Week 1 gave AP voters a little bit of everything, and Week 2’s rankings should reflect that.
The loudest statement came in Baton Rouge, where Lane Kiffin’s first night at LSU turned into a runaway. The Tigers ripped Clemson 51-10, a result that instantly changes the conversation around LSU from preseason respect to real playoff chatter.
AP voters had been willing to give Kiffin credit for the roster he built, but not enough to push LSU into the top 10 before the season. That restraint is going to be harder to justify now.
Still, the top of the poll may not move much, and Oregon’s narrow escape could be the reason. The Ducks were a more than three touchdown favorite against Boise State, yet the game played out far tighter than expected.
Boise State led or tied more often than not, Oregon trailed at halftime, climbed out of a 10-point hole and needed a long touchdown in the fourth quarter just to survive. For a No. 2 team, that kind of performance leaves room for doubt, even if the win itself stays in the column.
Alabama also gave voters plenty to think about, and in a much better way. The early returns on the Kalen DeBoer era were mixed before this season, but the first look in 2026 was strong.
Keelon Russell looked poised both in the pocket and on the move, and he actually led the team in rushing. The ground game backed that up too, with Alabama’s backs combining for 227 total yards after the Tide had been one of the country’s worst rushing offenses a year ago.
If that production holds, it changes how this team can match up in the SEC trenches.
Ole Miss has a case to climb as well after a wild win over Louisville. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 336 yards, added 50 more on the ground and accounted for four total touchdowns, while Deuce Alexander hauled in two 62-yard touchdowns in a game that had the feel of an instant classic in Nashville. That kind of victory against a ranked Power Four opponent should carry real weight with the voters, especially compared with Texas A&M’s easier 50-0 win over Missouri State.
Michigan, meanwhile, may have escaped with the win, but it didn’t look like a team that deserves much benefit of the doubt. The Wolverines needed a controversial finish to get past MAC visitor Western Michigan, and the other 59 minutes and 59 seconds were rough enough to make voters hesitate. Bryce Underwood couldn’t get the offense moving with any consistency, and even the defense, which was supposed to be a strength under new coach Kyle Whittingham, let Western Michigan stay on the field too long.
And then there’s Clemson, which is staring at a brutal reset after its trip to LSU. The Tigers came into the preseason poll with 112 votes, the most of any unranked team, but that cushion is almost certainly gone after the 41-point loss.
It was Clemson’s worst result in any venue since 1996, and it left Dabo Swinney facing another difficult season after last fall’s 7-6 finish. A breakup still feels unlikely this early, given his legacy and the financial reality, but the noise around that possibility is getting louder.
One stat says plenty about where Clemson has gone: from 2011 to 2020, it lost 18 games total. Since 2021, it has lost 21 more times.
In Other News...
Jalen Hurts Looked Like Alabamas Standard From His Very First NFL Start
When Jalen Hurts looked back on his first NFL start in December 2020 against the New Orleans Saints, the performance still stood out as the kind of debut that matched the standard he built at Alabama. He guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a 24-21 victory with a blend of passing and rushing production, and afterward pointed to the work he put in during the offseason along with the coaching support around him as a big reason he was ready for that moment.
Hurts and the Eagles are now set to open the 2026 season against the Washington Commanders, which gives that early-career game a little extra perspective. It was the kind of start that hinted at the player he would become, steady in a big spot and capable of changing the game in more than one way, even if the bigger arc of his career was only beginning to take shape then. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Fans Endured A Bryant-Denny Opener Unlike Any Other
Bryant-Denny Stadium turned into a furnace for Alabamas season opener against East Carolina, with the heat creating a challenge that had little to do with the scoreboard. Fans came prepared for a September Saturday in Tuscaloosa, but the conditions were severe enough that many spent the game searching for whatever relief they could find, from shade to any cooling method available in the stands.
ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist James Spann confirmed the temperature reached a level Alabama home crowds had never seen before. It was the kind of opener that made the weather part of the story from start to finish, and it will be remembered not just for the football, but for how punishing the afternoon felt inside one of college footballs most familiar settings. [Read more 🡒]
Tua Tagovailoa Just Got The Atlanta Chance Alabama Fans Wanted
Tua Tagovailoas move to Atlanta already had plenty of attention around it, but the Falcons made it matter in a bigger way by putting him in line to run the offense right away. After arriving from the Miami Dolphins in the offseason, Tagovailoa spent the summer in a quarterback battle with Michael Penix Jr., a setup that kept the situation interesting well into the preseason.
Now the focus shifts to how that decision plays out when the games count, beginning with a tough road opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For Alabama fans who followed Tagovailoa from Tuscaloosa to the NFL, the appeal is obvious: a familiar quarterback in a new setting, with a chance to shape a fresh start for Atlanta from the first week of the season. [Read more 🡒]