The 2025-2026 College Football Playoff (Graphic by the College Football Playoff)
See where the best of college football are ranked! South Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Arkansas join the Power Rankings after Week 2, while Arizona State, SMU, Florida, and Kansas fall out (for now). The Big Ten and the SEC own the top seven spots. The SEC has eight teams, the Big Ten has six teams, the Big 12 has five, the ACC has four, and the American has two. These are the College Football Power Rankings for Week 2.
1. Ohio State (2-0) (Last Week #1) (Ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
This week, as a Buckeye fan, I’m having the same trouble I was as a BYU fan last week. It’s a nice problem to have, though, trying not to get too excited about your team putting up 70 on an FCS team. Julian Sayin and the Buckeye offense looked insanely good, and you saw a lot of young Buckeyes in the second half, too. You can’t really want more out of a week two game vs. Grambling State. Buckeyes are still #1.
2. Penn State (2-0) (Last Week #2) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I’m not going to fault Penn State for being slow out of the gate. They still won 34-0. Jim Knowles’ defense pitched a shutout. Drew Allar was solid, throwing for 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns, and the running game was great. Kaytron Allen had 144 yards and a touchdown, and Nicholas Singleton had 76 yards and a touchdown. Penn State is just fine as they look for another chance to tune their program when they play Villanova next week.
3. Georgia (2-0) (Last Week #3) (Ranked #6 and #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Dawgs won, and as usual, that’s what is most important. This is Kirby Smart football. Sometimes they don’t blow out the little teams on their schedule that they should. And a 28-6 win over Austin Peay is one of those times. However, Gunnar Stockton still looked good and continued to grow. Next up for Georgia is a
4. Oregon (2-0) (Last Week #4) (Ranked #4 and #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
This is why I have the Ducks this high. They are proving that they are operating like an elite program. No rebuilding, just reloading. 69-3 over a Power 4 team is never a bad thing. Oregon looks like they’re picking up where they left off when they were Big Ten Champions, won 13 straight, and had a bye in the College Football Playoff. Disregard Dan Lanning at your own peril.
5. LSU (2-0) (Last Week #6) (Ranked #3 and #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Like Arizona State and Florida, LSU struggled a lot in their game against Louisiana Tech, but unlike the Sun Devils and the Gators, the Tigers prevailed despite some hiccups, 23-7. They’ll have a tough task as they welcome a wounded Florida to Death Valley for their rivalry game next week.
6. Illinois (2-0) (Last Week #7) (Ranked #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Duke gave Illinois some trouble early. It was 14-13 at the half, and the Duke defense had been playing well, particularly in getting after Luke Altmyer. But Altmyer, Bielema, and Illinois just played their game. They played great defense on their own and wore the Blue Devils out, while also playing mistake-free on offense. They outscored Duke 31-6 in the second half of their 45-19 win on the road. Next, the Illini will return home for a game against Western Michigan before a big game against Indiana on the 20th.
7. Tennessee (2-0) (Last Week #9) (Ranked #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Tennessee is once again fielding another high-powered offense under Josh Heupel. It led them to a 72-17 win over Eastern Tennessee State. The Nico Iamaleava trade for Joey Aguilar is working well. Aguilar has the Vols 2-0 while UCLA is 0-2. Tennessee will find out how good Aguilar and the offense are when they welcome Georgia to Knoxville next week. The Vols haven’t beaten Georgia since 2016.
8. BYU (2-0) (Last Week #10) (Unranked and #25 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
BYU is doing exactly what it needs to in order to help a true freshman starting quarterback. They’re playing excellent defense, elite special teams, and running the ball well on offense. They overpowered a team that used to win a lot of games that way with their 27-3 win over Stanford. LJ Martin continues to lead a running game that is allowing quarterback Bear Bachmeier to have room to grow. BYU is off next week before traveling to East Carolina on the 20th.
9. Miami (2-0) (Last Week #11) (Ranked #5 and #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
A 42-point win is what you expect when you have a decent team playing an FCS team early in a season. Miami and Carson Beck had no letdown from their upset of Notre Dame, as they beat Bethune-Cookman 45-3. Mario Cristobal and the Canes will have an unexpected test next week when Alex Golesh and South Florida visit. The Bulls have just upset two ranked teams in Boise State and their mutual rival, Florida. The good news is that the Gators’ loss will keep Miami from taking USF lightly.
10. Iowa State (3-0) (Last Week #12) (Ranked #14 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
That looked familiar. Matt Campbell and ISU beat Iowa again with a late field goal. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ offense is still pretty plodding, so all the Cyclones had to do was keep it close and give themselves a chance to win at the end. They did that, and when the game was tied 13-13, ISU made fewer mistakes and made more plays, ultimately taking home the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Next week, ISU goes on the road to play Arkansas State.
11. Indiana (2-0) (Last Week #13) (Ranked #22 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Hoosiers got things on track both on offense and defense this week. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw four touchdown passes, and the Hoosier defense didn’t give up a touchdown. Indiana gets in-state and FCS opponent Indiana State next week before they will welcome Illinois to Bloomington for a top 20 showdown.
12. Navy (2-0) (Last Week #14) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Navy continued their mission to win the American Conference like their Army rivals did last year. With the American looking like the strongest of the Group of Five conferences this year, that could also mean a College Football Playoff berth. If their stars like Blake Horvath and Eli Heidenreich keep producing, Navy should be the G5 playoff team come December. Next week, they’ll play Tulsa for the chance to take an early 2-0 lead in the American.
13. South Carolina (2-0) (Last Week #15) (Ranked #11 and #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
South Carolina had a bit of a slow start against South Carolina State after their win over Virginia Tech in last week. SC even trailed SC State 3-0 after the first quarter. Shane Beamer’s squad woke up, though, and would outscore SC State 38-7 after that and win by four touchdowns. No one can blame SC for overlooking this game, with it sandwiched in between Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. Diego Pavia and the scrappy Commodore visit Columbia next week.
14. Texas A&M (2-0) (Last Week #16) (Ranked #16 and #17 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Texas A&M won the Battle of the Aggies with a win over the Mountain West’s Utah State. A&M won 44-22. The win over Bronco Mendenhall’s Aggies could age well for Mike Elko’s Aggies as the season goes on for A&M. We’ll see if it is enough to prepare them to go into South Bend, Indiana, to play a Notre Dame team that will extra focused to play great after a week off and an early loss to Miami.
15. Louisville (2-0) (Last Week #17) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Cards and Jeff Brohm have themselves a star at running back in Isaac Brown. Brown has gone over the century mark in both of Louisville’s wins. On 18 carries, he has 230 yards and three touchdowns. It’ll be interesting to see if he remains the focal point for Jeff Brohm’s offense or if quarterback and USC transfer Miller Moss and the passing game do.
16. TCU (1-0) (Last Week #18) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
After spoiling Bill Belichek’s college debut, the Horned Frogs had a week off. Next week, they’ll play FCS Abilene Christian and follow that with their rivalry game against the ACC’s SMU.
17. Florida State (2-0) (Last Week #20) (Ranked #10 and #12 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Seminoles maintained their momentum from their upset of Alabama. Winning 77-3 is what you expect out of a program like Florida State, and they went out and got it done. Tommy Castellanos is a dark horse Heisman candidate, and he and FSU will continue their rebound from 2024 when they host Kent State in two weeks.
18. Auburn (2-0) (Last Week #22) (Ranked #24 and Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Jackson Arnold continues to be a good pick-up in the transfer portal for Auburn. Arnold had three passing touchdowns as Auburn cruised to a 42-3 victory over Ball State. Auburn tunes up one more time next week against South Alabama before Auburn and Arnold return to Oklahoma to take on his former team in the Sooners.
19. Georgia Tech (2-0) (Last Week #23) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Haynes King was out after carrying the Yellow Jackets to victory over Colorado due to an injury. Aaron Philo stepped in, and he didn’t create a quarterback controversy, but he did enough to win. Philo went 21 of 28 for 373 yards and a touchdown. Next, Tech will take on a Clemson team that all of a sudden looks very beatable.
20. Utah (2-0) (Last Week #24) (Ranked #20 and #21 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Jason Beck and Devon Dampier seem to have revamped the Utah offense. It’s still early, but they are looking sharp. Dampier threw three touchdown passes in the Utes’ 63-9 victory over Cal Polytechnic. Dampier in the Utes go back on the road when they visit an old Mountain West and WAC foe when they visit Laramie, Wyoming.
21. Texas Tech (2-0) (Last Week #25) (Ranked #21 and #20 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Back-to-back games of 60-plus points is something for Texas Tech to feel good about, even if they were against an FCS team and a Group of Five team. Quarterback Behren Morton is building off his great 2024 season, where he had over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air. It gets a bit tougher with Oregon State next week and a visit to Utah after that.
22. USF (2-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #18 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Alex Golesh might have to get used to playing in the Swamp. The last time Florida hired a guy with Ohio State ties they got a couple national championships, a Heisman Trophy, and Tim Tebow out of it. But let’s keep an eye on the 2025 South Florida Bulls. This is a good team that now controls their own destiny about being the second Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. Even if they stumble against Miami next week this is still true. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they upset the Canes. Alex Golesh is that good of a coach, and USF is looking like that good of a team.
23. Oklahoma (2-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #13 and #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
John Mateer is living up to the hype as much as a player can through only two games. Mateer played great in the Sooners’ victory over the wolverines. The Washington State transfer had 270 yards and a touchdown through the air and added 74 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Next, the Sooners go to Philly to play Temple before they welcome last season’s starting quarterback back to Norman when they play Auburn.
24. Michigan State (2-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Spartans are a dark-horse team this season. They played an instant classic in their overtime thriller against Boston College. BC led 21-14 at the half, but the Spartans battled back. Aidan Chiles and MSU would finally prevail in the second overtime. After Boston College failed on their two-point attempt in the second overtime, MSU scored and tied the game 40-40, and then a pass from Chiles to Omari Kelly gave Michigan State the conversion and the 42-40 victory.
25. Arkansas (2-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Razorbacks quarterback, Taylen Green, the transfer from Boise State, has impressed me early in this season. In two games, he has 561 yards and 10 touchdowns passing and has 192 yards rushing and another touchdown. If he can continue to be this dynamic, then Arkansas will be a top-25 team.
Game of the Week
Playoff Projection
While my top 25 reflects things as they are right now in the college football season, the top 12 and playoff projections are the way the postseason is currently looking. It is also how I currently see the postseason playing out.
First Round
5. Oregon vs. 12. Navy
Saturday, December 20th, 2025 – Eugene, Oregon
6. BYU vs. 11. Georgia Tech
Friday, December 19th, 2025 – Provo, Utah
7. LSU vs. 10. Iowa State
Saturday, December 20th, 2025 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
8. Tennessee vs. 9. Illinois
Saturday, December 20th, 2025 – Knoxville, Tennessee
Quarterfinals
1. Ohio State vs. 8. Tennessee
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Pasadena, California
3. Penn State vs. 6. BYU
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Miami, Florida
2. Georgia vs. 7. LSU
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Miami vs. 5 Oregon
Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 – Arlington, Texas
Semifinals
1. Ohio State vs. 4. Miami
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 – Glendale, Arizona
2. Georgia vs. 3. Penn State
Friday, January 9th, 2026 – Atlanta, Georgia
National Championship
1. Ohio State vs. 2. Georgia
Monday, January 19th, 2026 – Miami, Florida
2025 National Champions
1. Ohio State repeats as your 2025 National Champions
