Football: Movers and shakers

The GIST: Week 1 football brought us upsets, blowouts, a 62-point fourth quarter and a touchdown-less game, all leading to yesterday’s Week 2 poll mayhem. Let’s dig into who made massive moves and who punted their poll positions.

Who’s up, who’s out: While four of the preseason top five remain the same, the long weekend saw the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines jump to No. 4 after a 51–7 win over Colorado State. And they’re not the only team leapfrogging — now–No. 10 USC and new–No. 21 BYU also improved by four spots, and Arkansas took over as No. 16 after defeating now-unranked Cincinnati.

• Also out of the rankings is Oregon, tumbling from No. 11 after the dominant No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs pummeled them 49–3 on Saturday. And now–No. 18 NC State fell a solid five notches after merely squeaking by East Carolina. Sheesh.

The newcomers: Who’s taking over the newly-vacated rankings? The Florida Gators and the Tennessee Vols, clocking in at Nos. 12 and 24, respectively. The Vols made the Ball State Cardinals fly away with a strong 59–10 showing last week.

• And Gators QB Anthony Richardson’s highlight reel of a game dashed the Pac-12’s College Football Playoff (CFP) hopes in a nailbiter upset against Utah, who threw an interception on the would-have-been game-winning last play of the game, plummeting from No. 7 to No. 13 in the process. Crikey.

A new Cinderella?: The glass slipper is officially off the Cincinnati Bearcats. And while college football isn’t often rife with Cinderella stories, a few teams are vying for this year’s crown. No. 25 Houston could take names this season, and with most of its 2021 offensive line returning, No. 21 BYU may make a case for itself.

• But, like the side part, it seems that No. 24 Tennessee is back. The SEC team faces massive conference competition, but they haven’t looked this strong since the mid-2000s, and a vintage Vols performance may be on the 2022 slate.