The top 3 remains unchanged following week 2 as Ohio State, Alabama and TCU cruise against weak teams. Michigan State make a small but meaningful jump after beating Oregon, who along with Auburn took the big plummets of the week, as the Tigers struggling against an FCS team costs them 12 spots. BYU, Oklahoma State and Northwestern make their first appearances in the top 25 this season, filling in for three SEC teams that dropped out: Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi State.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (59 First place votes), 2-0: An easy win for the Buckeyes over Hawai’i, shutting the Warriors out with a 38-0 victory.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide, 2-0: No movement for the Tide as well following a comfortable 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee.
3. TCU Horned Frogs, 2-0: Beat Stephen F. Austin 70-7 which didn’t impress anyone, but they didn’t drop as well.
4. Michigan State Spartans (2), 2-0: Not only did they move up a spot, but their 31-28 win over Oregon lands them two first place votes, ruining the unanimous thing for the Buckeyes.
5. Baylor Bears, 2-0: Dropped a spot, maybe punished for “only” beating Lamar 66-31.
6. USC Trojans, 2-0: Climbed a couple of spots following an easy win over Idaho, 59-9.
7. Georgia Bulldogs, 2-0: A 31-14 win on the road against Vanderbilt helps them climb three spots.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 2-0: A tough 34-27 win over Virginia causes them to climb up a spot, but they did lose their starting quarterback for the season.
9. Florida State Seminoles, 2-0: An easy win, 34-14, over South Florida, was enough for a two spot jump, with former ND quarterback Everett Golson doing well so far.
10. UCLA Bruins, 2-0: Crushed UNLV 37-3 on the road, climbed three spots.
11. Clemson Tigers, 2-0: Destroyed Appalachian State 41-10, helping them climb a spot.
12. Oregon Ducks, 1-1: Lost 31-28 to Michigan State on the road, causing them to fall five spots.
13. LSU Tigers, 1-0: Finally opened their season with a 21-19 win at Mississippi State, helping them move up a spot.
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 2-0: The triple option tore through Tulane in a 65-10 win, resulting in a one spot climb.
15. Ole Miss Rebels, 2-0: Rose two spots following their 73-21 win over Fresno State, carrying on with impressive offensive numbers to start the season.
16. Oklahoma Sooners, 2-0: Rose three spots following a dramatic 31-24 double overtime win over Tennessee in Neyland.
17. Texas A&M Aggies, 2-0: A 56-23 win over Ball State didn’t impress anyone, resulting in a one spot drop.
18. Auburn Tigers, 2-0: Auburn barely got by Jacksonville State (27-20) and the punishment was falling 12 (!!!) spots.
19. BYU Cougars, 2-0: Their 35-24 win over Boise State including another dramatic hail mary touchdown despite playing with a backup quarterback lands them in the top 25 for the first time.
20. Arizona Wildcats, 2-0: Another impressive performance for Anu Solomon results in a 44-20 win over Nevada and moving up the rankings two spots.
21. Utah Utes, 2-0: Another team with quarterback injury problems, but beat Utah State 24-14 to climb three spots.
22. Missouri Tigers, 2-0: Dropped one spot as punishment for struggling against Arkansas State, winning “only” 27-20.
23. Northwestern Wildcats, 2-0: A 41-0 win over Eastern Illinois puts them in the rankings for the first time.
24. Wisconsin Badgers, 1-1: Back in the rankings after drubbing Miami (Ohio) 58-0.
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys, 2-0: Beat Central Arkansas 32-8; enough to put them in the rankings for the first time this season.
Dropped from the rankings: Arkansas, Tennessee, Boise State, Mississippi State