College Football Rankings 2015: Records for Top 25 Teams and Week 2 Standings
After a Week 1 that mostly served as a setup for what's to come despite some notable upsets along the way, the 2015 college football season kicks into high gear this week, highlighted by the year's first matchup of Top 10 teams.
Oregon vs. Michigan State is the marquee game of the weekend, providing the Spartans with a chance for revenge at home after dropping a 46-27 shootout against the Ducks in Oregon last season.
That game will certainly have the most impact on the top of the rankings, which look like this:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Ohio State (61) | 1-0 |
| 2 | Alabama | 1-0 |
| 3 | TCU | 1-0 |
| 4 | Baylor | 1-0 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 1-0 |
| 6 | Auburn | 1-0 |
| 7 | Oregon | 1-0 |
| 8 | USC | 1-0 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 1-0 |
| 10 | Georgia | 1-0 |
| 11 | Florida State | 1-0 |
| 12 | Clemson | 1-0 |
| 13 | UCLA | 1-0 |
| 14 | LSU | 0-0 |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | 1-0 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 1-0 |
| 17 | Mississippi | 1-0 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 1-0 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 1-0 |
| 20 | Boise State | 1-0 |
| 21 | Missouri | 1-0 |
| 22 | Arizona | 1-0 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 1-0 |
| 24 | Utah | 1-0 |
| 25 | Mississippi State | 1-0 |
Team With Most to Prove: Oregon (at Michigan State)
Singling out a road team playing in the weekend's biggest game as having the most to prove is almost too easy, but that doesn't make it any less true for this year's Oregon team.
The Ducks are a different team than the one that has run all over college football for years. Key players like quarterback Marcus Mariota and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are gone, leaving head coach Mark Helfrich to fly with a new net.
This 2015 version of Oregon was able to maintain its offensive firepower through one game, putting up 731 yards of offense and 61 points. The defense, however, often looked lost in allowing 549 yards and 41 points.
In last year's matchup with Michigan State, it was the defense that really helped turn the tide in that game, as noted by ESPN.com's Chantel Jennings:
"After Oregon gave up 24 points in the second quarter, it held the Spartans to just three points the entire second half. Cook, who completed 68 percent of his passes in the first half and threw for two touchdowns, completed just 55 percent of his passes and threw for zero touchdowns in the second half.
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The good news for Helfrich as he game-plans for the Spartans is Michigan State's vaunted defense allowed 365 passing yards to Western Michigan. This game could easily turn into one of the best shootouts in 2015.
Yet Michigan State returns a lot of key players, like quarterback Connor Cook and defensive end Shilique Calhoun, who provide the kind of stable foundation Oregon lacks because everyone knows what those players are capable of.
This is the first major test of Vernon Adams Jr.'s career, as he will lead Oregon's offense into hostile territory. If the team is going to be a national title contender again this year, the seeds for that run will be planted in this game.
Team in Danger: LSU (at Mississippi State)
LSU learned all about the dangers of playing Mississippi State with Dak Prescott at quarterback last September, as the Bulldogs announced their presence as a national power in a 34-29 win at Tiger Stadium.
However, the biggest reason LSU looks to be in danger of another upset against Mississippi State is due to bad weather. The Tigers' season opener against McNeese State last week was canceled due to lightning in the area.
That means head coach Les Miles needs to have his team on point without a warm-up act heading into hostile SEC territory.
Miles also showed last week, briefly before the weather caused problems, he's going to utilize a lot of freshmen this season.
"On one offensive play, the Tigers used four true freshmen: running backs Derrius Guice and Nick Brossette lined up on either side of quarterback Brandon Harris in the shotgun, and receivers Tyron Johnson and Jazz Ferguson were on opposite sides of the field," noted ESPN.com's David Ching.
Ching did add that particular played went poorly, with Guice losing four yards on a screen play because Ferguson missed a block.
Quarterback play always seems to be a question for LSU, and that remains the case this season. Harris showed brief flashes of being a dynamic playmaker in 2014, throwing for 452 yards and six touchdowns in just 45 attempts and running for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries.
However, how much can really be gleaned from 71 plays? That leaves star running back Leonard Fournette to shoulder the load. He seems ready to break out as one of the nation's best players after racking up 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries.
Mississippi State did have Fournette's number last year, limiting the sophomore sensation to 38 yards on seven carries.
It's easy to mock some of the early-season opponents for major programs, but LSU desperately needed that matchup against McNeese State to work out some bugs before traveling to Starkville.
Team Most in Need of a Win: Texas (vs. Rice)
While not a matchup of ranked teams, the storylines for Saturday's Rice vs. Texas matchup are too intriguing to pass up.
Fans in Texas were already skeptical about head coach Charlie Strong after last season's 6-7 campaign, even though Mack Brown won five games in 2010 and wasn't being thrown to the wolves by everyone.
Perhaps a better way of talking about this particular battle is to frame it as the coach who is most in need of a win, but there's something to be said for Texas being able to right the ship after Notre Dame cruised to a 38-3 win last week.
While it seems silly to think a coach's status could change dramatically following one bad game, Strong is feeling more heat after the Longhorns were picked apart in every way against Notre Dame.
CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd has already speculated Strong's lack of on-field success at Texas could make him expendable sooner than later:
"It tortures my soul that Charlie Strong's job security is a talking point this week. The man has done everything the right way at Texas ... except win.
No matter what your knee-jerk reaction is, Texas' performance Saturday at Notre Dame cannot be ignored. The Horns were dominated in just about every way possible. They were manhandled up front. Notre Dame's skill athletes were better. The talent gap in quarterbacks was astounding.
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This is still a rebuilding program. Strong hasn't had enough time to recruit his players and get them enough experience to at least be competitive in a hostile environment like Notre Dame.
For example, Strong won seven games in each of his first two seasons at Louisville before an 11-win campaign capped off with a Sugar Bowl win in 2012. He followed that up with a 12-win season.
Given the proper time, there's no reason Strong can't do the same at Texas. He brought in a top-10 recruiting class this year and already has four 4-star recruits for next season, according to 247Sports' rankings.
Texas does currently have a 12-game winning streak against Rice, with its last loss coming in 1994. If that run ends Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Strong's hot seat may catch on fire.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
