Texas rises to No. 1 in week-2 college football rankings amid widespread volatility
A new ranking of 138 Division I teams places Texas at the top after its narrow win over Ohio State, while several other programs move sharply up or down following surprising results in the second week of the season.
A fresh assessment of 138 college football programs has Texas at the top of the list after the Longhorns edged Ohio State by a single point on the road. The win, achieved in the final minutes, gives Texas a stronger position in the College Football Playoff discussion, though the team still faces a challenging matchup with Tennessee in two weeks.
The rankings, which place less emphasis on preseason expectations, show a volatile landscape after the second week of play. Ohio State’s close loss is reflected in a modest drop, while teams such as Alabama, Texas A&M and BYU move into the top ten after decisive victories over Kentucky, Arizona State and Arizona, respectively.
Mississippi State climbs significantly after a 38-13 win over Minnesota, and Oklahoma State returns to the top-25 after defeating Oregon, despite an earlier loss to Tulsa. Tulsa, in turn, rises to No. 20 based on its win over Oklahoma State and a subsequent victory over Sam Houston.
Michigan re-enters the top-25 following a 17-10 triumph over Oklahoma, while Western Michigan, which played a close game against Michigan, is placed ahead of Oklahoma for the time being.
Other notable moves include Utah’s dominant performance against Arkansas, Missouri’s win at Kansas, and North Texas’s 44-6 victory over UNLV, which propels the Mean Green upward. Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Appalachian State, Ohio and Georgia State also see modest advances after recent wins.
Conversely, teams such as Iowa fall out of the top-25 after a narrow comeback win, and Duke, Wake Forest, and several others shift lower despite competitive outings. The ranking reflects the early-season uncertainty, with many programs expected to rise or fall as additional games are played.