Oklahoma’s stumble in Ann Arbor is about to cost the Sooners plenty when the AP Top 25 drops Sunday afternoon.
The No. 11 team in the country lost 17-10 to an unranked Michigan squad on Saturday, and that kind of result tends to send a team sliding. Michigan, meanwhile, should find its way back into the poll after being completely knocked out following last week’s controversial win over Western Michigan.
Week 2 was messy everywhere, which is why the next rankings are going to be such a puzzle. Oklahoma State pulled off the unthinkable by beating No.
6 Oregon just one week after falling to Tulsa. Texas erased No.
1 Ohio State in Austin. Alabama, Texas Tech, Penn State and Iowa all spent parts of the day flirting with disaster too.
Oregon’s fall figures to be steep, even if voters keep the Ducks just inside the top 25. They were outplayed by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, and Dan Lanning admitted after the game that the 39-31 final didn’t tell the full story.
The Ducks have not looked anything like the title contender many expected, and they may not even deserve a ranking. Still, the poll likely won’t bury them completely.
If it were up to me, Tulsa would be the team landing in that spot after beating OSU in Week 1.
Michigan’s rise should also pull Oklahoma down a bit more. The Wolverines weren’t ranked when they beat the Sooners, but that win should age well enough to count as a top-25 loss. The bigger issue for Oklahoma is what comes next: a loss to Georgia in two weeks could send the Sooners out of the rankings entirely, and even New Mexico next week could become dangerous if they don’t handle business.
SMU is set to benefit from the chaos too. The Mustangs beat Florida State last week, then rolled UC Davis 56-10, and that combination should help them climb as Oregon and Oklahoma tumble and Penn State underwhelms. Penn State’s 27-9 win over Temple won’t create much movement either way, but it was clunky enough that the Nittany Lions could get jumped.
Alabama should move into the top 10 after a 45-17 win over Kentucky, especially with both Oregon and Oklahoma sliding. Texas A&M also keeps building after a 48-20 win over Arizona State, and if the Aggies get through a dangerous Kentucky game next, they should keep rising.
Ohio State’s narrow 24-23 loss to Texas may end up being treated more gently than it should. The Buckeyes were edged in Austin, and they’ll be back in the top five soon enough even if Sunday’s poll knocks them down.
Texas Tech handled Oregon State 35-24, though it wasn’t a clean performance. Missouri beat Kansas 38-21 in Lawrence and should stay put with Troy coming next. Washington survived Utah State 16-14 and likely won’t move much after escaping without a loss.
Iowa beat Iowa State 16-13 in a game that was, as usual, not exactly a masterpiece. The Hawkeyes should remain in their familiar 20-25 range. Utah blew past Arkansas in a late-night beatdown, but that still doesn’t seem like enough to launch the Utes dramatically upward.
Tennessee picked up a solid 45-24 win over Georgia Tech and should move toward 3-0 with Kennesaw State next. BYU kept its unbeaten start alive with a 28-17 win over Arizona in early Big 12 action. Houston is also 2-0, but the Cougars still need more proof, and that should come with a trip to Texas Tech next week.
USC will probably keep climbing even though the Trojans haven’t exactly impressed. Miami has looked dominant, but the Hurricanes still haven’t faced much resistance. Indiana is in the same boat, though the defending champion remains undefeated and deserving of a top-five spot.
Notre Dame may be the team to watch most closely. The Irish beat Wisconsin in Week 1 and then crushed Rice 52-0. Michigan State is next, and if the schedule keeps lining up this way, Notre Dame could work its way all the way to No. 1 just by continuing to roll through weaker opponents.
And at the very top, Georgia still looks like the best team in the country. The Bulldogs have been sharp enough to hold that title in the eyes of plenty of people, even if they haven’t yet played an opponent strong enough to prove they belong at No. 1.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A Huge Test At Its Most Important Line Spot
Oklahomas offensive line is already under the microscope heading into the Michigan matchup, and the latest injury news only sharpens the focus on the left side. The Sooners are expected to be without starting left tackle Michael Fasusi, while center Jake Maikkula is back and Ryan Fodje is also returning to the mix, giving the staff at least some flexibility as it sorts out the front five.
Fodje is the name to watch because he is projected to slide over to left tackle in Fasusis absence. He has played multiple spots along the offensive line and came to Oklahoma as a highly regarded tackle recruit, but this is still a major assignment in a game where edge protection will matter from the opening series. For a team trying to settle its line before a marquee nonconference test, the timing could hardly be tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A Season Long Question It Can't Ignore
Oklahomas loss to Michigan landed on a Saturday that felt unkind to a few heavyweights, with Ohio State and Oregon also taking defeats that will linger. But the Sooners setback was the one that pushed a familiar worry back into focus, because the offense never found much rhythm and the night exposed how much pressure can build when a team expected to contend is suddenly asked harder questions than it can answer.
For Oklahoma, the concern is not just the result but the way it happened. The passing game never really threatened to take off, leaving the Sooners looking stuck whenever they needed a spark through the air, and that kind of struggle tends to follow a team until it is corrected. With the loss already on the board, the bigger issue now is whether this is a one-game malfunction or the start of something more difficult to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Win Over Oklahoma Came With One Ugly Flashpoint
Saturdays Week 2 trip to Michigan Stadium had the kind of edge that can linger well beyond the final whistle, with Oklahoma and Michigan getting into a scuffle early in the third quarter. The moment briefly overshadowed a game that had already taken on real meaning for the Sooners, who were trying to measure themselves against a program they had seen get the better of them before.
Rocky Beers was in the middle of that flashpoint, and the tight end still managed to be one of Oklahomas most productive targets on the day. Michigans 17-10 win carried its own weight, too, since it was the Wolverines first victory over Oklahoma after previous losses in the 1976 Orange Bowl and last September in Norman, leaving the Sooners with another painful chapter in a matchup that has suddenly turned chippy. [Read more 🡒]