College Football Rankings 2015: Reviewing NCAA Week 2 Standings Before Saturday

Week 1 of the college football season was fun, but the second week will be when the really intriguing matchups start to roll out. Below, we'll take a final look back at the rankings after Week 1, along with previewing the top Week 2 matchups.

Rankings

Rank	Team	Record	Voting Points	Next Game
1	Ohio State (61)	1-0	1,525	9/12 vs. Hawaii
2	Alabama	1-0	1,420	9/12 vs. Middle Tennessee
3	TCU	1-0	1,365	9/12 vs. Stephen F. Austin
4	Baylor	1-0	1,252	9/12 vs. Lamar
5	Michigan State	1-0	1,198	9/12 vs. No. 7 Oregon
6	Auburn	1-0	1,166	9/12 vs. Jacksonville State
7	Oregon	1-0	1,081	9/12 @ No. 5 Michigan State
8	USC	1-0	1,074	9/12 vs. Idaho
9	Notre Dame	1-0	1,061	9/12 @ Virginia
10	Georgia	1-0	981	9/12 @ Vanderbilt
11	Florida State	1-0	942	9/12 vs. South Florida
12	Clemson	1-0	862	9/12 vs. Appalachian State
13	UCLA	1-0	833	9/12 @ UNLV
14	LSU	0-0	653	9/12 @ No. 25 Mississippi State
15	Georgia Tech	1-0	636	9/12 vs. Tulane
16	Texas A&M	1-0	629	9/12 vs. Ball State
17	Ole Miss	1-0	600	9/12 vs. Fresno State
18	Arkansas	1-0	480	9/12 vs. Toledo
19	Oklahoma	1-0	469	9/12 @ No. 23 Tennessee
20	Boise State	1-0	279	9/12 @ BYU
21	Missouri	1-0	274	9/12 @ Arkansas State
22	Arizona	1-0	259	9/12 @ Nevada
23	Tennessee	1-0	169	9/12 vs. No. 19 Oklahoma
24	Utah	1-0	137	9/12 vs. Utah State
25	Mississippi State	1-0	104	9/12 vs. No. 14 LSU

Previews

This weekend is going to be fun.

No. 5 Michigan State hosting No. 7 Oregon is the premier matchup, but we'll also get No. 14 LSU taking on No. 25 Mississippi State, and No. 19 Oklahoma visiting No. 23 Tennessee. Those three games stand out in a week when most of the top teams have pretty easy matchups.

No. 1 Ohio State shouldn't have any issues against Hawaii, while Alabama, TCU and Baylor all have soft opponents on deck. It's unlikely that the top four teams will change in next week's rankings.

No. 7 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan State

That fifth team could change, however. Michigan State holds on to the spot for now, but an explosive Oregon team that scored 61 points in its season debut against Eastern Washington represents a major test.

Oregon's defense looked shaky in its debut, however, giving up 42 points and 438 passing yards to an inferior opponent. Michigan State's defense, on the other hand, should be quite strong again this season, led by an excellent defensive line.

“Their base defense is not gonna change,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich told Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press, talking about the Spartans' aggressive press defense. “They’re unbelievable at how good they are at their base defense.”

Of course, offense is the bread and butter of Oregon, and new quarterback Vernon Adams will have his first major test in the place of last season's Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota. He'll lead a dangerous Oregon side, but it won't be enough, as Michigan State is the more balanced team, and the Spartans will have their revenge from a 46-27 loss against Oregon a year ago.

No. 14 LSU at No. 25 Mississippi State

LSU will be looking for some revenge against Mississippi State after the Bulldogs broke a 14-game losing streak against the Tigers last season. LSU has more talent overall, while the Bulldogs have both the talented Dak Prescott running the offense and home-field advantage in this contest. 

Prescott is the key. If he's allowed to rack up 373 yards of total offense like he did a year ago, the Tigers are going to have a hard time winning this game. But if the defense under new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele can contain and frustrate Prescott, LSU should escape with a win.

For Mississippi State's defense, slowing down talented LSU running back Leonard Fournette will be vital. If Fournette is able to dominate on the ground, LSU will control this contest. Look for the Tigers to have their revenge.

No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 23 Tennessee

Finally, Oklahoma and Tennessee will clash, with the Volunteers looking to rebound from last season's 34-10 loss to the Sooners. 

This is a big game for Tennessee. It's an opportunity for a program that has really struggled in recent years to reassert itself on the national scene. This is a chance for the team to put the SEC East on notice, and it could be a transformative moment for the Vols.

"We're building our identity as a football team, and that's every day," Tennessee corner Cameron Sutton told Chris Low of ESPN.com. "We respect and want to honor all those who came before us here and all those who made Tennessee what it is, and the way to do that is getting Tennessee back to where Tennessee should be."

Beating Oklahoma would be a big step in the right direction. Look for the Vols to make a major statement and pull out the win.