College football rankings: Texas jumps to No. 2 as Tennessee, USC join top 10 in CBS Sports 134

The college football rankings rarely see bigger week-to-week changes than in the first month of the season because each result leads to overreactions … which sometimes then leads to a course correction a week or two later. That’s certainly the case in the post-Week 2 edition of the CBS Sports 134, where unexpected results have led to some huge adjustments inside the top 50. 

Things are less dramatic at the top of the rankings where Georgia holds firm in its position of No. 1 and Texas’ jump of Ohio State for No. 2 follows in line with the wide-ranging reaction to a statement win at Michigan. The Buckeyes will have their chance to state a case for No. 1 later in the season, but for now, the Bulldogs and Longhorns have power conference victories that give them an edge in that debate. 

Movement around the top 10 was sparked in part by Notre Dame’s stunning loss to Northern Illinois, leading to big rankings changes for both teams, and a top-10 arrival for Tennessee, moving up six spots to No. 7 following a primetime beatdown of NC State in Charlotte on Saturday night. 

And while Michigan and Notre Dame took a step back in the rankings following Week 2 defeats, neither fell outside of the top 25 –a range that now includes five different 1-1 teams. The voters from CBS Sports and 247Sports have docked those squads by knocking them outside the top 15, but there is still enough belief in their overall quality to keep them from falling outside the top 30. 

It is in that range from No. 25 to No. 50 where we see some of the biggest movement in the opening month of the season. From a cold, objective power ratings perspective, we’ve long known that there isn’t a lot of difference between the 25th best team in the country and the 40th best team, so when our sample size is small, the impact of individual results is greater when trying to split hairs among those similar teams. 

Teams like Illinois, Syracuse and South Carolina were not buried at the bottom of the rankings heading into the weekend, but they were not in a range that would be considered “on the radar” either. But after each pulled off power conference wins as underdogs, now they find themselves very much on the radar inside the top 45. 

For more on the notable week-to-week adjustments in the CBS Sports 134, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table. 

College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-134 on our rankings page.

Biggest movers 

• No. 30 Northern Illinois (+61): No surprise to see the Huskies as the biggest and most notable riser in the CBS Sports 134 after not just one of the biggest wins in program history but one of the biggest wins in MAC history. Prior to Saturday, no MAC team had ever beaten a top-five opponent (0-51). Now, thanks to NIU and Thomas Hammock, that record is 1-51. 
• No. 33 Syracuse (+40): The late-career emergence of Kyle McCord is the headline driving the hype for Syracuse here in Year 1 of the Fran Brown era. McCord had yet another career day in a ranked win against Georgia Tech and now has 735 yards and eight touchdowns through two games this season. 
• No. 28 Illinois (+23): Saturday’s win against Kansas was huge for Illinois’ season-long outlook, not only giving the team a win in one of the bigger coin-flip games on the schedule but injecting the fan base with energy as the team readies for the rigors of Big Ten play. 
• No. 44 South Carolina (+19): The Gamecocks’ defensive front has become a strength that can help level the playing field a little bit in the SEC. To go on the road and totally stuff anything that Kentucky tried to do offensively helped take the life out of the stadium and secure a huge win for Shane Beamer. 
• No. 39 NC State (-14): Disappointing does not do justice to the feeling for NC State after an offseason that eyed ACC title contention and perhaps the program’s second-ever 10-win season. Both of those goals are still attainable following a non-conference loss to Tennessee, but it’s the 41-point margin of defeat that has changed how our voters view the Wolfpack’s standing among the best teams in the country. 
• No. 48 Auburn (-18): For the second straight season, Auburn has lost at home to an unranked opponent as a double-digit favorite. The Tigers were 30th going into the weekend and now are even further from SEC’s middle class, falling to the edge of the top 50 after a woeful offensive performance against Cal. 
• No. 23 Notre Dame (-18): We might not see a bigger upset this season than Northern Illinois toppling Notre Dame as a 28.5-point underdog. And Notre Dame might win most of its remaining games and make a slow climb back towards the top 10, but our voters needed to be swift when reacting to one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Fighting Irish tumble down to the 20s. 
• No. 51 Kentucky (-23): South Carolina made a big jump after its win at Kentucky, and the voters made the necessary move to drop the Wildcats behind the Gamecocks. Unfortunately for Kentucky, that means one of the most notable week-to-week drops of the CBS Sports 134 as the team was knocking on the door of the top 25 coming out of Week 1.

Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 134: Teams ranked 26-134