Ohio State Stays on Top as South Florida Crashes AP Top 25
This week’s AP Top 25 poll brought plenty of excitement and some surprising shake-ups in college football. At the top, Ohio State once again held firm at No. 1 after delivering another dominant performance. The Buckeyes received 57 first-place votes, keeping them ahead of Penn State at No. 2 and LSU at No. 3. Oregon moved up into the No. 4 spot, while Miami rounded out the top five. Collectively, the top five teams absolutely rolled in their Week 2 games, winning by a combined score of 241 to 13. That dominance left little doubt about their standing.
But while the top remained stable, the real drama came further down the rankings. South Florida made headlines by pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the young season. The Bulls stunned Florida with an 18–16 walk-off field goal, marking back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time in program history. That victory vaulted them straight into the poll at No. 18, their highest ranking since 2017, and it knocked Florida out of the Top 25 altogether.
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Another major shift came in Norman, where Oklahoma knocked off Michigan 24–13 in the week’s only matchup between ranked teams. The win was a statement for the Sooners, who surged five spots to No. 13, while Michigan tumbled eight places to No. 23. Meanwhile, Illinois continued its rise, breaking into the top 10 at No. 9 for the first time since 2001, and Florida State’s explosive 77-point outing pushed them up to No. 10.
Not everyone enjoyed the weekend. Clemson, despite pulling out a 27–16 comeback win over Troy, dropped four spots to No. 12 after looking shaky early. Arizona State, Florida, and SMU weren’t so lucky—they all fell completely out of the rankings after suffering tough losses. SMU’s double-overtime defeat to Baylor was especially crushing, while Arizona State was handed its first home non-conference loss to a top-15 team since 1991.
On the flip side, a few programs made big moves upward. Tennessee leapt seven places to No. 15 after a 72–17 blowout win, while Utah climbed from No. 25 to No. 20 after putting up 63 points on Cal Poly. Auburn and Missouri also entered the rankings for the first time this season, giving the SEC a record 11 teams in the Top 25.
Looking ahead, Week 3 is set up with some intriguing matchups. South Florida will try to prove its run is no fluke when it visits No. 5 Miami. Over in the SEC, No. 4 Georgia takes on No. 15 Tennessee, and No. 16 Texas A&M heads to South Bend to face No. 8 Notre Dame. With so many teams climbing, falling, and fighting to stay relevant, the early playoff picture is already beginning to take shape.
College football is only two weeks in, but the chaos is already here—and if Week 2 was any indication, the road to the playoff will be anything but predictable.
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