Top 25 | Of Course We’re Supposed To Overreact!

Oklahoma marched its way to an impressive 73-0 win over Arkansas State in the season opener. For the most part, Sooner Nation was convinced that this team is back to its traditional winning ways. Suddenly a 10-plus win season and a shot at the Big 12 title are within reach and there’s no convincing us otherwise. At least that’s what our crimson colored glasses tell us, so you’ll have to excuse us when we’re in disbelief that the voters in the AP & Coaches Polls only moved the Sooners up two spots.

OU is #18 in this week’s AP Poll and #17 in the Coaches. That’s a far cry from where we think they should be, following a performance in which the offense posted 642 yards and the defense pitched a shutout. The problem is, that performance came against quite possibly the worst FBS football team the state of Arkansas has to offer. Sure, on one hand we look at the best season opener in 106 years and make the assumption that all of demons from 2022 have been exercised, but the reality is that there’s an entire college football world outside of the Sooner State and Oklahoma needs to post impressive performances on teams not currently being coached by Butch Jones in order to move the needle a bit more than they did in Week 1.

Go out and beat SMU 73-0 you’ll definitely be the talk of the town at that point. Sooner fans are tasked with the daunting task of pumping the brakes on the enthusiasm train just a little and realizing that it’s a long climb back. I had OU #23 in my preseason poll, and while thousands of people didn’t look at my preseason rankings, there were do disagreements among the dozens that did. Much to the chagrin of my Sooner Brethren, I only boosted OU by one spot this week, mostly due to the fact that they played Arkansas State and I need to see more before committing to a deeper Top 25 relationship with them. That doesn’t mean I didn’t walk away from Saturday thinking, “Dang, these guys could be a dark horse candidate for the College Football Playoff.” Is that a bit of an overreaction? Of course it is! Is that what we’re supposed to do after our team stomps the Sisters of the Poor or a similar institution? Of course it is!

I Moved Tennessee & Texas Into My Top 10

The losses by LSU and Clemson created a void in the Top 10 and I filled it with Tennessee and Texas. The Longhorns may only occupy that space for a week, depending on how their trip to Tuscaloosa goes this weekend. I know they weren’t super impressive against Rice, but I also know that you don’t want to show your hand too much in Week 1 when you have to go to Alabama in Week 2.

I Dropped Texas Tech Out Of My Poll

I’m not fully buying the Colorado hype just yet. That said, winning on the road against last season’s national championship runner-up earns you a spot in the Top 25. I hated to see a Big 12 program bounced out for the Buffs but Texas Tech’s loss at Wyoming made them the best candidate to drop. The good news for the Red Raiders is that opportunity awaits this weekend with Oregon visiting Lubbock.

Heartland Sports 2023 Preseason Week 2 Top 25

Rank	Team	2023 Record	Last Week’s Ranking
1.	Georgia	1-0	1
2.	Michigan	1-0	2
3.	Ohio State	1-0	3
4.	Alabama	1-0	4
5.	USC	1-0	5
6.	Penn State	1-0	6
7.	Florida State	1-0	9
8.	Washington	1-0	10
9.	Tennessee	1-0	11
10.	Texas	1-0	12
11.	Utah	1-0	13
12.	Notre Dame	1-0	14
13.	Oregon	1-0	15
14.	LSU	0-1	7
15.	Kansas State	1-0	17
16.	Clemson	0-1	8
17.	Oregon State	1-0	18
18.	North Carolina	1-0	19
19.	Wisconsin	1-0	20
20.	Ole Miss	1-0	21
21.	TCU	0-1	16
22.	Oklahoma	1-0	23
23.	Tulane	1-0	24
24.	UCLA	1-0	25
25	Colorado	1-0	N/R

The Next Five Out: Texas A&M (1-0), Iowa (1-0), Arkansas (1-0), Kentucky (1-0), Pittsburgh (1-0)

Teams Most Likely To Rise This Week: Utah, Oregon

Team Most Likely To Drop This Week: Texas

Unranked Team That Shouldn’t Be: Arkansas

Alright, there it is! Dissect it, break it down, and tell me where I’m right or wrong.

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