College Football Rankings 2021: Records for Top 25 Teams and Week 2 Standings
It took the SEC one week to gain a firm hold on the top of the college football polls.
The Alabama Crimson Tide remained at No. 1 through their win over the Miami Hurricanes. They are joined in the top five by two teams that moved up in the rankings.
The Georgia Bulldogs made the most significant jump, from No. 5 to No. 2, while the Texas A&M Aggies inched up a spot to No. 5. Georgia's win over the Clemson Tigers helped A&M move up in the polls. Clemson fell three spots to No. 6.
In total, the SEC has six teams in the AP Top 25 ahead of Week 2. Four of them come from the SEC West, which should once again be the most difficult division in the sport.
The UCLA Bruins made the biggest splash into the rankings, as they were slotted in at No. 16 following their win over the LSU Tigers.
Chip Kelly's team has been one of the most discussed sides in the national conversation, and it could make a push toward a Pac-12 title.
Week 2 Rankings
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AP Top 25
1. Alabama (1-0)
2. Georgia (1-0)
3. Ohio State (1-0)
4. Oklahoma (1-0)
5. Texas A&M (1-0)
6. Clemson (0-1)
7. Cincinnati (1-0)
8. Notre Dame (1-0)
9. Iowa State (1-0)
10. Iowa (1-0)
11. Penn State (1-0)
12. Oregon (1-0)
13. Florida (1-0)
14. USC (1-0)
15. Texas (1-0)
16. UCLA (2-0)
17. Coastal Carolina (1-0)
18. Wisconsin (0-1)
19. Virginia Tech (1-0)
20. Ole Miss (1-0)
21. Utah (1-0)
22. Miami (0-1)
23. Arizona State (1-0)
24. North Carolina (0-1)
25. Auburn (1-0)
SEC Has 3 Teams in Top 5
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Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M went into the season as potential College Football Playoff teams.
The Crimson Tide earned the No. 1 ranking in the preseason polls and backed that up with a blowout win over Miami. We will not learn much about them in Week 2 since they play host to the FCS Mercer Bears.
The two biggest tests for Nick Saban's side come on the road in the first half of the season. The Crimson Tide visit the Florida Gators on Sept. 18 and make a trip to College Station, Texas, to play A&M on October 9.
If Alabama passes those road tests, it should remain on top of the rankings until the SEC Championship Game, where Georgia likely awaits.
The Bulldogs have a national championship-caliber defense, and their offense should get better as J.T. Daniels receives more snaps under center.
Georgia's position in the SEC East should allow it to roll through its conference schedule. The only threatening matchup on paper is the neutral-site showdown with Florida on October 30.
Kirby Smart's team is slated to face one other ranked side: the Auburn Tigers. If Georgia's defense plays the way it did against Clemson, it should have no problem containing Bo Nix and Co.
Texas A&M is the wild card in the SEC's playoff situation. The Aggies have been building up to this point for a few years and were right on the outside of the postseason bubble a year ago.
Jimbo Fisher's side opens the season with six consecutive home or neutral-site games. That run ends with the Alabama game at Kyle Field on October 9.
After that, the Aggies have three true road games on their schedule. However, they will be expected to win every one of those matchups.
If A&M finds a way to beat Bama, it would stay in the top four for the rest of the season. And if the Aggies play the Tide close in defeat and then win out, they could still make a strong case to land in the CFP.
Three other SEC programs were ranked in the Top 25 for Week 2, but none of them are expected to be in the national championship mix.
UCLA Enters at No. 16
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UCLA made the highest entrance in the Week 2 polls after spending the first two weeks of its season outside the Top 25.
The Bruins caught everyone's attention with a home victory against the LSU Tigers, who dropped out of the Top 25 from No. 16 as a result.
UCLA prepared for the LSU game by putting together a strong performance in a Week 0 victory over the Hawai'i Warriors.
Chip Kelly appears to have his team ready to contend for the Pac-12 title, and the team's schedule could aid in that endeavor.
UCLA gets the Oregon Ducks and Arizona State Sun Devils at home and has to make a small trip across Los Angeles to face the USC Trojans in the teams' annual rivalry game.
The Bruins' only major road trip comes October 30, when they visit the Utah Utes in what could be a matchup of top-15 teams.
UCLA's conference-winning stock went up in the past two weeks because of the emergence of a rushing attack, led by Michigan transfer Zach Charbonnet.
If Charbonnet continues to shine and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson makes a big play or two in every game, UCLA's offense will be hard to stop.
Taking advantage of the home games on its schedule, could see people talking about UCLA as a main player in the Pac-12 title race.
The College Football Playoff might be out of reach, but as long as UCLA remains undefeated, it will at least have a chance to dream about that.
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