USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 releases after Week 2 of college football
Wow, we are going to get some changes within the top 25 rankings, via the coaches poll this week. USA Today released its newest rankings after the latest slate of games.
Highlighting the weekend was Texas going to Tuscaloosa and beating Alabama. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns made the biggest statement of the early parts of the season, meaning this could be a bonafide playoff team and maybe the team is “back.”
But also, there were other games of course. Below are the latest rankings in the Coaches Poll Top 25 after Week 2 in college football.
1. Georgia
Georgia quickly took care of business against Ball State to improve to 2-0 on the season. Carson Beck went 23-of-30 passing for 283 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The run game was balanced and spread out but the Bulldogs pivot to SEC play with South Carolina at home next weekend. That’ll be the first test of the season after getting through two non-conference games.
2. Michigan
Michigan did it without Jim Harbaugh once again to improve to 2-0, so there’s just one more game to go without the head coach. A 35-7 win over UNLV was like taking another breath for the Wolverines.
JJ McCarthy was nearly flawless again, going 22-of-25 passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Edwards has yet to get going in the backfield, but Blake Corum made light work of the Rebels with 15 carries for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Shoutout to the defense for nearly pitching a shutout.
3. Florida State (+2)
Florida State continues to rise by virtue of winning, plus some other things happening. This could’ve been a let down performance, but the Seminoles roasted Southern Miss 66-13 and went home early.
This is a bonafide playoff contender after the win over LSU and Florida State certainly looks like the best team in the ACC. In fact, Florida State looks like one of the best teams period. Fans in Tallahassee should be excited to watch in the coming weeks.
4. Ohio State
This is the performance fans wanted to see out of Kyle McCord throwing the football for the Buckeyes. He threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Marvin Harrison Jr. So yes, Ohio State’s playmakers got it going in a 35-7 win over Youngstown State.
It wasn’t the highest quality of opponent, but it was good to see the offense and defense fire off on all cylinders so the Buckeye fanbase doesn’t go into panic mode. Now if the running game starts getting going, this is back to a national title contender.
5. USC (+1)
Set them up and knock them down, that’s the motto for USC so far this season, going 3-0 with dominant victories all around. Did the Pac-12 opener change anything? Nope.
The Trojans took down Stanford 56-10, Caleb Williams threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns and got to take a breather and Alex Grinch’s defense made plenty of stops, only allowing 10 points. Yes, Stanford isn’t Oregon or Washington, or heck, Colorado, but you can’t deny USC is on a mission through the first quarter of the year.
6. Texas (+4)
How about it Longhorns fans? Is Texas actually back now? Okay, we’ll hold the jokes now because Steve Sarkisian and his crew went into Tuscaloosa and beat his former boss and one of the top teams in the country.
This is what happens when Quinn Ewers is in the lineup for the whole game we guess. He was great, going 24-of-38 passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns. The Tide defense had no answer and the offense couldn’t do enough to keep up. Hats off to a potential playoff team now.
7. Penn State
Penn State cruised against Delaware Saturday, but it seems like the Nittany Lions are the quietest top 10 team at the moment. There’s no reason to deny this team’s skill. We’ll just have to wait until they play Michigan and Ohio State this season.
Drew Allar and Beau Pribula both played under center this weekend, with Allar going 22-of-26 for 204 yards and a touchdown. If Nick Singleton doesn’t get too many yards on the ground, although he scored three touchdowns, Kaytron Allen can do the work: 103 yards and a score. Illinois on the road next.
8. Washington
Washington is another quiet team within the top 10. We know how good the team is, but the Huskies are just taking care of business. A 43-10 win over Tulsa is nothing to scoff at because in this position, you’re supposed to win big.
The Huskies scored three touchdowns on the ground, including one from wide receiver Rome Odunze, but the leading rusher was Will Nixon with 30 yards, that has to be fixed. Michael Penix Jr. was solid, throwing for 409 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. Just another day at the office.
9. Tennessee
Tennessee didn’t blow away Austin Peay as expected, but still won 30-13. However, the Volunteers led just 13-6 at the halftime break before turning up the juice in the final 30 minutes.
The defense held strong throughout the game and the offense took a little bit to get going. Joe Milton went 21-of-33 passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns. However, the run game was strong with Jaylen Wright who had 13 carries for 118 yards and Jabari Small had 13 for 95 yards. But it was Milton who ran one in on the ground. Now, the Volunteers hit the road to play Florida next week.
10. Alabama (-7)
Despite a home loss, the former No. 3 team in the country remained in the top 10. There were moments where some thought, ‘oh, this is where Alabama comes back and beats Texas.’ However, it just didn’t happen for Nick Saban and his crew.
Jalen Milroe went 14-of-27 for 255 yards, two touchdowns but two costly interceptions. Jase McClellan couldn’t do as much on the ground, running 12 times for 45 yards. Now it’s time for the Crimson Tide to reset. At least it wasn’t an SEC loss early in the season, but there could be kinks in the armor.
Rest of Coaches Poll Top 25 after Week 2
11. Notre Dame
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oklahoma (+1)
17. Oregon State (+1)
18. North Carolina (-2)
19. Ole Miss (+1)
20. Duke (+4)
21. Colorado (+4)
22. Clemson (-1)
23. Miami (NR)
24. Iowa (NR)
25. UCLA (NR)
Another week in the books and more to come in college football. We saw some decent movement and one big moment this weekend, in addition to some other intriguing results. Boy, what will Week 3 hold in store?
Others receiving votes: Washington State 80; Kentucky 38; Texas Christian 26; Auburn 23; Texas A&M 21; Fresno State 21; Kansas 17; Tulane 16; Missouri 14; Maryland 14; Wake Forest 13; Oklahoma State 12; Central Florida 11; Arkansas 10; Syracuse 9; Cincinnati 8; Wisconsin 7; Mississippi State 7; Wyoming 6; Minnesota 6; Air Force 5; South Carolina 3; Memphis 3; Louisville 3; James Madison 2; Michigan State 1.