by Sean Szymczak
Another week down, another exciting day of college football.
Texas is back. Saban’s dynasty may finally be entering it’s final chapter. Washington still looks like a true contender. Caleb Williams is silly at football. Colorado exceeded last year’s win total. Two teams tumble out of the top 25.
There is still much more we need to learn about all these teams. There is a reason I don’t think there should be polls until at least week 3. We are all still carrying preseason biases with us whether we realize it or not.
Nonetheless, I feel very confident in the top 5 teams in the country right now and in teams 6-9. You can arrange them however you like, but I feel like there are two clear tiers right now. But that will change as more and more teams face quality opponents.
The Floor Slap Top 25
- Georgia (2-0)
- Michigan (2-0)
- Florida State (2-0)
- Texas (2-0)
- Washington (2-0)
- This should be everyone’s top 5 through 2 weeks, in some order.
- Penn State (2-0)
- Ohio State (2-0)
- Notre Dame (3-0)
- USC (3-0)
- I think this is the clear second tier in college football right now. These are CFP-caliber teams that just haven’t been tested. But before the end of the month, Ohio State travels to Notre Dame, USC travels to Colorado, and Penn State hosts Iowa. The tests are coming.
- Utah (2-0)
- Hard to judge this team without Cam Rising. They’ll only get better once he returns. But the offense has been uninspiring since their season-opening bomb to start the game vs Florida last week.
- Oregon (2-0)
- Both Oregon & Utah were this close to getting upset on the road by a couple of Big 12 teams. Texas Tech & Baylor aren’t particularly great this year, so Utah and Oregon stay firmly behind the top 9.
- Oregon State (2-0)
- Tennessee (2-0)
- Alabama (1-1)
- I almost feel guilty not dropping them further. They were dominated by Texas with the exception of the 3rd quarter and could have easily lost by 20+ points. I thought this team would resemble the 2008-12 Nick Saban teams with a punishing run game and suffocating defense. But the backend of their defense still looks like tissue paper and their offense is just as reliant on big plays from the QB. And Millroe, despite his athleticism, is definitely not Bryce Young. But Texas just might be really, really good. And after all, it feels wrong for punishing someone too much for taking the initiative to schedule quality opponents.
- Oklahoma (2-0)
- This could be the best and most impactful Red River showdown since the McCoy/Bradford era.
- Colorado (2-0)
- They beat the team I have ranked #13 in our Big Ten Power Rankings and a TCU team I project to go no better than 8-4. It’s wildly impressive what Deion has done so far, but they still have a ways to go from becoming legitimate playoff contenders. They travel to Oregon in two weeks then host USC the following week. So we’ll find out soon how good this team really is.
- North Carolina (2-0)
- App State must be UNC’s kryptonite. But the Tarheels pulled out the win and that’s the most important thing. Drake Maye is every bit as good as advertised. He’ll keep UNC in every game this year.
- Ole Miss (2-0)
- Impressive 2nd half on the road against a good Tulane team vaults the Rebels up a few spots.
- Kansas State (2-0)
- Iowa (2-0)
- Still concerned about this offense. They ran the ball better but McNamara was underwhelming except for a few throws. But the defense had a 2022-esque performance. The offense should get better week-by-week, making it hard for anyone to beat this Hawkeye team.
- LSU (1-1)
- Duke (2-0)
- Washington State (2-0)
- Washington State’s offense was humming in the 1st half vs Wisconsin. When the Badger defense turned on the heat in the 2nd half, Cameron Ward’s legs and a fierce defensive front pulled out the win. The Pac-12 just looks so damn good this year.
- Miami FL (2-0)
- They beat A&M (consistently the most overrated team in college football) by 15 as home underdogs. Not as impressive as a win as some people may think it is, but it’s enough for the U to crack these early-season rankings.
- Maryland (2-0)
- Roman Hemby had 162 yards rushing on over 8 yards per carry and six different receivers caught at least three passes. Tagovailoa’s sloppy play early in the game let Charlotte hang around, but this Terrapin offense has looked versatile through two weeks.
Dropped from rankings: Wisconsin (17), Tulane (24)
New to rankings: Miami FL, Washington State
Just missed out: UCLA, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Clemson
Biggest risers: Texas (up 9 spots), Ole Miss (up 3 spots)
Biggest fallers: Alabama (down 11 spots)
Teams by Conference:
Pac-12: 7
Big Ten: 5
SEC: 5
ACC: 4
Big 12: 3
Other: 1 (Notre Dame)