Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams - Reviewing NCAA CFB Rankings For Week 2

Week 1 of the college football season always has a ton of mismatches, but there were a few solid games sprinkled in. Overall, it's tough to draw many conclusions from the first full week of collegiate action.

That said, a handful of teams seem obviously overrated based on Week 1 results, while others didn't get enough love in the Week 2 AP poll and are underrated.

It's time for the first article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams after the release of the weekly Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll. When the College Football Playoff Rankings begin dropping ahead of Week 9, we'll pivot to focus on those standings.

Overrated College Football Teams For Week 2

LSU Tigers: No. 14

Brian Kelly's Tigers were dominated in the second half against the Florida State Seminoles. LSU came into the game as the No. 5 team in the nation, which felt too high already -- and wasn't punished enough for being outscored 31-7 in the final two quarters of play.

Ultimately, I would've liked to see LSU fall into the 17-25 range. Of course, the Seminoles might just be that dominant, but teams like Kansas State, Oregon State, North Carolina, and Oklahoma arguably deserved to pass them in the rankings.

Colorado Buffaloes: No. 22

Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, Dylan Edwards, and Travis Hunter were the stars of the opening week of college football. However, the Buffaloes went from receiving zero votes in the preseason AP poll to being ranked No. 22.

The win was impressive, but Colorado beat a TCU team that lost 11 starters from last season, including standouts Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston,  Kendre Miller, Steve Avila, Dylan Horton, Derius Davis, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, and Dee Winters -- who were all selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Despite losing most of its offensive firepower, the Horned Frogs hung 42 points on the Buffs. Its defense could become an issue moving forward.

This isn't to say Colorado can't keep up its winning ways, but it feels too early to place them inside the top 25.

Clemson Tigers: No. 25

Clemson opened the season as the No. 9 team in the nation, and after a 21-point loss to Duke on Monday Night, there's no rhyme or reason the Tigers should remain a top-25 team.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik posted a horrific 4.9 yards per pass attempt, completing 27 of his 43 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Tigers rushed for 213 yards, but it didn't matter after two lost fumbles in the red zone.

The Clemson defense allowed 199 rushing yards and three rushing scores on just 30 attempts -- proving this won't be the elite stop unit we've seen from Clemson in the past.

Overall, Clemson was embarrassed and manhandled all night long and look to be headed toward mediocrity in the ACC.

Underrated College Football Teams For Week 2

Washington Huskies: No. 8

Washington came into the game against Boise State as a 12.5-point favorite at home. And after four quarters, the Huskies finished with a 37-point victory.

Michael Penix Jr. posted 450 passing yards and five passing touchdowns to zero interceptions, and the Washington defense allowed just 19 points and forced two turnovers against a Broncos squad that won 10 games last year.

It's hard to make a case for Washington passing Ohio State at No. 6, but a nod over No. 7 Penn State feels about right.

Tennessee Volunteers: No. 9

The Volunteers began the 2023 season tasked with replacing Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, and Darnell Wright on offense. All four players were selected in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Against Virginia in Nashville's Nissan Stadium, Tennessee's offense picked up right where it left off a year ago. The Vols won the contest 49-13, headlined by two passing scores and two rushing scores from quarterback Joe Milton and four total touchdowns from running back Dylan Sampson (three rushing, one receiving).

Like Washington, Tennessee should be ranked ahead of Penn State. Its offense will keep Tennessee in every game this season.

North Carolina Tar Heels: No. 17

The Drake Maye-led Tar Heels were just minor favorites against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday Night, mostly due to its woes on defense from last season. North Carolina looks much improved on that side of the ball after it held South Carolina to 17 points and negative-two rushing yards while sacking Spencer Rattler nine times.

Defensive coordinator Gene Chizik might have the stop unit back on track and ready to compete with Florida State for an ACC Championship. On offense, there's reason to believe Maye will continue to dominate.

Should UNC be ranked behind Oregon State, Kansas State, and LSU after defeating an SEC team in a neutral site game? I'm not so sure.

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