AP Poll Prediction: Projecting Top 25 ranking after Week 2 of college football

After a riveting weekend of action to start the season, college football was back with a more mild slate in Week 2. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of potential for intrigue in the AP Top 25.

And a few upstarts answered the call, scoring upsets in the top 25. Arizona State, Florida and SMU were all among the ranked teams that were beaten on Saturday. Michigan also lost in a ranked matchup.

Today, On3 stops to break down some of the changes anticipated in this week’s AP Top 25. Let’s dig into our projections for the new edition of the top college football poll below.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)

RESULT: 70-0 win vs. Grambling
Few expected this one to be a contest and Ohio State made sure it wasn’t. The Buckeyes were stifling defensively, holding the Tigers to just 72 yards passing and 94 yards rushing.

On the other side, Julian Sayin was excellent. He threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, though he was picked off once. The Buckeyes also rolled up 274 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, spreading the workload quite a bit on the afternoon. Easy win for the top team in the top 25.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0)

RESULT: 34-0 win vs. FIU
It was a day for the Penn State defense on Saturday. The unit didn’t allow a point in the contest, pitching a shutout despite FIU rolling up some decent yardage totals — 149 passing and 141 rushing.

On the flip side, it was a ho-hum outing for the home team. Kaytron Allen led the way with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Nick Singleton recorded 76 yards rushing and a score. Drew Allar threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns, without an interception. On to the next.

3. LSU Tigers (2-0)

RESULT: 23-7 win vs. Louisiana Tech
It was a relatively slow night for LSU, coming off the huge win a week ago at Clemson. The Tigers were never really in danger but certainly didn’t pour it on against the Bulldogs either.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw his first interception of the season but finished with 237 yards passing and a touchdown. Overall LSU was limited to 365 yards of total offense in the contest. Now LSU will host a reeling Florida team.

4. Miami Hurricanes (2-0)

RESULT: 45-3 win vs. Bethune-Cookman
Carson Beck was awesome, setting a Miami single-game record with a stretch of 15 straight completions. He finished the game 22-of-24 for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

But it was the Miami defense that was the story of the game. The Hurricanes didn’t allow the Wildcats to reach the 100-yard mark on the ground or in the air, limiting the opponent to 191 total yards. Now Miami gets a red-hot USF team.

5. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0)

RESULT: 28-6 win vs. Austin Peay
It wasn’t the most explosive afternoon for Georgia, though it was a fairly straightforward win. A long lightning delay at halftime took some of the wind from the sails, too.

When the dust settled, quarterback Gunner Stockton had a productive day, throwing for 227 yards without an interception. And the Bulldogs piled up 190 yards and all four touchdowns on the ground. Win and move on.

6. Oregon Ducks (2-0)

RESULT: 69-3 win vs. Oklahoma State
Some had this one as a potential trip-up spot for a top 25 squad. Oregon seemingly thought that was laughable and was out to prove it from the moment toe met leather in Eugene, Ore.

The Ducks walloped the Cowboys, with Dante Moore throwing for three touchdowns without an interception and five different rushers finding paydirt. Meanwhile, Oregon limited Oklahoma State to just 67 yards passing and secured two interceptions in the contest.

7. Texas Longhorns (1-1)

RESULT: 38-7 win vs. San Jose State
If Texas needed a bounce-back day for the offense after being thwarted at Ohio State, this was it. Quarterback Arch Manning did throw one interception but was otherwise on point, throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, Texas was stout. The Spartans gained only 85 yards on the ground, while quarterback Walker Eget was limited to 21-of-42 passing for 188 yards. He did not throw a touchdown and was picked off once. All in all, a solid week for Texas.

8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-1)

RESULT: BYE
Notre Dame was off this week following its season opening loss to Miami a week ago. And that showing was enough to keep the Fighting Irish ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll.

A bye week to get all the fixes in should give Notre Dame a bit of an edge in the upcoming contest against Texas A&M. Playing at home will provide another. Can the Fighting Irish avoid a second straight loss and get their potential playoff run back on track?

9. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0)

RESULT: 38-7 win vs. South Carolina State
South Carolina’s offense got off to a sluggish start for the second game in a row, frustrating coach Shane Beamer. Eventually, the team broke through with special teams plays again.

Return man Vicari Swain housed a pair of punts — one for 65 yards and another for 42 yards off a block — to open the scoring. Then the offense settled in a bit more. Off to a 2-0 start, South Carolina will get a tricky test next week against Vanderbilt.

10. Clemson Tigers (1-1)

RESULT: 27-16 win vs. Troy
If you only saw the final score you might just assume it was a sluggish day for Clemson. But the Tigers actually trailed 16-3 in the second half of this one. Luckily, quarterback Cade Klubnik and the offense came to life in time.

Bryant Wesco caught two second-half touchdown passes to help break the Tigers free from the Trojans. And the defense held after giving up the initial 16 points. Still, Clemson looks like a team with plenty of work to do to justify its ranking up here in the top 25.

Rest of the Projected AP Top 25

11. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0)
12. Florida State Seminoles (2-0)
13. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)
14. Iowa State Cyclones (2-0)
15. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1)
16. Texas A&M Aggies (2-0)
17. Ole Miss Rebels (2-0)
18. Michigan Wolverines (1-1)
19. Tennessee Volunteers (2-0)
20. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-1)
21. Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)
22. Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0)
23. Utah Utes (2-0)
24. USF Bulls (2-0)
25. Florida Gators (1-1)