There were some mega-showdowns this past Saturday, but unfortunately most of the big ones were played at approximately the same time. Oklahoma was clearly the team of the week. Due to the hurricane, numerous games were cancelled and rescheduled – including Miami and Florida State this coming week. Conference games across the country really start heating up this week.
1. Alabama – After an extremely impressive win over Florida State to open the season, the Tide did their usual Week Two dismantling of Fresno State. Mike Bobo leads Colorado State to T-town, then the Tide opens SEC play in Music City.
2. Oklahoma – Boomer Sooner posted one of their biggest wins in several years, trouncing Ohio State in Columbus. Oklahoma should keep rolling this weekend against Tulane. The Sooners are really rolling.
3. Clemson – The Tigers defense was incredible in a 14-6 victory over Auburn. Clemson has an outstanding line of scrimmage, and they will be put to the test against Louisville on the road on Saturday.
4. Southern Cal – What a win for the Trojans, who rolled past Stanford 42-24. This Trojans offense is lights out. An attractive schedule continues with a visit for Texas Saturday night. Clay Helton has the Men of Troy cooking.
5. Florida State – The Seminoles cancelled their game with Louisiana-Monroe due to the hurricane and will now play Miami on October 7th. Can Florida State get its quarterback situation settled?
6. Michigan – The Wolverines made it 2-0 with a win over Cincinnati on the heels of a great defensive performance against Florida. Jim Harbaugh’s troops will have their hands full with Air Force and the triple option Saturday.
7. Oklahoma State – What looked like a potential tricky road trip to South Alabama turned into an impressive win for the Cowboys. Mike Gundy has this Pokes offense clicking on all cylinders. This Big XII race should be a great one.
8. Penn State – The Nittany Lions looked sharp in a 33-14 win over old rival Pittsburgh. There are some bad memories there for the Georgia faithful. Penn State should push the record to 3-0, as Georgia State comes to town.
9. Washington – The Huskies were a little shaky in the opener with Rutgers, but blew Montana out 63-7 to return to form. Now the Huskies host Fresno State, which lost at Bama this past week – talk about a tough schedule.
10. Wisconsin – The Badgers held off Florida Atlantic to make it 2-0 on the season and now the heat gets turned up. Wisconsin makes the trip to Brigham Young before the gauntlet of the Big Ten begins. They are the favorites on their side to make it to the Big Ten Championship Game.
11. LSU – The Bayou Bengals rolled past Chattanooga and are looking good at 2-0. Now comes the grind of the Southeastern Conference, which starts at tough Mississippi State. Dan Mullen has a good looking team in Starkville.
12. Ohio State – It was a tough loss for the Buckeyes this past Saturday, as Oklahoma rolled to a two touchdown win in the horseshoe. Ohio State’s defense ow must face the option attack of the Black Knights of the Hudson, who are 2-0.
13. Louisville – Lamar Jackson is off to an incredible start with back to back games of over 300 yards passing and 100 rushing. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner will have to be at his best this week, as the Cardinals host defending national champion Clemson.
14. Virginia Tech – The Hokies are off to a nice 2-0 start and have their eyes on an outstanding year. Virginia Tech could have a tough challenge with East Carolina in Greenville, but this team has the goods. Justin Fuente is a good young coach.
15. Auburn – It was a tough loss for Auburn, as Clemson’s defense absolutely stonewalled War Eagle. The Tigers fans are ready to get the offense cranking. Auburn hosts Mercer Saturday. The Bears have an excellent athletic director in Jim Cole.
16. Kansas State – Bill Snyder might just have a legit Big XII contender this season in “The Little Apple.” Kansas State blew away Charlotte and now heads to Music City USA for a date with the Vanderbilt Commodores.
17. TCU – The Horned Frogs had one of the most impressive performances of the weekend, downing Arkansas 28-7 in Fayetteville. Next up is SMU in what should be an easy one before Gary Patterson’s gang cranks up Big XII play.
18. Georgia – It was a thrilling 20-19 victory at Notre Dame in the first meeting between the two since the Bulldogs greatest day of 1/1/81. Samford brings a high-powered offense to town, then the Dawgs open SEC play with tough Mississippi State.
19. Miami – Due to the hurricane, Miami appropriately cancelled its trip to Arkansas State. This coming Saturday’s highly anticipated showdown with Florida State has been pushed to October 7th.
20. Mississippi State – The Maroons are rocking and rolling. Dan Mullen’s squad went up to Ruston and annihilated Louisiana Tech to make it 2-0. Now comes the big one with LSU Saturday night in Starkville.
21. Tennessee – The Volunteers head to Gainesville, aiming for a second straight win over the Gators and a great start to the season. That incredible comeback win over Tech jump-started the campaign. Tennessee’s strength is its offensive line.
22. Florida – The Gators didn’t play last week due to the hurricane and now host Tennessee in a big SEC showdown. Florida is seeking some sort of offense. In the opener against Michigan, both Gator touchdowns came on pick-sixes.
23. South Florida – Charley Strong has a lot of talent in Tampa. The Bulls game at Connecticut was cancelled. Illinois, which is in the bottom tier of the Big Ten is scheduled to visit USF this weekend. This squad has a good chance to pile up a lot of wins.
24. Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish lost a tough one to Georgia 20-19 in South Bend. Notre Dame is undoubtedly one of the most improved teams in the country. Up next is Boston College, which should push the Irish to 2-1.
25. South Carolina – In what was a dangerous road trip, the Gamecocks rolled past Mizzou 31-13 to chalk up a second straight impressive win. Kentucky heads to Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend, and the ‘Cocks have a shot to get off to a 2-0 SEC September start.