4 Most Overrated College Football Teams In AP Top 25 Poll After Week 2

If Week 1 was an introduction to the 2026 college football season, Week 2 was an absolute feast.

A trio of teams in the top-15 lost on Saturday, with Oregon and Oklahoma both falling on the road to unranked programs.

Outside of that, multiple other ranked teams fought to survive, including Washington, Iowa, BYU, and Texas Tech.

Oregon and Oklahoma rightfully dropped in the updated AP Top-25 Poll. Which other teams are ranked a little higher than their billing this week?

No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti during the Indiana versus Howard football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Alright, please don't flame me for adding the reigning national champions to this list. Indiana is undefeated and has crushed its first two opponents, blowing out North Texas (52-16) and Howard (55-0). However, the Mean Green actually outgained the Hoosiers in the defeat.

Meanwhile, two teams below Indiana, LSU and Ole Miss, both hold legitimate early-season wins. Ole Miss beat a ranked Louisville squad on a neutral field, while LSU eviscerated Clemson in primetime earlier this month.

Indiana has moved up two spots over the last week. The Hoosiers finish off a light non-conference schedule against Western Kentucky this weekend and begin Big Ten play against Northwestern on September 25.

The Hoosiers are scheduled to face three ranked opponents, as of now. Two of those games are at home, and Indiana won't play a top-25 team until the program hosts Ohio State on October 17.

No. 12 USC Trojans

Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball before the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

USC is out to a 3-0 start for the fourth time in five years under head coach Lincoln Riley. With that being said, the results haven't been very impressive on the scoreboard. The Trojans did defeat Fresno State 39-0, but the wins over San Jose State (42-26) and Louisiana (49-30) don't stand out.

Now, one can very well say that the Spartans and Ragin' Cajuns scored most of their points in garbage time. At the same time, when the College Football Playoff committee looks back on these games at the end of the year, they'll only see the final result.

Star quarterback Jayden Maiava has played as advertised, leading the country in passing yards (896) and passing touchdowns (10). USC does need some work on the defensive side of the ball.

The Trojans open conference play at Rutgers this weekend. USC should be able to handle that matchup, but contests against Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana are coming down the pipe.

No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech's Will Hammond looks to throw the ball during an NCAA football game at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Corvallis, Oregon | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Texas Tech escaped an upset last weekend, coming up with two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes to walk out of Oregon State with a win. The Beavers nearly took down a ranked Houston squad in Week 1.

Once again, the Red Raiders were favored by a massive margin but failed to cover. Texas Tech was a 26.5-point favorite against Oregon State (35-24) and a 42.5-point favorite against Abilene Christian (33-10).

The Red Raiders only scored on three of their first 11 drives. Texas Tech didn't produce many explosive plays, averaging 3.4 yards per rush. Quarterback Will Hammond completed 20/27 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Texas Tech just doesn't look like a College Football Playoff contender right now. The Red Raiders can begin to change that with a win over No. 22 Houston, the only ranked team that the program is scheduled to face during the regular season.

No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes

Krik Ferent — Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches from the sideline during the third quarter of the Cy-Hawk Series football game against Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 12, 2026, in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Iowa was among the six teams on my upset alert list in Week 2. The Hawkeyes found themselves in a dogfight, throwing the final punch in a 16-3 win over rival Iowa State. After scoring 40 points in a shutout win over Northern Illinois, which lost to an FCS program this past weekend, the program looked anemic on offense against the Cyclones.

The Hawkeyes were limited to 93 yards on the ground on 3.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Hank Brown didn't turn the ball over, but he failed to throw a touchdown pass and accumulated just 191 passing yards.

Safe to say that Kirk Ferentz already has Iowa's offense in midseason form.

But seriously, the defense is good enough to hold up, but the Hawkeyes need more consistency on the other side of the ball to be a true threat.

We'll learn quickly about this team with back-to-back games against Michigan (9/26) and Ohio State (10/3) looming.

No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers

No. 12 USC Trojans

No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders

No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes

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