College Football AP Top-25 Rankings: Which Teams Are Still Underrated After Week 1?

The first significant changes of the AP Top 25 Poll have been released in the Week 2 poll. Who has dropped, and who remains underrated?

Florida State’s early-season struggles have led to a significant tumble in the latest Associated Press college football poll. After an 0-2 start, the Seminoles plummeted from their preseason top-10 ranking, becoming just the third team since 1989 to fall out of the rankings entirely after starting the season inside the top 10.

Florida State wasn’t the only top-10 casualty in the Week 2 AP Top 25. Oregon, previously ranked No. 3, slid to No. 7 following a narrow 24-14 victory over FCS opponent Idaho. Despite being favored by 44.5 points, the Ducks allowed the Vandals to close within three points with just under 10 minutes remaining, raising concerns about their early-season form.

Meanwhile, Georgia and Ohio State solidified their places at the poll’s top. The Bulldogs cruised past Clemson with a dominant 34-3 victory, while Ohio State took care of business against Akron. Clemson ranked No. 14 entering Week 1, barely clung to a spot in the rankings, dropping to No. 25 after the loss.

Texas and Alabama each moved up to No. 3 and 4, respectively, behind the Buckeyes. Notre Dame rounds out the top five, while Oregon’s struggles caused them to drop to No. 7. The biggest movers were Miami, jumping seven spots to No. 12, and USC, which soared ten spots to No. 13.

Check out the full AP Top 25 breakdown below:

Week 2 AP Top 25 Poll

Rank Team Record Conference Trend Opponent Result Points (1st Place Votes)

1 Georgia 1-0 Southeastern – vs. Clemson W 34-3 1545 (57)

2 Ohio State 1-0 Big Ten – vs. Akron W 52-6 1478 (5)

3 Texas 1-0 Southeastern vs. Colorado State W 52-0 1418 (0)

4 Alabama 1-0 Southeastern -1 vs. Western Kentucky W 63-0 1309 (0)

5 Notre Dame 1-0 IA Independents @ Texas A&M W 23-13 1240 (0)

6 Ole Miss 1-0 Southeastern – vs. Furman W 76-0 1212 (0)

7 Oregon 1-0 Big Ten -4 vs. Idaho W 24-14 1197 (0)

8 Penn State 1-0 Big Ten – @ West Virginia W 34-12 1146 (0)

9 Missouri 1-0 Southeastern vs. Murray State W 51-0 968 (0)

10 Michigan 1-0 Big Ten -1 vs. Fresno State W 30-10 935 (0)

11 Utah 1-0 Big 12 vs. Southern Utah W 49-0 897 (0)

12 Miami (FL) 1-0 Atlantic Coast @ Florida W 41-17 893 (0)

13 USC 1-0 Big Ten vs. LSU W 27-20 811 (0)

14

1-0 Southeastern vs. Chattanooga W 69-3 784 (0)

15 Oklahoma 1-0 Southeastern vs. Temple W 51-3 703 (0)

16 Oklahoma St. 1-0 Big 12 vs. South Dakota State W 44-20 610 (0)

17 Kansas St. 1-0 Big 12 vs. Tennessee-Martin W 41-6 607 (0)

18 LSU 0-1 Southeastern -5 @ USC L 20-27 410 (0)

19 Kansas 1-0 Big 12 vs. Lindenwood W 48-3 349 (0)

20 Arizona 1-0 Big 12 vs. New Mexico W 61-39 339 (0)

21 Iowa 1-0 Big Ten vs. Illinois State W 40-0 294 (0)

22 Louisville 1-0 Atlantic Coast – vs. Austin Peay W 62-0 188 (0)

23 Georgia Tech 2-0 Atlantic Coast – vs. Georgia State W 35-12 161 (0)

24 North Carolina St. 1-0 Atlantic Coast – vs. Western Carolina W 38-21 142 (0)

25 Clemson 0-1 Atlantic Coast -11 @ Georgia L 3-34 134 (0)

Who is Still Underrated?

We’ll stay out of the top 10 for now as it’s hard to argue any of them are genuinely underrated, but Ole Miss may have a gripe. So, who outside the top 10 appears to be a bit underrated?

No. 11 Miami

The Hurricanes went on the road and beat up on instate rival Florida in the swamp. Miami looked vastly better than the Gators in every facet and finally found an elite quarterback in Washington State transfer Cam Ward. Miami plays host to Florida A&M this weekend, and there is a great chance they’re among the top 10 in the Week 3 poll.

No. 13 USC

Everyone expected Miller Moss and the USC offense to look good under quarterback whisperer Lincoln Riley. However, the most shocking part of their Week 1 upset win over LSU was their vastly improved defense. If you watched USC at all last season, you saw just how bad they were as a group at tackling. They also really struggled to play defense against the pass. But they looked like a completely new group on Sunday night under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. USC plays host to Utah State this weekend before they prepare to navigate a demanding Big Ten schedule, but the Trojans could be for real.

No. 20 Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats are starting to let people know what a few thought coming into the season: they have one of the best offenses in college football. The Wildcats put up 61 points in a Week 1 win over New Mexico. They’re going to be able to score on anyone. The question will come down to the defense and its ability to get stops. But the Wildcats are legitimate Big 12 title contenders.

No. 23 Georgia Tech

Florida State looking bad again against Boston College may fool some people into believing Georgia Tech isn’t very good. But Georgia Tech is a program on the rise. This is only the beginning under head coach Brent Key, and this program will compete for ACC titles.