2024-09-03 20:20:02
• Notre Dame moves up to No. 3: The Fighting Irish move up three spots in our rankings after an impressive 23-13 road victory over Texas A&M.
• Miami joins the top 10: The Hurricanes look like the best team in the ACC after a resounding 41-17 win over Florida in Gainesville.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Even though the 2024 college football season just kicked off, there are already major changes to our top 25. Some teams (Notre Dame, Miami and USC) have looked strong to begin the year, while others (Oregon, Clemson and Florida State) started slow.
Here’s a look at our top 25 teams in college football entering Week 2. Please note that these are not the same as PFF’s power rankings.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (Record: 1-0, Previous: 1st)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Georgia dismantled then-No. 14 Clemson, 34-3, this past weekend. The Tigers’ offense couldn’t get anything going against the Bulldogs, averaging just 3.9 yards per play. Georgia looks every bit like the No. 1 team in the country right now.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (Record: 1-0, Previous: 2nd)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Western Michigan Broncos
After a sluggish first half, Ohio State woke up in the second and took down Akron, 52-6, in the season opener. True freshman Jeremiah Smith lived up to the hype as the highest-rated wide receiver recruit of all time by 247Sports. He finished with six catches on eight targets for 92 yards and two scores in his collegiate debut.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Record: 1-0, Previous: 6th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
Notre Dame moves up a few spots thanks to an impressive 23-13 victory on the road over then-No. 20 Texas A&M. Conner Weigman, PFF’s top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, was held to a career-low 28.0 PFF passing grade as the Fighting Irish’s elite defense suffocated the Aggies.
4. Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 1-0, Previous: 4th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Ole Miss opened its season with eight straight scoring drives against Furman while also pitching a shutout, eventually winning 76-0. Jaxson Dart showed why he’s one of the top Heisman contenders entering the season, leading all quarterbacks in the nation this week with a 95.7 PFF grade.
5. Texas Longhorns (Record: 1-0, Previous: 5th)
Week 2 Matchup: at No. 9 Michigan Wolverines
Texas destroyed Colorado State, 52-0. The Longhorns did an excellent job of shutting down Tory Horton. The top-70 prospect on PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft big board was held to just five catches for 31 yards while averaging only 1.72 yards per route run. The Longhorns take on No. 9 Michigan this week in arguably the biggest non-conference game of the college football season.
6. Oregon Ducks (Record: 1-0, Previous: 3rd)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Boise State Broncos
The Ducks won their season opener, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. Oregon beat Idaho by a score of 24-14 despite being 49.5-point favorites over the FCS squad. The Ducks’ offense entered the year as the presumptive best unit in America but averaged only -0.016 expected points added per play against the Vandals, their lowest mark since the 2022 season. Oregon can’t afford to look as sluggish this week as it takes on one of the Group of Five’s top playoff contenders in Boise State.
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (Record: 1-0, Previous: 9th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Bowling Green Falcons
Penn State opened its season with a dominant 34-12 victory on the road over West Virginia. The stars of the day for the Nittany Lions were their two new coordinators: Andy Kotelnicki and Tom Allen. Kotelnicki was a breath of fresh air for what was a bland Penn State offense in the past, running motion on 66.1% of its plays after the unit did so just 45.7% of the time last year. Allen and the Nittany Lions’ defense shut down an explosive Mountaineers attack, allowing just 3.7 yards per play.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (Record: 1-0, Previous: 7th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. USF Bulls
The Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama got off to a hot start with a 63-0 victory over Western Kentucky. One of the Crimson Tide’s biggest question marks entering the season was their inexperienced receiving corps, but they may have found a new star in true freshman Ryan Williams. The 17-year-old speedster caught both of his targets for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Alabama will try to look much better this week against USF than it did last year after beating the Bulls only 17-3 despite being 34.5-point favorites.
9. Michigan Wolverines (Record: 1-0, Previous: 8th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. No. 5 Texas Longhorns
To the surprise of many, the Wolverines trotted out redshirt junior Davis Warren as their starting quarterback against Fresno State. The results were mostly pedestrian, as he finished with a 68.7 PFF passing grade with no big-time throws and a turnover-worthy play in a 30-10 victory. Sherrone Moore will likely need more out of his offense this week as Michigan hosts Texas in the biggest game of Week 2.
10. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (Record: 1-0, Previous: 12th)
Week 2 Matchup: vs. Florida A&M Rattlers
“The U” might be back. Miami started its 2024 campaign with a commanding 41-17 win over Florida in “The Swamp.” Aside from one ugly interception, Cam Ward was stellar in his debut with the Hurricanes. The Washington State transfer finished with a 90.9 PFF overall grade and four big-time throws in the victory.
