Some shakeups but a lot of status quo after 1 block of play. Conference play gets started for most this block and gets fully underway next week as we should have more and more shakeups as teams play each other.
A little shorter than last week, had this all type up then closed the wrong window and had to start from scratch.
The number in parenthesis is their rank last block.
1. LSU (1)
No movement here not overly surprising. Defending champion doesn’t lose and stays.
2. Texas (2)
Arguably the best user the league has had stays at 2 with a few big wins.
3. Oregon (3)
Takes care of business, but admittedly don’t think he deserves the 3 spot with the soft opening schedule and how others performed. Splitting hairs.
4. Alabama (4)
Rolled in 2 games he was expected to take care of business in. Wisconsin and Georgia incoming will be his first real tests.
5. Georgia (6)
My #3 team after how he performed in his opening block. Things will play themselves out but to date he has had the most impressive start to the season of the top tier teams.
6. Tennessee (7)
Already up to 4-0 with a couple block 2 wins. On paper the Virginia Tech and Boise games were resume builders but both are struggling out the gate. So it is hard to say how impressive those wins will end up being. He beat Oklahoma in one down to the wire as well.
7. Clemson (5)
Didn’t play so when rearranging the chairs on the Titanic he fell from 5 to 7, nothing really to see here.
8. Utah (9)
Almost blew a lead to Indiana winning in walk-off fashion in overtime. Outside of a surprising loss the only thing really to keep an eye on here is the back half of his schedule.
9. Ole Miss (10)
The D line is insane. If the corners can hold up enough to let them get home he could have a great year. Ill be interested to see how they do against the better O lines of the SEC. Can Smitty be the one to break the Ole Miss “curse” in the NDL?
10. Florida (13)
Big opening block win against Miami. But his stay in the top 10 will be short lived as he already dropped a block 2 game to Texas A&M. He has one of the most brutal schedules in the league. Not saying he is done with 1 loss by any means, but looking at that schedule, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss. At most he can drop 2 of those games.
11. Missouri (11)
No movement as he destroyed the 2 cupcakes he had in block 1. Georgia Tech will be his first little test, but things really dont ramp up until for a few weeks.
12. Louisville (16)
One of a few teams to make a considerable climb. He destroyed his two block 1 opponents . He gets Georgia Tech and then a real big test with Notre Dame in his next 2 games.
13. Ohio State (12)
Didn’t play and dropped a spot.
14. Notre Dame (8)
It stinks that actually scheduling someone and losing the game drops you so far but scheduling and winning, see Georgia, doesn’t help you all that much at the time. It will take another block or 2 before he sneaks his way into the top 10.
15. Texas Tech (19)
Impressive opening to the season, remains to be seen how big those wins will actually be. Things get interesting for him quickly as we get into conference play. Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Arizona incoming soon.
16. Oklahoma (15)
Dropping the game to Tennessee since the block opened might cost him a spot in the top 20. The good news, he has plenty of opportunities to work his way back up with a tough schedule. The bad news, he has a really tough schedule and dropping a game early is really going to hurt his CFP hopes.
17. USC (20)
He dominated Colorado State, then opened block 2 with another big win over Arizona. Games with Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State are on the horizon.
18. Colorado (NR)
Personal bias alert, I think this is probably more where I should have started the year. I’m not really going to split hairs over 18 vs 15 or wherever. Take care of business and keep moving up. Big wins over Kentucky and Duke in block 1 and another over Colorado State so far in block 2. If the defense can keep teams under 30 this team can do damage.
19. Penn State (23)
That Texas A&M win looks a lot better after A&M beat Florida. The middle portion of the schedule will be where we are paying a lot of attention. USC, Boise, Wisconsin, Ohio State in 4 straight weeks.
20. Washington State (21)
Took care of his rival Marshall. The schedule is easy. I expect to see him inch up the rankings weekly. The 2 big games are Boise State and San Diego State. Taking care of business there and he could be looking at a 12-0 season. But even with that 12-0 season will that be enough to get inside the top 10?
21. Central Michigan (22)
Won his big test against Ball State.Time to tell if it will be the test we thought it was going in. The G5 darling still, but undefeated still might not be enough to get him in.
22. Miami (17)
The loss to Florida dropped him almost out of the top 25. He needs a win over San Diego State to prevent him from being outside the top 25 all together. With how the SEC is this year, a loss could already be enough to end CFP hopes as he expectedly will have a lot of 2 loss teams with tougher schedules to compete against.
23. USF (24)
Beat up on Umass in block 1 and came back with a big win over Pitt already in block 2. I think if he wins out, or any AAC team for that matter, they get into the CFP regardless of what CMU does. The tests will be coming though. Tulane and Memphis coming soon in conference play.
24. BYU (NR)
Unfortunately this will likely be the only time we see BYU in the top 25 this season, at least for a while anyway. Block 2 started great with a 28-3 lead over Kansas State the eventually turned into a loss and then lost his other to now sit at 2-2.
25. Georgia Tech (NR)
Surprised most with a win over Florida State. I’ve scrimmaged him enough to know he can do some things with that offense. But this will be a big week. Can see him climb as high as 15 if he sweeps the week, or drop out completely if he doesn’t.
Outside
Florida State - won three straight since the Georgia Tech loss. With a conference loss already that Clemson game is looming large if he wants any hopes to play for the ACC title.
Cincinnati - didn’t play any games lost out to those who did
Northwestern - new coach off to a hot start. The Stanford win is impressive, the Kent State shutout probably got some looks but it is also just Kent State.
North Carolina - the loss bumped him out. He still has a path to make the conference title.
Auburn - week 1 win over SMU enough to get votes but not into the top 25. That schedule is brutal after this block. This time next week could be his only time ranked.
South Carolina - No games played hurt him in block 1. Once he starts getting some games in he will sink or swim.
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