Projected college football rankings after Week 1: Clemson, Oklahoma, LSU drop; Georgia up to No. 2
20. LSU Tigers (Last Week: 16)
It’s been a tough week for the Hurricanes. Hurricane Ida forced them to evacuate elsewhere and they had a tough contest against a surging UCLA team on the road. Still, it’s a disappointing result in the end for LSU, who was hoping to start the season with a rebound after last year. Instead, it’s going to be searching for answers instead.
19. UCLA Bruins (Last Week: NR)
If you win twice in Week One, you deserve to be ranked. After a Week Zero or Week One (whichever floats your boat) win over Hawaii, the Bruins made a statement as they took down LSU at home. Chip Kelly is back and the Bruins are bringing home a win over the SEC to the alliance. It was a big night in Pasadena.
18. North Carolina Tar Heels (Last Week: 10)
North Carolina is one of the biggest losers in this week’s rankings. The Tar Heels lost 17-10 on the road to Virginia Tech and it raised some questions about whether the program was overrated to begin the season. Perhaps the lower teens was a better indication of where this team is. It’s a tough venue to play in and the Hokies were fired up, so perhaps the Heels can start climbing up again next week.
17. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Last Week: 22)
Coastal Carolina is going to be one of the big winners this week after an impressive start to the season on Thursday. The Chanticleers picked up a 52-14 win over The Citadel. While it’s The Citadel, quite a few teams struggled against inferior competition in Week One. Credit where credit is due.
16. Wisconsin Badgers (Last Week: 12)
This is about the extent of where the Badgers should fall. They lost to the No. 19 team in the nation in a slugfest against Penn State. Considering plenty of teams ranked near them struggled worse, it’s hard to see Wisconsin falling much further. The Badgers didn’t have a strong day on offense and should hopefully rebound against Eastern Michigan.