Two states, hailing from opposite areas of the country, met up in the casual Midwest this past weekend for some good-old, classic football. A coach debuted in a more highly-anticipated storyline than the game itself, while 65 miles northwest, two top-ten teams duked it out under the night sky. Yes, Michigan vs. Oregon State and Michigan State vs. Oregon were an interesting set of coincidences, as both states’ two primary teams played each other, and both games were held in the state of Michigan. It was an exciting week for them, but also for college football in general, as we progressed closer towards the start of conference play.
With that, here’s this week’s rankings:
1. Ohio State Buckeyes: Should not be any surprises here at the top. Before the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors come to Camp Randall, they got a friendly trounce 38-0 by the Buckeyes. Heisman candidate Ezekiel Elliot’s 101 yards on 27 carries led the way, and the Buckeyes look dangerously powerful entering their next two weeks of non-conference play.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: A 37-10 whoop of Middle Tennessee State has the Tide remaining comfortably at #2. The Crimson Tide were fearless, with Jake Coker’s 214 first-half yards and Derrick Henry’s three touchdowns leading the way. Bryant-Denny Stadium was in its casual, relaxed September mode.
3. TCU Horned Frogs: Trevone Boykin’s 285 passing yards and four touchdowns leaped the Horned Frogs past Stephen F. Austin by a score of 70-7. It is clear who the real top football team is down in the Lonestar State now. The Horned Frogs keep on rolling, and get a nice home game vs. SMU next week as well.
4. Michigan State Spartans: What a game. The 31-28 victory at home vs. a top-10 team in Oregon certainly catapults the Spartans up in the rankings. Connor Cook played like a star, and Michigan State got through its hardest test of the early season, allowing it to relax next week against Air Force.
5. Baylor Bears: Seth Russell to Corey Coleman. This combination worked four times in the 66-31 victory over Lamar last weekend, as they gained 723 yards, including 412 yards of straight rushing in addition to Coleman’s four receiving touchdowns. Waco is on fire right about now, and the Bears are looking strong as ever before they take on Rice next weekend.
6. USC Trojans: As I walk through campus each day, the main word I hear is: Juju. Juju Smith-Schuster is a stud, racking up 139 yards on eight catches-before halftime. Coupled with Cody Kessler’s 410 yards, the steamroll of Idaho that was my Saturday entertainment was a true pleasure. Bring on Stanford.
7. Georgia Bulldogs: I have numerous friends at Vanderbilt, and they told me that Vanderbilt Stadium was more red than gold, which for one says something about the Commodores, but let’s focus on the Bulldogs. Nick Chubb’s 189 yards continue to propel the Bulldogs, and this 31-14 victory was no different.
8. Florida State Seminoles: Dalvin Cook’s 266 yards on 30 carries was the second best rushing game in school history, and pretty much was a one-man show for the Seminoles in their 34-14 win over South Florida. They had six passing yards in the first half, to fully show his effects. Jimbo Fisher continues to put this team on the rise.
9. Clemson Tigers: Deshaun Watson’s 248 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were to standout wideout Charone Peake, made Appalachian State realize that the Michigan game was a one-time thing. The Tigers are steadily creeping up in the ACC, and are definitely a true force to be reckoned with around the United States.
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Oh, the Irish. An incredible comeback led them to a 34-27 win in Charlottesville over the Virginia Cavaliers, making them skyrocket in the football world. But, they will not be here for long. Malik Zaire, starting quarterback, is out for the season with a broken right ankle injury, and backup quarterback and redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer is blatantly not the same level.
-
LSU head coach Les Miles is fired up about the Tigers’ 21-19 victory over Mississippi State.
11. UCLA
12. Georgia Tech
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Auburn
16. Mississippi
17. Oklahoma
18. Texas A&M
-
Mitchell Juergens of the BYU Cougars is especially excited by his fourth quarter touchdown, helping to lead the Cougars to a 35-24 win over Boise State in Provo.
19. Arizona
20. Wisconsin
21. Utah
22. Brigham Young
23. Arkansas
24. Missouri
25. Northwestern
Week 3 – Key Matchups
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
Auburn at LSU
Ole Miss at Alabama
BYU at UCLA
Sources:
All images are courtesy of Getty Images.
ESPN
Pac-12.com
SB Nation