AP College Football Poll 2015: Week 2 Top 25 Rankings, Projections for Key Games
The first week of the college season was significant for top-ranked Ohio State.
The Buckeyes showed off their ability and power as they mounted an impressive second-half comeback and routed routed Virginia Tech 42-24 in Blacksburg, Virginia, Monday night in front of a national television audience.
The significance of the victory is not the revenge the Buckeyes gained on the team that handed them their only defeat in 2014. Ohio State had more than made up for that by winning the national championship after sweeping Alabama and Oregon in the first college football playoff.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The real key to the victory is that the powerful Buckeyes, who were led by quarterback Cardale Jones and former quarterback Braxton Miller (who is transitioning to wide receiver), appear to have an easy schedule from this point forward until they play Michigan State in late November.
| 1 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 2 | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama |
| 3 | TCU | TCU | TCU |
| 4 | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor |
| 5 | Oregon | Michigan State | Michigan State |
| 6 | Michigan State | Auburn | Oregon |
| 7 | Auburn | Oregon | Auburn |
| 8 | Florida State | USC | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Georgia | Notre Dame | USC |
| 10 | USC | Georgia | Georgia |
| 11 | Notre Dame | Florida State | Clemson |
| 12 | Clemson | Clemson | UCLA |
| 13 | UCLA | UCLA | Florida State |
| 14 | Ole Miss | LSU | Ole Miss |
| 15 | LSU | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | Texas A&M | Arkansas |
| 17 | Oklahoma | Ole Miss | Texas A&M |
| 18 | Arkansas | Arkansas | LSU |
| 19 | Texas A&M | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 20 | Arizona | Boise State | Arizona |
| 21 | Missouri | Missouri | Tennessee |
| 22 | Boise State | Arizona | Boise State |
| 23 | Tennessee | Tennessee | Utah |
| 24 | Wisconsin | Utah | Missouri |
Now that the Buckeyes have gotten past their challenging opener, Urban Meyer's key for the majority of the season is keeping his team healthy until the Buckeyes take on the Spartans Nov. 21 at Columbus.
"Why Ohio State will be untouchable in the regular season. @BruceFeldmanCFB: http://t.co/hfOfWBiO4D pic.twitter.com/QdYXxhsbLF
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) September 8, 2015"
Alabama may have been in unfamiliar territory—both in the rankings and playing in AT&T Stadium in Dallas—when the Crimson Tide played Wisconsin Saturday night.
Alabama had been the No. 3 team in the nation in the preseason poll, but Nick Saban's team moved up to the No. 2 spot after its 35-17 victory over Wisconsin.
The Crimson Tide were clearly the better team in this high-profile intersectional game between traditional powers in the SEC and Big Ten. Derrick Henry rushed for 147 yards to lead Alabama, and the Crimson Tide had a 238-40 rushing advantage over the Badgers.
".@finebaum & @monteburke join me to discuss Nick Saban's frustrations & his future w/ @AlabamaFTBL in today's podcast:http://t.co/9h3NgNPpnC
— Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) September 6, 2015"
Alabama's big win allowed it to surpass TCU, which had been the No. 2 team in the preseason poll. The Horned Frogs struggled to a 23-17 win at Minnesota, and that cost them one spot in the polls.
The only other change in the top 10 saw Notre Dame move up from the 11th spot to the ninth after it's one-sided 38-3 victory over Texas. The Fighting Irish passed Georgia and Florida State, who fell to 10th and 11th, respectively.
The big matchup in the second week of the season is the intersectional battle between Oregon and Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan.
Last year, the Spartans traveled to Oregon and played well for 30 minutes before getting overpowered by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and the Ducks in the second half. If the Spartans can find a way to win this game at Spartan Stadium, they would be in a position to make their Nov. 21 game at Ohio State a likely confrontation for the No. 1 position in the poll.
The Spartans are 3.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark, and the key for Mark Dantonio's team appears to be holding quarterback Vernon Adams in check. With the image of last year's 46-27 defeat dancing in its head, Michigan State will gain its revenge and find a way to cover the impost.
"Michigan State QB Connor Cook on Oregon game in 2014: "That loss last year stunk and stuck with us."
— Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) September 7, 2015"
Notre Dame has the dreaded sandwich game this week as the Fighting Irish travel to Virginia a week before playing a tough Georgia Tech team.
Brian Kelly's team is an 11-point favorite, and that's a sizable spread on the road against a team that played quite credibly in its opener. The Cavaliers went to the West Coast and played a relatively good game in dropping a 34-16 decision to the UCLA Bruins.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was sharp in his passing, throwing darts and putting the ball right on the numbers of his receivers. Virginia's coverage was tight, but Rosen's passing was better.
Coming home should help Virginia keep this game close.
LSU saw its opener against McNeese State cancelled because of lightning. As a result, the Tigers offense is largely unknown as it goes to Mississippi State as a four-point favorite.
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris could have used that opening game before going on the road in the SEC, even if it is against the team that has been picked to finish last in the SEC West.
Still, Mississippi State picked up a 34-16 win in the Bulldogs' opening game, and most teams make an improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.
That means this game will be a tough one for the Tigers. It will be a full 60-minute battle, but LSU will get it done in the fourth quarter and cover the four-point spread.
No. 10 Georgia has what looks like an easy road game at Vanderbilt this week. Looks can be deceiving, and the Bulldogs may have a difficult time covering the 20-point spread away from home.
Vanderbilt lost to Western Kentucky in its opener, but the Commodores played respectably on defense as they limited their opponents to 246 yards. Western Kentucky has a powerful offense, and Vanderbilt did not allow its opponent to go wild.
Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert struggled in three road games last year, as he had problems at Brigham Young (5.4 yards per attempt), Georgia Tech (two interceptions) and Virginia Tech (less than 50 percent completions).
The Bulldogs will win this road game, but they won't be able to cover the 20-point spread.
It shouldn't be much of a game when Hawaii travels to Columbus to play Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a ridiculous 40-point favorite, and while they have a short week since they played Monday night, they should be in better shape than they were against Virginia Tech.
Not only are they at home against an overmatched opponent, they are getting defensive end Joey Bosa back from his suspension. He is almost certainly going to create havoc in the Hawaii backfield.
Additionally, after the Buckeyes establish a lead with Jones at quarterback, Meyer may turn the team over to backup quarterback J.T. Barrett, who is a brilliant talent himself with legitimate NFL aspirations.
That means there is not likely to be a letup when he comes in the game. A 40-point spread is usually laughable, but not in this case.
Take the favorites.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
