College Football 2026 Week 2 Rankings, Standings, Schedule and Predictions

Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is in the books.

All but one of the teams ranked in the AP's Top 25 have at least one tally in the victory column.

The lone exception are the 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals, who couldn't quite summon enough offense to take down the ninth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels—despite accumulating 469 total yards and putting 38 points on the scoreboard. A seven-play, 77-yard touchdown drive knotted things at 38 apiece with less than 90 seconds remaining, but Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro connected on a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give his side the win.

With a top-five matchup on the docket for Week 2, the thrill rides should only get more exciting from here. Let's dig into the week ahead with new rankings, the top 25 schedule (with predictions) and an examination of that marquee matchup.

Florida A&M at 7 Miami (8 p.m., ACC Network) ( Prediction: Miami )

Villanova at 24 Louisville (7 p.m., ACC Network) ( Prediction: Louisville )

Norfolk State at 25 Virginia (7 p.m., ACCNX) ( Prediction: Virginia )

23 Missouri at Kansas (8 p.m., Fox) ( Prediction: Missouri )

Howard at 5 Indiana (Noon, BTN) ( Prediction: Indiana )

6 Oregon at Oklahoma State (Noon, ESPN) ( Prediction: Oregon )

Arizona State at 10 Texas A&M (Noon, ABC) ( Prediction: Texas A&M )

11 Oklahoma at Michigan (Noon, Fox) ( Prediction: Oklahoma )

16 Penn State at Temple (Noon, ESPN2) ( Prediction: Penn State )

Western Kentucky at 2 Georgia (12:45 p.m., SEC Network) ( Prediction: Georgia )

Rice at 3 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m., NBC) ( Prediction: Notre Dame )

12 Alabama at Kentucky (3:30 p.m., ABC) ( Prediction: Kentucky )

Arizona at 15 BYU (3:30 p.m., Fox) ( Prediction: Arizona )

Utah State at 19 Washington (3:30 p.m., BTN) ( Prediction: Washington )

UC Davis at 17 SMU (4 p.m., ACCNX) ( Prediction: SMU )

18 Tennessee at Georgia Tech (7 p.m., ESPN) ( Prediction: Tennessee)

Southern at 22 Houston (7 p.m., ESPN+) ( Prediction: Houston)

1 Ohio State at 4 Texas (7:30 p.m., ABC) ( Prediction: Ohio State )

Louisiana Tech at 8 LSU (7:30 p.m., SECN+) ( Prediction: LSU )

13 Texas Tech at Oregon State (7:30 p.m., CBS) ( Prediction: Texas Tech )

Iowa State at 21 Iowa (7:30 p.m., NBC) ( Prediction: Iowa )

Charlotte at 9 Ole Miss (7:45 p.m., ESPN2) ( Prediction: Ole Miss )

Arkansas at 20 Utah (10:15 p.m., ESPN) ( Prediction: Utah )

Louisiana at 14 USC (11 p.m., BTN) ( Prediction: USC )

Ohio State-Texas Should Be a Can't-Miss Classic

If the AP voters are right, two of the nation's top four teams will collide in Austin, Texas this weekend. And based on what we know about these teams, those voters are probably right.

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith might be the best player in the nation. He did, after all, take the top spot on the latest 2027 NFL mock draft from the B/R NFL Scouting Department. Then again, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the No. 3 pick in that mock, has an argument for the top spot, so maybe that's one of the many debates settled in this tussle.

Texas figures to sell out on stopping Smith, a strategy with so-so results in recent matchups. While the Longhorns have held Smith to seven receptions for 46 yards over two matchups in the past two seasons, they've also lost both of those contests.

Can Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin activate his top receiver this time around? Or find alternatives if it's another sleepy outing for Smith?

Can the Longhorns get their pass-rushers going early and often, leading to one headache for Sayin after another? Will their rushing attack do enough to limit pressure on Manning and not force him to try doing too much?

Our crystal ball doesn't hold those answers, but it's also OK with that, since it's itching like everyone else to see how this heavyweight bout will go down.

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