Week 1 of the college football season did not disappoint and had it all. We finally got to see who teams really are on the field and whether the preseason rankings and hype were justified or in some cases, way off the mark.
Rankings this early in the season ultimately don’t mean anything, but it is nice to know where teams stand, and of course, they always spark plenty of controversy and argument. Now that Week 1 is all wrapped up, the second edition of the AP Top 25 has been released, so let's take a look at the biggest risers and fallers in the Week 2 rankings.
Risers
No team had a better Week 1, both on the field and in the polls, than the Florida State Seminoles. Their convincing win over then No. 8 Alabama propelled them up the rankings, climbing 26 spots from fifteenth in the “receiving votes” category all the way to No. 14. The Noles appearance in this week’s top 25 makes it four teams from the ACC, with all of them inside the top 17.
Brian Kelly and LSU finally got over the Week 1 hurdle and pulled off a massive road win against Clemson. Not only did the Tigers jump up six spots to No. 3, but they also climbed to one spot ahead of Georgia, making them the highest ranked team in the SEC. This is the highest ranking LSU has ever had under Brian Kelly, and they also received three first place votes.
The Hurricanes put to rest any questions about Carson Beck at quarterback and the improvement of their defense with an impressive win over Notre Dame. Miami was in control for most of the game and looked every bit like a top-10 team. They were rewarded with a five spot jump in the rankings, and moved ahead of conference foe Clemson.
The Tigers may not be ranked yet, but they are right outside the top 25 climbing to second in “receiving votes” after being twelfth in that category in the preseason. That rise is well deserved after Auburn earned a quality road win over Baylor, and Hugh Freeze may have finally figured things out on offense with quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Fallers
On the other side of Florida State’s rise is Alabama’s fall, as the Tide dropped thirteen spots to No. 21. Not only did Alabama lose in Week 1, but they also looked flat-out bad and unmotivated, leading many to question Kalen DeBoer’s fit in Tuscaloosa. A ranking in the twenties just doesn’t feel right next to the Alabama logo, but if they continue to play like how they did in Week 1, they will find themselves without a ranking at all.
Texas dropped from No. 1 after falling on the road to Ohio State, who claimed that top spot this week. Dropping six spots may have been more than people expected, but Texas was definitely not at their best in the opener. Notably, all three top-10 teams that lost remained inside the top 10, beginning with Texas at No. 7.
The Broncos’ 27-point loss to USF on Thursday may feel like ages ago, but the voters certainly did not forget as Boise State fell from No. 25 to receiving no votes at all. With Boise State’s drop, this week’s top 25 features zero teams from the Group of Five. However, several are just outside the rankings with USF, Tulane, UNLV, Liberty, James Madison, Navy, and Memphis all receiving votes.
No rankings were released after No. 17 Kansas State’s Week 0 loss to Iowa State, but they didn’t strengthen their case in Week 1, needing a touchdown in the last minute to defeat FCS North Dakota. From what we have seen from Kansas State in their first two games, they might be the team we look back on at season’s end and wonder how they were ever ranked in the top 25.