College Football Rankings 2018: Reviewing NCAA Week 2 Standings Before Saturday

The Week 2 schedule in college football doesn't stand out right away since there are only two games featuring ranked opponents. 

Mixed in with the pair of Top 25 showdowns are some easy home games for a handful of teams and a few tricky road tests. 

Most of the programs in the AP Top 25 turned in impressive showings in Week 1, but there were a few teams who struggled out of the gates. 

Week 2 won't make or break a team's playoff hopes, but there could be some damage done to the resumes of certain programs if they can't replicate their hot start, or rebound from a tough Week 1. 

Week 2 AP Poll 

1. Alabama (1-0) 

2. Clemson (1-0) 

3. Georgia (1-0) 

4. Ohio State (1-0) 

5. Wisconsin (1-0)

6. Oklahoma (1-0) 

7. Auburn (1-0)

8. Notre Dame (1-0) 

9. Washington (0-1) 

10. Stanford (1-0) 

11. LSU (1-0) 

12. Virginia Tech (1-0) 

13. Penn State (1-0)

14. West Virginia (1-0) 

15. Michigan State (1-0) 

16. TCU (1-0) 

17. USC (1-0) 

18. Mississippi State (1-0)

19. UCF (1-0)

20. Boise State (1-0) 

21. Michigan (0-1) 

22. Miami (0-1) 

23. Oregon (1-0) 

24. South Carolina (1-0) 

25. Florida (1-0) 

Can Penn State, Michigan State Impress After Disappointing Week 1 Wins?

The 2018 season didn't start the way most of the Big Ten East contenders hoped it would. 

Outside of Ohio State's thumping of Oregon State at home, the programs in the Big Ten East disappointed compared to expectations set for them in preseason. 

Penn State and Michigan State were especially underwhelming, as they struggled to put away Appalachian State and Utah State, respectively. 

The season openers at home were supposed to act as a springboard into tricky road trips in Week 2, but instead, the Nittany Lions and Spartans need to find a way to rebound from rough performances. 

Kyler Murray Dodges 5 FAU Defenders

Penn State, who dropped three spots in the AP Top 25, travels to cross-state rival Pittsburgh for a prime-time contest at Heinz Field. 

Pitt isn't the most threatening opponent on paper, but the Panthers knocked off then second-ranked Miami in November and beat Clemson in 2016 when the Tigers were No. 2 in the nation. 

As for the Spartans, they have the less-than-ideal road trip to Tempe, Arizona, to face Arizona State in a contest that could be dangerous, especially if the Sun Devils duo of quarterback Manny Wilkins and wide receiver N'Keal Harry get into a rhythm.

Michigan State put up 452 total yards in its 38-31 win over Utah State, but it also let up 344 total yards to the Aggies and their dynamic quarterback Jordan Love. 

As long as the Michigan State defense stops Wilkins and Harry combining for game-changing plays, the Spartans should leave Arizona with their second victory and more confidence entering a Week 3 trip to Indiana. 

USC, Stanford Set For 6th Clash in Last 4 Years

There are few programs more familiar with each other than USC and Stanford. 

Since 2015, the Trojans and Cardinal have played five times, including the 2015 and 2017 Pac-12 Championship Games.

Stanford took both contests in 2015 and won the lone meeting between the Pac-12 powers in 2016, but USC came out on top twice in 2017. 

MSU Block INT

Most of Stanford's top playmakers from a year ago are back, including running back Bryce Love and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. 

The same can't be said for the Trojans, as freshman quarterback JT Daniels is now the leader of the offense, and one of his top targets is freshman wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

The classic clash of youth versus experience could produce some stark differences on the field, but based off the production Daniels, St. Brown and the rest of the USC offense had in Week 1, it appears they're ready to step right into the voids left behind by Sam Darnold and Co. 

Of course, the talent gap between UNLV and Stanford is immense, and the freshman stars must be at their best in order to counter what the Cardinal throw at them. 

Only once in the last five meetings between USC and Stanford has a team scored less than 20 points, and the victor during that span scored over 40 points on three occasions. 

Given the talent on both offenses, those trends should continue, and a high-scoring affair will break out at Stanford Stadium. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com