Week 2 of the college football season saw some significant change after a number of ranked teams were dropped from the rankings due to bad losses:

No. 1 Alabama defeats Western Kentucky (35-0)

Who would have thought that Alabama would put up less points against Western Kentucky than Michigan? All kidding aside, the Crimson Tide look like the best team in the country and Quarterback AJ McCarron was much better in Week 2, throwing for 219 yards and four scores.

No. 2 USC defeats Syracuse (42-29)

In what was supposed to be a pushover for the second straight week, USC struggled to put points on the board most of the game against pesky Orange. The Trojans’ high powered offense only had 21 points on the board through three quarters but erupted in the fourth for 21 more, finally putting away Syracuse. Matt Barkley tossed six more touchdowns to add to his Heisman campaign.

No. 3 LSU defeats Washington (41-3)

After a fumbled kickoff by the Tigers, Washington scored the first points of the game just 57 seconds in, but it was all LSU from that point on. The Tigers defense put plenty of pressure on Huskies quarterback Keith Price, effectively shutting down his scrambling ability. The ground game was successful for LSU, as they rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns.

No. 4 Oregon defeats Fresno State (42-25)

Oregon pounced on overmatched Fresno State quickly, holding a 35-6 lead before the first half was over. But a sluggish start to the second half saw the Bulldogs come within 16, that is until Ducks running back Kenjon Barner took over and cemented the victory with a sixteen yard rushing touchdown with just under four minutes remaining. The Ducks defense looked shaky for the second straight week against inferior competition.

No. 5 Oklahoma defeats Florida A&M (69-13)

After an uninspiring Week 1 victory, Oklahoma looked more like the national title contender it is expected to be in its Week 2 victory, as it demolished Florida A&M 69-13. The ground attack was the catalyst to the Sooners’ victory, particularly running back Damien Williams who rushed for 156 yards and four scores. Overall, Oklahoma churned out 349 yards on the ground and had 662 total yards in the rout.

No. 6 Florida State defeats Savannah State (55-0)

Prior to the weather delay that eventually led to the game being called early, Florida State seemed poised to cover the 69.5 point spread Vegas was giving it prior to kickoff. Luckily for the Tigers, the football gods are apparently merciful and let them get out of town without suffering any further. Seminole quarterback EJ Manuel had only two incompletions and threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 7 Georgia defeats Missouri (41-20)

First SEC game, first SEC home game, first SEC loss. Much was made of Missouri’s first game in the nation’s premier conference and for three quarters it looked as if they belonged, that is until the fourth quarter came along. Georgia outscored its hosts 17-0 in the game’s final frame and improved to 2-0 this year. Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones was a man amongst boys, the All-American forced two turnovers late in the game that sealed the Tigers’ fate.

No. 8 South Carolina defeats East Carolina (48-10)

South Carolina was without starting quarterback Connor Shaw, who was still feeling the effects of the pounding his shoulder took in Week 1. Luckily for the Gamecocks, his backup, Dylan Thompson, was more than adequate. The sophomore sparked the rout of East Carolina as he threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Less impressive was Gamecock Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore, who was only able to muster 40 yards on 13 carries.

No. 9 West Virginia (Did not play)

No. 10 Michigan State defeats Central Michigan (41-7)

After two weeks of play, it looks as if Michigan State could be the team to beat in the Big 10. A week after gutting out a victory against Boise State, the Spartans rolled to an easy victory over the Chippewas. Quarterback Andrew Maxwell tossed two touchdown passes and running back Le’Veon Bell added two more on the ground, but it was State’s defense that may have been most impressive. The defense has not yielded an offensive touchdown in the season’s first two weeks. 

Greg Romagna can be reached at [email protected].