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The 2024 college football season is officially underway, and naturally, it's time to overreact to Week 1 results. The season has already brought some surprising final scores, exciting ranked-versus-ranked matchups, and as always -- blowouts.
Week 1 highlights include Notre Dame taking home a "W" in College Station, Miami whooping up on in-state rival Florida, and Florida State dropping to 0-2 before most teams have even played two games. Based on Week 1, we're in for a heck of a season!
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.
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Overrated College Football Teams For Week 2
Michigan Wolverines: No. 10
Sure, Michigan beat a solid Fresno State squad by 20 points, but it took a 17-point fourth quarter aided by a Will Johnson pick-six to put the game out of reach late in the ball game.
Given the sign-stealing scandal and investigations surrounding the program during Jim Harbaugh's tenure and the 13 players the team lost to the 2024 NFL Draft, it is no surprise Michigan stumbled out of the gate.
Michigan quarterbacks Davis Warren and Alex Orji combined to complete 16-of-27 passing attempts for 121 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while running back Donovan Edwards averaged just 2.5 yards per carry on 11 attempts. That won't get it done against No. 3 Texas this Saturday, and the performance should've led to more than a one-spot drop in the AP Poll.
Some evidence as to why Michigan went with Davis Warren tonight. pic.twitter.com/0lgMYaWgmR
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) September 1, 2024
How did voters come out of Week 1 ranking Michigan ahead of Miami? Make it make sense.
USC Trojans: No. 13
USC began the season as the No. 23-ranked team in the land. Its last-minute win against LSU behind an excellent performance by quarterback Miller Moss should propel it inside the top 20. However, leapfrogging Tennessee and Oklahoma feels a bit extreme.
Miller Moss vs No. 13 LSU
⚔️ 27/36
⚔️ 378 passing yards
⚔️ 1 TD/0 INTs
⚔️ W pic.twitter.com/NqUyf5dTpy— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2024
The Tigers looked like an unprepared and undisciplined squad that was likely already ranked too high to begin with, and it's not as if the Trojans had control of the game from start to finish.
Lincoln Riley has produced teams at Oklahoma and USC that have gone on to be unquestioned top 10 teams and national championship contenders, and maybe this 2024 Trojan team is one of those.
For now, it's too early for a 10-spot jump in the polls for beating an LSU team that lost Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr.
Clemson Tigers: No. 25
There is no shame in getting beat by Georgia, a team that has not lost a regular-season contest since 2020. However, after another offseason of hype, Clemson continued to look sluggish on offense and could only put three points on the board.
It wasn't even competitive after halftime. Dabo Swinney's stubbornness against NIL and the transfer portal has led the Clemson program to fall from elite to just "good."
Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik continues to look like nothing more than a game manager, and preseason darling Phil Mafah could only muster 56 total yards on 18 touches. Clemson looked exactly like it did in 2022 and 2023, and it's beginning to look like Swinney is lost without a superstar signal-caller like Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence.
Despite having a top-5 roster in all of college football, there's an argument to be made that Clemson should've been kicked out of the top 25, at least for one week.
Underrated College Football Teams For Week 2
Miami Hurricanes: No. 12
Miami saw a seven-spot rise in the Week 2 AP Poll, but was that enough? The Hurricanes rolled into The Swamp and outgained Florida by 268 yards en route to a 41-17 victory. Sure, Florida isn't a top-flight team, but the Gators have plenty of talent and this game was never close after the first quarter.
Veteran transfer quarterback Cam Ward looked every part of a premium Heisman Trophy contender, racking up 418 total yards of offense and three passing scores. Miami's defense dominated the line of scrimmage and tallied three sacks and eight tackles for loss against its SEC rival. Miami also won the turnover battle 2-1.
LET. CAM. COOK. 👨🍳
Can Ward put a numbers today by going 29-35 for 385 yards and three touchdowns@CanesFootball | @MiamiHurricanes | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/wot0MALzoa
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 1, 2024
The Hurricanes likely don't have another big test for a while, so don't be surprised when they dominate all of their opponents and end up firmly inside the top 10 before their matchup with Louisville in the Bluegrass State on October 19.
Kansas Jayhawks: No. 19
The Jayhawks handled business in a 45-point win over Lindenwood on Saturday. Yes, the opponent was no powerhouse, but Kansas arguably should've been ahead of state rival Kansas State, to begin with, and 0-1 LSU should not be ahead of it heading into Week 2.
Kansas' rushing attack was impressive in Week 1, racking up 331 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Star quarterback Jalon Daniels is back after an injury-riddled 2023 campaign and wasn't asked to do much against the FCS foe, but he'll become an X factor down the road.
Head coach Lance Leipold will continue to rack up "Ws" this season, and the AP voters will be forced to take notice.
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