College Football risers & fallers after Week 2
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Did we just witness the game of the year incollege football? It may only be Week 2, but it’s difficult to imagine any regular-season game matching the Texas/Ohio State game in terms of quality of teams and quality of game. Texas’ 20-point 4th quarter comeback is something that will be remembered in Austin for a long time, and put a cap on a tremendous day of college football otherwise.
MORE:College Football risers & fallers after Week 1
Riser: Arch Manning
After being dubbed “college football’s first flop” by the New York Times last season, 2026 was shaping up to be a revenge tour of sorts for Arch Manning. He completed the first step by defeating Ohio State.
Even in the first half, when Texas trailed, it wasn’t because of Arch’s poor play — a few drops and questionable play-calling kept points off the board. But Arch was tremendous with his arm and legs throughout the second half in a masterful comeback. He has to now be considered the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy
Faller: Ryan Day
If you were to rank the most demanding fanbases in college football, Ohio State would have to be near the very top. The Buckeyes may have won a National Championship in 2024, but that won’t stop some fans from putting Day in the hot seat after the loss to Texas.
Most of the Buckeyes’ losses under Day follow a similar pattern: poor game management leads to a missed field goal near the end of the game. In this instance, the Buckeyes offense completely “parked the bus” (to steal a soccer term) in the second half and was content to hold at 23 points. They needed just one more.
Riser: the SEC
Yes, the whole conference gets to be a riser today. That is because, through two weeks of the season, the conference is 8-2 in games against other Power-4 opponents, and one of those losses is Arkansas losing to Utah, which is an outcome we all expected.
This dominance of the non-conference slate is going to be dreaded by SEC haters, and could give the conference some extra juice to get 4 or 5 teams into this year’s CFP.
Faller: Oregon
What in the world is going on in Eugene? The preseason hype around this team could not have been more wrong. While everyone was expecting a returning Dante Moore to take the next step forward, and a revamped defensive line to put a stop to the Ducks’ “finesse” reputation and get over the hump against Ohio State and Indiana, neither of those things has happened through two weeks.
The defensive line was bullied by Oklahoma State’s front, and Dante Moore was thoroughly outplayed by Drew Mestemaker. This is starting to give serious 2025 Penn State vibes as the preseason media darlings who all of a sudden find themselves in the middle of a season from hell.
Riser: Michigan
After being the talk of the college football world in Week 1, the Wolverines could not have responded any better in Week 2. They beat Oklahoma 17-10 at the Big House to somehow get to 2-0.
Bryce Underwood, who came into college as a dual-threat prospect, finally got loose on the ground and created Michigan’s biggest play of the day with his legs. You are what your record says you are, and the Wolverines are 2-0.
Faller: Oklahoma
This just looks like the same team as last season. The defense is outstanding; let’s get that part straight. But they have no run game to speak of, the offensive line is subpar, and there’s a lack of dynamic playmakers at wide receiver.
The Ben Arbuckle offense, which was supposed to be innovative and creative, has turned into John Mateer running around and trying to make something out of nothing. There’s simply no way this team can win enough games to make the CFP with their gauntlet of a schedule.
Riser: Boise State
After a 38-20 defeat of Memphis, the Broncos are squarely in position to be the Group of 6 representative in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.
On paper, a win over Memphis might not sound huge, but they’re one of the favorites in the American, and already have a win over UNLV. In the pecking order of G6 teams, Boise moved themselves to the front of the line with this win.
Faller: Texas Tech
It’s becoming more apparent why this team tried desperately to get Brendan Sorsby eligible — and they probably should have done the same with David Bailey. The Red Raider defense is not as nasty in 2026 as their 2025 counterparts.
And Will Hammond does not have the same command of the offense that Behren Morton did. And also, why are they still giving so many carries to Cameron Dickey? J’Koby Williams is the offense’s most dynamic player by a country mile, and Quentin Joyner has looked much better than Dickey as well. The vibes are off here, but they’ll see their first true test Friday night as Houston comes to town!
Riser: BYU
The BYU Cougars do not have a difficult schedule this season, but there are a few trap spots on it. Hosting Arizona with some injuries on your defense is one of those trap spots. But the Cougars scored 14 unanswered in the second half and really controlled the closing stretch of the game in a 28-17 victory.
The offense is a little more balanced with Bear Bachmeier improving as a passer, and I see little resistance from this team making it to Dallas for the Big 12 Championship game. This is a legit top-12 team.
Faller: Rutgers
We may already have our answer for the worst Power-4 team in football this season. After a season-opening loss at home to UMass, the Scarlet Knights followed that up with a 28-21 loss to Boston College in their “Red Bandana” game (two side notes: first, the score is a lot closer than the game was. Second, of course, Boston College wasn’t going to lose the Red Bandana game on September 11!)
Not even a QB change could help Rutgers, as AJ Surace had the same struggles Dylan Lonergan did. This team just looks bad to the eye on both sides of the ball. The line play is horrific, and the schemes leave a lot to be desired. The second Greg Schiano era may have run its course.
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