College Football Rankings 2021: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 2
By Zach Bigalke
Miami Hurricanes (0-1). 20. player. 834. . lost 44-13 v. No. 1 Alabama (in Atlanta). Hurricanes
Losing to Alabama is hardly a death sentence for a program, but the way in which Miami lost in Atlanta in Week 1 exposed the folly of ranking the Hurricanes so high in the preseason AP Top 25. D’Eriq King and the rest of the offense were held to 266 total yards while the defense coughed up more than 500 yards to the Crimson Tide. The ACC is still in reach, and they won’t collapse completely out of the Top 25, but they must rebound in another tough test against Appalachian State.
player. 843. . won 40-17 v. FCS Weber State. Utes . Utah Utes (1-0). 19
Utah had a respectable start to their season as they made short work of FCS Weber State in the season opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while Tavion Thomas racked up 107 rushing yards and two scores on a dozen carries. The Utah defense held Weber State to 270 total yards of offense in the warm-up game. In Week 2, Utah heads to Provo for the Holy War showdown against BYU. The winner will be ranked, while the loser will sit outside the Top 25.
Last year, Coastal Carolina was the darling of college football. Had a 12-team playoff existed at the time, the Chanticleers would have been the last team in the field. The defending Sun Belt co-champs opened 2021 with a confident 38-point win over The Citadel, as Grayson McCall threw for 262 yards and a touchdown on only 19 passing attempts. A bigger test comes to town in Week 2 as the Chanticleers get the chance to host Kansas. They could make a Power Five statement to consolidate position in the AP Top 25.
won 44-10 v. Hawaii (Week 0); won 38-27 v. No. 16 LSU (Week 1). Bruins . UCLA Bruins (2-0). 17. player. 836.
UCLA opened some eyes in Week 0 as they trounced Hawaii by 34 points, but LSU still came to the Rose Bowl in Week 1 as a 1.5-point favorite. The Bruins put the oddsmakers to shame, dominating the Tigers to gain a statement win over an SEC opponent two years removed from a national title. Zach Charbonnet topped 100 rushing yards, Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw three touchdown passes, and UCLA is 2-0 for the first time since 2017. They will try to make it 3-0 and keep rising up the AP Top 25 when they face Fresno state in Week 2.
player. 809. . lost 16-10 v. No. 19 Penn State. Badgers . Wisconsin Badgers (0-1). 16
For one half, it looked like Wisconsin had it all figured out against Penn State. The Badgers outgained the Nittany Lions by more than 100 yards, but a missed field goal and a fumble inside the red zone kept the game scoreless. That opened the door for Penn State to adjust and pull ahead to snatch away victory in the second half. The loss will end the Badgers anywhere from three to six spots down the polls this week as they look ahead to a visit from Eastern Michigan.