NCAA
College Football AP Top-25 Rankings: Which Teams Are Still Underrated After Week 1?
Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on Finixio's The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.
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Week 2 AP Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Conference | Trend | Opponent | Result | Points (1st Place Votes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 1-0 | Southeastern | – | vs. Clemson | W 34-3 | 1545 (57) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1-0 | Big Ten | – | vs. Akron | W 52-6 | 1478 (5) |
| 3 | Texas | 1-0 | Southeastern | +1 | vs. Colorado State | W 52-0 | 1418 (0) |
| 4 | Alabama | 1-0 | Southeastern | -1 | vs. Western Kentucky | W 63-0 | 1309 (0) |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1-0 | IA Independents | +2 | @ Texas A&M | W 23-13 | 1240 (0) |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 1-0 | Southeastern | – | vs. Furman | W 76-0 | 1212 (0) |
| 7 | Oregon | 1-0 | Big Ten | -4 | vs. Idaho | W 24-14 | 1197 (0) |
| 8 | Penn State | 1-0 | Big Ten | – | @ West Virginia | W 34-12 | 1146 (0) |
| 9 | Missouri | 1-0 | Southeastern | +2 | vs. Murray State | W 51-0 | 968 (0) |
| 10 | Michigan | 1-0 | Big Ten | -1 | vs. Fresno State | W 30-10 | 935 (0) |
| 11 | Utah | 1-0 | Big 12 | +1 | vs. Southern Utah | W 49-0 | 897 (0) |
| 12 | Miami (FL) | 1-0 | Atlantic Coast | +7 | @ Florida | W 41-17 | 893 (0) |
| 13 | USC | 1-0 | Big Ten | +10 | vs. LSU | W 27-20 | 811 (0) |
| 14 | Tennessee | 1-0 | Southeastern | +1 | vs. Chattanooga | W 69-3 | 784 (0) |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 1-0 | Southeastern | +1 | vs. Temple | W 51-3 | 703 (0) |
| 16 | Oklahoma St. | 1-0 | Big 12 | +1 | vs. South Dakota State | W 44-20 | 610 (0) |
| 17 | Kansas St. | 1-0 | Big 12 | +1 | vs. Tennessee-Martin | W 41-6 | 607 (0) |
| 18 | LSU | 0-1 | Southeastern | -5 | @ USC | L 20-27 | 410 (0) |
| 19 | Kansas | 1-0 | Big 12 | +3 | vs. Lindenwood | W 48-3 | 349 (0) |
| 20 | Arizona | 1-0 | Big 12 | +1 | vs. New Mexico | W 61-39 | 339 (0) |
| 21 | Iowa | 1-0 | Big Ten | +4 | vs. Illinois State | W 40-0 | 294 (0) |
| 22 | Louisville | 1-0 | Atlantic Coast | – | vs. Austin Peay | W 62-0 | 188 (0) |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | 2-0 | Atlantic Coast | – | vs. Georgia State | W 35-12 | 161 (0) |
| 24 | North Carolina St. | 1-0 | Atlantic Coast | – | vs. Western Carolina | W 38-21 | 142 (0) |
| 25 | Clemson | 0-1 | Atlantic Coast | -11 | @ Georgia | L 3-34 | 134 (0) |
Who is Still Underrated?
We’ll stay out of the top 10 for now as it’s hard to argue any of them are genuinely underrated, but Ole Miss may have a gripe. So, who outside the top 10 appears to be a bit underrated?
No. 11 Miami
The Hurricanes went on the road and beat up on instate rival Florida in the swamp. Miami looked vastly better than the Gators in every facet and finally found an elite quarterback in Washington State transfer Cam Ward. Miami plays host to Florida A&M this weekend, and there is a great chance they’re among the top 10 in the Week 3 poll.
No. 13 USC
Everyone expected Miller Moss and the USC offense to look good under quarterback whisperer Lincoln Riley. However, the most shocking part of their Week 1 upset win over LSU was their vastly improved defense. If you watched USC at all last season, you saw just how bad they were as a group at tackling. They also really struggled to play defense against the pass. But they looked like a completely new group on Sunday night under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. USC plays host to Utah State this weekend before they prepare to navigate a demanding Big Ten schedule, but the Trojans could be for real.
No. 20 Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats are starting to let people know what a few thought coming into the season: they have one of the best offenses in college football. The Wildcats put up 61 points in a Week 1 win over New Mexico. They’re going to be able to score on anyone. The question will come down to the defense and its ability to get stops. But the Wildcats are legitimate Big 12 title contenders.
No. 23 Georgia Tech
Florida State looking bad again against Boston College may fool some people into believing Georgia Tech isn’t very good. But Georgia Tech is a program on the rise. This is only the beginning under head coach Brent Key, and this program will compete for ACC titles.
