Thoughts on the AP Poll: Week 2

Just two ranked teams lost in an uneventful week of college football, but close wins by a couple of top teams sent them sliding down the AP Poll.

Nonconference woes continue for Big 12

The only ranked teams to lose in Week 2 were No. 22 Oklahoma State and No. 15 TCU, and both lost in heartbreaking fashion at home a week after No. 14 Oklahoma lost to sixth-ranked Houston.

The Cowboys fell victim to the year's first major officiating controversy when Central Michigan beat them 30-27 on a wild play that never should have happened. The referees awarded the Chippewas an untimed down when Oklahoma State was whistled for intentional grounding on fourth down as time expired. Since the penalty results in a loss of down, the game should not have been extended one more play, but the Mid-American Conference officiating crew gave Central Michigan the ball on its own 49-yard line with a chance at one play.

The Chippewas made the most of that chance. Quarterback Cooper Rush launched a Hail Mary to Jesse Kroll, who caught the pass near the Cowboys' 10-yard line and quickly tossed a lateral to teammate Corey Willis. Willis dashed into the end zone for a touchdown to stun Oklahoma State and send the Cowboys tumbling out of the rankings.

The Horned Frogs rallied from a 20-7 deficit against Arkansas with three straight fourth-quarter touchdowns, taking a 21-20 lead with 7:15 remaining on a seven-yard touchdown run by Kyle Hicks and tacking on seven more points when redshirt junior Kenny Hill trotted into the end zone from five yards out with just 2:05 remaining.

But the Razorbacks needed just four plays to score a touchdown on a 16-yard pass from quarterback Austin Allen to Keon Hatcher, and Hatcher found Allen with a pass in the end zone on a trick play to tie the game with a two-point conversion.

TCU returned Arkansas' kickoff 64 yards and looked to set to win the game in regulation, but 6-foot-10 Razorback offensive lineman Dan Skipper blocked Ryan Graf's 28-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds.

The AP poll voters were not impressed by the Bulldogs' win, as they dropped seven spots from No. 9 to No. 16.

Clemson holds on for second straight week

The Tigers were last year's national runner-up and were expected to be national title contenders again this year with most of their core returning, but they have not played like one for the first two weeks.

A week after squeaking past Auburn 19-13, Clemson had a chance to get back on track against Troy. But the Tigers did not lead the Trojans by more than seven points until the fourth quarter and recovered an onside with less than a minute left to seal a sluggish 30-24. The game was highlighted by a special teams gaffe by Clemson punt returner Ray-Ray McCloud, who dropped the ball in celebration on a return before he crossed the goal-line for a would-be touchdown late in the first half.

Preseason ACC Player of the Year Deshaun Watson passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns but also threw two interceptions, and the Tigers averaged just 3.8 yards per carry as a team. Clemson dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the AP poll after the unimpressive win.

Tennessee finally finds its groove

Tennessee was a preseason top-10 but dropped eight spots in the poll last week after needing overtime to beat Appalachian State. The Volunteers still looked unimpressive after one quarter of play against Virginia Tech, trailing 14-0.

But in front of a college-football record crowd of 156,990 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee finally looked like an elite team for the last three quarters of a 45-24 win. Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs accounted for five touchdowns to orchestrate a 45-3 run and the Volunteers' defense recovered five fumbles to stifle the Hokies. 

Tennessee moved up two spots to No. 15, with four of its next five games coming against ranked SEC teams.