College football rankings 2022: Projected Week 3 AP Top 25 after Alabama survives, Notre Dame & Texas A&M fall

Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 2: No. 8-7

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Spencer Sanders looked much more like the quarterback we’ve seen for years now in Stillwater in Week 2 than he did with his otherworldly performance against Central Michigan last week. But the good news is that against a Power 5 opponent in Arizona State, the defense looked much more promising than they did against the Chippewas.

We know that the ceiling of the Oklahoma State offense with Sanders is quite high but that the swings from good and bad are going to be quite evident. That’s what makes the performance of the defense after Jim Knowles’ departure so critical. So to see them step up at home against a fine Sun Devils team shows that the Pokes are going to be a quality team from start to finish in the 2022 campaign.

7. USC Trojans

Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley continue to look at home in Hollywood as a trip to Palo Alto didn’t cause the Trojans much trouble at all. They scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, including Jordan Addison making house calls on his first two catches of the night. The defense wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination but made plays yet again to make some noise.

Much like when Riley was in Norman, it appears that the only thing that is going to slow USC up this season is if the defense finds itself in a tough matchup for them. But with the way he and Williams are cooking and putting big numbers on the scoreboard, it’s hard to argue with the fact that the Trojans are going to be a factor on a national level once again.