyler Huntley allowed them to double up the Huskies. Zack Moss had 80 yards and two TDs on the ground. After a contest against Idaho State this week, the Utes will get USC and Wazzu back to back. We will know the capacity of Kyle Whittingham’s squad after those two matchups.

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0)

Previous Ranking: 10

Last Week: DNP



The Irish did not play last weekend but had the luxury of moving up three spots in the rankings after some slip-shod play from top-ten teams. Ian Book is the key to this team, and if he plays like he did in the second half against Louisville they should be just fine. Their first true test will come next week when they travel to Athens, Georgia.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 5

Last Week: W 42-0 vs Cincinnati

The Buckeyes rolled in week two against a Cincinnati team many were high on. Justin Fields had four total touchdowns and JK Dobbins rushed for 141 yards and two more scores. The Buckeye defense led by Chase Young forced two turnovers and had five sacks. Ohio State’s first true test will come at the end of the month in Lincoln, Nebraska.

5. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 4

Last Week: W 70-14 vs South Dakota

Oklahoma dominated a poor South Dakota team, but you can’t hate on a team for doing what they are supposed to do. Jalen Hurts combined for 307 total yards and three touchdowns while the Sooners rushing attack averaged 7.9 YPC. The defense did however give up 269 yards through the air. Against a potent offense we might see them once again get exposed.

4. LSU Tigers (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 6

Last Week: W 45-38 vs # Texas

LSU had the most impressive win of the week in Austin. Joe Burrow dominated, throwing for 471 yards and four touchdowns. Three Tiger receivers had 120+ receiving yards, and the offense added 102 yards on the ground. The defense struggled as they gave up 530 total yards, however, SEC defenses have tended to struggle against the Big 12. It will be interesting to see if Burrow and company can put up these same numbers against an elite SEC defensive unit.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 2

Last Week: W 63-17 vs Murray State

Georgia handled their business against Murray State as Jake Fromm attempted just 11 passes in the win. Their rushing attack picked up 269 total yards on 6.7 YPC, and the Bulldog defense allowed just 23 yards on the ground. This elite defense forced two turnovers and had six sacks as well as 11 tackles for loss.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 2

Last Week: W 62-10 vs New Mexico State

Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama dominated New Mexico State in a 52 point win where Tua combined for 260 total yards and four scores. The Alabama rushing attack gained 318 yards on 9.9 YPC. Five players rushed for over 50 yards. Alabama will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks this weekend.

1. Clemson Tigers (2-0)

Previous Ranking: 1

Last Week: W 24-10 vs #12 Texas A&M

Clemson held onto the number one spot after dominating a top-15 Texas A&M team. Lawrence threw for 268 yards but did throw his third interception of the season. The Clemson defense played well and only gave up 53 yards on the ground. They forced two turnovers as well as sacking Kellen Mond twice. Clemson does not have a top-25 ranked team on the rest of their schedule.