It was a relatively tame week by college football’s standards, but there were a few changes in the latest AP Poll nonetheless.
The full rankings:
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANKING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (54) | 1517 | 2-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson (6) | 1430 | 2-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1407 | 2-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 1288 | 2-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 1263 | 2-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 1227 | 2-0 | 5 |
| 7 | Auburn | 1224 | 2-0 | 7 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 1022 | 2-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Stanford | 992 | 2-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Washington | 884 | 2-0 | 9 |
| 11 | Penn State | 836 | 2-0 | 13 |
| 12 | LSU | 830 | 2-0 | 11 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | 794 | 2-0 | 12 |
| 14 | West Virginia | 793 | 2-0 | 14 |
| 15 | TCU | 678 | 2-0 | 16 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 654 | 2-0 | 18 |
| 17 | Boise State | 500 | 2-0 | 20 |
| 18 | UCF | 494 | 2-0 | 19 |
| 19 | Michigan | 385 | 1-1 | 21 |
| 20 | Oregon | 301 | 2-0 | 23 |
| 21 | Miami (FL) | 299 | 1-1 | 22 |
| 22 | Southern California | 250 | 1-1 | 17 |
| 23 | Arizona State | 139 | 2-0 | NR |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 119 | 2-0 | NR |
| 25 | Michigan State | 104 | 1-1 | 15 |
The top 10 teams are all the same, though a few schools flip-flopped. Stanford moved up one spot to No. 9 after dominating USC, and the Cardinal’s defense looks as stout as ever. It’s fair to be skeptical about the Pac-12 after what we saw last year, but Stanford and Washington both look legitimate in 2018.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, jumped a spot to No. 5 after blowing out UCLA by almost 30 points. The Kyler Murray era is off to a fantastic start in Norman.
As mentioned before, it was a quiet week atop the AP Top 25 but something worth pointing out: Alabama earned 54 first place votes and sits atop the rankings for the 106th time, an AP record. The Crimson Tide won their Week 2 game 57-7, and Tua Tagovailoa threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns on 19 pass attempts. Alabama is phenomenal with average quarterback play, but if Tagovailoa is a star? Best of luck facing them.
MORE: Undefeated college football teams in 2018
USC slipped the most of any team this week, falling five spots to No. 22 after scoring just three points against Stanford. True freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels has talent, but his lack of experience was evident against the Cardinal. The Trojans have a bright future, but this could be a developmental year.
Arizona State and Oklahoma State joined the fray at Nos. 23 and 24, respectively. The Sun Devils notched a big win over Michigan State, and the Herm Edwards era is off to a nice start despite drawing some criticism in the offseason. The Cowboys, meanwhile, haven’t missed a beat offensively despite Mason Rudolph’s departure for the NFL. Oklahoma State put up 55 points on South Alabama on Saturday.
Week 2 of college football was fun, but the best is certainly yet to come. There seems to be at least a few College Football Playoff contenders from every major conference, which is something we haven’t always been able to say.
