College Football Rankings 2020: Predicting Week 2 AP and Amway NCAA Polls

When the next editions of the AP Top 25 Poll and Amway Coaches Poll are released, they're going to look much different to the ones that came out prior to the start of the college football season.

It's not going to be because of what transpired in Week 1, though. There were no ranked teams in action, and the top teams that played were from the AAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt, so nothing happened that would cause a big shakeup in either poll.

However, the preseason polls included teams from the Big Ten and Pac-12. From here on out, they won't. And that's because both those conferences were among the ones to postpone their seasons, so they'll no longer be considered by the voters. Top teams such as Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and more will be absent from future polls.

That means more teams from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC are likely to move into the rankings, potentially alongside teams from the Group of Five conferences that are playing.

Here are predictions for what the next polls could look like, followed by a look ahead to Week 2 action.

Poll Predictions

AP Top 25

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Georgia

4. Oklahoma

5. LSU

6. Florida

7. Notre Dame

8. Auburn

9. Texas A&M

10. Texas

11. Oklahoma State

12. North Carolina

13. Cincinnati

14. UCF

15. Iowa State

16. Tennessee

17. Memphis

18. Virginia Tech

19. Miami

20. Louisville

21. Appalachian State

22. Kentucky

23. Baylor

24. TCU

25. Virginia

Amway Coaches Poll

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Georgia

4. LSU

5. Oklahoma

6. Florida

7. Notre Dame

8. Auburn

9. Texas A&M

10. Texas

11. Oklahoma State

12. North Carolina

13. UCF

14. Cincinnati

15. Virginia Tech

16. Iowa State

17. Tennessee

18. Kentucky

19. Memphis

20. Baylor

21. Louisville

22. Miami

23. Appalachian State

24. Navy

25. Virginia

Week 2 Preview

After a slow start to the season, the college football schedule picks up quite a bit in Week 2. That's mostly because ACC and Big 12 teams will be playing their season openers. And while no top teams will face each other, there will at least be high-ranked teams in action.

No. 1 Clemson begins its season with a road matchup against Wake Forest on Saturday night. The Tigers have made the College Football Playoff each of the past five seasons, and they're again a national championship contender with quarterback Trevor Lawrence back leading their team.

Lawrence is entering what should be his final season at Clemson, and he's poised for a big year before likely going on to be one of the first players selected in the 2021 NFL draft. And he could start off the year with a strong showing, as the Tigers beat the Demon Deacons 52-3 when the two teams played in 2019.

It's possible Clemson will have a lot of lopsided games this fall, as ACC teams' 2020 schedules feature 10 of 11 games against conference opponents. The Tigers' only challenge could come on Nov. 7, when they face a tough road matchup at Notre Dame.

The SEC isn't beginning its season until Sept. 26, so the next-highest ranked team after Clemson that will be in action in Week 2 is No. 5 Oklahoma. The Sooners are likely to roll to a huge season-opening win, as they're set to face Missouri State on Saturday night.

Redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler is taking over as Oklahoma's starting quarterback this season after Jalen Hurts moved on to the NFL. Before Hurts, the Sooners' previous quarterbacks were Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield—both Heisman Trophy winners—so the 19-year-old will be looking to follow in their footsteps.

"He's definitely different than Jalen. Probably a little bit more outgoing, maybe somewhere in between Kyler and Baker a little bit," Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley said of Rattler, according to ESPN's Dave Wilson. "But he has a natural confidence and kind of charisma about himself. He seems to always have a lot of confidence regardless of the situation that he's in, which I think is key for anybody at that position."

Other top teams that will be in action Saturday include No. 10 Notre Dame (home against Duke), No. 14 Texas (home against UTEP) and No. 15 Oklahoma State (home against Tulsa), all of which will likely notch victories to open the season.

Unless there are some big upsets in Week 2, it's unlikely there will be any huge movement in the rankings in the week to follow. But the action and excitement will pick up as we get deeper into the fall.