SID Sports Week 2 Top 25
Breaking down my Week 2 CFDawgs Ballot
We’ve got two weeks of college football under our belts (well, one full week, but you get the point) and it’s time to submit the Top 25 and Player of the Year ballots! As a reminder, as a contributor for College Football Dawgs, I get a weekly vote in their Top 25 and Player of the Year polls. You can learn more about that in the Preseason Edition of this column.
Georgia (Last Week: 1)
UT Martin never stood a chance, and Georgia took care of business. Nothing has happened early to move Georgia off the top spot.
Michigan (Last Week: 2)
The same can be said of Michigan. Their 30-3 win over East Carolina sans-Harbaugh was impressive, but also expected. There wasn’t much slowing down the Wolverines on Saturday.Alabama (Last Week: 3)
The Tide move up a spot, but not because of their quick work of Middle Tennessee State. They did settle on a starting quarterback for now, and Jaden Milroe looked the part. Again, that was against Middle Tennessee State, so we’ll see how that holds up later in the season.Florida State (Last Week: 11)
In the season’s first Top 10 matchup, the Seminoles dominated LSU. And I mean dominated. I’d be scared to go up against Florida State. They did start very hot a year ago and falter down the stretch, so I’d like to see them put it together for a few more games before jumping into the Top Five.USC (Last Week: 5)
The Trojans are one of the few 2-0 teams this season, with wins over Mountain West programs San Jose State and Nevada. Caleb Williams and the offense is taking care of business. There are still questions on the defense, though.Utah (Last Week: 14)
Sure, Florida’s rebuilding, but Utah beat the snot out of the Gators with their third string quarterback. When Cam Rising is back, the Utes are going to be a serious problem and a major contender.Washington (Last Week: 9)
Michael Penix Jr. had an astounding game against a very good Boise State secondary. I thought the matchup would be a lot closer, but Kalen DeBoer’s squad was out for blood against the Broncos.Ohio State (Last Week: 3)
Yes, the Buckeyes won. But they still drop. Why? Because Indiana is a bad team and Ohio State struggled. Is that unfair? Probably, but I get to make the rules, and they didn’t seem like a Top Three team on Saturday. I’m sure that’ll change as Kyle McCord or Devin Brown get comfortable.Penn State (Last Week: 10)
Drew Allar is good at football. Buckeye fans wished they signed the Medina product (thanks, Quinn Ewers). I’m excited to see how they build off of the blowout win over West Virginia. Either way, this offense is going to put up insane yardage and points.Oregon (Last Week: 8)
New offensive coordinator? No problem. The Ducks posted 81(!) points over FCS Portland State. They did what they should, but do get knocked for an FCS opponent.Notre Dame (Last Week: 16)
I was skeptical of the Fighting Irish, but they have looked really good so far. Granted, that was against a rebuilding Navy and FCS Tennessee State, but still, it’s progress. Sam Hartman already has 445 yards and a 6-0 touchdown to interception ratio. This offense is working.North Carolina (Last Week: 18)
South Carolina wasn’t ranked coming into the matchup, but they could certainly make life difficult for the Tar Heels. While Drake Maye didn’t have the best day overall, he did have a good enough day to lead North Carolina to a resounding 31-17 win. I was surprised by the UNC defense handling business against Spencer Rattler and company. Maybe this is a good sign for UNC fans.Tennessee (Last Week: 13)
I’ll admit, Joe Milton had me worried about the Volunteers. He proved that wrong by beating down an emotional Virginia team. Normally, I wouldn’t condone that, but it was certainly impressive. Heupel’s squad is picking up where they left off with an Orange Bowl win over Clemson.Texas (Last Week: 12)
Texas got off to a slow start against Rice, but really turned it on after halftime. Quinn Ewers looked good again, but I still want to see more consistency out of him before we move the Longhorns up in the rankings.Oregon State (Last Week: 16)
D.J. Uiagalelei accounted for five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) in a beatdown of a San Jose State team that got the lucky draw of facing two PAC-12 powers in the first two weeks. The defense gave up some points, but SJSU should have a potent Mountain West offense, so I wouldn’t be too worried.Kansas State (Last Week: 15)
Will Howard and the Wildcats took care of business in a 45-0 shutout of FCS SEMO. Just like Oregon, though, they get knocked for only facing an FCS opponent.Oklahoma (Last Week: 19)
Oklahoma had issues last season, but those didn’t appear against Arkansas State. Granted, it’s Arkansas State, but still, 73-0 is impressive against any FBS program. Dillon Gabriel played like Sooner fans expected, and the defense pitched a shutout. It’s hard to want anything else.Duke (Last Week: Unranked)
Duke was a team that I assumed to be good, but not this good. They dominated a Top 10 Clemson team in every facet of the game. Riley Leonard was clearly the better quarterback, and even Clemson’s vaunted defense couldn’t stop the Blue Devils. On the other side of the ball, Clemson couldn’t get anything going. Nothing at all. Duke is on a one-way ticket to the big time.Colorado (Last Week: UR)
This is one I went back and forth on, but decided that the Buffaloes did enough to get ranked. At least, they look like a Top 25 team this early. TCU lost a bunch, but still, nobody expected Coach Prime and Colorado to be able to pull this off. Nebraska next week will be interesting, but I’m high on the Buffs right now.Tulane (Last Week: 22)
Tulane continues to fly the flag for the Group of Five proudly with a 37-17 win over South Alabama. Michael Pratt continues to impress, and the Green Wave will be tough to beat this season.Wisconsin (Last Week: 18)
It took a half of growing pains, but Wisconsin eventually put away Buffalo. Tanner Mordecai was outplayed by Buffalo’s Cole Snyder, but the Badgers’ two-headed beast of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi dominated to the tune of a combined 298 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. I’ll let Mordecai get acclimated to the Longo offense if they keep putting up those numbers.Texas A&M (Last Week: 23)
New Mexico is a very bad program right now, but the Aggies got the job done to the tune of 52-10. So far, so good for the Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino experiment. However, nobody expected it to blow up after Week 1. Let’s see how it lasts.LSU (Last Week: 7)
I really thought about dropping the Tigers from the Top 25, but they still project to be a good team. They hung with Florida State for a half, but Jadon Daniels looked abysmal in the second. Plus, Brian Kelly throwing his players under the bus doesn’t bode well for the Bayou Bengals.Ole Miss (Last Week: Next Five Out)
I was intrigued by the Rebels’ quarterback battle, but it seems like Jaxon Dart won the job. Granted, they did play FCS Mercer, but it’s hard to sneeze at a 73-7 win. Dart continued to shine in Lane Kiffin’s offense, and Quinshon Judkins looked like an all-conference back.Iowa (Last Week: Next Five Out)
The march to 25 points per game got off to a rough start when Iowa only beat Utah State 24-14. A big win over gambling scandal ridden Iowa State or Western Michigan should help get the Hawkeyes back on track. So should Cade McNamara getting back to 100 percent. Either way, the defense still looks good, and they can punt with the best of them.
Next five out: Illinois, TCU, NC State, UCLA, Clemson
Dropped out: Clemson (No. 6), TCU (No. 21), Texas Tech (No. 23) Toledo (No. 25)
Illinois beat one of my Top 25 teams in Toledo last week, so they’re on the cusp of a ranking. TCU got surprised by an unscoutable Colorado, but Sonny Dykes and Chandler Morris clearly have something going for the Horned Frogs. NC State was here a week ago, and a 24-14 win over an upstart UConn keeps them here. . And UCLA gave us a glimpse at five-star Dante Moore in a 27-13 win over Coastal. I trust Chip Kelly to keep this going the right direction. Clemson was dominated by the Mike Elko-led Blue Devils, and while I’m sure they’ll turn it around with Cade Klubnik and Garrett Riley, they’re not a Top 25 team as of yet.
Find the full composite College Football Dawgs Top 25 here.
And, just like before, here’s the Player of the Year ballot I submitted. Now, this isn’t a running Player of the Year ballot for me, per se. Instead, I’m voting on who had the best days that particular week. Or, in this case, two weeks. At the end of the season, we’ll evaluate who my Player of the Year was based on these ballots, with point values assigned similarly to the Top 25 (i.e. three points for a first place vote, two points for second place, and one point for third).
Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Williams may not have gone against the best competition, but he keeps making Heisman-level plays. 597 yards and nine touchdowns through the air is impressive.
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
The story of Week 1 was Colorado, and Travis Hunter was the reason for that. Whether you want to look at his incredible red zone interception, the fact that he played over 100 snaps both sides in triple-digit heat, or hauled in 119 receiving yards on 11 catches, Hunter was impressive. Impressive enough to be pushing Williams for Player of the Week.Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Penix posted some gaudy numbers against a good Boise State defense: 450 yards and five touchdowns. He also completed 72.5 percent of his passes. The super senior has all the talent in the world and a coach that’s ready to let him loose. This could be the start of a Heisman campaign.
There you have it, my ballot explainer for Week 2. How did I do? Do I hate your team? Love them? Let me know on social media or in the comments!