Kiffin's LSU Makes the Loudest Statement of Week 1; Oregon Slides, Michigan Vanishes

Week 1 polls are mostly about preseason guesses meeting evidence, and the evidence from Baton Rouge was overwhelming. Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers put up 644 yards of offense against Clemson and allowed 145 in a 51-10 win that did not feel as close as the score. The voters moved LSU from No. 11 to No. 8, and it would not have been unreasonable to go higher.

The top of the Week 2 AP Top 25 now reads Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, Indiana, Oregon, Miami, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Notre Dame's rise to No. 3 came on the strength of a 41-13 handling of Wisconsin. Oregon's fall from No. 2 to No. 6 came after a 34-27 home escape against Boise State that voters read as a warning rather than a win.

Then there is Michigan. The Wolverines were No. 16 a week ago and are now unranked after beating Western Michigan 13-12 on a Hail Mary that followed a disputed clock reset. Ranked teams that win almost never fall out of the poll. This one did, and given what the offense looked like for four quarters, the voters were not being cruel.

For JFMN's audience, the numbers that matter are these. Tennessee sits at No. 18 after the 56-9 win over Furman, with a real test at Georgia Tech on Saturday. West Virginia is unranked after its 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina. The Big 12 is represented by Texas Tech at No. 13, BYU at No. 15, Houston at No. 22 and Utah at No. 20. The SEC has Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri in the top 25, which is nine teams from one conference and a preview of the playoff argument that will consume November.

Polls in September are opinions. But the LSU number is not an opinion. Six hundred forty-four yards against Clemson is a fact, and the rest of the SEC now has to plan for it.