Power Ranking All 124 College Football Teams Heading into Week 2

With the first weekend of the college football season now officially complete, we certainly learned a lot over the past five days.

From upsets to blowouts and everything in between, the start of the college football season certainly had a little bit of everything.

Last week we came out with the college football rankings before the season started—now here are the updated rankings from No. 124 to No. 1 heading into Week 2.

124. South Alabama (0-1)

Previous: 123

South Alabama drops one spot in the rankings after losing to the team that occupied the bottom spot last week, Texas-San Antonio.

Even though the Jaguars were at home, they still fell 33-31 in a battle of teams playing their first official game at the FBS level.

The schedule is not going to get any easier from here on out.

123. Akron (0-1)

Previous: 122

Akron was bad last season, and things are not looking much better in 2012, as the Zips started the Terry Bowden era by losing 56-14 at home to Central Florida.

That is not a good sign of things to come, and there are a lot of questions to be answered if the Zips plan on winning more than one or two games this season.

122. Massachusetts (0-1)

Previous: 120

UMass was welcomed to the FBS level by the Connecticut Huskies on Thursday night, and it was not pretty for the Minutemen.

They lost 37-0 to the Huskies, and needless to say, it was an even worse showing than most were expecting.

Things might get a little easier in the MAC, but a win or two is all that is likely for UMass.

121. Middle Tennessee State (0-1)

Previous: 112

Middle Tennessee State suffers a big drop this week due to the home loss to McNeese State. Losing to a team like that is embarrassing.

They may just be worse than expected; it could be a long season for the Blue Raiders.

120. UAB (0-1)

Previous: 115

Most people had UAB slated to finish near the bottom of Conference USA, and that seems accurate after what it looked like on opening weekend.

The Blazers were beaten 39-29 at home by a Troy team from which not much is expected.

For this, UAB drops a few spots.

119. Buffalo (0-1)

Previous: 116

Buffalo has been terrible the past few seasons, and 2012 looks no different.

The Bulls did hang around for a little while with Georgia before falling 45-23. That is not a bad showing on the road, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to get out of the bottom portion of the MAC.

118. Idaho (0-1)

Previous: 107

Idaho also suffers a big drop, as it fell to another FCS school, losing 20-3 to Eastern Washington.

That's certainly not a good way to start off the season. Expecting Idaho to win any games this season may be asking a little too much.

117. Memphis (0-1)

Previous: 108

Memphis is welcoming a new head coach and now has even more questions surrounding the program following a 20-17 home loss to Tennessee-Martin.

After a lengthy weather delay, the Tigers were not able to hold off the FCS school and suffered the disappointing loss, causing them to drop in the rankings.

116. Florida Atlantic (1-0)

Previous: 114

Despite a victory, Florida Atlantic did not have a good weekend.

Even though not much was expected of the Owls this season, they still laid an egg at home and barely edged Wagner, 7-3.

That is not a good sign of things to come.

115. Texas-San Antonio (1-0)

Previous: 124

UTSA takes a huge jump in the rankings after knocking off South Alabama 33-31 on the road.

That is already more wins than some people thought it would have all of this season, and it is certainly the perfect way to start off life at the FBS level.

114. New Mexico (1-0)

Previous: 119

New Mexico moves up a few spots after a dismantling of Southern. Even though Southern is not much of a challenge for anybody, it is a step in the right direction for Bob Davie and the Lobos.

The schedule is going to get a little tougher, but the Lobos may be able to win a few more than expected this season.

113. New Mexico State (1-0)

Previous: 118

The New Mexico State Aggies also move up a few spots after an impressive 49-19 win over Sacramento State.

Although their win was similar to the Lobos', it is still hard to tell what to expect from this team—but it is certainly the best way they could have imagined starting off the season.

112. Tulane (0-1)

Previous: 117

The Tulane Green Wave move up a few spots simply because some teams in front of them had terrible losses.

Even though they suffered a home loss to Rutgers, 24-12, that is not a terrible loss since Rutgers is one of the top teams in the Big East.

111. North Texas (0-1)

Previous: 113

The North Texas Mean Green move up two spots to No. 111 after being handled rather easily by LSU, 41-14.

Still, there is no shame in losing to one of the best teams in the country, and they will fare a little better against some competition more at their level.

110. Rice (0-1)

Previous: 110

Rice certainly had a disappointing first game of the season with the defense seemingly failing to show up. The Owls fell to UCLA 49-24 at home.

It could be a very long year for the Owls in 2012; they remain No. 110 due to some teams ahead of them losing to worse schools.

109. UNLV (0-1)

Previous: 109

UNLV stands pat after losing a hard-fought game against Minnesota at home in triple overtime.

Not much is expected this season of UNLV, but Minnesota at home was a very winnable game—and the Rebels are not going to get many more where they'll have as good a shot to win.

108. Texas State (1-0)

Previous: 121

In what was perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the day, Texas State went on the road and knocked off a Houston team that won 13 games a season ago.

The Cougars are certainly a far cry from what they were a season ago, but that is still a huge win for Texas State in its first game as an FBS team.

107. San Jose State (0-1)

Previous: 111

San Jose State nearly pulled off a huge upset against Stanford on Friday before eventually falling 20-17.

That is worthy enough to move up a few spots in the rankings. While the Cardinal may not be what they were with Andrew Luck running the show, they are still a very talented team that San Jose State nearly beat.

106. Louisiana-Monroe (0-0)

Previous: 104

Louisiana-Monroe will not begin its season until next week and dropped a few spots in the rankings because of that.

A couple of teams behind them had huge games, so the Warhawks fell a little bit.

105. Central Michigan (1-0)

Previous: 106

Central Michigan struggled against Southeast Missouri State at the beginning of the game but came on strong toward the end to avoid the upset, coming out on top 38-27. 

The competition will get a little stiffer, and the Chippewas are looking like one of the basement teams of the MAC.

104. Troy (1-0)

Previous: 105

Troy came out on top against UAB on the road, and while UAB is one of the worst teams in the country, a 39-29 victory is something to be proud of.

The Trojans will be looking to forget about last season's disappointment and play like they have in years past.

103. Eastern Michigan (0-1)

Previous: 96

Eastern Michigan had a chance to start out the season on the right foot with a very winnable game against Ball State but fell flat on its face, losing 37-26 on the road.

There are plenty of winnable games in the MAC, but if they can't beat Ball State, those games may not be so winnable for the Eagles.

102. Miami (OH) (0-1)

Previous: 94

Miami (OH) also takes a drastic drop after being beaten down 56-10 at the hands of Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Zac Dysert is a talented quarterback for Miami, but there is not much around him to work with, and it could be a long season in Oxford.

101. Wyoming (0-1)

Previous: 99

It was not a completely bad showing for Wyoming, as the Cowboys hung with Texas for the better part of the first half before having trouble in the second and losing 37-17 in Austin.

There will be plenty of winnable games for Wyoming this season, and with what the Cowboys showed in Week 1, they might be better than expected.

100. Kent State (1-0)

Previous: 100

Even though linebacker Andre Parker tried to run a muffed punt toward his own end zone, Kent State was still able to easily handle Towson 41-21 in the season opener, allowing it to stand pat at No. 100.

That was without question the easiest game on their schedule, and the Golden Flashes should be able to compete with some of the lower-level teams in the MAC.

99. Colorado State (1-0)

Previous: 103

Colorado State had quite an impressive win in the season opener against in-state rival Colorado and came out on top 22-17.

While this was not a huge surprise, beating a team from a BCS conference is a step in the right direction, and the Rams should be able to win a handful of games this season.

98. Bowling Green (0-1)

Previous: 102

Bowling Green gave the Florida Gators quite a scare on opening weekend and all they could handle before falling 27-14 on the road.

While Florida is not what it used to be, the Falcons showed something in Week 1 and proved they can hang with the big boys. For that they move up a few spots in the rankings.

97. Utah State (1-0)

Previous: 101

Utah State played an in-state FCS school in Southern Utah and had no trouble whatsoever, coming out on top 34-3.

The Aggies will not find the remainder of the schedule to be that easy, as they take on Utah and Wisconsin the next two weeks.

96. Hawai'i (0-1)

Previous: 87

Nobody expected Hawai'i to be able to hang with USC, but it did not really show anything. From the start, USC dominated—including a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage—and the Trojans never looked back, winning 49-10.

The good news for Hawai'i is that the schedule is certain to get easier from here.

95. Ball State (1-0)

Previous: 98

Ball State started off the season with a conference game against Eastern Michigan and came out with a 37-26 victory at home.

That is the perfect way to start the season, but the Cardinals now have to travel to Clemson. That will certainly be a real test in Week 2.

94. UTEP (0-1)

Previous: 97

The UTEP Miners move up three spots this week after giving Oklahoma a little bit of a scare late Saturday night.

They were ahead 7-0, and it was tied 7-7 at the half. They were only trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma pulled away for a 24-7 victory.

Still, not a bad first showing for the Miners.

93. Boston College (0-1)

Previous: 93

Boston College stays put in the rankings after hanging strong with Miami for the better part of the game Saturday, falling 41-32.

The Eagles are close to a certainty to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but with the way quarterback Chase Rettig played, passing for 441 yards and two touchdowns, they might be better than expected.

92. Indiana (1-0)

Previous: 95

Indiana only won one game last season and has already equaled that win total after defeating Indiana State 24-17.

While that may not seem like much, it is a step in the right direction. Now getting another win may be a different story.

91. Navy (0-1)

Previous: 84

Navy took a big tumble after Notre Dame dominated it from start to finish, winning 50-10. The bad thing for Navy is that it was the only game taking place at the time, so everybody in the country got a chance to see it.

Either Navy is that bad or Notre Dame is that good. It is looking like Navy may be worse than expected.

90. Oregon State (0-0)

Previous: 91

Oregon State had its game with Nicholls State postponed and now will open up the season against Wisconsin on Saturday.

They thought the season would begin with a cupcake, but that is not going to be the case for the Beavers.

89. Western Kentucky (1-0)

Previous: 92

Many people thought the Hilltoppers would struggle this season without star running back Bobby Rainey. Well, on Saturday that was just not the case.

Quarterback Kawaun Jakes threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns, and Austin Peay was no match for WKU, as the Hilltoppers came out on top 49-10.

88. Marshall (0-1)

Previous: 83

Marshall had the unenviable task of taking on West Virginia on the road in Week 1—and that did not turn out so well.

The Thundering Herd had no answer for the West Virginia offense and fell 69-34. There are a lot of questions for Marshall after this one.

87. Army (0-0)

Previous: 89

Army has yet to start the season, as it did not have a game scheduled for Week 1. The Black Knights will take to the road against a below-average San Diego State team Saturday.

They have an extremely easy schedule with some games that they have a good shot to win.

86. Kansas (1-0)

Previous: 88

The Charlie Weis era at Kansas started off as expected, with a win. Even though they were taking on an inferior opponent in South Dakota State, the Jayhawks looked pretty good, winning 31-17.

They were led on the ground by the running back tandem of Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox, who both went over 120 yards. That is a good sign of things to come for Kansas.

85. Maryland (1-0)

Previous: 79

Not many teams looked as bad as Maryland did yesterday while still able to come out with a victory.

Good thing for the Terrapins is they were playing William & Mary at home, but they struggled to a 7-6 win. Things will get tougher from here on out.

Star freshman receiver Stefon Diggs did have three catches for 30 yards in his debut.

84. Minnesota (1-0)

Previous: 90

In what was one of the most exciting games of opening weekend, Minnesota took to the road and knocked off UNLV 30-27 in triple overtime.

The athleticism of quarterback MarQueis Gray was on full display as he passed for 269 yards and rushed for 68 more.

He will need to have a huge season in order for the Gophers to have any bowl hopes.

83. Western Michigan (0-1)

Previous: 78

Even though Western Michigan only lost 24-7 to Illinois, it was basically dominated from start to finish and could not put anything together on the ground, finishing with minus-six yards. 

The offensive line will need to do a better job in the coming weeks for the Broncos to move up the rankings.

82. Temple (1-0)

Previous: 86

The Temple Owls might be better than anticipated, but it is still too early to tell after they throttled FCS school Villanova 41-10.

Even though Temple lost some talent from last season, its squad still has plenty, including running back Matt Brown, who scampered for 145 yards and a score.

81. Ole Miss (1-0)

Previous: 85

Winning is never an easy thing during SEC play for Ole Miss, so it is best to get wins while it can—and that is what the Rebels did, defeating Central Arkansas 49-27 on Saturday.

While the defense may not be nearly as strong as a lot of the other SEC schools, Ole Miss should still easily be able to win more than the two games it did a season ago.

80. San Diego State (0-1)

Previous: 81

San Diego State had the tough task of going on the road and taking on a Washington team that has one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

The Aztecs did an excellent job, only losing 21-12 in a game that showed just how explosive they could be on defense in particular.

A loss is a loss, but they do move up one spot in the rankings.

79. Kentucky (0-1)

Previous: 80

Kentucky had a tough first game on the road against Louisville and did not put up much of a fight, losing 32-14.

Turnovers hurt the Wildcats, and Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater picked them apart when he was in there.

78. Colorado (0-1)

Previous: 72

Colorado lost 22-17 to in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday in a game not many expected it to have trouble with.

If that is a sign of things to come, it could be a long season for the Buffaloes once again in 2012.

77. Penn State (0-1)

Previous: 69

Penn State had enough momentum and passion to hang with Ohio, but as expected, that wore off, and it was beaten by the better team.

Losing by double digits at home to a MAC team is cause for concern. There are just not a lot of winnable games on the Nittany Lions' schedule for 2012.

It is going to be a long year in Happy Valley.

76. Pittsburgh (0-1)

Previous: 66

It is one thing to be beaten by an FCS school, but it is quite another to be manhandled by it.

That is what happened to Pittsburgh on Saturday as it was taken down by Youngstown State 31-17. That is worthy of a huge drop in the rankings and not a sign of positive things to come for the Panthers.

75. Washington State (0-1)

Previous: 68

Washington State has some dynamic players on offense, but the BYU defense completely shut them down Thursday night, winning 30-6.

Even though Washington State was on the road against one of the better teams in the country, there was still much more expected out of it.

Clearly not a good way for Mike Leach to start his coaching career with the Cougars.

74. Connecticut (1-0)

Previous: 82

Most expected Connecticut to finish near the bottom of the Big East, and that may still be the case, but it was rather impressive in welcoming Massachusetts to the FBS level on Thursday.

There is balance on offense to go along with a solid defense. Still, the schedule will get much tougher in the coming weeks.

73. Air Force (1-0)

Previous: 75

The Air Force Falcons did what everyone expected them to do on Saturday, and that is dominate an inferior opponent, as they defeated Idaho State 49-21.

While there are a lot of questions to be answered, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons rushed for 484 yards in impressive fashion.

Things will get a little tougher against an angry Michigan team in Week 2.

72. East Carolina (1-0)

Previous: 76

East Carolina jumped up a few spots after defeating the always powerful Appalachian State out of the FCS level.

There were a lot of question marks surrounding the ECU program entering this season, particularly how it was going to replace quarterback Dominique Davis.

So far, so good for the Pirates in 2012.

71. Syracuse (0-1)

Previous: 71

Syracuse let one slip away at home against Northwestern, falling 42-41 to the Wildcats in the final seconds of the game.

That would have been a huge win and a big way to start off the season. However, it was not meant to be, and the Orange will have a long row to hoe in 2012.

70. Fresno State (1-0)

Previous: 73

Fresno State struggled to a four-win campaign in 2011 but started off on the right foot in 2012, beating Weber State 37-10.

Quarterback Derek Carr was dynamic, going 20-of-25 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Robbie Rouse ran for 123 yards and two scores.

The Bulldogs will be tested big-time next week when they travel to Eugene to take on Oregon.

69. Tulsa (0-1)

Previous: 67

Tulsa drops a couple spots after losing a road game against Iowa State 38-23.

That is not a terrible loss because most thought the Golden Hurricane would lose, but they fell apart in the middle of the game after jumping out on top in the first quarter.

Their next two games are at home against Tulane and Nicholls State, both of which they should have no problem winning.

68. Houston (0-1)

Previous: 53

Of all the disappointments from over the weekend, perhaps the biggest of them all is the Houston Cougars.

They were dominated from start to finish by Texas State, 30-13. Texas State was playing its first game as a member of the FBS level, but it sure did not look that way.

Where is Case Keenum when you need him?

67. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-0)

Previous: 70

Louisiana-Lafayette controlled this game throughout, defeating an overmatched Lamar team 40-0.

The Ragin' Cajuns led 40-0 in the second quarter and simply cruised from there. They take on Troy next and have a schedule with plenty of winnable games on it.

66. Florida International (0-1)

Previous: 54

A lot more was expected from a Florida International than what it showed at Duke on Saturday, but the season is still young, and there is still time.

With that being said, the Blue Devils handled FIU from start to finish, winning 46-26. A team some thought might be good does not look like it is going to be unless it can get things on track.

65. SMU (0-1)

Previous: 56

SMU did not look good at all from start to finish and stood no chance against the much more talented Baylor Bears.

New quarterback Garrett Gilbert did throw for 286 yards with two touchdowns but also threw two picks. Running back Zach Line rushed for 135 yards on 25 carries.

The defense, however, is a big question mark.

64. Duke (1-0)

Previous: 77

Duke has been a bottom-feeder in the ACC for the past few years, but this year might just be a little different judging from what happened on Saturday.

The Blue Devils were led by quarterback Sean Renfree, who threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns on the way to a 46-26 victory.

There were also two receivers for the Blue Devils who went over 100 yards.

63. Arizona (1-0)

Previous: 74

Arizona had a very impressive win late Saturday night, defeating a talented Toledo team 24-17 in overtime.

The Wildcats did not miss a beat at quarterback minus Nick Foles, as Matt Scott passed for 387 yards with two scores.

Rich Rodriguez may have more talent than he thought when he took over the coaching job at Arizona.

62. Wake Forest (1-0)

Previous: 63

Wake Forest narrowly avoided what would have been a monumental upset at the hands of Liberty, squeaking out a 20-17 victory at home.

Quarterback Tanner Price only threw for 195 yards with a touchdown and an interception. More will be expected out of him if the Demon Deacons plan on returning to a bowl game in 2012.

61. Northwestern (1-0)

Previous: 65

Northwestern was sporting some pretty unique uniforms for its Week 1 game, and even though quarterback Kain Colter went down with an injury, it was still able to come back in the fourth quarter and pull out the victory.

The schedule gets a little tougher this week with a game against Vanderbilt on the horizon. Still, the early part of the schedule is very easy for the Wildcats.

60. Arizona State (1-0)

Previous: 64

Arizona State is another team that welcomed a new head coach in Todd Graham—and he definitely started out on the right foot.

The Sun Devils dominated from start to finish, leading 42-0 at halftime. They will now take on Illinois and Missouri before beginning Pac-12 play, so we will get a real gauge as to where they stand.

59. Iowa State (1-0)

Previous: 62

Iowa State is looking to build on the success it had last season while earning a trip to a bowl game.

The Cyclones started off the season just the way they wanted to and had no trouble handling Tulsa, 38-23. They better get as many wins as they can because the competition in the Big 12 will be a little tougher.

58. Arkansas State (0-1)

Previous: 52

After trailing 50-3 midway through the second quarter, Arkansas State made it as respectable as it could, falling at Oregon 57-34.

Many people (myself included) thought this game would be much more competitive than it was, but the Red Wolves had no answer for the explosive offensive attack of the Ducks.

The schedule will get a little more favorable from here on out.

57. UCLA (1-0)

Previous: 61

UCLA looked great in the season opener and the first game of the Jim Mora era, throttling Rice on the road 49-24.

The Bruins are trying to rebound from a disastrous 2011 season that saw them lose eight games. It appears they will not have to worry too much about losing that many games in 2012.

56. Louisiana Tech (0-0)

Previous: 55

Louisiana Tech was scheduled to play Texas A&M at home, but weather would not permit that, and the game did not take place.

The Bulldogs are a team that a lot of people think have a legitimate chance to be a spoiler against BCS opponents.

55. Toledo (0-1)

Previous: 47

Toledo did not have an easy way to start off the season and hung tough on the road with Arizona.

Still, that was a game the Rockets could very easily have won, and it would have catapulted them to a potentially terrific season. 

They will need more out of their quarterback combination in the coming weeks.

54. North Carolina (1-0)

Previous: 59

North Carolina proved that Elon was no match for it, as it trampled the FCS school 62-0.

The Tar Heels have some talent on the offensive side of the ball this season, led by running back Giovani Bernard, who rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.

Quarterback Bryn Renner was also impressive, throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns.

53. Texas Tech (1-0)

Previous: 58

Texas Tech showed just how good it can be—assuming it stays healthy—against Northwestern State in Week 1.

The Red Raiders were led by running back Eric Stephens, who scored two touchdowns, and came out on top by a final score of 44-6.

52. Northern Illinois (0-1)

Previous: 51

Northern Illinois gave Iowa all it could handle, but in the end, the Hawkeyes were just too much for the Huskies to take on.

Iowa came out on top 18-17, and Northern Illinois showed some effects of losing quarterback Chandler Harnish to the NFL draft, as the offense struggled.

Still, not a bad showing against a mid-level Big Ten team.

51. Southern Miss (0-1)

Previous: 34

Southern Miss drops 17 spots, as it was fairly evident that it has some questions to be answered, particularly at the quarterback position.

It was playing on the road at Nebraska but still did not show much in a 49-20 defeat.

The Golden Eagles should fare better in Conference USA.

50. Ohio (1-0)

Previous: 57

Ohio pulled off what many would call an upset, but what I would consider a game it should have won in taking down Penn State 24-14 on the road.

Still, taking down a Big Ten team on the road is no easy task, and the Nittany Lions had a lot of emotion coming into the game.

A huge win for quarterback Tyler Tettleton and company.

49. Vanderbilt (0-1)

Previous: 46

Vanderbilt had a chance to pull off a huge upset and came very close to doing so on opening night before succumbing to South Carolina 17-13. 

The Commodores are close to getting back on the map, and a win like that would have accomplished a lot for their program.

They do appear headed to another bowl season in 2012.

48. California (0-1)

Previous: 36

California suffered a big-time setback on opening weekend, falling at home to Nevada 31-24.

A lot was expected of Cal coming into the season, but it disappointed on Saturday. The schedule is only going to get more difficult with a trip to Ohio State looming along with a road game against USC in a few weeks.

47. Central Florida (1-0)

Previous: 49

Central Florida had no trouble spoiling the debut of Terry Bowden at Akron, manhandling the Zips on the road 56-14.

Now the Knights will get to take on a slightly more talented team from Ohio in Ohio State. The Buckeyes will be a good indicator as to how far along the Knights really are.

46. Purdue (1-0)

Previous: 48

Purdue continues to impress as a team that could surprise some people in the Big Ten. It dominated Eastern Kentucky 48-6.

Quarterback Robert Marve was impressive, throwing for 295 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

45. Nevada (1-0)

Previous: 60

Nevada had one of the more impressive wins of the opening weekend as it knocked off Cal 31-24 on the road.

The Wolf Pack sported a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 220 yards and throwing for 230. They take on South Florida Saturday in what should be a very interesting matchup of two evenly matched teams.

44. South Florida (1-0)

Previous: 45

South Florida moves up one spot to No. 44 after knocking off Chattanooga 34-13.

The Bulls were led by quarterback B.J. Daniels, who passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another score.

The Bulls travel to Nevada to take on the Wolf Pack on Saturday in what should be an intriguing battle.

43. Virginia (1-0)

Previous: 44

Virginia is a team that wins the games it's supposed to and does not make many mistakes.

That is exactly what happened in the season opener against Richmond, with the Cavaliers coming out on top 43-19.

They now get Penn State at home.

42. Illinois (1-0)

Previous: 43

The Tim Beckman era at Illinois started off rather nicely with a 24-7 win against Western Michigan, and there is no question that this team appears headed in the right direction.

The Fighting Illini did it with defense, but they are going to need more from their offense in the coming weeks if they plan on knocking off the big boys in the Big Ten.

41. Mississippi State (1-0)

Previous: 42

Mississippi State had a successful 2011 campaign and started off on the right foot in 2012, knocking off Jackson State 56-9.

The Bulldogs dominated from the start, scoring 35 points in the first half. They have an interesting home game against Auburn on Saturday that could go a long way toward determining how successful of a season they have in 2012.

40. Miami (FL) (1-0)

Previous: 39

Miami struggled a little bit in the season opener at Boston College but still came out on top 41-32.

Boston College is one of the worst teams in the ACC, and the fact that it hung with Miami for most of the game could be cause for concern.

Things get a little more difficult with a visit to Manhattan to take on Kansas State Saturday.

39. Baylor (1-0)

Previous: 41

The Baylor Bears seemingly did not miss a beat without Robert Griffin III, as they throttled SMU 59-24, controlling the game from start to finish.

Quarterback Nick Florence passed for 341 yards and four touchdowns, while star wide receiver Terrance Williams caught seven balls for 138 yards.

Clearly SMU was no match for the Bears.

38. Utah (1-0)

Previous: 40

Utah came on strong out of the gates on their way to a 41-0 drubbing of Northern Colorado in the season opener.

Quarterback Jordan Wynn was impressive, coming back from the season-ending injury he suffered last year.

Running back John White IV also showed a lot, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown.

37. Auburn (0-1)

Previous: 35

Auburn had a decent shot to take down Clemson and came close before falling 26-19 to a team that just had a little too much for it.

The Tigers have an interesting matchup against Mississippi State on Saturday. With it being on the road, they will have a tough challenge.

36. North Carolina State (0-1)

Previous: 26

North Carolina State was on the brink of reaching the Top 25 but fell flat on its face in the season opener against Tennessee.

It was overmatched on both sides of the ball by the Vols and really had no answer for most of the game.

Quarterback Mike Glennon had a rough game, passing for 288 yards with a touchdown but throwing four interceptions, which was the difference in the game.

35. Texas A&M (0-0)

Previous: 38

Texas A&M has the distinction of moving up three spots without playing a game.

Its road game against Louisiana Tech did not take place because of the weather, and instead the Aggies will have to wait an extra week to open the season against Florida at home.

A huge game, considering it is their first in the SEC.

34. Iowa (1-0)

Previous: 37

Iowa had a tough time on the road in Chicago with Northern Illinois but came out with a hard-fought 18-17 victory.

That is no easy task, but the Hawkeyes handled it well in the fourth quarter. They were led by senior quarterback James Vandenberg, who passed for only 129 yards but showed composure down the stretch.

Now they come home to take on Iowa State.

33. Tennessee (1-0)

Previous: 50

Tennessee was one of the most impressive teams from opening weekend, and the Volunteers could continue to climb the rankings if they play like they did on Friday.

Quarterback Tyler Bray threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. If he can live up to expectations, the Vols will be tough to beat in 2012.

32. Cincinnati (0-0)

Previous: 33

Cincinnati did not have a game this weekend as it prepares for a Thursday night showdown against Pittsburgh.

The Panthers were a disappointment against Youngstown State and will have to play much better to contend with Cincinnati.

The Bearcats lost a lot of talent from last year, and it will be interesting to see how they fare without some big names from a season ago.

31. Rutgers (1-0)

Previous: 31

Rutgers struggled a little bit with Tulane on the road but eventually pulled away from the Green Wave, winning 24-12.

The defense of Rutgers is solid, and running back Jawan Jamison is consistent, but it needs better play from the quarterback position.

30. Georgia Tech (0-1)

Previous: 30

In what many would have considered an upset, Georgia Tech came very close to knocking off Virginia Tech at home.

It was quite a way to end the opening college football weekend; the interception in overtime by Tevin Washington was the difference as the Yellow Jackets fell 20-17.

They could not do much passing the ball and did not have quite enough to come away with the victory.

29. Missouri (1-0)

Previous: 30

Missouri dismantled Southeast Louisiana 62-10 and will step up a level on the competition scale on Saturday when it takes on Georgia at home.

The Tigers will need a big game not only from quarterback James Franklin, but also from running back Kendial Lawrence.

28. Florida (1-0)

Previous: 28

Florida did not look good at all against Bowling Green, struggling to a 27-14 victory over the Falcons and remaining at No. 28.

The Gators have a lot of questions to be answered, particularly at the quarterback position. The competition will get much more difficult as they take on Texas A&M and Tennessee on the road the next two weeks.

27. BYU (1-0)

Previous: 29

BYU looked rather impressive in its season-opening win against Washington State, taking down the Cougars and Mike Leach 30-6.

Quarterback Riley Nelson is very talented and threw for 285 yards with two touchdowns. Look for big things from BYU this season.

26. Boise State (0-1)

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Boise State fought very hard before falling on the road against a talented Michigan State team 17-13.

The Broncos showed they can be all right without quarterback Kellen Moore. They have some challenging games coming up, but for the most part, the schedule is rather easy.

The Broncos look good to get around 10 wins or so.

25. Oklahoma State (1-0)

Previous: 27

The biggest blowout of Week 1 goes to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, as they battered Savannah State 84-0 and vaulted into the Top 25.

The Cowboys had two 100-yard rushers and two 100-yard passers, not to mention a bunch of other ridiculous numbers.

A road trip to Arizona on Saturday will be a different story.

24. Washington (1-0)

Previous: 24

Washington remains at No. 23 after struggling a bit but still handling San Diego State 21-12 at home.

The Huskies have a dominant offense but were not able to really show that off on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see how they fare this week in Baton Rouge against LSU.

23. Notre Dame (1-0)

Previous: 25

Notre Dame did everything right in a game Saturday morning against Navy in Dublin, Ireland. They were dominant from start to finish and came out with a 50-10 victory.

Brian Kelly has started to assemble the talent many thought he would, and the Fighting Irish may just be prepared to take on their daunting schedule.

22. Stanford (1-0)

Previous: 19

Stanford drops down a few spots because of an awful showing at home against San Jose State, which saw it squeak out a 20-17 victory.

Running back Stepfan Taylor was big for the Cardinal, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

Stanford will need to be improved starting this week at home against Duke.

21. Louisville (1-0)

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Louisville looked the part of a Top 25 team, knocking off in-state rival Kentucky 32-14 on Sunday.

The Cardinal were led by sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who looked rather impressive and threw for 232 yards on 19-of-21 passing.

There were also two 100-yard rushers for Louisville.

20. Texas (1-0)

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Texas struggled a little bit out of the gate against Wyoming but regrouped and took down the Cowboys 37-17.

The big question surrounding Texas heading into the season was the quarterback battle. Sophomore David Ash was solid, going 20-of-27 for 156 yards and a touchdown.

The Longhorns also had two running backs go over 100 yards, which is good news for Longhorn fans.

19. Virginia Tech (1-0)

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In dramatic fashion, the Virginia Tech Hokies knocked off ACC rival Georgia Tech 20-17 in overtime.

They had to make a field goal as time expired just to send the game into overtime.

Even though it was a hard-fought victory, a win is a win in the ACC.

18. Nebraska (1-0)

Previous: 18

Nebraska was solid against a Southern Miss team that is no pushover. It controlled the game from start to finish at home, winning 49-20.

Quarterback Taylor Martinez had a big day for the Cornhuskers, passing for 354 yards and five touchdowns in the best passing performance of his career.

17. Clemson (1-0)

Previous: 17

Clemson remains at No. 17 after grinding one out in the Georgia Dome against Auburn.

Even without star wide receiver Sammy Watkins, the Clemson offensive attack was too much for Auburn to handle.

It could be a big year for Clemson once it gets everybody back.

16. Michigan (0-1)

Previous: 11

It was clearly not a good day for the Wolverines, as they were outclassed in every phase of the game on Saturday night in Dallas against Alabama.

They looked bad on both sides of the ball, and there are clearly a lot of questions that need to be answered if they plan on contending for a Big Ten title.

Michigan should be able to regroup on Saturday against Air Force at home.

15. Kansas State (1-0)

Previous: 16

Kansas State got off to a relatively slow start—the Wildcats were actually tied at three against Missouri State after the first quarter and only led 9-6 at halftime.

They led 16-9 after three quarters but showed what they are made of by scoring 35 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Collin Klein passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 54 yards.

14. Wisconsin (1-0)

Previous: 14

Wisconsin was another team that was lucky to come out on top against a far inferior opponent, as it squeaked by Northern Iowa 26-21.

Northern Iowa did everything right, holding Montee Ball in check for the most part and not committing any turnovers all game long with only two penalties on the day.

13. TCU (0-0)

Previous: 13

TCU is another team that did not have a game on opening weekend and begins the season on Saturday against Grambling State.

The easy part of the TCU schedule is clearly at the beginning; it may not play a ranked team until November.

Either way, it is going to be a serious contender in the Big 12.

12. Ohio State (1-0)

Previous: 15

Not many teams looked as impressive on opening weekend as Ohio State under new head coach Urban Meyer—and that is why it moves up a few spots in the rankings.

Quarterback Braxton Miller rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown while passing for 207 yards and two scores.

Ohio State is still relatively young on offense, but there is plenty of talent for Meyer to work with.

11. Michigan State (1-0)

Previous: 12

Michigan State grinded out a victory against a talented Boise State team. It was led by running back Le'Veon Bell, who carried the ball 44 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

The Spartans relied heavily on Bell, perhaps a little too much, but he carried them to victory over the Broncos.

Michigan State is looking like the odds-on favorite to win the conference at this point in the season.

10. South Carolina (1-0)

Previous: 10

South Carolina did not have an easy game on its hands, starting off the season in Nashville against Vanderbilt.

While it was not necessarily pretty, it did come out with a road victory in the SEC against a quality opponent. That is not easy to do.

The 17-13 win over Vanderbilt was highlighted by the play of quarterback Connor Shaw, who gritted through an injury to tough it out for most of the game.

9. Arkansas (1-0)

Previous: 9

Arkansas' defense was not overly impressive, particularly in the first half, but it still rolled to a 49-24 victory over Jacksonville State.

Quarterback Tyler Wilson led the way with 367 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Losing three fumbles cost the Razorbacks, but they have a lot of weapons on offense for Wilson to work with. They will be scary all season.

8. West Virginia (1-0)

Previous: 8

Geno Smith and West Virginia showed why they have one of the best offenses in the country on Saturday en route to a 69-34 victory over Marshall.

Smith passed for 323 yards with four touchdowns, and running back Shawne Alston rushed for 123 yards and two scores.

Wide receiver Stedman Bailey caught nine passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

7. Florida State (1-0)

Previous: 7

Florida State started out this season on the right foot by dismantling an outmanned Murray State team 69-3.

It is hard to take too much from this game, but the Seminoles looked excellent on both sides of the ball, and if they can stay healthy, they will be one of the favorites to contend for a national championship.

6. Oklahoma (1-0)

Previous: 6

It did not look good for the Sooners, particularly in the first half, but they prevailed 24-7 against a UTEP team that was looking to pull off the huge upset.

Oklahoma just could not get anything going on offense, as quarterback Landry Jones only passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receiver Kenny Stills was a bright spot. He caught six passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

5. Georgia (1-0)

Previous: 5

Georgia was not too impressive, as Buffalo was able to hang with it longer than expected and only trailed 24-16 at halftime.

In the end, the Bulldogs were too much, as they pulled away for a 45-23 victory.

Quarterback Aaron Murray was rock solid, passing for 258 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

4. Oregon (1-0)

Previous: 4

Those who were able to stay up late enough to check out the Oregon game saw the Ducks put on quite an offensive display in the first half.

By the midway point of the second quarter it was 50-3 Oregon, and it pulled all the starters after that, which is why the final score of 57-34 seems closer than it really was.

There is so much talent on offense, but it all starts with running backs Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas.

This team will be nearly impossible to stop in 2012.

3. LSU (1-0)

Previous: 3

LSU showed no ill effects of losing Tyrann Mathieu, as the Tigers rolled over North Texas 41-14.

Quarterback Zach Mettenberger was solid in his first game as a starter, passing for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The balanced rushing attack of Kenny Hilliard (141 yards) and Alfred Blue (123 yards) will carry the Tigers all season long.

2. Alabama (1-0)

Previous: 2

While LSU can say it beat North Texas 41-14, Alabama can brag about beating Michigan by that same score.

Nobody looked better on the opening weekend than the Crimson Tide as they rolled over the Wolverines from start to finish.

This team is going to be very scary in 2012. Look out for Alabama.

1. USC (1-0)

Previous: 1

The top team in the nation remains USC, who didn't give any indication otherwise as it trounced Hawai'i 49-10.

Matt Barkley passed for 372 yards with four touchdowns, and wide receiver Marqise Lee caught 10 balls for 197 yards and a touchdown.

Robert Woods also chipped in two touchdowns and 42 yards on six receptions.

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