College football conference power rankings: Week 2

Here’s how the college football Power Five stacks up heading into week two of the regular season.

While week one of the college football season was certainly eventful, it brought no change in the conference power rankings.

In the most important national game of the weekend, the Alabama Crimson Tide defended their preseason No. 1 ranking by handily taking down the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles in Atlanta. Every other team in the top 10 managed a win, although a few squads struggled against lesser competition.

The weekend featured two other matchups between ranked teams, including a dominant performance from the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines against the offensively challenged No. 17 Florida Gators. In the first meeting for the Black Diamond Trophy in over a decade, the No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies outlasted the No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers in the best game of the weekend.

Elsewhere, the No. 23 Texas Longhorns suffered a shocking loss to the Maryland Terrapins in the first game of the Tom Herman era. The tough weekend for the Big 12 continued later, as Baylor went down to FCS Liberty. Neither loss compared to the Texas A&M Aggies, who blew a 38-10 third quarter lead to the UCLA Bruins, leaving Kevin Sumlin’s program in a further state of disarray.

Some movement could come in week two with a number of ranked clashes, but the conference power rankings did not change from the preseason edition.

5. Big 12

With massively disappointing losses from Texas and Baylor and no real notable wins in week one, the Big 12 remains a distant fifth in the conference power rankings.

Maryland isn’t exactly a pushover, but losing at home as a 19-point favorite is an awful start for Herman in Austin, where fans and boosters haven’t exactly been patient in the past. Texas’ defenses were poor under Charlie Strong, a trend that seems likely to continue after the unit surrendered 51 points to the Terrapins.

While everyone in the college football world knows Matt Rhule faces a major rebuilding job at Baylor, the Bears’ loss to Liberty was the most surprising result of the week. Baylor’s defense, which was projected to be one of the best in the conference, allowed Liberty to rack up 447 passing yards and were unable to force a turnover.

Even in a seven-point loss to a good Virginia Tech team, West Virginia proved itself capable of contending for the Big 12 title, particularly if Will Grier maintains his form from the opener. The rest of the Big 12 went undefeated against poor competition, with the No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys earning the most impressive victory in a blowout of Tulsa.

Next Saturday will provide a huge opportunity for the Big 12, as the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners can establish their playoff case with a win over the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. The TCU Horned Frogs. who could sneak into the top 25 this week, will also have a marquee nonconference game at Arkansas.