College football rankings: Georgia takes over No. 1 spot from Alabama, Notre Dame plummets in CBS Sports 131

The schedule in Week 2 almost always looks less exciting going in than the results we see on the field, and this year was no different as three top-10 teams all lost on the same day and the presumed best team in the country was taken to the wire on the road as a 20-point favorite. But now that all the dust has settled, the picture at the top looks clearer than ever — and that picture paints the Georgia Bulldogs as the best team in the country. 

Georgia took over the No. 1 spot from Alabama in the latest edition of the CBS Sports 131, a comprehensive ranking of every FBS team. Our voters, a group compiled of college football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports, moved Georgia ahead of Ohio State for No. 2 after the Bulldogs’ impressive season-opening win against Oregon. After the Crimson Tide escaped with a 20-19 win against Texas on Saturday, Georgia’s journey to No. 1 was complete as the Bulldogs are the unanimous No. 1 team entering Week 3. 

The reaction to Alabama’s near-upset at the hands of the Longhorns nearly cost them two spots in the rankings; a razor thin margin separates the Crimson Tide from Ohio State at No. 3. Michigan and Oklahoma are the next teams up at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, with USC making a move up four spots to No. 6 after its impressive win at Stanford.  

Kentucky made one of the bigger moves within the top 25, jumping 13 spots to No. 10 after the road win at Florida. Notable moves down included massive falls for Notre Dame (from No. 8 to No. 40) and Texas A&M (from No. 7 to No. 33), but of course those upsets also have positive results in the rankings for Marshall (up 39 spots to No. 32) and Appalachian state (up 19 spots to No. 25). For more on the biggest week-to-week adjustments in the CBS Sports 131 this week, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table. 

College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-127 on our rankings page.

Biggest movers 

• No. 32 Marshall (+39): Charles Huff has led the Thundering Herd into the program’s Sun Belt era with a bang, declaring Marshall’s plans to be among the best teams in the league with an upset win at Notre Dame. 
• No. 29 Washington State (+33): The Cougars went into Wisconsin’s house and beat the Badgers in their own style of game. Now 2-0 with a huge road win on the profile, Washington State becomes a fascinating addition to the top of the Pac-12. 
• No. 25 Appalachian State (+19): It’s a strange profile to rank with a 63-61 home loss to North Carolina and a 17-14 upset win on the road at Texas A&M. What’s for certain, however, is that this team does not belong outside of the top 30 after showcasing its ability to compete against Power Five competition in both a high-scoring shootout and a low-scoring defensive battle. 
• No. 8 BYU (+13): Down its top two receivers, BYU quarterback Jaren Hall found a way to make enough plays to lead the Cougars to a 26-20 win in double-overtime against Baylor. Up next is a great challenge for BYU’s newly minted status as one of the top teams in the country, traveling to Eugene for a road test against Oregon. 
• No. 10 Kentucky (+13): The Wildcats defense had all of the answers for Anthony Richardson and made its claim as the second-best team in the SEC East with a hard-fought road win at Florida. 
• No. 37 Wisconsin (-23): Preseason rankings of Wisconsin were based on the belief that this would be another year of consistency from the Badgers. But with a home loss to Washington State and no FBS wins to their name, it’s tough to say “consistency” is enough to rank Wisconsin as a top-30 team in mid-September.  
• No. 33 Texas A&M (-26): Through two games, there’s very little to get excited about for Texas A&M, a team that’s still loaded with talent and fielding a defense that’s going to allow the Aggies to remain competitive even against the toughest SEC foes. But until the offense starts to find its rhythm, it’s going to be very difficult to consider Texas A&M a serious threat to win its division. 
• No. 40 Notre Dame (-32): An 0-2 start and a banged-up quarterback has left Notre Dame in a difficult position staring down the remainder of a schedule that includes three teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the CBS Sports 131 — USC, Clemson and BYU. 

Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 131: Teams ranked 26-131