2017 College Football Week 2 Top 25

It was a busy weekend in the college football realm, with plenty of exciting, gut wrenching games. Here’s a list of my picks for the 25 best teams in the nation going into Week 2.

1. Alabama – The Tide proved this week why they’re the best team in the nation, making a huge statement with a 24-7 victory over Florida State. It shouldn’t surprise anyone at all if they don’t leave this top spot all year.
2. Ohio State – QB J.T. Barrett still has some things to prove, but the Buckeyes’ strong 2nd half against Indiana shows that they’re in it to win it.
3. Penn State – RB Saquon Barkley averaged 12.3 yards per carry. The Heisman candidate led this team to an easy 52-0 victory over Akron.
4. Clemson – The defending national champs looked great against Kent State, but it’s easy to look great against Kent State. However, new starting QB Kelly Bryant looked strong, completing 72.7% of his passes.
5. Oklahoma – QB Baker Mayfield had arguably the strongest performance of any quarterback in college football this week, going 19-20 with three touchdowns. Oklahoma faces a tough test against Ohio State this weekend, in what should be a great game.
6. USC – Heisman candidate QB Sam Darnold didn’t exactly have a stellar performance against Western Michigan, who hung around way longer than they should have. The Trojans will have to do more than they did last Saturday to beat Stanford this weekend.
7. Michigan – Jim Harbaugh’s defense didn’t allow a single offensive touchdown against Florida this past weekend. That being said, allowing two defensive touchdowns is potential cause for concern, but there’s no real trouble in paradise (or Ann Arbor) yet.
8. Washington – Rutgers is not a good football team, and the Huskies didn’t look very convincing in their 30-14 win over them. However, we’ve seen Jake Browning in action before, and we know how good of a quarterback he is.
9. Wisconsin – The Badgers destroyed Utah State, and QB Alex Hornibrook looked strong. They should dispose of Lane Kiffin’s FAU team easily this weekend.
10. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys put on a show against Tulsa, not to mention that Mike Gundy is among the most electric head coaches in college football. This team is a real playoff contender.
11. LSU – Shutting out BYU isn’t an easy feat, but LSU achieved it, even without thirteen of their players, who weren’t with the team due to breaking team rules. Most of those players should be back next week, making LSU a true force to be reckoned with.
12. Florida State – FSU suffered a heartbreaking weekend. Not only did they lose to Alabama, but their starting QB, Deondre Francois, is out for the season with a knee injury. There are a lot of question marks going forward with this Seminole team.
13. Stanford – The Cardinal demolished Rice two weeks ago in Sydney. We’ll get a much better look at them this weekend in Los Angeles against USC.
14. Auburn – The Tigers handled Georgia Southern easily, but their first true test comes this weekend against Clemson. Sophomore WR Kyle Davis will be back after his one game suspension this weekend, and I expect that he’ll play a big role.
15. Miami (FL) – The Hurricanes got serious production out of the backfield this week, averaging 9.5 yards per rush, for a total of 322 yards on the ground. QB Malik Rosier added three scores to the mix as well. It wasn’t a perfect opener for the Canes, but they got the job done well.
16. Louisville – Lamar Jackson is a beast. The defending Heisman winner combined for 485 yards (378 passing, 107 rushing) as the Cardinals narrowly defeated Purdue 35-28.
17. Virginia Tech – Virginia Tech looked solid this week in their 31-24 win over West Virginia at FedEx Field. Their defense showed up late when they needed to, and QB Josh Jackson looks like a star in the making.
18. Georgia – I’ve been off of the Georgia hype train since day one this season. The Bulldogs opened with a 31-10 win over Appalachian State, but they have a chance to really impress me against Notre Dame this weekend.
19. South Florida – Charlie Strong’s coaching debut has gotten off to an impressive 2-0 start. Neither wins were blowouts, but QB Quinton Flowers has shown once again that he is the real deal. Look for USF, the highest ranked Group of 5 team, to blow out UConn in AAC conference play this weekend.
20. Washington State – WSU started the season with a 31-0 shutout of Montana State. I really like this team. They’re definitely a good sleeper pick to win the Pac-12 this season.
21. Florida – The Gators suffered a tough loss to Michigan this weekend that lacked something important: offense. The Gators were unable to score a single offensive touchdown. They should get the fireworks going against Northern Colorado this weekend.
22. Kansas State – KSU easily disposed of Central Arkansas last weekend. The Wildcats have one of the easier out-of-conference schedules this season, but look for them to make headlines once Big 12 conference play comes around.
23. Tennessee – The Vols could not stop Georgia Tech’s triple option at all, allowing GT’s QB to rush for 249 yards and five touchdowns. In fact, the Yellow Jackets out-gained the Vols 655-369, and had the ball for 41:27, compared to UT’s 18:33. UT had no business winning this game, but they found a way to grind out a win in 2OT. They’re on the hot seat this week.
24. TCU – The Horned Frogs opened with a strong 63-0 demolition of Jackson State. They play away against Arkansas this weekend, a much bigger test for this Big 12 powerhouse.
25. UCLA – If you missed the Texas A&M-UCLA game, go back and watch it right now. It epitomizes grit, heart, perseverance, and determination. QB Josh Rosen threw four touchdown passes in the 4th quarter to complete one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

Week 1 brought some huge matchups, but Week 2 should pack an even bigger punch. There’s plenty of teams with a lot to prove after their performances this past weekend.

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