College Football Rankings 2012: Biggest Changes on Tap After Week 1

With the majority of the Week 1 games out of the way, it’s time to analyze the biggest changes on the 2012 college football rankings board.

The preseason polls are always off, but this year’s AP preseason Top 25 will see some wholesale changes after a tumultuous first week of action.

There will be teams falling down the rankings after disastrous performances, and there will be teams climbing after unreal beatdowns, but it will still be the No. 1 USC Trojans that keep this poll afloat.

College football is back, folks!

Michigan is Falling

After a 41-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 8-ranked Michigan Wolverines have taken a giant step backwards and will fall down the Top-25 standings because of their poor play.

Star quarterback Denard Robinson was less than stellar (227 passing and rushing yards combined), but it was the vaunted Michigan defense that really let the university down.

Luckily for the Wolverines, their next two games (Air Force and Massachusetts) are very winnable, so they can hop back on the right track with two decisive victories.

Until then, I have them dropping to No. 14 in the standings for Week 2.

Oklahoma State is Climbing

The losses of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon to the NFL hurt the Oklahoma State program because of the sheer talent each possessed—there is no questioning that.

While many analysts questioned the Cowboys' No. 19 preseason ranking as too high, the 84-0 destruction of Savannah State proved there is still plenty of firepower left in the tank for 2012.

The Oklahoma State defense still needs to be tested against some real competition, but the new offense has proven that it is going to have an amazing year.

After scoring 84 points, the Cowboys better crack the Top 15.

USC Deserves No. 1

After Heisman hopeful Matt Barkley reaffirmed his commitment to USC following the sanctions levied against the program, the Trojans were destined to make a BCS impact as soon as they were eligible.

USC is hoping that its return to prominence will happen in 2012, and it started great with a 49-10 win over Hawaii. If the Trojans can build on that win and take control of a wide-open Pac 12, there is no doubt they will remain No. 1 throughout season.

If Barkley continues to play the way he did in Week 1, the 2013 BCS National Championship Game will feature the high-octane USC offense and the NFL-ready Alabama Crimson Tide defense.

Now that would be a great game!

AP Preseason Top 25
Rank	Team	Record
1	USC (25)	0-0
2	Alabama (17)	0-0
3	LSU (16)	0-0
4	Oklahoma (1)	0-0
5	Oregon	0-0
6	Georgia	0-0
7	Florida State	0-0
8	Michigan (1)	0-0
9	South Carolina	0-0
10	Arkansas	0-0
11	West Virginia	0-0
12	Wisconsin	0-0
13	Michigan State	0-0
14	Clemson	0-0
15	Texas	0-0
16	Virginia Tech	0-0
17	Nebraska	0-0
18	Ohio State	0-0
19	Oklahoma State	0-0
20	TCU	0-0
21	Stanford	0-0
22	Kansas State	0-0
23	Florida	0-0
24	Boise State	0-0
25	Louisville	0-0

Check back for more on the NCAA Football as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s College Football page to get your fill of college football.

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