Two full weeks of games aren’t enough to make firm conclusions about teams, but the limited sample size highlighted some possible concerns for contenders.
LSU, Penn State and Georgia had a hard time pulling away from inferior competition in Week 2. Clemson trailed Troy 16-3 at halftime before finding its way in the second half to avoid an 0-2 start. After limited cowbell prep, Arizona State‘s ears will be ringing for a while as a last-minute defensive breakdown doomed the defending Big 12 champs against Mississippi State in Starkville. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood‘s plan to shock the world has been put on hold as Brent Venables’ Oklahoma defense humbled the nation’s No. 1 recruit in Norman.
Illinois overcame early offensive line struggles to pounce on mistake-ridden Duke. Iowa State finally broke the spell Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz had cast on its home stadium, but still only mustered 16 points in victory. This was a get-right week for Alabama and Arch Manning, and further proof that South Florida is a team to watch after its shocker in The Swamp.
But most teams have plenty to fix and improve. Here’s our view of the Top 25 coming out of Week 2. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 1
All the defending national champions have done through two weeks is defeat the No. 1 team in the country before hammering Grambling, 70-0. So, it’s not easy to nitpick the Buckeyes thus far. But the biggest question mark going forward is whether Ohio State can run the ball when it needs to against the best in college football. Last year, the Buckeyes had a dynamic running back tandem in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who both rushed for 1,000 yards and became second-round draft picks. But in Week 1 this year, the Buckeyes managed just 77 yards on 34 carries in the 14-7 victory over Texas. The trio of CJ Donaldson, James Peoples and freshman Bo Jackson is capable of also producing a prolific rushing attack. So is the offensive line. The Buckeyes just have to prove it. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
LSU’s offense began with an interception and missed field goal and never really shifted all the way into gear, but the Tigers still scored a comfortable 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech thanks to a defense that has now allowed just 17 points in two games. They held the Bulldogs to 154 yards and a 3-for-13 performance on third downs, and that was all that ended up mattering. Still, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was anything but sharp: Including three sacks, his 44 pass attempts netted just 210 yards despite a good game from Barion Brown (94 receiving yards, plus a 15-yard run). Running back Caden Durham gained just 29 yards in 13 carries, too. The Tigers got away with it, but with a frustrated Florida team visiting next week, the offense will need to dial back in next Saturday. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 2
The Nittany Lions couldn’t finish off drives early playing in poor weather during a 34-0 victory over Florida International. After scoring just one touchdown in the first half, Penn State finally got going. Still, the Nittany Lions went just 3-of-12 on third down, a continuation of the previous season, when they ranked 14th in the Big Ten with a third-down conversion rate of 36%. Penn State went 3-of-11 in a home loss to Ohio State and in the CFP semifinals loss to Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions have the goods to win a national championship. But they need to improve on third down, especially ahead of a big Sept. 27 clash against Oregon. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 6
There’s not much to nitpick when a team outgains its opponent by over 400 yards, scores 69 points in three quarters and only allows a field goal on defense. But if there is anyone out there who will still find things to improve, it’s Oregon coach Dan Lanning. Despite the fact that the Ducks trounced Oklahoma State 69-3 after the two coaches traded comments on their program’s financial resources earlier in the week, Lanning was all business and called out the team’s five penalties in the first half as something Oregon can improve on. It was that kind of day for Oregon, which looked every bit the part of a dominant playoff team. Lanning said there was no extra motivation for the Ducks heading into this game, but they welcomed the gasoline that Cowboys coach Mike Gundy poured onto their fire with his comments. Safe to say other teams have been warned: Before talking about the Ducks, try to keep up with them first. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 5
Carson Beck opened the Hurricanes’ 45-3 win over Bethune-Cookman with 15 straight completions, a single-game school record as they had a much easier time against the Wildcats compared to their season-opening win against Notre Dame. Beck threw two touchdown passes to CJ Daniels and Mark Fletcher Jr. had a few touchdown runs. There isn’t much to take away from a game like that, so let’s go back to the Notre Dame game. Miami had a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but its offense stalled on four straight drives, and the Hurricanes had a hard time getting consistent yards out of their run game. The next time the Hurricanes are in a close game, that will be a key area to monitor for improvement. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 4
The Bulldogs’ 28-6 win against FCS program Austin Peay was hardly the kind of performance coach Kirby Smart wanted going into next week’s SEC opener at high-flying Tennessee. Georgia’s offense struggled to get the ball down the field and couldn’t score on four straight plays from the 1-yard line against the Governors’ undersized defensive front at the end of the first half. Injuries have hampered Georgia’s offensive line (starting right guard Juan Gaston and right tackle Earnest Greene III didn’t play against Austin Peay), and new starting quarterback Gunner Stockton is still building his confidence. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 227 yards, but didn’t see a couple of open receivers running down the field. The good news: Georgia’s defense continued its hot start, limiting the Governors to only 10 first downs and 196 yards of offense. It will need a similar performance if the Bulldogs are going to beat the Vols for a ninth straight time. — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 7
It wasn’t a completely dominant performance by the Longhorns against San José State, though the outcome was never in doubt. There were 12 penalties, a few dropped passes, and plenty to work on. But when it was clean, Texas put on a show, with Arch Manning throwing four touchdown passes in a five-minute span, including on three consecutive pass attempts, to put fans at ease. The Texas running game was spotty, with CJ Baxter leading the way with 64 yards, but still averaged 4.8 yards per carry. With two more home games against UTEP and Sam Houston awaiting, the Longhorns are hoping to keep fine-tuning their offense to suit Manning, with coach Steve Sarkisian saying this week was more to his style. The defense is championship-caliber. If the offense catches up, Sarkisian will feel good about the SEC stretch coming up. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 8
After an opening-week loss to Miami, Notre Dame had a breather in Week 2, which was probably good timing. CJ Carr was solid in his debut, but getting an opportunity to use the off week to study his early miscues against the Hurricanes could prove invaluable as the Irish prep for a Week 3 showdown with Texas A&M. If Notre Dame can topple the Aggies, the rest of the schedule sets up nicely for a playoff run. If it doesn’t, an 0-2 start could have the Irish playing to an inside straight the rest of the way. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 13
It is hard to find too many early areas of concern for the Seminoles, who are riding high after following up their upset win over Alabama with a 77-3 win over East Texas A&M. Florida State scored touchdowns on its first 10 drives and had 729 total yards of offense. Thirteen different players had a carry. Tommy Castellanos connected on long plays to receiver Duce Robinson multiple times as well. But if there is one question mark still, it is what happens when an opponent stops the run and Florida State has to rely more heavily on its passing game. The Seminoles have rushed for nearly 600 yards in two games, while Castellanos has only attempted 25 total passes. While we saw explosive plays against East Texas A&M, there will be tougher challenges ahead. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 12
The Cyclones out-Iowa’d Iowa to snap their six-game home losing streak to their in-state rivals in a 16-13 win. There wasn’t much offense to recap as neither team reached the 250-yard mark or scored a touchdown in the second half. What Iowa State did have, however, is one of the most dangerous weapons in college football: kicker Kyle Konrardy. After booming a 63-yard field goal last week, he kicked three more field goals on Saturday, including the game winner from 54 yards with 6:29 left in the game. His range effectively shortens the field for Iowa State and in a game like this one, that proved to be the difference. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 23
The Sooners rode a smothering defensive performance and the playmaking of quarterback John Mateer to one of the most important wins of the Brent Venables era in a 24-13 victory over Michigan Saturday night. But self-inflicted wounds nearly cost Oklahoma in Week 2. While the Wolverines’ offense largely languished, the Sooners gifted Michigan three of its four first downs before halftime via defensive penalties. Isaiah Sategna III‘s muffed punt and Tate Sandell‘s 42-yard field goal miss marked a pair of special teams blunders. And Mateer wasn’t immune, either, overthrowing a receiver for a first-quarter interception before sprinkling in a handful of other miscues into an otherwise exhilarating performance. Altogether, the series of errors left the door open for a Wolverines comeback. And while Michigan couldn’t make the Sooners pay for their mistakes Saturday night, others surely will when Oklahoma dives into SEC play later this fall. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 11
A week after giving up 203 rushing yards to UTSA, the Aggies emphasized consistency on defense, and held Utah State to 2.2 yards per carry on 38 attempts. The big story was that the Aggies are developing their big-play passing offense, something that was a must this offseason. Marcel Reed threw for 220 yards and four TDs, including a 34-yarder to Terry Bussey, a five-star signee a year ago, for his first TD reception, and Mario Craver caught a 72-yarder from backup Miles O’Neill. Cashius Howell had himself a day, sacking Utah State QB Bryson Barnes three times on three consecutive plays. Elko was pleased with the progress, but with a trip to South Bend looming to face Notre Dame, the real test begins. Last year, coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish held the Aggies to 246 yards — just 100 of those passing, with two interceptions — and 13 points in a season-opening loss. Now, it’s time to see if the offseason makeover can provide new results. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 15
The Illini passed their first road test of the season, pulling away from Duke for a 26-point win. But a strong second half shouldn’t completely mask some potential problems, namely a run game that stalled for a while before opening up. Illinois had minus-5 rushing yards in the first half and allowed four sacks. Normally, that equals a deficit on the road. To Illinois’ credit, it limited major mistakes of its own and repeatedly capitalized on the Blue Devils’ five turnovers and converted them into 21 points. Quarterback Luke Altmyer was excellent and Illinois is showing greater explosiveness in the passing game with Hank Beatty and others. But the Illini can’t count on being plus-5 in turnover margin in every key game, and at some point, will need their running game to show up from start to finish. Probably on Sept. 20 in the Big Ten opener at Indiana. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 10
Shane Beamer knows the Gamecocks’ offense has plenty to clean up after a sluggish start against South Carolina State on Saturday night. The Gamecocks struggled to sustain drives in the first half and didn’t score their first offensive touchdown until the third quarter of their 38-10 win. A lengthy weather delay and tough field position played a factor, and Vicari Swain stepped up with two more punt return touchdowns in the second quarter. But this LaNorris Sellers-led offense is too talented to put up just 128 passing yards and 125 rushing yards against an FCS defense. Better execution and efficiency are a must with Vanderbilt and Missouri, two teams that put up big points on Power 4 foes Saturday, up next on the schedule. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 18
You’re not going to find much to nitpick about Tennessee’s 72-17 blowout of East Tennessee State. Transfer QB Joey Aguilar continued his impressive start with 288 passing yards, two TDs, no sacks and no turnovers. The Vols’ offense racked up 717 yards, fourth-most in the Josh Heupel era, and has a 100% red zone conversion rate this season. One key question as the showdown with Georgia looms is the health of Tennessee’s defensive line. Starting defensive tackle Jaxson Moi missed the ETSU game along with Daevin Hobbs and Tyree Weathersby. Getting Moi back in the lineup this week would be a big deal as the Vols get ready to face the Bulldogs’ rushing attack. — Olson
Previous ranking: 9
The Tigers’ offense continued to look lost in Week 2 against Troy, falling behind 16-3 in the first half before engineering a strong second-half comeback. If the Tigers are looking for a silver lining, the second half at least offered a few. Cade Klubnik completed 8 of 9 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Adam Randall carried 15 times for 91 yards. The defense didn’t surrender a point. Still, if things look this disjointed against Troy, a road trip to Georgia Tech in Week 3 could be incredibly dangerous. — Hale
Previous ranking: 21
The Utes welcomed their entry into the Top 25 with a thorough dispatch of Cal Poly by a score of 63-9. It was a dominant affair that left little to worry about for the Utes, who looked like a far more explosive and efficient team on offense through two games than they did all last year. Zooming out and looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if quarterback Devon Dampier can maintain the kind of load and production he has had, especially with his legs. Through two games, the New Mexico transfer is tied with Wayshawn Parker as the Utes’ leading rusher and already has carried the ball 20 times. So far, Dampier seems up to the task, but his importance to the Utah offense may require a bit more management of his reps, especially if it means avoiding injury. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 19
The past five Ole Miss-Kentucky games have been decided by one score, but unlike last year, Ole Miss made big plays when it counted and survived, 30-23. Austin Simmons threw two first-quarter interceptions but led six scoring drives afterward and finished with 235 passing yards and a rushing touchdown. Kewan Lacy, meanwhile, rushed for 138 yards and a score. The Rebels’ defense held UK’s Zach Calzada to 149 passing yards and made a pair of fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter. That allowed their lead to hold up. Ole Miss is 2-0 and has now exorcised one of the demons of 2024; the Rebels had a playoff-caliber team but dropped heartbreakers to Kentucky, LSU and Florida. They’ll get their next revenge attempt in three weeks when LSU comes to town. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
If we’re judging teams purely on who they’ve beat, who has had a better start to the season than the South Florida Bulls? Alex Golesh’s squad was dominant in a 34-7 win over No. 25 Boise State and showed its resilience in a 18-16 upset of No. 13 Florida in The Swamp on Saturday night. The Gators’ many mistakes will get all the attention, but Byrum Brown leading USF on an 87-yard winning drive in the final two minutes was nonetheless impressive. The Bulls are No. 3 in ESPN’s Strength of Record metric, and now they’ll try to regroup and go pull off another road stunner at No. 5 Miami. Win or lose, this team clearly has the goods to chase a College Football Playoff bid. — Olson
Previous ranking: 22
It won’t erase a season-opening loss at Florida State, but Alabama’s 73-0 rout of UL Monroe was exactly what it needed in rebuilding its confidence. The Crimson Tide scored on each of their first 11 possessions (10 touchdowns and one field goal), and quarterback Ty Simpson completed a school-record 17 straight passes for 226 yards with three touchdowns. Alabama ran for 212 yards and didn’t commit a turnover. The Tide defense played much better, limiting the Warhawks to 148 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers. The pressure on second-year coach Kalen DeBoer should subside, for at least a few days, and the Tide will be heavy favorites in Saturday’s home game against Wisconsin. They’ll get a week off before their first SEC road game at Georgia on Sept. 27. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: NR
The Red Raiders led Kent State 48-0 at halftime, a week after leading the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 47-0 at the half. They have not found much of a fight yet, including scoring on their first 14 possessions of the season. Punter Jack Burgess finally got some work in this week with two kicks. Most importantly, quarterback Behren Morton, who has struggled with a right leg injury, was able to play the entire first half before resting. The Red Raiders step up competition this weekend against Oregon State in Lubbock, although the Beavers just fell to 0-2. But with a big test awaiting against a resurgent Utah team in Salt Lake City at the beginning of Big 12 play next week, Tech will look to stay sharp and injury-free. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 25
Curt Cignetti challenged his team after a Week 1 win that was never in doubt but also quite sloppy, especially inside the red zone, where the offense failed to score on three opportunities against Old Dominion. The Hoosiers responded nicely by bulldozing Kennesaw State, scoring touchdowns on eight of their first 10 complete drives, including a stretch of five straight in the second half. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was much sharper, passing for 245 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Three players added rushing touchdowns, led by Lee Beebe Jr., as IU’s increased depth at running back has shown up early. Safety Louis Moore has been very good so far for the Hoosiers’ defense. Anything less than dominance will not satisfy Cignetti, especially with the Big Ten opener against Illinois looming Sept. 20. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 24
TCU coach Sonny Dykes’ biggest takeaway from the Horned Frogs’ 48-14 humiliation of North Carolina in Bill Belichick’s debut was his team’s maturity. Two years ago, the Frogs fell to Colorado in Deion Sanders’ first game and the focus this year was blocking out the noise and making it about themselves. Now, looking forward, TCU found a running game it lacked last year, piling up 258 yards on the ground, and Josh Hoover, one of the best returning QBs in the country, continued to shine, throwing for 284 yards and two touchdown passes. After a Monday Labor Day game, the Frogs had a bye week. So they’ll try to regroup with Abilene Christian this week, the only non-Power 4 team on their schedule this season, before a home game against old rival SMU, who humbled the Frogs 66-42 last year, at home. That one will go a long way in determining if TCU is back on its 2022 trajectory. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 14
Among the issues in the Wolverines’ Week 2 loss at Oklahoma: an inability to create chunk plays. Michigan’s lone touchdown came on Justice Haynes‘ 75-yard rushing score on the first offensive snap of the second half. However, the touchdown marked the Wolverines’ only run over 10 yards and one of only five total plays of 15 or more yards produced by first-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s attack against the Sooners. That came after Michigan logged only three carries over 10 yards against New Mexico in Week 1, as well. There are plenty of reasons to believe the Wolverines can get better — the development of quarterback Bryce Underwood, consistent production from the receivers, more consistency throughout time in Lindsey’s offense, etc. — but for now, Michigan’s offense is still sorely lacking explosiveness. — Lederman
Previous ranking: NR
Down 21-6 early because of a fumble return score and a couple of big Jalon Daniels passes, Missouri settled down, began dominating the ball, and eventually put down hated rival Kansas, 42-31. The Tigers had a 300-yard passer (Beau Pribula), two 100-yard rushers (Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy) and a 100-yard receiver (Kevin Coleman Jr.) and outgained the Jayhawks, 595-254, with a huge time-of-possession edge. But they needed a pair of go-ahead touchdowns from tight end Brett Norfleet and, finally, a 63-yard TD run from Roberts to put the game away. Regardless, they won the first Border Showdown in 14 years and moved to 2-0. And in two games as a Tiger, Pribula has completed 53 of 67 passes (79%) for 617 yards and five TDs and no picks. Hard to top that. — Connelly
