2026 Power Rankings: Everything we learned from the Top 25 in Week 2 - ESPN

What did we learn in Week 2 of the 2026 college football season?

For starters, Texas has some serious grit. In erasing a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat top-ranked Ohio State, the Longhorns proved that they not only have a quarterback, a run game and a defense capable of winning big games, but also the mettle to do it ugly. «It wasn't very pretty, but we found a way to win,» quarterback Arch Manning said after Texas' 24-23 comeback win. «That's what good teams do.»

Ditto for Michigan, which shed the drama of the Wolverines' Week 1 escape against Western Michigan, stifled Oklahoma's John Mateer and downed No. 11 Oklahoma behind a career-high 18 carries and a team-best 87 rushing yards from quarterback Bryce Underwood. Oklahoma State also showed plenty of resolve, bouncing back from a season-opening loss to Tulsa in time to trip up No. 6 Oregon in Stillwater.

On the flip side, we learned that the Buckeyes and Ducks, a pair of preseason Big Ten and national title favorites, still have work to do. Same goes for the offenses at Oklahoma and Washington, who saw familiar issues from a year ago return, respectively, in a deflating, early-season road loss for the Sooners and the Huskies' narrow home win over Utah State.

No such drama bubbled for Big Ten and SEC contenders including Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and USC. Meanwhile, several others are quietly readying to make some noise, from a Tennessee team powered by freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon to traditional powers with new leadership this fall between Florida with new head coach Jon Sumrall and Matt Campbell-led Penn State.

There's plenty more left for us to find out about the nation's top programs this fall. But each week paints a clearer picture