AP voters made a few things clear in the Week 2 rankings: LSU’s opening statement carried real weight, Oregon took a hit for surviving a scare, Virginia crashed the poll after a big early win, and Michigan paid the price for a shaky showing.
LSU moved from No. 11 to No. 8 after Lane Kiffin’s first impression turned into a rout. The Tigers put up more than 600 total yards and blasted Clemson 51-10, a result that pushed LSU right back into SEC championship and College Football Playoff conversation.
Oregon slid from No. 2 to No. 6 after what was supposed to be a comfortable opener turned into a far tighter night than expected. The Ducks entered as 25-point favorites against unranked Boise State, but they only managed to escape with a narrow touchdown win.
Virginia made one of the bigger jumps of the week, going from unranked to No. 25. A strong performance from transfer quarterback Beau Pribula helped the Cavaliers earn a statement win over NC State, and the result left Virginia 2-0 and in the mix for one of college football’s tougher conference championship races.
Michigan, meanwhile, dropped out of the rankings entirely after sitting at No. 16 last week. AP voters were clearly unimpressed with the Wolverines, even with the extra second attached to the win. Bryce Underwood and the Michigan offense scored just 7 points for all but one second of the game against Western Michigan, and the timing is not ideal with Oklahoma and its very skilled defense coming up this weekend.
The AP top 25 also had some movement around the edges of the poll, with Boise State, Florida, Arizona, Memphis, South Carolina, Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Navy, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Illinois, James Madison, Minnesota, Colorado, Auburn, Arizona State and Vanderbilt all receiving votes in the prediction breakdown.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Gets An Oregon Twist For Its First Real Home Test
Dan Lanning is adjusting Oregons routine for Saturdays trip to Oklahoma State, sending the Ducks out a day earlier than usual so they can get a better handle on the early kickoff and the time change. Instead of the standard Friday departure, Oregon will leave after Thursdays normal practice, giving the team a little more runway before facing an 11 a.m. local start in Stillwater, which translates to 9 a.m. Pacific Time back home.
The move fits the larger challenge of a season built around national travel and repeated time zone shifts, something Oregon will keep dealing with as it moves through the schedule. For a program that has tried to be deliberate about how it handles the demands of coast-to-coast football, this is another small adjustment that could matter, even before the Ducks find out how well the early wakeup call really lands on game day. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Got An Early Playoff Snub Fans Will Hate
Andy Staples week 1 College Football Playoff projection already gives Oregon fans a reason to grumble. In his early bracket, the Ducks are slotted behind USC even though the Trojans path to this point has not looked nearly as demanding on paper, a detail that will land especially hard in Eugene given how much stock gets placed in Oregons schedule strength and week-to-week rsum.
The projection also puts USC into the playoff field for the first time in school history, a seismic call in its own right, while Oregon is left on the outside looking in for now despite being ranked near the top of the pecking order. There is still plenty of season left for the Ducks to change the conversation, but with key players, early performances and upcoming games all feeding into these first impressions, this is exactly the kind of opening snapshot that can linger if Oregon does not answer quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ducks Are Already Making Oregons Transfer Losses Feel Real
The fallout from Oregons College Football Playoff semifinal loss was always going to reach beyond the spring portal window, and Week 1 of the 2026 season offered an early reminder of why. After 31 players left in search of more playing time, several former Ducks wasted little time showing what they could bring elsewhere, with new roles and bigger opportunities already turning into visible production for their next teams.
Makhi Hughes settled in at Houston, Jayden Limar found a place in Washingtons backfield, Kingston Lopa made an impact for California and Luka Moga got a chance to operate New Mexicos offense. Those are only a few of the names to watch, but the broader picture is hard to miss for Oregon: the transfer losses are no longer just a roster-management headache, they are already showing up on Saturdays in ways Duck fans can measure. [Read more 🡒]