UK & Ireland College Football Media Top 25 Rankings: Week 2
By Simon Carroll
If the AP or CFP committe can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!
Since the start of the 2022 season, some of the UK & Ireland’s most talented writers, content creators and students of the college game have combined to deliver their own weekly set of college football rankings. The UK & Ireland CFB Media Top 25 is announced every Monday evening, and after a weekend of surprising results, today we can bring you the standings after Week 2:
2024 - Week 2
- GEORGIA BULLDOGS (2-0, =)
- TEXAS LONGHORNS (2-0, ↑1)
- OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (2-0, ↓1)
- ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (2-0, ↑1)
- MIAMI HURRICANES (2-0, ↑4)
- OLE MISS REBELS (2-0, ↑1)
- PENN STATE (2-0, ↓1)
- USC TROJANS (2-0, ↑2)
- TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (2-0, ↑5)
- MISSOURI TIGERS (2-0, ↑1)
- OREGON DUCKS (2-0, ↓3)
- UTAH UTES (2-0, ↑1)
- OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (2-0, ↑3)
- OKLAHOMA SOONERS (2-0, ↑1)
- KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (2-0, ↑3)
- ARIZONA WILDCATS (2-0, ↑1)
- MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (1-1, ↓5)
- LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (2-0, ↑5)
- LSU TIGERS (1-1, ↑2)
- IOWA STATE HAWKEYES (2-0, NE)
- NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (1-1, ↓15)
- NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (2-0, NE)
- NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES (1-0, NE)
- UNLV REBELS (2-0, =)
- CLEMSON TIGERS (1-1, NE)
*NE – New Entrant. Teams dropping out: NC State, Kansas, Iowa, Georgia Tech
TAKEAWAYS
A Win Is A Win, No Matter How Underwhelming
A college football season is a slog. And no matter how good you are, it is extremely difficult to go undefeated. In that regard, no win should ever be scoffed at, even if the performance or margin of victory wasn’t quite to the levels expected.
In week two, we saw a number of teams ‘win their clunkers’. Oregon, much like in week 1 against Idaho, struggled to overcome perceived inferior opponents – needing a walkoff field goal to get past Boise State. Yet they slip just three spots, a tacit acknowledgement of how good the Broncos might actually be. No game is easy, but the Ducks will need to improve as sterner tests await.
Penn State limped past Bowling Green, but drop just one spot. Kansas State were given a scare against renowned giant killers Tulane, and actally moved up three spots! And Oklahoma State also enjoyed a modest bounce after an incredible comeback against Arkansas. A win is a win – you only have to look to South Bend, Indiana to see that. Speaking of…
Notre Dame Punished For Another Slip-Up. Was It Enough?
Coach Thomas Hammock is a real man and REAL MEN CRY. He has worked so hard to get Northern Illinois to this point. You can feel all that hard work pouring out of him throughout his post game interview after knocking off #5 Notre Dame IN THEIR HOUSE. It’s worth 2 min of your time. pic.twitter.com/C1u3QmicgY
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 7, 2024
College Football delivers it’s fair share of surprises. And Notre Dame have endured more than enough upsets in the past – losing to Marshall just two years ago lingers in the memory. But a MAC team? Going into South Bend? And beating the Irish? Almost unfathomable…
Thomas Hammock is an underrated head coach at a forgotten program in a conference derided by the Power 4. And yet he led Northern Illinois to possibly the biggest win since an FCS App State went into the Big House and shocked Michigan in 2007. You can read my colleague Rory’s report on the game here. So seeing ND tumble 17 spots to 21 was no surprise.
But is that enough? Personally, I had the Irish out of the rankings. And more interestingly, they still sit two places ahead of the team that vanquished them in their own stadium. Are Notre Dame a better football team than Northern Illinois? Almost certainly. And yet they weren’t on Saturday. Despite beating them, NIU remain two places behind ND in the Top 25. Being ranked is an impressive feat in it’s own right, but the UK panel obviously put some stock into class being permanent. Marcus Freeman will certainly be hoping so.
Impressive Wins In Rivalry Games Sees Two New Entrants
Cyclones take back the #CyHawk trophy in dramatic fashion, 20-19. pic.twitter.com/Psk3TSLqoc
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) September 7, 2024
We have already discussed Northern Illinois cracking the Top 25. And it was interesting to see Clemson sneak back in too after bouncing back from their Week 1 humbling at the hands of Georgia. But two other new names found their way into the rankings this week, enjoying a boost after big wins against hated opponents…
The Cy-Hawk Trophy might not stand out amongst all the rivalry games. It is played early in the year between two teams that have history but aren’t considered a real threat to any playoff hopeful. But year on year the Iowa-Iowa State game brings excitement and drama. This year, Matt Campbell’s Cyclones turned round a 13-point deficit at the half to beat the Hawkeyes 20-19 – a 54-yard field goal from Kyle Konrardy with six seconds remaining turning the game decisively in Iowa State’s favour. It was only their second win in the game in nine years – and a #20 ranking is just reward for the Big 12 program.
Last year, Nebraska-Colorado had some spice to it as Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur took issue with Matt Rhule’s dislike for the high-profile nature of the Buffaloes program under Coach Prime. The ‘Huskers were thrashed in 2023, but exacted revenge this time round, with true freshman QB Dylan Raiola looking every bit the superstar he has been anointed. Has this proud, historic team finally turned a corner? Somewhere, Tom Osborne is smiling.
Players Of The Week:
Offense: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Defense: Tyler Baron, DE, Miami
