Ranking the Top 25 according to each team's point differential through Week 2
By Sam Fariss
The Top 25 has been shaken, stirred, and poured over ice throughout the past three weeks of the college football season. From top-ten losses to unranked upsets, the 2024 season has been as unpredictable as possible.
While the Georgia Bulldogs remain the No. 1 team in the country, the rest of the top 25 rankings have been mixed up and it's only been three weeks.
So, while almost everyone in the nation knows how the AP Top 25 stands, how has each team stacked up against its opponents? Here is how the top 25 teams would shake out according to the point differential for each team:
Rank | Team | Record | Point differential | Actual Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ole Miss | 2-0 | 125 | 5 |
2 | Tennessee | 2-0 | 107 | 7 |
3 | Ohio State | 2-0 | 102 | 3 |
4 | Louisville | 2-0 | 97 | 19 |
T5 | Alabama | 2-0 | 89 | 4 |
T5 | Missouri | 2-0 | 89 | 6 |
7 | Georgia | 2-0 | 76 | 1 |
T8 | Texas | 2-0 | 71 | 2 |
T8 | Miami | 2-0 | 71 | 10 |
T8 | Boston College | 2-0 | 71 | 24 |
11 | Utah | 2-0 | 60 | 12 |
12 | USC | 2-0 | 55 | 11 |
13 | Oklahoma | 2-0 | 52 | 15 |
14 | Nebraska | 2-0 | 51 | 23 |
15 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 42 | 14 |
16 | Northern Illinois | 2-0 | 41 | 25 |
17 | Arizona | 2-0 | 34 | 20 |
18 | Oklahoma State | 2-0 | 31 | 13 |
19 | Penn State | 2-0 | 29 | 8 |
20 | Iowa State | 2-0 | 19 | 21 |
21 | LSU | 1-1 | 16 | 16 |
22 | Clemson | 1-1 | 15 | 22 |
23 | Oregon | 2-0 | 13 | 9 |
24 | Notre Dame | 1-1 | 8 | 18 |
25 | Michigan | 1-1 | 1 | 17 |
While the Ole Miss Rebels may not be the top team in the country, nor the SEC, the Rebels have dominated through two weeks of football. In Week 1, Ole Miss blew out Furman 76-0 and had a similar result in Week 2, defeating Middle Tennessee State 52-3.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Bulldogs, who are also 2-0, had a slow first half against the Clemson Tigers in Week 1 but easily took down the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 48-3 in Week 2.
Unsurprisingly, the teams that have fallen to 1-1 overall make up a majority of the last five spots in the top 25. However, one team is a clear outlier.
The Oregon Ducks, despite being 2-0 and No. 9 in the country, only have the 23rd-biggest point differential out of the top 25 teams with an edge of just 13 points over their opponents.
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