Week 2 College Football Takeaways: 3 Ranked Teams Fall Off, Big Names Bounce Back

With a wild second weekend of college football in the books, here’s a look at some of the trends from a busy weekend of games.

Nico Gramatica (7) of the South Florida Bulls celebrates after making a game winning field goal during the second half of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 6, 2025. James Gilbert/Getty Images

Week 2 of the college football season saw three teams, including two former playoff teams, tumble out of the top 25 while a few big names found victory for the first time this year.

Arizona State, Florida, and SMU all fell out of the AP Top 25 poll after losses to unranked opponents. Michigan, the only other ranked team to lose, dropped to No. 23 after a loss to No. 13 Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, high-profile head coaches Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders both won for the first time this season, and Texas quarterback Arch Manning likewise led his team to a win.

Those were all among the defining moments of the season’s second weekend.​

South Florida Is Legitimate

​Two weeks into the season, South Florida (2–0) has wins over Boise State, a recent playoff team, and Florida, a formerly ranked SEC team.

The Bulls throttled then-No. 25 Boise State 34–7 on Aug. 28 at home, and the Broncos turned things around last weekend to blow out FCS Eastern Washington 51–14. A perennial power out of the Mountain West, Boise State hasn’t endured a losing season since 1998.

South Florida took it further by beating a Power Five, in-state rival 18–16 in Gainesville amid 89,909 fans in attendance. The Gators took a 16–15 lead in the fourth quarter with quarterback D.J. Lagway’s 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eugene Wilson III with 12:29 left, but Bulls kicker Nico Gramatica won the game as time expired with a 20-yard field goal.

South Florida marched 87 yards on eight plays in the final 2:25 of the game to pull that off, and that was after a fourth quarter full of stalled drives and a missed field goal. The Bulls relied on field goals in the first half and trailed 9–6 at halftime, but quarterback Byrum Brown changed that in the third quarter with a big offensive play on a 66-yard touchdown pass to wideout Keshaun Singleton.

South Florida still has a lot to prove as the Gators are anything but kings of the SEC. The Gators went 8–5 last season and had three-straight losing seasons before that.

South Florida’s biggest test of the season comes on Saturday when facing No. 5 Miami (2–0) at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes edged then-No. 6 Notre Dame in the season opener and routed FCS Bethune-Cookman 45–3 on Sept. 6.

Unless South Florida gets blown out, the Bulls have a shot at the College Football Playoff by running the table through the American Athletic Conference. It’s not a shoe-in—the Bulls at least need to give the Hurricanes a seriously competitive game next Saturday.​

Baylor, Auburn on the Rise

​Auburn and Baylor had an exciting Week 1 clash, and now, both teams are trending upward after strong Week 2 games.

The Baylor Bears (1–1) bounced back from the 38–24 loss to the Tigers by edging then-No. 17 SMU (1–1) on the road in two overtimes, 48–45. While Baylor didn’t crack the poll, the Bears received seven votes and could make more headway in a few weeks with defending Big 12 champion Arizona State (1–1).

Auburn, meanwhile, cracked the poll with a 42–3 rout of Ball State. The Tigers can keep building momentum with South Alabama (1–1) next Saturday before a gauntlet of SEC teams, which starts with No. 13 Oklahoma (2–0).

Mississippi State Another to Watch

​The Bulldogs (2–0) made a case for a top-25 ranking on Sept. 6 with a 24–20 win over formerly No. 12 Arizona State.

However, Mississippi State only beat Southern Miss 34–17 in the season opener. The Bulldogs have two more non-conference games before a big SEC opener with No. 15 Tennessee, but that gives MSU a chance to impress the pollsters before the schedule gets harder.​

Bill Belichick’s First Win

​Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels (1–1) bounced back for a 20–3 win over Charlotte after an embarrassing season-opening loss to TCU.

With the first win out of the way, Belichick gets an FCS team in Richmond next Saturday. It only gets harder from here with ACC play ahead.​

Coach Prime Bounces Back

​Colorado rebounded under head coach Deion Sanders for a 31–7 win over FCS power Delaware. The Buffaloes received a strong performance from quarterback Ryan Staub in his debut, with 157 yards passing and two touchdowns.

It gets harder for Staub and company next with Houston (2–0) on Friday.​

Arch Manning Improves

​Manning led the No. 7 Longhorns (1–1) to a 38–7 victory over San Jose State on Sept. 6, amid 19–30 passing for 295 yards and four touchdowns versus an interception. He also rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown.

While those numbers were an improvement from his slow start against now-No. 1 Ohio State, questions remain on how good he will be. Manning, of course, has a long lineage of quarterbacks in the family with his grandfather, Archie, and uncles Peyton and Eli.

In addition, many of the other top-25 teams playing non-Power Five squads on Sept. 6 piled on far more offense. Ohio State and No. 14 Florida State, No. 21 Alabama, and No. 22 Tennessee all scored 70 or more points.

Speaking of Scoring

Minnesota (2–0) ran into a unique problem amid a 66–0 rout of FCS Northwestern State.

The Gophers’ gameday staff ran out of fireworks to shoot off for touchdowns scoring at Huntington Bank Stadium. That problem likely won’t occur again for the Gophers with Big Ten play around the corner, which begins with a 2–0 California team.