College football power rankings for Week 2

What Notre Dame did: Lost on the road to No. 2 Ohio State, despite building an early 10-7 lead and appearing to have grounded the Buckeyes' stellar passing attack before losing that lead in the second half.

Where Notre Dame is: No one can complain too loudly that Marcus Freeman didn't have this team prepared for the moment, but late-game execution is a negative after ND allowed a 14 play, 95 yard TD drive in the fourth quarter. The Irish need to develop its rushing attack to better help Tyler Buchner.

What's next: vs. Marshall, Sept. 10

9. Arkansas

What Arkansas did: Made a statement at home against a top 25 ranked Cincinnati, playing some power football and getting 4 TD drives out of quarterback KJ Jefferson, proving last season may not have been an accident.

Where Arkansas is: No longer a secret or a happy go lucky story like in 2021. The Razorbacks are now expected to defeat ranked opponents after handing Cincinnati, a College Football Playoff team last season, its first regular season loss since 2019.

What's next: vs. South Carolina, Sept. 10

8. USC

What USC did: What it was expected to, which was put up a ton of points (66 in all) against Rice in the opener. But the Trojans did it in a way maybe no one expected: defensively, scoring three pick-sixes on the day.

Where USC is: There are good early returns on USC's offense, with the Lincoln Riley/Caleb Williams duo picking up where it left off. Williams passed for 249 yards, rushed for 68 more and hit Jordan Addison for two touchdowns in the win. It's Rice, but expectations will keep increasing.

What's next: at Stanford, Sept. 10

7. Michigan

What Michigan did: The offense put up 51 points on Colorado State, but still left something to be desired, especially after Cade McNamara's performance. The starter went 9 of 18 passing for 136 yards, while J.J. McCarthy ran for a long TD.

Where Michigan is: Looking like a stronger-than-expected force up front defensively. After losing pieces to the NFL, the Wolverines needed to get more from what they had, and the unit responded, picking up 7 sacks against the Rams.

What's next: vs. Hawaii, Sept. 10

6. Baylor

What Baylor did: A good showing for quarterback Blake Shapen, who went 17 of 20 with 214 yards and two TDs in an easy 69-10 win over Albany. Monaray Baldwin added 130 yards rushing and two scores.

Where Baylor is: The offense looks ready to put up numbers, which it will have to do next week in a major road trip that will signal to the College Football Playoff what this team can do against a quality opponent away from home.

What's next: at BYU, Sept. 10

5. Texas A&M

What Texas A&M did: Wait around for a long weather delay just to beat Sam Houston 31-0, but you got the feeling the Aggies could have done more. Haynes King had his moments, like two TD passes of at least 60 yards, but the offensive line needs to tighten up for this attack to really show off.

Where Texas A&M is: This defense looks as good as advertised, especially along the front line, which boasts athleticism and physicality, two attributes it will need to slow down A&M's next opponent, which is coming off a 61-point showing against an ACC team. The good news? App State's defense allowed 63.

What's next: vs. App State, Sept. 10

4. Oklahoma

What Oklahoma did: Stepped on UTEP in a 45-13 rout in about as good a first game as Brent Venables could have asked for. OU racked up over 300 yards in the first half while the Sooners D held the Miners to 316 in the game. Eric Gray rushed for over 100 yards, Marcus Major scored two on the ground, and Brayden Willis two in the air.

Where Oklahoma is: OU averaged over 8 yards per play behind what looks like a very balanced, disciplined offense, while this defense held UTEP to under 4 yards on average. Keep that up and Oklahoma can unseat Baylor as the Big 12 favorites.

What's next: vs. Kent State, Sept. 10

3. Ohio State

What Ohio State did: Beat a top 5 ranked Notre Dame despite this great offense getting grounded much of the night in Jaxon Smith-Njigba's injury-induced absence. But that 95 yard, 4th quarter drive showed the Buckeyes can still win games the hard way against a solid defense.

Where Ohio State is: There are enough question marks with JSN not in the rotation to hold off naming this a playoff team just yet. Ohio State has two gimmes on the schedule before the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin, which will tell us more.

What's next: vs. Arkansas State, Sept. 10

2. Alabama

What Alabama did: Kick the stuffings out of the defending Mountain West champions in a 55-0 rout over Utah State. There were some (including us) who thought the 41.5 point spread was a bit much. Turns out, it wasn't enough.

Where Alabama is: Nick Saban will find something about this win to be upset about, and he'll probably point to the Tide's ground game, which aside from quarterback Bryce Young didn't produce a 100-yard rusher or a touchdown in the game.

What's next: at Texas, Sept. 10

1. Georgia

What Georgia did: Humiliate its former defensive coordinator and the Pac-12 as a whole in a brutal 49-3 beatdown over Oregon. College football's defending national champs haven't missed a beat this offseason on defense or moving the ball, and Stetson Bennett looks better than ever.

Where Georgia is: This might be the best group of skill players in the country, a unit that scored 7 TDs on its first 7 possessions. Bennett threw for a personal best 368 yards and ran for a score, revealing a kind of mobility he didn't get to last season.

What's next: vs. Samford, Sept. 10