Eliminator Week 2: Bad news for Arkansas, Louisville and others

ByMARK SCHLABACH
September 14, 2015, 12:42 PM

— -- Sure, it might have been a bad weekend for the SEC, which watched three of its teams fall out of The Associated Press Top 25 poll following losses and saw one of its highest-ranked teams struggle mightily to beat an FCS opponent at home.

But it was an even worse weekend for a few other conferences in terms of the Eliminator, which will narrow the FBS field from 127 teams for the four spots available in the College Football Playoff.

After the second week of action, 27 more teams have been eliminated, including four from the MAC, six from Conference USA and eight from the Mountain West. After two weeks, 56 teams (44 percent) have been eliminated, leaving 71 teams in contention for one of the four playoff spots.

Four teams from the Power 5  leagues -- Arkansas (SEC), Louisville (ACC), Maryland (Big Ten) and Virginia (ACC) -- were eliminated after losses this past weekend.

Here's where the FBS stands after Week 2:

Jump to Sections: Who's In | Still In Contention | On The Fence | Better Luck Next Season | Previously Eliminated

Who's in

Ohio State and Alabama continue to look like the most complete teams in the country, and Michigan State joins them after hanging on to knock off Oregon 31-28 at home on Saturday night. We'll go with Baylor over TCU for the fourth spot for now, although the Bears have barely broken a sweat against lesser competition.

Still in contention

Alabama Crimson Tide
Trending: EVEN

Fast-paced tempo has been Alabama's kryptonite in recent seasons. Ole Miss' offense, which dropped 70 points in each of its first two games, looks like kryptonite on steroids.

Arizona Wildcats
Trending: EVEN

In 16 games, Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon and tailback Nick Wilson have combined for more than 6,300 yards of offense and 54 touchdowns. The really scary part: They're only sophomores.

Baylor Bears
Trending: EVEN

The Bears blasted FCS member Lamar 66-31 on Saturday night, whatever that means.

Clemson Tigers
Trending: EVEN

We'll know a lot more about the Tigers after the next three weeks. After playing at Louisville on Thursday night, the Tigers host Notre Dame on Oct. 3 and Georgia Tech on Oct. 10.

Florida State Seminoles
Trending: UP

The Seminoles were supposed to experience some growing pains this season. They might be fine if tailback Dalvin Cook keeps running wild.

Georgia Bulldogs
Trending: UP

Georgia looked so-so in its 31-14 victory at Vanderbilt on Saturday. South Carolina lost its starting quarterback and a game against Kentucky. Yeah, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier has the Bulldogs right where he wants them.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Trending: UP

Georgia Tech has scored 65 points or more in consecutive games for the first time since 1921 -- while throwing only 15 passes combined.

LSU Tigers
Trending: UP

The Tigers ran 50 times and threw only nine passes in Saturday night's 21-19 win at Mississippi State. I wouldn't have thrown it nine times with Leonard Fournette in my backfield.

Michigan State Spartans
Trending: UP

The Spartans seemed to grow into a legit playoff contender in front of our eyes with their 31-28 victory over Oregon on Saturday night. Are they good enough to unseat Ohio State in the Big Ten?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Trending: DOWN

The Fighting Irish barely survived a 34-27 victory at Virginia, and now they'll have to play the rest of the way without quarterback Malik Zaire, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Will backup DeShone Kizer be good enough?

Ohio State Buckeyes
Trending: EVEN

Well, at least we know the Buckeyes will have to play at least one more quality team during the regular season. It's a shame Bret Bielema will have to wait until Nov. 21 to see OSU host No. 4 Michigan State.

Oklahoma Sooners
Trending: UP

The Sooners picked up a signature road victory by coming from behind to win 31-24 in two overtimes at Tennessee. Can OU cruise until November, when it plays No. 5 Baylor (road), No. 3 TCU (home) and No. 25 Oklahoma State (road)?

Ole Miss Rebels
Trending: UP

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ole Miss is only the third team in the last 95 seasons to score 73 points or more in consecutive games (the 1920 California and 1968 Houston teams were the others). I'm guessing the Rebels won't score 73 in three straight.

Oregon Ducks
Trending: DOWN

After falling at Michigan State, the Ducks probably can't afford another loss if they're going to stay in the playoff hunt. Losing to the Spartans on the road might end up being among the "best" losses of the season, though.

TCU Horned Frogs
Trending: EVEN

The Horned Frogs bombed FCS member Stephen F. Austin 70-7 on Saturday, but their defense continues to take hits with injuries and defections. Will TCU have enough defense to survive in the pass-happy Big 12?

Texas A&M Aggies
Trending: EVEN

The Aggies cruised through their first two games, and anything short of being 5-0 going into back-to-back games against Alabama (home) and Ole Miss (road) in November would be a disappointment.

UCLA Bruins
Trending: EVEN

The "Rosen One" passed his first road test, as freshman quarterback Josh Rosen completed 22 of 42 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Bruins' 37-3 win at UNLV.

USC Trojans
Trending: EVEN

The Trojans have cruised in victories over Arkansas State and Idaho, but now they're about to get into the meat of their schedule, starting with Saturday's home game against Stanford.

On the fence

Air Force Falcons
Trending: EVEN

The Falcons probably won't be in this space for long. They play at No. 4 Michigan State on Saturday.

Arizona State Sun Devils
Trending: DOWN

Getting blown out by Texas A&M and then struggling against, ahem, Cal Poly isn't a great start for a team that was supposed to contend for a Pac-12 South title.

Auburn Tigers
Trending: DOWN

Hey, way to break in that new scoreboard slowly, Tigers.

Boise State Broncos
Trending: DOWN

I was tempted to eliminate the Broncos, but they'll stay for now because of their victory over a Power 5 team (Washington).

Boston College Eagles
Trending: EVEN

The Eagles allowed 11 yards (not points) of offense in a 76-0 rout of FCS member Howard on Saturday. It was the lowest total allowed by an FBS team in at least 20 years.

BYU Cougars
Trending: UP

If I were Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall, I'd ditch my playbook and throw it high and into the end zone on every down.

California Golden Bears
Trending: EVEN

Cal coach Sonny Dykes has a chance to kick-start his program when the Bears play at Texas on Saturday night.

Connecticut Huskies
Trending: DOWN

The Huskies are 2-0 -- after beating FCS member Villanova and Army by a combined total of 10 points. They probably won't be here after playing at Missouri on Saturday.

Duke Blue Devils
Trending: EVEN

After roughing up Tulane and FCS foe North Carolina Central, the Blue Devils might finally be tested by Northwestern at home on Saturday.

Florida Gators
Trending: EVEN

If new Gators coach Jim McElwain gets that peeved when the Gators win, make sure you grab the popcorn the first time they lose. It should be fun.

Houston Cougars
Trending: UP

We don't want to get too carried away after Houston knocked off Louisville on the road, but check out the Cougars' remaining schedule. It might be a special debut season for new coach Tom Herman.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Trending: EVEN

If the Illini keep playing like this, former coach Tim Beckman is going to need a lot of counseling to restore his self-confidence.

Indiana Hoosiers
Trending: UP

I don't want to start counting chickens before they hatch, but I can almost see four more victories on Indiana's schedule.

Iowa Hawkeyes
Trending: EVEN

After a very difficult week emotionally, following the tragic death of former star player Tyler Sash, the Hawkeyes came from behind to beat rival Iowa State 31-17.

Iowa State Cyclones
Trending: DOWN

The Cyclones managed only 66 yards of offense and were shut out in the second half of their loss to Iowa in the Cy-Hawk game.

Kansas State Wildcats
Trending: EVEN

Quarterback Joe Hubener threw for 243 yards and ran for 58 yards with one touchdown in a 30-3 win over Texas San Antonio. It was his first start at quarterback at any level. Seriously, he never even played the position in middle school or high school.

Kentucky Wildcats
Trending: UP

The Wildcats stunned South Carolina 26-22 on the road Saturday night, winning their first game away from home under coach Mark Stoops. Baby steps, Cats. Baby steps.

Memphis Tigers
Trending: EVEN

Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch was nearly perfect in a 55-23 win at Kansas, as he completed 22 of 25 passes for 354 yards with two touchdowns.

Miami Hurricanes
Trending: EVEN

The Hurricanes were tied 20-20 with FAU early in the third quarter before pulling away for a 44-20 victory. They probably can't afford another slow start against Nebraska this week.

Michigan Wolverines
Trending: EVEN

The Wolverines certainly don't look ready to compete with Michigan State or Ohio State for a Big Ten title, but their 35-7 win over Oregon State is definitely a step in the right direction.

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Trending: EVEN

I had a feeling the Gophers might be walking into a buzz-saw game at Colorado State. It should be a lot easier against Kent State this week.

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Trending: EVEN

I'm willing to bet there are about 12 SEC teams that would be willing to trade for Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott.

Missouri Tigers
Trending: DOWN

The Tigers sure haven't been very impressive in their first two games, which probably means they'll be playing in the SEC championship game on Dec. 5.

Navy Midshipmen
Trending: EVEN

The Midshipmen had a week off after opening the season with a 48-10 victory over FCS foe Colgate. I'm guessing they still accomplished a lot more than you and me.

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Trending: EVEN

Yeah, the BYU guy really did catch the ball. It really happened.

North Carolina Tar Heels
Trending: EVEN

I'm guessing UNC coach Larry Fedora probably wasn't too concerned about playing Illinois during the offseason. It sure looks scary now, though.

NC State Wolfpack
Trending: EVEN

Man, talk about crawling your way into the season. The Wolfpack play one of the most uninspiring nonconference schedules in the country.

Northern Illinois Huskies
Trending: DOWN

Early reason for concern: The Huskies surrendered 56 points in their first two games -- against UNLV and FCS member Murray State. The D better be better against No. 1 Ohio State this week.

Northwestern Wildcats
Trending: EVEN

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald congratulated Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio and athletic director Mark Hollis after the Spartans knocked off Oregon. He's a Big Ten man through and through.

Ohio Bobcats
Trending: UP

Did you realize Frank Solich is still coaching at Ohio? Apparently, Marshall didn't remember, either.

Oklahoma State Cowboys
Trending: EVEN

The Pokes struggled early against Central Michigan and Central Arkansas. They're not going to play Central Texas in the Big 12, so they better kick it in gear.

Old Dominion Monarchs
Trending: EVEN

Move over Nick Chubb and Dalvin Cook. ODU's Ray Lawry leads FBS players with 438 rushing yards and is tied with Alabama's Derrick Henry with six rushing touchdowns after two games.

Oregon State Beavers
Trending: DOWN

About everything that could go wrong went wrong at Michigan, and the Beavers have a chance to get things right against San Jose State before Pac-12 play begins. Getting to a bowl game is a realistic goal this season.

Penn State Nittany Lions
Trending: UP

Candidate for most improved unit in America: Penn State's offensive line, which didn't allow a sack to Buffalo after giving up 10 against Temple.

Pittsburgh Panthers
Trending: EVEN

The Panthers spent the past two weeks beating former Power 5 coaches: Youngstown State's Bo Pelini and Akron's Terry Bowden. They play Iowa this week.

Purdue Boilermakers
Trending: EVEN

The Boilermakers are still here because, well, I'm not quite sure. They put up a good fight against Marshall in Week 1, I guess.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Trending: DOWN

Just when you think it can't get any worse for the Big Ten's pimple of a program, Rutgers star receiver Leonte Carroo was suspended indefinitely because of an incident outside the stadium on Saturday night.

South Carolina Gamecocks
Trending: DOWN

The Gamecocks lost starting quarterback Connor Mitch for four to six weeks because of shoulder and hip injuries, and junior Perry Orth is expected to start at Georgia on Saturday. Steve Spurrier has five days to find somebody to rotate him with.

Stanford Cardinal
Trending: EVEN

The Cardinal bounced back from an ugly loss at Northwestern by beating UCF 31-7 on Saturday. Stanford can really get its season headed back in the right direction by upsetting No. 6 USC on the road this week.

Syracuse Orange
Trending: UP

Don't look now: The Orange are 2-0 after beating Wake Forest 30-17 on Saturday. If they defeat Central Michigan at home on Saturday, they'll be 3-0 for the first time since 1991.

Temple Owls
Trending: UP

Keep your comments to yourself, but after knocking off Penn State and Cincinnati to start the season, the Owls suddenly appear to be a viable candidate for a New Year's Day Six Bowl. Temple is for real.

Tennessee Volunteers
Trending: DOWN

You know how your kids upset you when they open a can of Coke and never finish it? Volunteers coach Butch Jones knows exactly how you feel.

Texas Longhorns
Trending: EVEN

Come on, Texas. Just pay Oklahoma State its money. There's no way demoted co-offensive coordinator Joe Wickline is going to claim ownership of your offense.

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Trending: EVEN

Maybe Kliff Kingsbury knew what he was doing. The Red Raiders have former quarterbacks starting at Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, but Patrick Mahomes is ranked No. 2 among FBS players in passing after two games.

Toledo Rockets
Trending: UP

And to think the Razorbacks actually paid Toledo $1 million to travel to Little Rock ...

Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Trending: EVEN

It didn't take long for former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery to put his mark on Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane rank No. 5 in total offense in the FBS, behind Baylor, Texas Tech, Ole Miss and USC.

Utah Utes
Trending: UP

The Utes claimed a rugged 24-14 victory over rival Utah State on Friday night, but might have lost quarterback Travis Wilson in the process. Wilson hurt his left shoulder late in the first half, and Kendal Thompson played OK in relief.

Virginia Tech Hokies
Trending: EVEN

After the Hokies lost quarterback Michael Brewer to a shoulder injury in the opener against Ohio State, backup  Brenden Motley played well in his first start, throwing for 233 yards with two touchdowns in a 42-3 win over FCS member Furman.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Trending: DOWN

The Demon Deacons lost at Syracuse, but they continue to look much better in coach Dave Clawson's second season. They'll have a chance to get well at Army this week.

Washington Huskies
Trending: EVEN

After losing a close one to Boise State in the opener, the Huskies took out their frustration in a 49-0 rout of FCS foe Sacramento State. Freshman quarterback Jake Browning continues to be impressive.

West Virginia Mountaineers
Trending: EVEN

I think the jury is still out on how good the Mountaineers are going to be, but there's no question they're light-years ahead of where they were on defense at the start of Dana Holgorsen's tenure.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Trending: UP

After struggling on offense against Vanderbilt in the opener, the Hilltoppers were more explosive in a 41-38 win over Louisiana Tech. But WKU lost tailback Leon Allen to a season-ending knee injury. He was the No. 7 rusher in the FBS in 2014.

Wisconsin Badgers
Trending: EVEN

Overheard in Wisconsin locker room (sort of): "Man, it's a lot easier to run the ball and throw it when you're not trying to block Alabama's defense."

Better Luck Next Season

Appalachian State Mountaineers
Trending: EVEN

At least the Mountaineers are still the only FCS member to upset a top-10 FBS opponent.

Arkansas Razorbacks
Trending: DOWN

Eww, pig, ewwie. Talk about taking the air of a season. Losing to Toledo in Little Rock all but knocks the Hogs out of playoff contention.

Ball State Cardinals
Trending: EVEN

Excuse the Cardinals if they were a little overwhelmed in a 56-23 loss at Texas A&M. They played in front of 104,200 fans at Kyle Field, which is about 35,000 more than the population of Muncie, Indiana.

Buffalo Bulls
Trending: EVEN

I'm not sure I could sleep at night knowing that I couldn't sack Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg over 60 minutes.

Cincinnati Bearcats
Trending: DOWN

The Bearcats didn't give up 10 sacks against Temple, but they did turn the ball over five times in a 34-26 loss.

Colorado State Rams
Trending: UP

The Rams narrowly missed getting first-year coach Mike Bobo a signature victory, after losing to Minnesota 23-20 in overtime. CSU looks like it's going to be a tough out in the Mountain West.

East Carolina Pirates
Trending: DOWN

The Pirates couldn't pull off an upset at the Swamp on Saturday night, but they managed to make new Gators coach Jim McElwain really peeved at his own team following UF's 31-24 victory.

Florida International Golden Panthers
Trending: EVEN

After upsetting UCF on the road in Week 1, the Golden Panthers must have remembered they played for FIU and not FSU. They lost 36-22 at Indiana on Saturday.

Fresno State Bulldogs
Trending: DOWN

Don't be surprised if former Fresno State coach Pat Hill shows up with a motorcycle gang after watching the Bulldogs' defense in a 73-21 loss at Ole Miss.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Trending: EVEN

After seeing the Warriors' retro road uniforms, which included rainbow stripes down the sides of their pants and on their shoulder pads, I wasn't sure whether Ohio State was playing a Mountain West team or a rabid pack of Rainbow Brites.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Trending: UP

The Bulldogs put up a heck of a fight in Thursday night's 41-38 loss to Western Kentucky. They still look like the team to beat in Conference USA West.

Louisville Cardinals
Trending: DOWN

Something tells me an 0-2 start isn't exactly what Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich had in mind after giving Bobby Petrino a second chance.

Marshall Thundering Herd
Trending: DOWN

If this is what life after Rakeem Cato looks like, the Thundering Herd might be in for a long year. They had four turnovers in a 21-10 loss at Ohio.

Maryland Terrapins
Trending: DOWN

Perhaps Under Armour will unveil new uniforms with lots of holes to mimic Maryland's defense. The Terps were gashed for 692 yards of offense in an ugly 48-27 loss to Bowling Green at home.

Massachusetts Minutemen
Trending: EVEN

UMass coach Mark Whipple's blunt assessment of a 48-14 loss at Colorado: "We didn't respond. ... We didn't have anyone play good. The coaching staff did a bad job." The scenery was gorgeous, though.

Miami (OH) RedHawks
Trending: DOWN

The RedHawks had nine first downs -- and four turnovers -- in a 58-0 loss at Wisconsin.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Trending: EVEN

Look on the bright side, MTSU: You put up as much of a fight against Alabama as Wisconsin did.

Nevada Wolf Pack
Trending: EVEN

The Wolf Pack didn't have many answers for Arizona's speed in a 44-20 loss at home. The bad news: Texas A&M, next week's opponent, is probably even faster.

New Mexico Lobos
Trending: DOWN

The Lobos had nine penalties, including seven personal fouls, in the first half of a 40-21 loss to Tulsa.

North Texas Mean Green
Trending: DOWN

After only one game, North Texas' players are defending their quarterback on Twitter and their fans are clamoring for his backup to play. It's going to be a fun-filled season in Denton, Texas.

Rice Owls
Trending: DOWN

The Owls can't be encouraged after making the Texas offense look like TCU's in a 42-28 loss in Austin.

San Diego State Aztecs
Trending: EVEN

After getting lit up by Cal quarterback Jared Goff in a 35-7 loss, the Aztecs can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They get to face Penn State's offense in two weeks.

San Jose State Spartans
Trending: DOWN

The Spartans couldn't figure out how to stop Air Force's running game, allowing 428 rushing yards in a 37-16 loss on the road.

South Alabama Jaguars
Trending: EVEN

Hopefully, the Jaguars got a fat check and a few Runza sandwiches for being the sacrificial lambs in their 48-9 loss at Nebraska on Saturday.

South Florida Bulls
Trending: EVEN

Will coach Willie Taggart ever get the USF bus back on the road? The Bulls have dropped 19 of 26 games during his tenure.

Utah State Aggies
Trending: EVEN

Chuckie Keeton's return isn't going as planned, as the Aggies looked suspect against an FCS foe in the opener and then lost to in-state rival Utah 24-14 on Friday night.

Virginia Cavaliers
Trending: UP

I have a bad feeling that Virginia student is still hanging over the wall at Scott Stadium.

Previously eliminated

Eliminated in Week 1: Akron Zips, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Army Black Knights, Bowling Green Falcons, Central Michigan Chippewas, Charlotte 49ers (not bowl eligible) Colorado Buffaloes, Eastern Michigan Eagles, Florida Atlantic Owls, Georgia Southern Eagles, Georgia State Panthers, Idaho Vandals, Kansas Jayhawks, Kent State Golden Flashes, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, New Mexico State Aggies, SMU Mustangs, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, Texas State Bobcats, Troy Trojans, Tulane Green Wave, UCF Knights, UNLV Rebels, UTEP Miners, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washington State Cougars, Western Michigan Broncos, Wyoming Cowboys