2017 Couch Power 10, Week 2

Another week of College Football in the books, another Tar Heel loss. Just kidding, I promise I won't make this all about me. It was a massive weekend of football, probably even bigger than opening week. Last Saturday featured 4 different games between two ranked teams, and that doesn't even account for decent B-slate games like Nebraska-Oregon, Louisville-Carolina, and Penn State-Pittsburgh. Needless to say, there were several teams that made statements this past weekend. One stuck a flag in their opponent's field. To the rankings!

1. Oklahoma

Well, that is how to announce you're ready for primetime. You may recall, I was more than a little skeptical of the Sooners preseason, but their rout of #2 Ohio State, in Columbus, no less, showed they're the real deal. Not only do they have a possible Heisman winner at quarterback, they seem to have the defense to match as well.

2. Alabama

Oklahoma's win easily takes the early title for most impressive of the year, but let's not forget Bama's neutral-site takedown of Florida State just last week. Don't be surprised at least to see the Tide roll to another 13-0 season.

3. Clemson

Clemson got a much stiffer test than Kent State, and they (at least the defense) were up to it. Knocking off an Auburn team that was predicted by many to be Bama's toughest test this year is an impressive W, and even more impressive is how thoroughly the Tiger D locked up that Gus Malzahn offense.

4a. USC

These next two are "teams I'm not sold on yet, but have a big win." USC's offense once again outshone its defense, but to do so against a tough Stanford team is noteworthy. The Trojans could very well run the table in the regular season.

4b. Michigan

For the 2nd straight week, Michigan overcame a sluggish start to put away their opponent in the 4th quarter. Cincinnati is a step down competition-wise from Florida, but this is nevertheless an impressive start for the young Wolverines.

6a. Penn State

This next tier is "haven't played anyone too impressive, but they sure pass the eye test." Pitt will likely be worse than in years past, but is still Pitt, and no rivalry game is a walkover. Penn State dominated start-to-finish, and added some insult to injury with their coach's postgame press conference (which for the record, I loved).

6b. LSU

LSU has looked every bit the part of contender these first few weeks against BYU and Chattanooga. It will be interesting to see how they measure up in their SEC slate, which begins next week with Mississippi State.

6c. Oklahoma State

Sure, the Cowboys are yet to have a signature win that their in-state rivals do-- and with their out-of-conference schedule, likely won't get it. What they do have, is an average margin of victory of 36 points.

9. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech followed up their nice win over West Virginia with a shutout of Delaware.

10. Georgia

I think Notre Dame was a little prematurely ranked. That being said, winning a night game in South Bend with a backup, true Freshman quarterback is no small feat. Georgia has an early claim to being the team to beat in the SEC East. Granted, they don't give trophies out or being a 2-to-3 loss team that will inevitably get steamrolled by Alabama.

Just missed: Wisconsin, Louisville, Maryland, TCU, Freshman sensation Chazz Surratt