Week 1 only just wrapped, but the AP poll wasted no time handing out some head-scratching movement for Week 2. A few teams that actually did their jobs ended up getting nudged the wrong way, while others got a bump that doesn’t look especially convincing.
Oregon may have the strangest result of the bunch. The Ducks handled a tough Boise team, now No. 26, yet still slid from No. 2 to No.
- Notre Dame was the only team to jump Oregon that had faced anything resembling real resistance, and even that didn’t fully explain the drop.
It’s the kind of ranking that feels like it could age badly fast. Boise is one of the few Group of 5 teams with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes, so by season’s end this result might look a lot less questionable.
Or it might already look that way.
Texas A&M also took an odd hit. The Aggies beat Missouri State 50-0 and still fell two spots.
One of those drops came because LSU moved up, though even that comparison gets murky when Clemson’s own result against Missouri State enters the conversation. The other slot?
Alabama beat East Carolina 48-10 and climbed a spot. Oklahoma beat UTEP 51-0 and dropped only one.
Against that backdrop, Texas A&M’s slide feels hard to justify.
Washington got treated similarly. In its annual rivalry game with Washington, the Huskies won 24-10, never trailed, and came away with a solid victory over one of Week 1’s better opponents.
That still wasn’t enough to keep them steady, as they fell two spots while Penn State moved up after beating Marshall 45-0 and Tennessee climbed after beating Furman 56-9. On the evidence from opening weekend, Washington looked like it had more to show than either of those teams.
And then there’s Boise State itself, the team that nearly pulled the weekend’s biggest upset and still didn’t crack the Top 25. The Broncos are hardly an unknown quantity; they’ve been perennial CFP contenders, and this game carried a familiar feel to Oregon’s 2024 Week 2 battle with Boise, when Oregon finished No. 1 and Boise ended up in the CFP.
The AP poll already includes Louisville, which lost a one-score game to Ole Miss, ranked well below Oregon, and Virginia, which didn’t even play in Week 1. Given that setup, it’s fair to ask whether Boise should have made the climb.
In Other News...
Washingtons Offensive Line Suddenly Faces Pressure Heading Into Week 2
The offensive line was one of the quieter reasons Washington came away with a 24-10 win over Washington State, but it was not a clean outing by any means. Offensive line coach Michael Switzer said the group was below standard in its physical play and got hit with penalties, even though the unit settled in as the game went along. Three first-time starters were part of the mix, a reminder that this is still a work in progress as the Huskies try to sort out a front that has to stabilize quickly.
That makes the next step against Utah State worth watching closely, especially with Washington planning to keep rotating players at right guard. The staff wants more help up front for the running backs, and that need becomes even more important with injuries affecting the backfield. For a line trying to grow up on the fly, Week 2 is less about looking polished and more about proving the improvements from last Saturday can carry over when the pressure shifts again. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Stayed Unbeaten But The Poll Sent A Frustrating Message
Washington kept the Apple Cup where it belonged and still had to sit through a minor rankings surprise. The Huskies handled Washington State 24-10 in the 118th meeting between the rivals, a result that should have settled any short-term debate about who has the upper hand in the state, while also giving the program another solid building block as it heads into the next stretch of the season.
Instead, the Associated Press Top 25 nudged Washington backward, a reminder that poll movement does not always match what happens on the field. The Huskies now turn to upcoming nonconference and conference games at Husky Stadium with the same unbeaten record, but with a fresh bit of frustration to carry along with the momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Penalty Problem Is Putting Ryan Walters On The Spot
The Apple Cup left Washington with more than just a rivalry result to sort through. The Huskies were flagged repeatedly in the game, and the self-inflicted damage was especially glaring on defense, where the discipline issues helped turn a tight contest into a longer afternoon of frustration.
Ryan Walters called those mistakes hot stove moments, the kind that sting enough to teach a lesson if the team handles them the right way. As Washington turns to Utah State, Walters is also drawing on his own background against the Aggies offensive staff, another reminder that the next test is coming quickly for a team still trying to clean up its edge. [Read more 🡒]