The SEC wasted no time making a statement in Week 1, and the ripple effect is already showing up in the latest College Football Playoff picture.
The league went 16-0 in the opening weekend, the first undefeated start for the SEC since 1997. Not every game came against elite opposition, but a few results stood out.
LSU rolled Clemson 51-10, while Ole Miss handled Louisville 41-38 in the weekend’s only ranked matchup. Missouri also enters the conversation after checking in at No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25, giving the Tigers a chance to start building a playoff résumé.
Here’s how the field stacks up entering Week 2.
Georgia still sits atop the SEC race after opening with a 63-3 win over Tennessee State. The No.
3 Bulldogs have a long runway before their next major test, which comes September 26 at home against No. 10 Oklahoma.
For now, the rest of the schedule looks favorable for Kirby Smart’s team.
Ohio State remains the Big Ten front-runner after a 56-3 win over Ball State. Julian Sayin was sharp, going 21 of 25 for 320 yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith piled up eight catches for 151 yards and two scores.
The Buckeyes get a real measuring stick Saturday night at No. 4 Texas.
In the Big 12, BYU has taken over as the favorite after opening with a 63-7 win over Utah Tech. Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 16-for-20 passing, and the Cougars now carry the edge at quarterback.
No. 15 BYU opens conference play Saturday at home against Arizona.
Miami (FL) is the ACC favorite after a 45-6 road win over Stanford on Friday night. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney are already drawing Heisman buzz, and the Canes could be sitting at 8-0 before their November 7 trip to No. 3 Notre Dame.
Notre Dame holds the automatic-bid spot after surviving a slow start against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field and then taking over in the second half. The Irish outscored the Badgers 28-3 after halftime in a 41-13 win.
CJ Carr finished 19 of 29 for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and Hannibal, MO native Aneyas Williams added 90 rushing yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. Notre Dame is likely to be undefeated when it heads to No.
15 BYU on October 17.
Boise State has the Group of Six automatic bid for now after coming close in a 34-27 loss at Oregon. Maddux Madsen looks like a quarterback who can keep the Broncos in the playoff mix. Boise State hosts Memphis on Saturday, and the winner of that game moves into this slot.
LSU is one of the biggest movers among the at-large teams after its 51-10 demolition of Clemson. The Tigers’ win came to start the Lane Kiffin era, and Sam Leavitt at quarterback gives the roster a higher ceiling.
LSU now faces a brutal stretch with back-to-back Top 10 games: at No. 9 Ole Miss on September 19 and at home against No.
10 Texas A&M on September 26.
Texas also enters the at-large mix after opening with a 59-7 win over Texas State. Arch Manning and the Longhorns now turn to a massive showdown against Ohio State on Saturday, where Steve Sarkisian’s team has a chance to make a statement.
Indiana, the defending national champions, looked the part in a 52-16 win over North Texas. TCU transfer Josh Hoover was efficient in his Hoosier debut, going 13 of 16 for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
There’s a real chance Indiana is still unbeaten when it hosts No. 1 Ohio State on October 17.
Oregon shook off a challenge and escaped with a 34-27 win over Boise State. The Ducks still have the look of a dangerous team, with Dante Moore, Jeremiah McClellan and Evan Stewart leading a stacked offense.
Ole Miss also stayed in the at-large conversation with its 41-38 win over Louisville in Nashville, the most important SEC victory of Labor Day weekend. All eyes are on September 19, when LSU comes to Oxford for Lane Kiffin’s return.
USC is 2-0 after wins over San Jose State and Fresno State, and this could be Lincoln Riley’s best team on paper. Jayden Maiava is leading the offense at quarterback.
The current top four seeds are Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Texas.
The projected bracket has Boise State at LSU, USC at Ole Miss, Miami (FL) at Indiana, and BYU at Oregon.
The current Final Four pick is LSU against Ohio State and Notre Dame against Georgia, with no national championship matchup listed.
In Other News...
Mizzou Returns To Kansas With A Border War Streak Under Pressure
The Border War has always carried more than football baggage, and this meeting brings that history right back into focus. The rivalry traces its roots to the violent clashes of the 1850s and early 1860s, then grew into a football series that began in 1890 and has now reached its 122nd game. Missouri enters with the upper hand in the series and four straight wins, a reminder that the Tigers have had control of this matchup for a while.
Lawrence, though, has been a tougher stage for Missouri to conquer, which is part of what gives this trip its edge. The Tigers are headed back to Kansas for the first time in years, and while the series lead says one thing, the venue says something else entirely. For Missouri, this is the kind of game where the past is never far away and where the pressure is built into the setting before the ball is even kicked. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Week 2 Rivalry Call Fans Will Hate
Week 2 is already shaping up as one of those early-season spots where the season can tilt quickly, and Missouri finds itself in the middle of a prediction that will not sit well with its fan base. In a roundup of potential upset picks, the Tigers are part of a slate that also includes Michigan over Oklahoma, Memphis over Boise State and Iowa State over Iowa, with the choices built on recent performance, coaching changes and player evaluations rather than anything settled on the field.
For Missouri, the sting is less about the calendar than the opponent attached to it. The call puts the Tigers on alert for a rivalry game that would instantly carry outsized meaning in September, even if it is still just a forecast on paper. And because these are speculative upset calls, the real debate is not whether the matchup has bite, but whether Missouri can turn a projected problem into a reminder that early-season predictions often age poorly. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Faces A Border Showdown Twist That Could Decide Everything
The Border Showdown is back on the schedule soon, and this one carries the sort of edge that makes a rivalry feel bigger than its setting. Missouri and Kansas are meeting for the second time since the Tigers joined the SEC, and the game arrives with both sides trying to sort through key injury questions while the matchup itself is headed to Lawrence, where stadium renovations will add another layer of oddity to the scene.
The personnel uncertainty matters because the spotlight is already landing on two inexperienced quarterbacks, Isaiah Marshall for Kansas and Austin Simmons for Missouri, in a game where every mistake can tilt the mood in a hurry. Missouri also enters with questions in the backfield, while Kansas is managing its own concerns on defense and at receiver, leaving plenty of the usual rivalry drama to be decided by which side can patch together enough stability before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]