College football rankings: LSU set to climb after dominant win, Oregon's status as No. 2 in doubt — SkimNews
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- Ohio State held firm at No. 1 after a 53-point win over Ball State, leaving no debate about the top spot heading into Week 2.
- Oregon's No. 2 status is in doubt after surviving a 34-27 upset scare from Boise State, with the source projecting the Ducks will drop at least a spot or two.
- LSU, under Lane Kiffin, is positioned to crack the top 10 after an 'absolute throttling' of Clemson and could climb as high as No. 8 depending on Ole Miss's Sunday night result.
- Alabama answered preseason concerns about its quarterback and run game in a 48-10 rout of ECU, and with tight voting margins between Nos. 10-13, should move closer to the top-10 cut-off — notable as the first preseason since 2007 the Tide sat outside the top 10.
- Michigan may slip from No. 16 after nearly three-and-a-half quarters of disappointing play and a 13-12 last-second escape against Western Michigan, with questions around Bryce Underwood's performance.
- Clemson, which checked in just outside the AP top 25 in the preseason, is expected to fall out entirely after the 'woeful' showing at LSU, while Boise State earned respect despite the loss and should gain votes for a possible future top-25 push.
Why it matters: With four ranked games still on the Week 1 schedule, AP voters won't finalize the post-Week 1 ballot until Monday — but the early returns are already reshaping the College Football Playoff picture: LSU has answered doubters about its contender status, Oregon's thin margins could knock the Ducks out of the top two, and Michigan's near-miss raises real questions about a team projected as a CFP contender.
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