Week 2's Top 10: Who Moves Up as Ohio State Drops Out?
The Trojans stepped up as did Clemson but the big story of Week 2 was Lincoln Riley winning his first road game as a head coach on the road at Ohio State. Baker Mayfield shined but so did Riley in his play-calling and scheme to exploit the Buckeyes' defense. Here’s the rest of our Top 10 after Week 2.
1. Alabama: After defeating a talented FSU team by 17, the Tide thumped another FSU—Fresno State, 41–10. Nick Saban’s squad is the closest thing to a sure team in college football right now.
2. Oklahoma: Baker Mayfield was almost flawless again this week, only this time he carved up Ohio State on the road. The Sooners' young WRs have stepped up nicely. The O-line only allowed OSU’s fierce pass rush to just two sacks while the Sooners D, led by big-play man Obo Okoronkwo, only surrendered one play longer than 17 yards—a 31-yard pass play.
3. Clemson: Brent Venables's D has been nasty. After holding Kent State to just 120 yards, the Tigers held Gus Malzahn’s offense to just 117 and sacked Auburn 11 times.
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4. USC: The Trojans had a strong performance, drilling Stanford 42–24 as Sam Darnold and the Trojans passing attack took it to a very good Stanford secondary while the run game was explosive.
5. Penn State: James Franklin’s crew got some revenge against rival Pitt who beat them last year, winning handily 33–14. In two weeks, PSU has outscored two FBS opponents 85–14.
6. Oklahoma State: The schedule hasn’t been too rough but Mason Rudolph and company have been very sharp. Last week the Cowboys thumped a Tulsa team that won 10 games last year, 59–24. This week, they blasted South Alabama 44–7.
7. Michigan: Jim Harbaugh’s team held Florida to 197 yards last week and held Cincy to just 200 this week in a 36–14 rout. Don Brown’s D had two Pick-6s, giving the Michigan defense three touchdowns on the season, one more than its opponents' offensive total.
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8. LSU: One week after dominating BYU 27–0 despite missing a bunch of starters, LSU whipped FCS Chattanooga, 45–10 as Derrius Guice went over 100 yards for the second time this season.
9. Washington: The Huskies non-conference schedule is cushy. Last week it was Rutgers. This week, it was FCS Montana who didn’t give the Huskies much of a battle. U-Dub cruised to a 63–7 win, out-gaining the Griz, 506–163. nest week’s opponent is Fresno, which likely won’t provide too much of a challenge either.
10. Wisconsin: Freshman RB Jonathan Taylor from New Jersey ran all over FAU for 223 yards and three TDs. The Badgers did turn the ball over three times. They likely won’t face a ranked team till Michigan visits on Nov. 18.
