The first week of the college football season created a lot of movement among the top teams, but Week 2 was just about avoiding disaster. The top contenders did that, although some teams further down the rankings did not.
Ohio State went from hosting Texas to hosting Grambling and the Buckeyes remained the favorite to win the national title on BetMGM after beating the Tigers 70-0. OSU is +525 to win what would be their second title in a row.
Georgia and Penn State also had easy victories against overwhelmed opponents and are +600 in the odds, not far behind the Buckeyes. Penn State beat Florida International 34-0 while Georgia beat Austin Peay 28-6 in a weather-delayed game. Those scores aren't 70-0, but that's not exactly time for alarm bells either (although some Georgia fans will disagree). The Bulldogs will get their first big test of the season Saturday at Tennessee, so it's likely that +600 number will move a week from now.
Texas is still among the top contenders despite that 14-7 loss to Ohio State to start the season. The Longhorns are +700 after a 38-7 win against San Jose State. Arch Manning threw four touchdowns, so optimism may slowly be returning to Austin.
A highly-ranked team that did make a statement was Oregon. The Ducks beat Oklahoma State 69-3. That score could say more about the Cowboys than it does the Ducks, but 69-3 against a Big 12 opponent is still eye-catching. Oregon is +900 to win the title. The Ducks will take on Northwestern on the shore of Lake Michigan this week. Let's see if NU can keep the Ducks under 50.
LSU is sixth in the odds at +1000. The Tigers had a big win at Clemson in Week 1, but Clemson struggled against Troy in a 27-16 win in which it trailed 16-3 at halftime. LSU labored in a 23-7 win against Louisiana Tech. It could be a hangover coming off a big game for both teams. It could also be that neither team is as good as we thought. LSU gets a sterner test this week against a wounded Florida team.
Those top six favorites are the same as last week, which aligns with what we saw (but probably didn't watch because look at some of those scores) on the field.
One team that saw a notable move is Oklahoma. The Sooners won the only top-25 matchup of the week by beating Michigan 24-13. John Mateer looks like the real deal at quarterback (and is currently second in Heisman Trophy odds behind only LSU's Garrett Nussmeier), and the Sooners' defense was strong against freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.
OU went from +5000 to +3500. The Sooners are still in long-shot territory, but are rising among the ranks of the contenders.
Notre Dame is one in a set of teams with +1500 odds to win the national title. The Fighting Irish host Texas A&M on Saturday, pitting two of the top 12 teams in the title odds against one another. A&M is +2500 to win it all. Considering ND already has a loss, that game could see a big move in the odds for both teams.
Alabama (+1500), which also has one loss, has the same +1500 odds as Notre Dame. Bama beat Louisiana Monroe 73-0 on Saturday. Does that mean all is well? The Crimson Tide host Wisconsin this weekend, which should be a better indicator.
Clemson was tied with Alabama and Notre Dame on Monday, but has since dropped behind these two at +2000.
Ole Miss and Miami have the same +2500 odds as A&M. Yes, that means Notre Dame is higher in the odds to win the national title than Miami despite the Hurricanes winning the head-to-head in Week 1.