AP Top 25 college football poll Week 2: Winners and losers

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AP Top 25 college football poll Week 2: Winners and losers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The first week of the college football season was one of the wildest in recent years. A couple of ranked teams starved upset bids against lower-division opponents. Ohio State stays at No. 1 with a new top-five as the Buckeyes prepare for a highly anticipated date with No. 4 Texas.

Who were the biggest winners and losers from the first set of games in the 2026 season? Here are a few who got shuffled up or down in the latest poll.

Check out the entire AP Top 25 college football poll for Week 2 here.

Who won the day?

LSU shot up the rankings

Lane Kiffin's debut in Baton Rouge went better than anybody could have expected. The LSU Tigers appeared to be in prime form to start the season by hanging half-a-hundred on Dabo Swinney and Clemson.

LSU jumped back into the top 10 in the first AP Top 25 poll of the regular season on Tuesday.

Kiffin sent a clear message to the rest of the nation that the Tigers are no longer rebuilding. The program garnered a lot of attention in the offseason for numerous reasons. But when it came to performing on the field, LSU put themselves in the SEC title conversation by how they dismantled Clemson. Kiffin decided not to play any of his former NFL players amid the lawsuit with the SEC.

However, he took a clear shot in the postgame press conference by telling reporter to imagine what the score against Clemson would've been if he played any of his ex-pros.

LSU is going to be a problem in the SEC, if they manage not to get kicked out of the conference.

Notre Dame in the top 3

The Fighting Irish made light work out of Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay this week. What was expected to be a neutral site contest turned into a runaway for Marcus Freeman's team. It's only one spot, but moving into the top 3 will be important to maintain as the weeks tick down.

Who didn't shine in non-conference play?

Oregon took a tumble while playing with fire

The 2nd-ranked Ducks found themselves falling after a close win over Boise State. This wasn't the first time the Broncos nearly stomped out Oregon. After taking an early lead, BSU couldn't fend off the late surge by the Ducks. But the AP voters weren't impressed.

Dan Lanning's team is now No. 6 and lost four spots after being the preseason runner-up behind Ohio State. We'll see if they can regain some ground in the coming weeks.

Michigan out after Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary

The Michigan Wolverines took advantage of a last-second play to beat Western Michigan. Bryce Underwood's 45-yard Hail Mary touchdown will be one of the most debated plays in college football history. It looked like Kordell Stewart's Miracle at Michigan pass from 1994. But it carries the same energy as Colorado's fifth-down win over Missouri in 1990.

In any regard, Michigan was punished by. AP voters for winning the game as time expired.

What's next for Week 2?

No. 1 Ohio State plays No. 4 Texas in the most anticipated game to open the 2026 college football season. The Buckeyes and Longhorns square off in Austin on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

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