College Football Polls

Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia remained the top three teams in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the second week of the season.

Each of those teams had impressive performances over the weekend. The Buckeyes had the best win of the group, beating a Notre Dame team ranked No. 5 in the preseason standings.

The defending champion Bulldogs obliterated Oregon with seven touchdowns on their first seven offensive possessions in a 49-3 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. They switched spots with Ohio State in the rankings.

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AP Top 25 Rankings Week 2 (Sept. 6-11)

1. Alabama (1-0)

2. Georgia (1-0)

3. Ohio State (1-0)

4. Michigan (1-0)

5. Clemson (1-0)

6. Texas A&M (1-0)

7. Oklahoma (1-0)

8. Notre Dame (0-1)

9. Baylor (1-0)

10. USC (1-0)

11. Oklahoma State (1-0)

12. Florida (1-0)

13. Utah (0-1)

14. Michigan State (1-0)

15. Miami (1-0)

16. Arkansas (1-0)

17. Pittsburgh (1-0)

18. North Carolina State (1-0)

19. Wisconsin (1-0)

20. Kentucky (1-0)

21. BYU (1-0)

22. Mississippi (1-0)

23. Wake Forest (1-0)

24. Tennessee (1-0)

25. Houston (1-0)

Rankings via APNews.com.

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Alabama was the overwhelming No. 1 team in the preseason rankings with 54 out of 63 first-place votes. Head coach Nick Saban's squad looked dominant in a 55-0 victory over Utah State in which its rushing yards (278) more than doubled the Aggies' total yards (136).

Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, had 100 rushing yards on five carries on his own.

Ohio State overcame a slow start at home against Notre Dame with two second-half touchdowns to earn a 21-10 victory. It was the team's first victory over a Top Five opponent since the Buckeyes beat Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal in January 2021.

The Fighting Irish were one of two teams ranked in the preseason Top 10 that lost over the weekend. Utah (No. 7 last week) was upset by Florida in Gainesville, as Anthony Richardson's one-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Gators' interception with under 20 seconds left keyed a 29-26 win.

Florida QB Anthony Richardson vs. Utah:

🔸168 Passing Yards
🔸106 Rushing Yards
🔸3 RUSH TDs

He's the first @GatorsFB QB to record 3 RUSH TDs since Tim Tebow 👀 pic.twitter.com/1iMP7FpKkm

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 4, 2022

The Gators, who went from unranked all the way up to No. 12, ended their four-game losing streak against ranked opponents dating back to the 2020 season.

Another thrilling game featuring two ranked teams saw No. 19 Arkansas hand No. 23 Cincinnati its first loss not in a bowl game or conference championship game since Nov. 29, 2019. KJ Jefferson threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the Razorbacks' 31-24 win.

The Week 2 schedule isn't nearly as enticing on paper as last week, though it does feature Alabama going on the road to take on Texas.

It's the first meeting between the two legendary programs since the 2009 BCS National Championship Game when the Crimson Tide beat the Longhorns to win their first national title in the Saban era.

Florida will host No. 20 Kentucky at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in an SEC East showdown. No. 21 BYU will take on No. 9 Baylor in Provo, Utah.

Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson—the top four teams in the preseason USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll—all opened the year with convincing victories in Week 1.

The Buckeyes and Bulldogs were particularly impressive as they started the 2022 college football season with immediate statement wins Saturday. OSU took down No. 5 Notre Dame and UGA blew out No. 12 Oregon.

Here's a look at the new coaches poll for Week 2 released Tuesday:

1. Alabama (57 first-place votes)

2. Georgia (6)

3. Ohio State (2)

4. Clemson

5. Michigan

6. Texas A&M

7. Oklahoma

8. Baylor

9. Notre Dame

10. Oklahoma State

11. Michigan State

12. USC

13. NC State

14. Pittsburgh

15. Utah

16. Miami (Fla.)

17. Arkansas

18. Wisconsin

19. Florida

20. Kentucky

21. Wake Forest

22. Texas

23. Ole Miss

24. Oregon

25. BYU

It was a pretty straightforward start to the season. The only high-profile upset was previously unranked Florida taking down No. 8 Utah, but even that wasn't a major surprise given the Gators' upside with Anthony Richardson leading the offense.

The sophomore quarterback thrust himself into the early Heisman Trophy conversation with 274 total yards (168 passing and 106 rushing) and three touchdowns in the 29-26 triumph.

Still thinking about this Anthony Richardson play from last night 🤯

Unreal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Azn1FCNW9N

— ESPN (@espn) September 4, 2022

Along with Ohio State and Georgia, the only other winner of a game that featured two ranked teams in the initial coaches poll was No. 23 Arkansas knocking off No. 22 Cincinnati.

Looking ahead, the top matchup on the Week 2 slate sees the Crimson Tide travel to face off with future SEC rival Texas. The Longhorns opened their campaign with a lopsided win over Louisiana-Monroe.

While it's a golden opportunity for Texas to showcase its progress under Steve Sarkisian, the program's second-year head coach downplayed exactly how important the nonconference matchup will be in the grand scheme of things.

"It's one game, you know?" Sarkisian told reporters Monday. "It's a chance for us to do what we love to do. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is [thinking] this is going to be the game that's going to define our program."

Other notable Week 2 games include South Carolina vs. Arkansas, Kentucky vs. Florida, USC vs. Stanford and Baylor vs. BYU.