SALT LAKE CITY — Week 2 was supposed to be the quiet weekend.
That quiet weekend took a bit of a turn, though, with some surprising results — we're looking at you Florida, among others. All in all, it was another entertaining weekend of college football, with some chaos sprinkled throughout.
I'm still not fully convinced of all my picks in the top 25, and you could persuade me on a handful of teams on why they should or should not be ranked and I'd likely agree; but that's the nature of the early rankings.
It'll all shake out in the end, especially as a lot of the unknowns take shape in the coming weeks.
For example, I moved BYU and South Florida into my rankings this week, but I could easily make a case for teams like Missouri, Auburn, UNLV, and others, to fill their place.
The disparity in schedules right now is very real, but we do our best to overlook that as we project how good a team is this season.
The following is the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press that will be counted in the consensus rankings that will be released Sunday afternoon.
1. Ohio State
Let's not overanalyze this: Ohio State beat FCS Grambling 70-0. Enough said.
2. Penn State
The Nittany Lions took care of business against FIU with a 34-0 win. Could it have been more? Sure, but are we really worrying about that this early in the season?
3. LSU
Coming off a great-looking Week 1 win over Clemson, LSU came back down to earth a bit with a humble 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 63% passing in the win.
4. Georgia
A 28-6 win over FCS Austin Peay? It was a lower-scoring affair, but there was no doubt as the Bulldogs scored a single touchdown in each quarter.
5. Oregon
All the fireworks — and scoring — were saved for Eugene as Dan Lanning showcased what money can buy against a severely outmatched Oklahoma State team. Word to the wise: Don't question Oregon's spending ... or their talent.
6. Miami
Oh look, another blowout FCS win. Yawn!
7. Texas
A week after a disappointing showing from Texas and quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns bounced back with a convincing victory over San Jose State. It took a bit for Manning to get going, but he responded with a four-touchdown performance.
8. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish had a bye ... in Week 2. Hopefully that early break got them ready for the rest of the season.
9. Oklahoma
In the primetime game of the weekend, dual-threat QB John Mateer and the Sooners jumped out to a 14-0 lead against Michigan and never looked back in a 24-13 win. Mateer contributed three touchdowns on the night — two rushing — to showcase an Oklahoma team ready for more.
10. Florida State
And yet again another blowout FCS game.
In consideration (alphabetical): Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, TCU, UNLV, USC
If you can't see my full ballot below, click here.
