As the AP Top 25 comes out again, many teams have disappointed and impressed so far this season. After week 2, many upsets, among other things, have shaken up the rankings majorly.
How the Top 25 Faired In Week 2
Oregon, Illinois, USF, and FSU are among those who Impress
As the season continues, the Oregon Ducks, Illinois Fightin’ Illini, and the Florida State Seminoles all destroyed their opponents, with the Ducks being the most impressive. No. 4 Oregon moved up two spots after defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 69-3. Meanwhile, No. 9 Illinois impressively destroyed the respectable Duke Blue Devils, knocking their way into the top 10. The Illini are in the top ten for the first time in decades.
The Florida State Seminoles stomped East Texas A&M 77-3. An unimpressive opponent, but nonetheless, a feel good win for the Noles who begin the season convincingly. As for the USF Bulls, the No. 18 Bulls knocked off their second straight ranked opponent, this time on the road at the then No. 13 Florida Gators. USF will be at No. 5 Miami Hurricanes next, but these victories prove that they are capable of magic again as the Bulls become a Group of 5 powerhouse house they definitely wanted to be.
Many Teams Disappoint- Including….
The then No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils began the year with sizeable expectations. However, the Sun Devils have fallen all the way out of the rankings with an unimpressive showing against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Meanwhile, the Florida Gators, who themselves had high hopes, were knocked all the way out of the top 25 with their loss to the USF Bulls. Florida has a very rough schedule from here, meaning that Florida could very well miss a bowl game. The poor Gators must face nine ranked opponents of their final 10 games. The SMU Mustangs disappointed massively with a loss to the Baylor Bears. For SMU, the ACC now feels much harder to win.
This isn’t good considering the team ranked the third highest team in the division coming into the season and found their way into the playoff last season. Unfortunately for all of these teams, thanks to having so many good teams in the CFB world, especially to begin the year, the AP Poll has been brutal. One loss can mean a top 10 team falls all the way out of the playoffs.
Many Teams Still Seek Their Way into the Top 25
After week 2, many teams who began the year unranked are clearly attempting to make a push at the top 25. This includes USC, TCU, Nebraska, and BYU. The USC Trojans have begun the year whistling their way to two massive victories, while TCU impressed with a beatdown of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The BYU Cougars have done well lately and seek to show that by re-entering the top 25.
Finally, the Nebraska Cornhuskers began the year unimpressively but absolutely destroyed the Akron Zips 68-0. Not a good opponent, but a very convincing victory nonetheless, as it ranks as Nebraska’s largest victory since 1982. This looks to be Nebraska and USC’s year to lose, as both have large expectations and rightly so.
Overall, week 2 was a very exciting week marked by upsets and the steamrolling of powerhouses. The AP Top 25 doesn’t tell the whole story, but it certainly tells some of it as it shows who is the most dominant and who seeks to rank among the most dominant. It is safe to say that this season there has been no shortage of excitement.
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