Week 2 AP Top 25
The latest AP Top 25 college football rankings came out late this week because of the holiday, and those extra days of waiting were well worth it as there’s been plenty of movement throughout.
The big names didn’t suffer any major upsets, but there was still some re-shuffling at the top of the rankings. Let’s take a look at the top 10 teams and their chances of moving up, or down on Sunday when the next set of rankings is released.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0, previous: 1)
No matter what the scoreboard said, Alabama didn’t look all that impressive in their win over Virginia Tech. They’ll get a bye this weekend to prepare for next weekend’s marquee matchup with Texas A&M at College Station.
Expect coach Saban to have his troops back performing at a high level by then.
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2. Oregon Ducks (1-0, previous: 3)
Oregon took care of business in Week 1, throttling Nicholls State. Best of all, it looks like they won’t lose a step without Chip Kelly on the sideline. This week they’ll travel to Virginia to face a sneaky-good Cavaliers team as 22-point favorites. Mark Helfrich knows the Ducks will be in for fight, so don’t expect him to let his team take their foot off the gas.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0, previous: 2)
A 20-point win over Buffalo wasn’t enough to keep Ohio State in the No. 2 spot in this week’s rankings. They’ll get San Diego State as 28-point favorites on Saturday. The Buckeyes have more flaws than many think, and with their bowl ban lifted and all eyes back on the program, those flaws will be exposed.
4. Clemson Tigers (1-0, previous: 8)
The biggest mover of the week is Clemson, who jumped ahead four spots after beating Georgia in Death Valley. The Tigers were fortunate that the Bulldogs experienced some injuries during the course of the game. Clemson had a lot of trouble stopping the run, but there’s no denying that their pass rush looked dominant.
They’ll have a chance to work out some kinks this weekend as 52.5-point favorites against South Carolina State.
5. Stanford Cardinal (0-0, previous: 4)
The Cardinal dropped a spot in the rankings despite sitting out Week 1. They’ll open their schedule this weekend against San Jose State as 26.5-point favorites. The Cardinal offense will be tested against an underrated Spartan defense. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
6. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0, previous: 6)
Not even lightning could stop the Gamecocks in Week 1. They hold steady at No. 6 in this week’s rankings despite an unimpressive win over rival North Carolina. In Week 2, South Carolina draws a Georgia team looking for a bounce back performance after a loss. Georgia will certainly play their hearts out, but South Carolina has won each of the last three meetings between the teams.
7. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0, previous: 7)
One half of Johnny Manziel was plenty for Texas A&M against Rice in Week 1 as they coasted to a 21-point victory. This week, the Aggies will play in another cupcake matchup, hosting Sam Houston State as 47-point favorites.
Consider this game nothing more than a tune-up for next week’s showdown with Alabama.
8. Louisville Cardinals (1-0, previous: 9)
Louisville’s schedule won’t be a problem this year – earning respect by beating up on the little guys will be. The team’s 42-point win over Ohio was enough to bump them up a spot in the standings, and if they hope to continue climbing the rankings they’ll need to build up another significant margin this weekend as 40-point favorites against Eastern Kentucky.
9. LSU Tigers (1-0, previous: 12)
LSU took care of business against TCU, even if it didn’t look pretty at times. That 10-point win was enough to bump the team up three spots in the rankings. The Tigers have a couple weeks to coast before their schedule gets interesting, starting this weekend with a matchup against UAB as 34-point favorites.
10. Florida State Seminoles (1-0, previous: 11)
Jameis Winston looked like the real deal in an almost perfect performance against Pittsburgh. Games like that will help Seminole fans forget about EJ Manuel. Florida State gets the week off before hosting Nevada next weekend.
Their spot in the top 10 could be in jeopardy to teams like Georgia, Florida, and Texas.
