Wisconsin put things away in the second half against New Mexico, Michigan got a much-needed laugher and Mississippi State looks legit. But what will it mean going forward? Here's the most important thing you need to know from each of them -- and every other Top 25 team -- as their games go final. Check back all day for updates.
No. 1 Alabama 57, Arkansas State 7
There's no more quarterback controversy at Alabama. Coach Nick Saban ended that when he named Tua Tagovailoa the starter on Monday. And Tagovailoa didn't disappoint in his second career start against Arkansas State, throwing three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone and four overall. But Jalen Hurts saw the field as well, begging the question of whether he'll look to redshirt this season by playing in four games or less. Hurts, in his second appearance this season, played well, throwing two touchdown passes and no interceptions. While we wait to see Hurts' role moving forward, what has to trouble Alabama fans is special teams, which didn't look sharp with a pair of missed extra points and a fumbled punt return. -- Alex Scarborough
No. 2 Clemson 28, Texas A&M 26
Nobody in Clemson is going to apologize for getting a win on the road in front of 105,000 people. But the 28-26 win over Texas A&M showed that the Tigers have plenty of work to do. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has said since the spring that he was worried about the youth and depth issues in his secondary, and that played out Saturday night as Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond did a nice job of making big plays to give the Aggies a chance to win the game in the end. Clemson's quarterback situation isn't close to being settled, either. Trevor Lawrence threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in the first half but struggled in the second. It was veteran Kelly Bryant who came into the game in the third quarter to lead consecutive scoring drives that ultimately made the difference in the game. -- Andrea Adelson
No. 3 Georgia 41, No. 24 South Carolina 17
Georgia no longer has star tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who are now playing in the NFL, along with linebackers Roquan Smith and Lorenzo Carter, the leaders of a very good UGA defense in 2017. But one thing this Bulldogs team has that last year's didn't is elite speed across the board. Ask South Carolina, which allowed 41 points on Saturday in its worst loss in the series since 1971. After the Gamecocks largely shut down the UGA running game in the first half, Georgia exploded for three quick touchdowns in the third quarter to blow it open. And once junior receiver Mecole Hardman and tailback D'Andre Swift started making plays in open space, Georgia's punishing running game took over. -- Mark Schlabach
The Gamecocks have undoubtedly made progress under coach Will Muschamp, but Saturday's 24-point loss to his alma mater proves they still have a long way to go. The biggest difference between Georgia and South Carolina right now is the Bulldogs' depth and talent on both lines of scrimmage. For the third year in a row, the Bulldogs had a sizable advantage running the ball, outgaining the Gamecocks 271 yards to 54 on the ground. In the past three games in the series, each won by the Bulldogs, they've outgained USC 839-127 in rushing yards. South Carolina can bounce back quickly, with upcoming games against Marshall, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. -- Schlabach
No. 4 Ohio State 52, Rutgers 3
Ohio State has not skipped a beat during Urban Meyer's suspension. The first two games of the season weren't the biggest challenges for the Buckeyes, facing Oregon State and Rutgers, but they handled their business seamlessly against both opponents. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been a big part of that success, showing full command of the offense in his first season as starter. Haskins finished the game against Rutgers with four touchdown passes after throwing for five against Oregon State. Through the first two games of the season, Haskins has thrown for 546 yards on 42-of-53 passing. -- Tom VanHaaren
No. 5 Wisconsin 45, New Mexico 14
The final score didn't indicate the dogfight Wisconsin was in early, but Heisman hopeful running back Jonathan Taylor had a career-high 253 rushing yards and three touchdowns behind another dominant performance from the offensive line, and the Badgers soared in the second half. It was a textbook example of the running game opening things up for the passing game, where receiver A.J. Taylor racked up 134 yards and one touchdown on five catches. If Wisconsin's offense can be that balanced against the Big Ten -- and eliminate the turnovers -- the Badgers should be back in the playoff conversation. With no nonconference games against Power 5 opponents, Wisconsin needs to leave no doubt with the selection committee that it's the better team, and in spite of a precarious 10-7 lead at the half, it did that. Next, it has to do it against BYU. -- Heather Dinich
No. 6 Oklahoma 49, UCLA 21
A key injury cast a pall over another brilliant performance by quarterback Kyler Murray in Oklahoma's 49-21 victory over UCLA. Murray completed 19 of 33 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the Sooners with 69 rushing yards and another two scores as the Bruins had no answer for him. Murray, however, might have to shoulder even more of the Oklahoma offense moving forward. On the final play of the first quarter, Sooners star running back Rodney Anderson went down with an apparent knee injury. After being tackled by a pair of UCLA defenders, Anderson came up holding his right knee. He was taken to the locker room only to come back out in the second half wearing a brace with the knee wrapped. Anderson, who rushed for 201 yards in the Rose Bowl last year, was a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Immediately after the game, coach Lincoln Riley had no update on his status. Anderson has already suffered two season-ending injuries in his Oklahoma career. -- Jake Trotter
No. 7 Auburn 63, Alabama State 9
After such an important win to open the season against top-10 foe Washington, all eyes were on Auburn to see if the Tigers would shift into cruise control Saturday against outmanned Alabama State. So, it had to be heartening for Auburn coach Gus Malzahn to see the Tigers dominate from the outset in racing to a 42-2 halftime lead. Granted, the Tigers will play against a lot better defenses this season, but freshman running back JaTarvious Whitlow sure looks the part. He's a battering ram and will only get better. Auburn is going to need to run the ball better than it did against Washington in the opener, and Whitlow will be a key cog in that running game. -- Chris Low
No. 8 Notre Dame 24, Ball State 16
Notre Dame's place in the top 25 is secure after Saturday's win over Ball State, but it's spot in the College Football Playoff discussion is up for debate. Yes, the Irish earned an important nonconference win over Michigan in the season opener -- but we still don't really know how good Michigan is. Notre Dame's win against Ball State was unconvincing, and there were times when the offensive line's protection broke down, and when the defense allowed too many big plays. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush threw three interceptions and finished with minus-7 rushing yards -- the first time in his career he had negative rushing yards. It was a mistake-laden game against an unranked MAC team that opened the door to question if the Irish have what it takes to survive the likes of Stanford, Virginia Tech and USC. -- Heather Dinich
No. 9 Washington 45, North Dakota 3
The Huskies rebounded from their season-opening loss to Auburn and stifled unheralded North Dakota -- just as they were expected to. Quarterback Jake Browning had his eighth career 300-yard passing game, and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. Running back Myles Gaskin finished with just 53 yards and a touchdown -- his second straight game with under 80 yards -- but overall Washington racked up more than enough offense with 625 total yards. Washington did what it needed to do, winning with style, and it's going to have to keep it up. It's possible the Huskies will only play one more ranked opponent -- currently No. 23 Oregon -- before the College Football Playoff selection committee's first ranking is revealed on Oct. 30. -- Heather Dinich
No. 10 Stanford 17, No. 17 USC 3
Stanford opened the game with an eight-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that set the tone for its commanding win over USC. It took a little longer, however, for the Cardinal to finally get preseason Heisman favorite Bryce Love going against the Trojans. Coming off an 18-carry, 29-yard performance against San Diego State the previous week, Love broke off a 28-yard run on Stanford's first possession. But he managed only 12 yards on his other 10 carries in the first half. So many of his runs appeared to end before they could get started, with Love having to juke USC defenders just to get his way back to the line of scrimmage. Love finally broke through in the first half, busting off a 59-yard run that he finished off with a nasty stiff-arm that sent USC cornerback Greg Johnson sprawling along the sideline. It was a throwback to 2017, when Love broke the FBS record for most 50-yard runs in a season with 13. He finished with 136 yards and a touchdown. -- Joel Anderson
In the three-touchdown win over UNLV last week, J.T. Daniels seemed like the sort of precocious freshman who could lead the Trojans' offense rather than play a supporting role. But not against Stanford. Daniels looked overwhelmed against the Cardinal, spending much of the evening avoiding an all-of-a-sudden potent Stanford pass rush, getting sacked three times and even having to leave the game in the first quarter following a hit by Cardinal linebacker Joey Alfieri. Daniels didn't even manage to connect with his Mater Dei High School teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had a team-high seven receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown against UNLV. -- Anderson
No. 11 LSU 31, Southeastern 0
LSU coach Ed Orgeron was emphatic heading into the season opener that Joe Burrow was his quarterback, and two games in, the Ohio State transfer is firmly entrenching himself as the leader of this offense. Burrow got off to a quick start Saturday in LSU's 31-0 blowout win over Southeastern Louisiana. Burrow threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another as the Tigers surged to a 24-0 lead. Similar to the season-opening win over Miami, Burrow played clean football and made the plays that he needed to make. Equally important, he looks comfortable. Keep in mind that this was the first time he's opened a season as the starter since he was in high school -- back in 2014. Burrow wasn't perfect, but he was able to spread the ball around to different players, which is another good sign for the Tigers going forward. -- Chris Low
No. 12 Virginia Tech 62, William & Mary 17
As good as the Hokies looked in their opening-week win at Florida State, Justin Fuente still had some concerns about his ground game. Virginia Tech broke out for a few long ones against the Seminoles but struggled to find consistency. That wasn't the case against William & Mary, when the Hokies split reps between three running backs and each found room to ramble. Deshawn McClease, Steven Peoples and Terius Wheatley -- along with QB Josh Jackson -- all scored on the ground. In total, Virginia ran for 305 yards -- its most since 308 vs. Western Michigan in 2014 -- and seven touchdowns. -- David M. Hale
No. 13 Penn State 51, Pitt 6
Any last doubts that Penn State's offense would be void of playmakers in Saquon Barkley's absence were washed away at a sopping wet Heinz Field this weekend. Freshman K.J. Hamler, who helped dig his team out of a hole last week, scored the Nittany Lions' first two touchdowns and also made an impact on kick returns. Miles Sanders averaged more than 7 yards per carry, and DeAndre Thompkins added a punt return for a touchdown to put the game out of reach late in the third quarter. Penn State's defense surrendered 214 rushing yards in the first half, but it eventually redeemed itself, too. That group had more points scored (one safety) than yards allowed (minus-7) in the decisive third quarter. -- Dan Murphy
No. 14 West Virginia 52, Youngstown State 17
The Will Grier Heisman campaign continued Saturday, as the West Virginia QB threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout win over Youngstown State. Through two weeks, Grier has thrown for 761 yards and nine touchdowns, which should keep him atop the list of Heisman favorites. Next up: An NC State defense that has allowed just 20 points and one passing TD through two games. -- David M. Hale
Arizona State 16, No. 15 Michigan State 13
A Brian Lewerke pick in the end zone proved to be a backbreaker in a loss to Arizona State, but the bigger issue for the Spartans is the remaining schedule, which includes a trip to Penn State and home games with Michigan and Ohio State. With Saturday's loss, there's essentially no more margin for error. -- Hale
No. 16 TCU 42, SMU 12
TCU must be much sharper next week against Ohio State after a waterlogged win against SMU. After a sloppy start, the Frogs leaned on their defensive line, anchored by superstar end Ben Banogu, tackle Corey Bethley and speedy senior receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin (176 total yards, two touchdowns). The defensive front pressured quarterback Ben Hicks into mistakes and limiting the run after the opening drive. Gary Patterson needs a similar effort against Ohio State first-year starter Dwayne Hawkins. Horned Frogs quarterback Shawn Robinson must attack the Buckeyes with his feet (67 yards, one touchdown Friday) and display better accuracy. TCU won comfortably, but next week, it can't afford errors like a fumbled punt snap that led to a safety, Robinson throwing directly to an SMU linebacker and center Kellton Hollins literally whiffing on a snap, leading to another fumble. -- Adam Rittenberg
No. 18 Mississippi State 31, Kansas State 10
Having Nick Fitzgerald back at quarterback might have been the biggest story coming into the game Saturday for Mississippi State after Fitzgerald was suspended for the opener. But sophomore running back Kylin Hill showed there's a lot more to the Bulldogs' offense than just Fitzgerald by tallying 211 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a 31-10 road win over Kansas State. Fitzgerald also had 159 rushing yards. That tandem is going to be a challenge for any defense to stop. And speaking of defense, Mississippi State's front smothered Kansas State. The Bulldogs could be even more of a factor in the SEC West race than originally thought with the combination of their running game and defensive front. -- Chris Low
No. 19 UCF 38, South Carolina State 0
What the heck happened to McKenzie Milton? The Knights' QB tossed three interceptions against South Carolina State, a perplexing performance to say the least. Of course, it didn't much matter, as UCF still won easily. Odds are, Milton won't look this bad again in 2018, but UCF showed it doesn't need its star QB to play great for the offense to still look impressive. -- David M. Hale
No. 20 Boise State 62, UConn 7
At this rate, Boise State might want to save some of these points for down the road. With all of the high-powered offenses we're seeing now in college football, don't forget about Brett Rypien and the Broncos. The senior quarterback has been surgical the first two weeks of this season, his latest passing clinic coming Saturday night in a 62-7 drubbing of UConn. Boise State led 41-0 at the half, mirroring its offensive onslaught a week ago in a 56-20 battering of Troy in the season opener. Rypien is well on his way to surpassing the 16 touchdown passes he threw all of last season -- maybe in the first month. It has been an impressive start for Boise State, for sure, but we'll find out a lot more about the Broncos next week when they travel to Oklahoma State. -- Chris Low
No. 21 Michigan 49, Western Michigan 3
Heading into the Wolverines' home opener against Western Michigan, it had been 364 days since the last time a Michigan wide receiver caught a touchdown pass. Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones each scored Saturday, snapping that drought and showing some life in a passing game that needed to improve this season. Shea Patterson added a third touchdown through the air to tight end Sean McKeon in the Wolverines' rout over the overmatched Broncos. Just like last weekend's loss provided no reason to overreact negatively, beating a MAC team isn't a sign that all of Michigan's woes on offense have been solved. It is, though, some positive momentum. -- Dan Murphy
No. 22 Miami 77, Savannah State 0
It's hard to take too much from a blowout win over a terrible FCS team, but after Miami's Week 1 debacle against LSU, the biggest need Saturday might've just been an injection of confidence. They got that, as Malik Rosier scored three times, the O-line held its own, and talented freshman tight end Brevin Jordan finished with two touchdowns. Of course, the other takeaway might be that quarterback N'Kosi Perry looked pretty good, too, tossing three touchdowns in his college debut and offering frustrated Hurricanes fans some fuel for their demands for a QB change. -- David M. Hale
No. 23 Oregon 62, Portland State 14
According to ESPN's Football Power Index, Oregon began the season with the easiest three-game stretch of any FBS team, and after the Ducks outscored their first two opponents 120-38, it's playing out that way. Portland State was completely overmatched, as Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert threw just six incomplete passes (20 of 26) for 250 yards and four touchdowns to put the game out of reach in the second half. Oregon racked up 32 first downs and over 550 yards of total offense. The Vikings fell to 0-8 all time against teams ranked by the Associated Press. It was Oregon's 22nd straight win at home against a nonconference opponent, and that streak could increase in Week 3, when the Ducks host San Jose State -- a game FPI favors them to win by 99 percent. -- Heather Dinich
Kentucky 27, No. 25 Florida 16
Stop if you've heard this one before: Something doesn't seem quite right with Florida's offense. Actually, when's the last time Florida has been right on offense? Two games into the Dan Mullen era, there's still miles and miles to go. The Gators were once again a train wreck on offense in a 27-16 loss to Kentucky, ending the Wildcats' 31-game losing streak in this series. Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks will catch much of the blame, even though he led a 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to give the Gators a chance, but there was blame to go around. There were too many dropped passes, and the offensive line also struggled. All in all, it's not the kind of tone Mullen wanted to set in Florida's SEC opener, and it also begs another question: Can anybody in the SEC East seriously challenge Georgia this season? -- Chris Low