Back Porch Sports’ Scott Hamilton is one of 69 voters in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. Here’s how his Week 2 ballot shook out:
Michael Jackson Edition
Thriller: Make it 197-1. That’s the record now for top-ranked teams since 2004 that have held a fourth-quarter lead of at least 20 points. Texas was able to break that string by scoring 21 unanswered points to beat then-No. 1 Ohio State 24-23. Texas completely shut down Ohio State during that decisive final quarter, holding the Buckeyes scoreless while forcing three punts and giving up only 28 total yards over three possessions.
The Longhorns (2-0) are now atop these rankings, while the Buckeyes (2-0) slipped to sixth. But here’s a harsh fact: they’re both still probably the two most talented teams in America.
Man in the Mirror: Ryan Day is 83-13 as Ohio State’s head coach, including a national title. But the Buckeyes had a second-half lead in half of those losses and are 1-3 in its last four games going back to last season. Granted those losses came to Indiana in the Big Ten championship, Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff and to then-No. 4 Texas. Day is 8-9 overall vs. top-five teams. Interpret all of that as you wish.
Beat It: Oregon is no longer in these rankings. The Ducks (1-1) were lucky to be lingering after Week 1, anyhow, after struggling mightily during a 34-27 Week 1 win over Boise State. A 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State pulled the eject lever. Oregon gave up 554 total yards, including 337 passing and 109 yards rushing by Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
The Ducks have a rebound opportunity this week against Portland State before playing at Southern Cal on Sept. 26.
Bad: Oklahoma is still ranked, but, man. The Sooners (1-1) dropped to 25th after playing uninspiring football en route to a 17-10 loss at Michigan. Especially troubling was the play of quarterback John Mateer, who completed only 17 of 33 pass attempted for 189 yards with one touchdown and an interception
That left his counterpart – Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood – not needing to be good, just good enough. Underwood was 9-of-17 passing for 111 yards while rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan was out of the poll completely, though still 25th in after the clock-keeping debacle during its Week 1 win over Western Michigan. The Wolverines are now 22nd.
Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough: It was a case of punching down for both Miami and Houston in Week 2, as each hung 77 points on FCS opponents.
The Hurricanes (2-0) rolled up 856 yards during a 77-7 win over Florida A&M – and they didn’t even score in the fourth quarter. The Rattlers’ lone points came on, of all things, a 72-yard fumble scoop-and-score in with 6:40 to play.
Houston (2-0) rang up 34 first downs and connected on all eight of its third-down attempts en route to beating Southern 77-6. The Cougars held the Jaguars to minus-6 yards rushing on 22 attempts.
They’ll step things up this week, as each begins conference play with Houston at Texas Tech and Miami at Wake Forest.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’: Don’t sleep on Virginia. The Cavaliers (2-0) remained 21st after beating FCS opponent Norfolk State 59-3. But they already have a ACC win via a 34-8 blasting of N.C. State during Week 0 and the schedule doesn’t get much more difficult from here on out.
The Cavaliers host West Virginia in Week 3 and then Delaware, before beginning a run of eight conference games to end the regular season. It’s an ACC schedule that doesn’t include Louisville, Miami or SMU. And what stands for now to the biggest challenge – an Oct. 23 game against Duke – is in Charlottesville.
Remember the Time: The Group of 6 used to have a steady presence in these rankings, and often with more than one team. But it’s a sign of the times that no G6 squads are to be found, as that level has been essentially reduced to serving as a developmental level for the Power 4.
Will You Be There: A couple of games stand to have big ramifications next week, the first (for myriad reasons) being LSU’s trip to Ole Miss. But don’t sleep on Mississippi State’s trip to South Carolina. Both is undefeated so far in 2026, with the Bulldogs coming off a 38-13 win at Minnesota. It will also be a matchup between two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in America in Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers.
Jackson 5: It’s all about the four power conferences and Notre Dame in these rankings. The SEC landed nine teams, while the Big Ten now has seven with the omission of Oregon. The Big 12 and ACC have four each. Notre Dame, as usual, is the lone independent.
Hamilton’s rankings (last week):
1. Texas (2)
2. Notre Dame (3)
3. Georgia (4)
4. Miami (5)
5. Indiana (6)
6. Ohio State (1)
7. LSU (8)
8. Texas A&M (9)
9. Ole Miss (10)
10. Alabama (11)
11. BYU (14)
12. Texas Tech (13)
13. Southern Cal (15)
14. Penn State (16)
15. SMU(17)
16. Missouri (20)
17. Tennessee (24)
18. Utah (22)
19. Iowa (19)
20. Washington (18)
21. Virginia (21)
22. Michigan (22)
23. Houston (23)
24. Louisville (24)
25. Oklahoma (11)
Follow Scott Hamilton on X @ScottHsports
