Week 2 did what Week 1 refused to. Texas beat Ohio State in Austin and took the top ranking with 56 first place votes. Michigan beat Oklahoma and climbed back into the poll it had fallen out of after winning. Oregon lost to an unranked Oklahoma State and fell fifteen places to 21, the steepest drop in the poll, with Dan Lanning calling it the worst performance of his tenure.
The title board barely noticed.
Ohio State still leads it at 23 percent, one point higher than before the loss. Texas is fifth at 5 percent with the No. 1 ranking in hand.
Fifty six AP voters put Texas first this week. Five percent of this room does. Seventy three votes are in, one more than last week, and whatever Saturday proved on the field the board has not repriced it. That makes this the cheapest week of the season to be early on something.
Voting is open on every game. Twenty points each, free to play, every vote counting toward your school’s leaderboard.
1. No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET · ABC · Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
The 115th meeting between these two, the only top ten game on the board, and the cheapest seat in Oxford is $484. College GameDay returns to the Grove for the first time since 2021. Ole Miss are asking for a stripe out.
LSU arrive as the more complete team on paper, and it is not close. They are averaging 48 points and 586 yards a game while allowing 12 and 221, with 456 rushing yards and eight scores in two weeks and ten sacks and seventeen tackles for loss on the other side of it. Sam Leavitt has 574 passing yards and nine total touchdowns. He also has four interceptions, which is the one loose thread in all of that.
Ole Miss have the quarterback who has already done this to them. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 314 and ran for 71 against LSU last season in a 24 to 19 Rebels win in this same stadium. Deuce Alexander leads them with 13 catches for 235 yards.
The subplot worth watching is TJ Dottery, who leads LSU in tackles and used to play for Ole Miss.
Vote: Ole Miss vs. LSU → · Compare the two programs
2. No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET · ESPN2 · L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
The closest matchup on the board. Kevin Jennings has thrown for 767 yards and eight touchdowns for SMU. Lincoln Kienholz has answered with his legs for Louisville, 111 yards and three scores on the ground, which is not how anyone drew up a quarterback duel.
Louisville lost to Ole Miss in Week 1 and have since won twice. The AP have them 23rd. The coaches have them outside the top 25 entirely, behind Florida and level with nobody. Two polls, same team, and only one of them is convinced.
3. No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech
Friday, 8:00 PM ET · FOX · Galaxy Stadium
Big 12 opener between two unbeaten teams on a Friday night. Will Hammond has 487 yards for Texas Tech and J’Koby Williams has carried it 33 times. Houston’s answer is Amare Thomas, 11 catches for 162 and two scores.
Vote: Texas Tech vs. Houston →
4. Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET · NBC · Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame are 2 and 0 with CJ Carr at 492 yards and six touchdowns, and Michigan State arrive unbeaten as well. The cheapest ticket in South Bend is $147, second only to Oxford this week.
Vote: Notre Dame vs. Michigan State →
5. No. 5 Miami at Wake Forest
Friday, 7:30 PM ET · ESPN · Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
Malachi Toney now has 330 receiving yards and four touchdowns through two games, the best receiving line in the country. Darian Mensah has thrown for 653 and eight. Miami sit at 11 percent on the title board and have not been tested yet.
Vote: Wake Forest vs. Miami → · Compare the two programs
6. Kent State at No. 6 Ohio State
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET · FOX · Ohio Stadium
The bounce back. Julian Sayin has 598 yards and four touchdowns with his first interception of the season, and Jeremiah Smith has 315 receiving yards and three scores.
Ohio State still hold 23 percent of the title board. One loss has not moved the room at all, which is either conviction or inertia.
Vote: Ohio State vs. Kent State → · Compare the two programs
7. West Virginia at No. 25 Virginia
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET · ACC Network · Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
The Duke’s Mayo Classic, on a neutral field, between two unbeaten teams nobody expected here. Beau Pribula has five touchdown passes for Virginia. Marcus Hawkins Jr. has run for 199 and three for West Virginia.
Vote: Virginia vs. West Virginia →
8. Florida State at No. 10 Alabama
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET · ABC · Bryant-Denny Stadium
Keelon Russell has 444 passing yards and two interceptions, and Ousmane Kromah has run for 231 and two scores for Florida State. Ryan Coleman-Williams leads Alabama with 173 receiving yards.
Vote: Alabama vs. Florida State →
9. Kentucky at No. 9 Texas A&M
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET · ESPN · Kyle Field
Kenny Minchey has 447 yards and five touchdowns for Kentucky, who lost to Alabama and now draw a second ranked SEC road game in a row.
Vote: Texas A&M vs. Kentucky →
10. Northern Iowa at No. 18 Iowa
Saturday, 4:00 PM ET · FS1 · Kinnick Stadium
Kamari Moulton has 240 rushing yards and two scores after the Cy-Hawk win. Northern Iowa’s Jacob Dailey has thrown for 529, which is more than most ranked quarterbacks in the country.
Vote: Iowa vs. Northern Iowa →
The rest of the board
| Game | When | Watch for |
| Portland State at No. 21 Oregon | Fri 10:30, BTN | Oregon at 8 percent on the title board after a loss |
| No. 2 Georgia at Arkansas | Sat 12:00, ABC | Gunner Stockton, 436 yards and eight touchdowns |
| Buffalo at No. 14 Penn State | Sat 12:00, BTN | Rocco Becht, 539 and seven |
| No. 12 USC at Rutgers | Sat 3:30, CBS | Jayden Maiava leads the country: 896 yards, ten scores |
| Utah State at No. 17 Utah | Sat 3:30, FOX | Wayshawn Parker has three touchdowns |
| UTEP at No. 19 Michigan | Sat 3:30, BTN | Troy Bowles and a team that just climbed back in |
| Western Kentucky at No. 4 Indiana | Sat 4:00, Peacock | Josh Hoover, eight touchdowns; Charlie Becker, five |
| Troy at No. 20 Missouri | Sat 7:00, SECN+ | Austin Simmons, 544 and seven |
| No. 11 BYU at Colorado State | Sat 7:30, CBS | Hayden Hejny has nine touchdown passes for CSU |
| New Mexico at No. 24 Oklahoma | Sat 7:30, ESPN2 | John Mateer after a thirteen place fall |
| Kennesaw State at No. 15 Tennessee | Sat 7:45, SECN | Mike Matthews and DeSean Bishop, 244 rushing yards |
| UTSA at No. 1 Texas | Sat 8:00, SECN+ | Arch Manning and Raleek Brown in the first game as No. 1 |
Also worth twenty points and missing from every Top 25 scoreboard this week: Clemson and North Carolina, noon on ESPN at Death Valley. Bill Belichick takes an unbeaten North Carolina team into Clemson, who are 1 and 1. Neither is ranked, which is the only reason it is not higher up this page.
The title board
Ohio State 23% · Notre Dame 11% · Miami 11% · Oregon 8% · Texas 5% · Georgia 5% · Indiana 3% · Dark horse 33%
Seventy three votes. Ohio State lost and gained a point. Texas won and took the top ranking and sits fifth. A third of the room still has nobody on the list.
Voting closes December 6 and resolves after the National Championship game, so a vote cast now can be changed later.
Cast your votes
Every game above is live on the Football Predictions board. Twenty points per vote, free to play, closing at kickoff.
Commenting earns points too, which makes the Rally Pit the cheapest climb on the fan leaderboard. The women’s soccer and men’s soccer boards are open as well.
