Now we head to Week Three and Texas and Florida State are riding incredibly high. The Southeastern Conference, which has been the best league year in and year out for a long, long time, has had marquee teams suffer notable losses. Meanwhile, the PAC-12 has been incredible. In its final year. Just criminal leadership. The Longhorns victory over Alabama was the story of the week. Colorado crushed Nebraska, the Buffaloes on the rise, and the once mighty Cornhuskers remain in dark days.
1. Georgia – The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 with a 45-3 win over Ball State, extending the longest winning streak in school history to 19 straight. Now the gauntlet begins as Georgia opens Southeastern Conference play with South Carolina.
2. Texas – The Longhorns nearly upset Alabama last year in Austin. Well, they took care of business this past weekend in Tuscaloosa. This could prove to be Texas’s most important win since the 2009 Big XII Championship Game. Wyoming visits Saturday.
3. Florida State – It was a very impressive 66-13 win over Southern MIss on a short week for the Seminoles. FSU is at Boston College Saturday. It’s good for the ‘Noles that this one is in September, so no cold weather to worry about.
4. Michigan – The Wolverines beat UNLV 35-7 to make it 2-0. The September schedule is pretty light. Bowling Green heads to the Big House Saturday before Rutgers heads in for the Big Ten opener.
5. Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish took down N.C. State 45-24 in Raleigh to make it 3-0. This shaped up as a dangerous game for Notre Dame, but the Irish answered the bell. Central Michigan heads to South Bend and then the Buckeyes visit the Golden Dome.
6. Ohio State – The Buckeyes beat Youngstown State 35-7 in the Jim Tressel Bowl and it’s 2-0 for Ohio State. Western Kentucky heads to The Horseshoe this weekend and then it’s the monster showdown with Notre Dame in South Bend.
7. Utah – The Running Utes bumped the record to 2-0 with a nail-biting 20-13 victory over Baylor in Waco. That’s wins over the SEC and Big XII. Saturday should be a tuneup and then conference play begins with UCLA in Salt Lake City.
8. Southern Cal – Caleb Williams came out hot and the Trojans overpowered Stanford 56-10 in the Coliseum. This was the last PAC-12 showdown between these old rivals. Just sad. The Trojans try to make it 4-0 this week at Arizona State.
9. Tennessee – The Volunteers handled Austin Peay 30-13 to make it 2-0. The Vols are Gainesville bound for a huge game against Florida. Tennessee doesn’t have a great history in the Swamp. The schedule is tough, the Vols need this one.
10. Alabama – The Crimson Tide fell to Texas in the mega showdown this past weekend in Tuscaloosa. Alabama, and this might be a good thing for the Tide, hits the road this week for South Florida. Don’t count Alabama out.
11. Oregon State – The Beavers are 2-0 after a 55-7 blowout of UC-Davis. The PAC-12 is very strong and Oregon State is a contender in a strong and balanced league. Next up is San Diego State in Corvallis.
12. LSU – The Tigers rolled Grambling 72-10 to even the record at 1-1. The Tigers open Southeastern Conference play this week at Mississippi State. The Maroon Bulldogs are coming off a big win over Arizona. LSU has a great history against MSU.