College Football Rankings: Top 25 AP Poll Reaction

If week two can be half as good as week one, then we are in for quite the ride. Brian Kelly went bonkers on the sidelines after the Irish turned it over five times (three in the redzone) and the pollsters noticed by dropping the Irish out of the Top 25.

Who else dropped? Did they deserve to? Who earned the right to be ranked based off one week? Is Baylor a legit ranked team? I answer all of these questions and more in my weekly Top 25 chat.

The AP Top 25 Poll

1. Oklahoma

2. LSU

3. Alabama

4. Boise State

5. Florida State

6. Stanford

7. Texas A&M

8. Wisconsin

9. Oklahoma State

10. Nebraska

11. Virginia Tech

12. South Carolina

13. Oregon

14. Arkansas

15. Ohio State

16. Mississippi State

17. Michigan State

18. Florida

19. West Virginia

20. Baylor

21. Missouri

22. South Florida

23. Penn State

24. Texas

25. TCU

Who Made the Biggest Tumble?

Notre Dame Current Ranking: NR, Previous Ranking: 16

The Irish got dropped like a bad habit against the less talented South Florida Bulls. Notre Dame coughed it up five times and three of the turnovers were either at the goal line or in the endzone.

Going to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on the road in the first night game of the season will not be an easy task despite the "experts" having the Irish favored by about a field goal.

Going against a pro system offense in the Michigan Wolverines should only help the Irish. Notre Dame is stingy up front and can put a ton of pressure on Denard Robinson and the rest of the backfield, even though they had their issues last season. 

Offensively, Coach Kelly has named Tommy Rees as the starter and, despite turning it over two times, he seems to be the obvious choice after Dayne Crist's mediocre performance. Michael Floyd is a stud and has all the talent in the world to lead this offense in crunch time, but he needs his signal caller to step it up a notch. 

The defense is not the issue as they put a ton of pressure on BJ Daniels in the second half by limiting him to just 165 total yards of offense. If the Irish can avoid choking at the goal line they have a great chance to get back on track.  

Who Else Dropped Out?

Georgia Bulldogs (19)

Georgia couldn't pull through for their fans as the Dawgs were obliterated by a more talented and more physical Boise State team. They had no answer for Kellen Moore or for their premier defensive line led by tackle Billy Winn.

I called Aaron Murray a bit "overrated" since he was essentially an unanimous choice as the SEC's top signal caller.

Georgia needs to develop a rushing attack in time for their game against South Carolina or else they may be in a world of trouble. Also, if you thought the passing attack of Boise State was impossible to defend, you may not want to watch them go up against South Carolina's bevy of playmakers. 

Auburn Tigers (23)

Can't say I saw this coming. Oh, wait, I've been calling it since March. Auburn's defense looked atrocious against the Aggies of Utah State. Luckily, they found a way to win because of the brilliant play by quarterback Barrett Trotter, who avoided a costly turnover at the end of the game.

The receiving corps looks promising, but there was absolutely no running room for Michael Dyer or Onterrio McCalebb. Dan Mullen will be lying in the weeds as usual especially since they were one of the few teams that slowed Cam Newton and that unstoppable offense a year ago.

USC Trojans (25)

How their running game was so inept against Minnesta, I will never know. There were just no holes to be found and it surely hurt losing Marc Tyler. Add to that the fact that Dillon Baxter is already complaining about not getting the rock enough (no carries, one catch) and it appears Lane Kiffin has some work to do with the Trojans.

USC's defense was rock solid overall, but without a running game most good defenses will be able to pin their ears back and harass Matt Barkley. The Utah Utes could be licking their chops if they can't find answers in the backfield and defensive front.

Who Is New to the Poll and Deserving?

Baylor Bears

Robert Griffin, at the moment, is the most dynamic player in America. So, the question is this: Will they keep it going or still lose four plus games?

Their schedule is not easy by any means and I'm not sure I would start chanting Griffin for Heisman when the award is usually given to a player who's team is ranked inside the top ten (minus Tebow recently). Their defense collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing 25 points, and only time will tell if their offense can score 50 every week.

I doubt they can keep up these video game numbers and I would expect them to have a horrid month of October, when they travel to Stillwater and College Station. 

South Florida Bulls

Is South Florida really that good? If you're unaware of how football is played you would think USF lost by 30 points. However, that wasn't the case as their highly opportunistic defense rose to the occasion against the Fighting Irish.

BJ Daniels is sensational and can buy time in the pocket to find open targets stretching the field. Their defense is fast, but they lack the beef that you need to become a legit top 20 team. Nonetheless, they look like serious contenders to reach a BCS Bowl if they are to win the Big East.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The quarterback saga may be settled after Alabama comes to town. The Tide are rolling on defense and will wreak havoc against whoever is standing back there.

Their receiving corps are solid and Silas Redd could give the Tide some issues. The defense should avoid getting gashed by Trent Richardson and it will be interesting to see Alabama try to pass the ball against a very good secondary of Penn State's.

However, too much speed and talent for Alabama should be too much for PSU to handle in week two of the season.

Texas Longhorns

Hey, isn't it great to watch every Texas Longhorn game? Oh wait, the network doesn't even allow most cable operators to pick it up. No wonder everybody hates the Longhorns so much at the moment.

On the field their offense is improving after a solid performance by QB Garrett Gilbert. Plus, Marquis Goodwin just announced that he is coming back to the football field at wide receiver. That should help bolster an already decent unit. 

The defense in Austin is improving and should be among the best in the conference, which makes these Longhorns legit at the moment. How they fare against BYU will tell us how serious they are.

Who is Deserving?

We are just one week into the season so everybody needs to relax if their team isn't ranked. Northwestern and Hawaii are two teams to keep a close eye on, as both were impressive. Arizona State and Clemson could also be dark horses.

If the Sun Devils can knock off Missouri they will surely be ranked and if Clemson can knock off Auburn in two weeks we may seem them sneak into the rankings as well.

Who's Next to Tumble?

There is only one game this weekend involving two ranked teams. Penn State gets Alabama in Happy Valley, but I have a feeling things won't be fine and dandy when the clock strikes triple zeros. 

Alabama is not huge favorites on the road, but still, being double digit underdogs at home will fire up Penn State. As if the beating they took last season and the fact that it is Joe Paterno and Penn State against Nick Saban and Alabama isn't enough.

It may not be safe to assume the Tide will put a beatdown on Penn State, but I would be shocked if this games goes down to the wire.

Also, Mississippi State travels to the plains against an Auburn team that won a nail biter in Starkville on a Thursday night last season. The Bulldogs should prevail as they are slight favorites.

However, I would not assume that Missouri will walk away with a victory over the much improved ASU Sun Devils.

A Friday night game should be deafening for new quarterback James Franklin. He has a ton of options around him, but Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict was voted as the Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year for a reason.

Look for no major upsets in the top 20 with possibly only Penn State and Missouri losing. 

First Place Votes: Boise Statement

Out of the 60 first place votes, Boise State received two of them, begging the same question that we have every year: Is Boise State deserving over a one loss team?

It depends who that one loss team is and what conference they are from. A one loss Pac-12, Big 12 or Big Ten team is far from a lock as far as getting a top two spot over an undefeated Broncos squad. Did you watch them demolish the Georgia Bulldogs?

This was the same UGA team who most picked to win the SEC East. It was nearly all Bulldogs fans in the Georgia Dome and yet they still got spanked in their own backyard.  

Boise State still has a long way to go and they still must smoke nearly all of their opponents, but it might be time to wake up and smell the coffee after Boise State has now defeated their last six opponents from BCS conferences.