Projecting AP Top 25 After College Football Week 2: Texas Stuns Ohio State, and There’s a New No. 1

After a week in which multiple high-profile teams were upset, here’s how we believe the AP Top 25 poll should look.

Arch Manning helped engineer a stunning Texas comeback vs. Ohio State. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Week 1 of the college football season was a reminder to take the results with a grain of salt, Week 2 was a call to believe what you’re seeing.

We saw a Michigan team that needed an extra second to defeat Western Michigan follow up the performance by silencing a red-hot Oklahoma offense en route to a stunning upset at the Big House.

Then, we saw Oklahoma State raise the Wolverines one. The Cowboys, with 92 incoming transfers, looked like a discombobulated operation in a loss to Tulsa. Against No. 6 Oregon? They looked like a well-oiled machine capable of hanging with anyone.

Oh, and then Texas completed its largest comeback since 2007 to stun No. 1 Ohio State. So there was plenty of carnage to be had among the Top 25 teams in Week 2, giving the voters much to think about before the AP Top 25 poll releases at 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

Here’s how we believe the rankings should look.

Projected AP Top 25 Ranking After Week 2

1. Georgia Bulldogs (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Western Kentucky, 70–20
Week 3: At Arkansas, noon ET Saturday

One of the biggest questions facing the Bulldogs entering 2026 concerned their offense and how the program would generate explosive plays, of which there were not nearly enough last season. Kirby Smart’s Dawgs have taken a walk down easy street to start the season, playing against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, unsurprisingly outscoring the two 133–23. As such, there hasn’t been much to nitpick, besides the Bulldogs’ pesky penalties. But if you’re looking for a genuine positive, it has to be Georgia’s big-play offense, which averaged 11 yards per play last week and 10.4 yards per pass in the Week 2 win. With Ohio State’s loss, the Bulldogs move into the top spot.

2. Texas Longhorns (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat No. 1 Ohio State, 24–23
Week 3: vs. UTSA, 8 p.m. ET Saturday

For roughly 45 minutes, the Longhorns were thoroughly outplayed by No. 1 Ohio State. They had no answer for Buckeyes wideout Jeremiah Smith, quarterback Arch Manning received little help from his skill-position players in a turnover-filled start and coach Steve Sarkisian galaxy-brained himself on a fourth-and-1 right before halftime, gifting the Buckeyes seven points. Then, the Will Muschamp defense began playing airtight in the second half. The fourth quarter was a complete turnaround. Manning started to use his legs more, both to escape the Buckeyes’ rush and to extend plays. He began taking what the defense gave him in the short and intermediate areas, rather than looking for something that was never there. Texas pieced together play after play, drive after drive. Twenty-one unanswered points later, Texas had its stunning win, a victory that will have major implications on the College Football Playoff down the road.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–0)

Week 2: Beat Rice, 52–0
Week 3: vs. Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

Marcus Freeman wants the Fighting Irish to “leave no doubt” as it pertains to the program’s CFP case after last year’s snub. But it also couldn’t hurt for Notre Dame to leave no doubt against an opponent it should defeat, which the Fighting Irish took a bit too long to do last week against an unexpectedly resilient Wisconsin squad. Week 2 vs. Rice was a different story. The Owls were poached by the Irish from the jump, as safety Adon Shuler forced a fumble and defensive end Boubacar Traore scooped it and ran 24 yards for the opening touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. Led by a more aggressive CJ Carr, who fired four touchdown passes, the Fighting Irish never looked back en route to the 52–0 win.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (2–0, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Beat Howard, 55–0
Week 3: vs. Western Kentucky, 4 p.m. ET Saturday

When Josh Hoover’s former coach at TCU, Sonny Dykes, seemed to take a subtle dig at the turnover-prone quarterback this offseason, Curt Cignetti went full papa bear to defend his new signal-caller. “We’ve got to clean up some of the turnovers, obviously, which Coach Dykes made light of,” Cignetti said at the time. “But when Josh got here, he met his two new best friends: great defense and a really good run game, and he was never the same after that.”

Indiana’s 55–0 Week 2 win over Howard was proof of that. Yes, it was Howard. But the Hoosiers defense racked up five sacks and allowed just 57 total yards. The running game rumbled for 296 yards. And Hoover? All he did was throw for four more touchdown passes—and again, no interceptions—after tossing four scores in his Indiana debut last week. Hoover is somewhere singing like Zach Galifianakis about his two best friends, the run game and defense.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (1–1, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Lost to No. 4 Texas, 24–23
Week 3: vs. Kent State, noon ET Saturday

Ryan Day’s Buckeyes let one slip away at Texas. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

For three quarters, the Buckeyes looked like the best team in the country. Smith looked like the best player in college football. The Ohio State defense suffocated Manning and the Texas offense, creating two early turnovers. It was 2025 all over again. Until it wasn’t. Ohio State had chances to put this one away. Quarterback Julian Sayin missed a touchdown to wideout Devin McCuin in the third quarter, the potential knockout blow. The Buckeyes had to settle for a field goal. Kicker Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yarder that would have made it a two-possession game with under five minutes to go. The stout Ohio State defense allowed the Longhorns to convert not one but two fourth downs in the fourth quarter to extend touchdown drives as Texas scored 21 unanswered points to win the game. The Buckeyes are still one of the best teams in the country, but this one will sting for a while.

6. Miami Hurricanes (2–0, 1–0 ACC)

Week 2: Beat Florida A&M, 77–7
Week 3: At Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. ET Friday

Here’s all you need to know about Miami’s 77–7 Week 2 win over Florida A&M—aside from the awkward optics—the Hurricanes amassed 856 yards of offense in a game so lopsided that the coaches agreed to shorten the fourth quarter. If Miami doesn’t start playing competitive games, Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney are going to tank their respective Heisman campaigns with the Hurricanes’ ridiculous efficiency. In all seriousness though, the games will (eventually) get more difficult for Miami, but it has thus far shown nothing to demonstrate that this isn’t one of the better teams in the country once again, even if it hasn’t faced adversity yet.

7. LSU Tigers (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Louisiana Tech, 45–14
Week 3: At Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

For much of the first half, it looked like LSU and Lane Kiffin were guilty of looking ahead to the Spite Bowl in Week 3 against Ole Miss, as the offense sputtered out of the gates with just 10 points and three turnovers, one of which was returned for a score by the Bulldogs. Fortunately for Kiffin & Co., the defense once again came to play, forcing three turnovers while harassing Louisiana Tech quarterback Blake Baker to the tune of six sacks. We saw LSU win against Clemson when it had its best fastball. It was nice to see it win without the heater, too. Bring on a hostile crowd and the Ole Miss Rebels.

8. Ole Miss Rebels (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Charlotte, 41–9
Week 3: vs. No. 8 LSU, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

After a back-and-forth affair with Louisville in Week 1 where the Rebels got hit and promptly hit back, they showed they know what to do with a cupcake like the rest of their SEC brethren. Ole Miss raced out of the gate against Charlotte, as talented running back Kewan Lacy quickly proved his health on the opening drive with a plunge into the end zone. The Rebels would go on to cruise to a 27–0 lead at the break, with the Pete Golding defense keeping the big plays—and touchdowns—off the board. Ole Miss ran into some turbulence in the third quarter, in which it was outscored 6–0 in the first 15 minutes, a fact that was not lost on Golding. Naturally, he’s just making sure the Rebels look their best with their ex Kiffin coming back to town next week.

9. Texas A&M Aggies (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Arizona State, 48–20
Week 3: vs. Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

It wasn’t easy. It certainly wasn’t pretty. The Aggies were outgained by a creative and explosive Arizona State offense 369 to 255. The Texas A&M run game generated just 92 yards on the ground and struggled to move bodies up front. But Mike Elko’s defense tightened up after getting toasted by Sun Devils quarterback Cutter Boley and wideout Reed Harris in the first half, and the Aggies took advantage of Arizona State mistakes throughout the contest. The positive outlook? Good teams make other teams pay for mistakes, and that’s what the Aggies did. The negative outlook? Texas A&M shouldn’t have needed that much help to generate offense, and its lack of sustained drives is concerning. Either way, a win is a win, especially in a week of carnage for teams in the top 15.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (2–0, 1–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Kentucky, 45–17
Week 3: vs. Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

It was a tale of two halves for the Crimson Tide, whose offense—particularly the running game—was stuck in the mud as Kentucky harbored hopes of an SEC upset at Kroger Field. Then, the Alabama defense took over the game, wreaking havoc in the backfield and creating short fields to help jump-start the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama needs to develop some more consistency up front on the offensive line, and first-year starter Keelon Russell is undergoing operational growing pains on the job. But a high-ceiling defense will make those growing pains manageable for the Crimson Tide.

11. USC Trojans (3–0, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Beat Louisiana, 49–30
Week 3: At Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

12. Oregon Ducks (1–1, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Lost to Oklahoma State, 39–31
Week 3: vs. Portland State, 10:30 p.m. ET Friday

13. BYU Cougars (2–0, 1–0 Big 12)

Week 2: Beat Arizona, 28–17
Week 3: At Colorado State, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

14. Texas Tech Red Raiders (2–0, 0–0 Big 12)

Week 2: Beat Oregon State, 35–24
Week 3: vs. Houston, 8 p.m. ET Friday

15. Penn State Nittany Lions (2–0, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Beat Temple, 27–9
Week 3: vs. Buffalo, noon ET Saturday

16. SMU Mustangs (2–0, 1–0 ACC)

Week 2: Beat UC Davis, 56–10
Week 3: At Louisville, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

17. Tennessee Volunteers (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Georgia Tech, 45–24
Week 3: vs. Kennesaw State, 7:45 p.m. ET Saturday

18. Oklahoma Sooners (1–1, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Lost to Michigan, 17–10
Week 3: vs. New Mexico, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

19. Utah Utes (2–0, 0–0 Big 12)

Week 2: Beat Arkansas, 43–10
Week 3: vs. Utah State, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

20. Houston Cougars (2–0, 0–0 Big 12)

Week 2: Beat Southern, 77–6
Week 3: At Texas Tech, 8 p.m. ET Friday

21. Missouri Tigers (2–0, 0–0 SEC)

Week 2: Beat Kansas, 38–21
Week 3: vs. Troy, 7 p.m. ET Saturday

22. Louisville Cardinals (1–1, 0–0 ACC)

Week 2: Beat Villanova, 59–13
Week 3: vs. SMU, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

23. Virginia Cavaliers (2–0, 1–0 ACC)

Week 2: Beat Norfolk State, 59–3
Week 3: vs. West Virginia, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

24. Michigan Wolverines (2–0, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Beat No. 11 Oklahoma, 17–10
Week 3: vs. UTEP, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

25. Iowa Hawkeyes (2–0, 0–0 Big Ten)

Week 2: Beat Iowa State, 16–13
Week 3: vs. Northern Iowa, 4 p.m. ET Saturday

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