Playing as a college football team ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 can put a target on the back of some teams.
Week 2 of the 2025 college football season was a good reminder that any team can be upset at any time if they let their guard down. Just ask Billy Napier-led Florida, which was upset, 18-16, after entering as 17.5-point favorites over Nico Gramatica and South Florida on Saturday, Sept. 6 in Gainesville, Florida.
In total, four teams ranked in the top 16 of the USLBM Coaches Poll fell in Week 2 after Alabama was the biggest loser of Week 1 of the college football season with a road loss to unranked Florida State. Week 2 provided tough wins for No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU, as well, despite playing inferior competition.
Here’s a recap of the major college football upsets in Week 2 of the 2025 college football season:
College football upsets yesterday
Mississippi State 24, No. 10 Arizona State 20
This may have been the most shocking upset of Week 2. Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State are coming off a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth in 2024, while Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State were coming off a 2-10 season.
That did not matter early, as the Bulldogs jumped ahead 17-0 in the second quarter. The Sun Devils scored 20 straight points, including a go-ahead field goal from Jesus Gomez with 1:38 left in the game. However, Brenen Thompson caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shapen with 30 seconds left to preserve the biggest upset of the day.
The win was so big in Starkville that fans rushed the field and tore down the goalposts following the top-10 win.
No. 24 Oklahoma 24, No. 13 Michigan 13
Oklahoma was the home team and a slight favorite over Michigan, but the lower-ranked team knocked off the higher-ranked team and that will cause a massive changeup in the rankings.
John Mateer passed his biggest test so far as the Sooners’ starting QB with a three-touchdown performance, as the Sooners never trailed. Brent Venables continues to make life very tough on freshman quarterbacks, as Bryce Underwood struggled in his first true road start.
USF 18, No. 15 Florida 16
All the goodwill Napier built over the last few weeks of the 2024 season is gone, and he’s right back on the hot seat with Florida fans following an ugly, undisciplined loss at home to the Bulls.
The Gators’ offense struggled in the red zone, committing 11 penalties for 103 yards ― including Brendan Bett spitting on his opponent ― and the defense could not get a stop on the final drive. Coupled with poor clock management from Napier, Alex Golesh picked up his signature win with USF, in a potential audition for his next gig.
Nico Gramatica ― the son of former NFL kicker Martin Gramatica ― served as the hero at the end with his game-winning field goal.
Baylor 48, No. 16 SMU 45
SMU led rival Baylor by double-digits on three separate occasions on Sept. 6, including a 38-24 lead with 8:38 left in the game. However, Sawyer Robertson connected with Kobe Prentice for a 21-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
In the second overtime, Mustangs’ kicker Collin Rogers missed a field goal, paving the way for Connor Hawkins to knock in his attempt to give the Bears the upset win over a rival. Baylor has now won 14 straight over SMU, with the Mustangs’ chance of a CFP run taking a major hit.
Army 24, Kansas State 21
Kansas State’s 2025 season continued to go sideways after a loss to Army. The Wildcats entered as 16.5-point favorites over the Black Knights, but Cale Hellums scored a 14-yard touchdown with 2:52 to help Army bounce back from a 30-27 loss to Tarleton State in Week 1.
Avery Johnson threw an interception in Kansas State’s final drive. Army beat the Wildcats 40:44 to 19:16 in terms of time of possession and rushed for over 200 yards.
Ohio 17, West Virginia 10
Rich Rodriguez’s honeymoon return to West Virginia ended after just two weeks. The Mountaineers struck first for a touchdown in the first quarter, but could not find the red zone again in the upset road loss. Ohio possessed the ball for 40:15 of the game clock and limited West Virginia to 250 total yards of offense. The Bobcats held a 17-7 halftime lead and basically played keep-away from Rodriguez’s offense in the second half.
Bryant 27, UMass 26
Bryce Soli hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give FCS program Bryant the road upset victory over UMass. The Minutemen had taken the lead with a field goal on their previous drive, but could not stop the Bulldogs from scoring on their final drive. UMass is off to a 0-2 start, with both losses coming at home in 2025.
UNLV 30, UCLA 23
Dan Mullen has UNLV off to a 3-0 start following an upset win over Nico Iamaleava and UCLA on Sept. 6. The win marked the Rebels’ first victory over a Big Ten Conference opponent in 22 years. UCLA entered the game as 3.5-point favorites, but instead are off to a 0-2 start.
Jacksonville State 34, Liberty 24
On a day Rodriguez lost at West Virginia, Charles Kelly picked up his biggest win as the Gamecocks coach. Jacksonville State entered as a 6.5-point underdog, but Cam Cook rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns to help it come out with the upset victory.
Missouri State 21, Marshall 20
Missouri State is off the schneid as an FBS team with its victory over Marshall. Jacob Clark threw for three touchdowns and 359 yards, including an 8-yard pass to Jeron Askren with 2:12 remaining to give the Bears the upset road victory over Marshall. The Thundering Herd is off to a 0-2 start under first-year coach Tony Gibson.
College football Week 2 scores
Here’s the full scoreboard for each ranked team in Week 2:
- No. 1 Ohio State 70, Grambling 0
- No. 2 Penn State 34, FIU 0
- No. 3 Georgia 28, Austin Peay 6
- No. 4 LSU 23, Louisiana Tech 7
- No. 5 Oregon 69, Oklahoma State 3
- No. 6 Texas 38, San Jose State 7
- No. 7 Miami 45, Bethune-Cookman 3
- No. 8 Clemson 27, Troy 16
- Mississippi State 24, No. 10 Arizona State 20
- No. 11 South Carolina 38, South Carolina State 10
- No. 12 Illinois 45, Duke 19
- No. 24 Oklahoma 24, No. 13 Michigan 13
- No. 14 Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 23
- USF 18, No. 15 Florida 16
- Baylor 48, No. 16 SMU 45, 2 OT
- No. 17 Tennessee 72, East Tennessee State 17
- No. 18 Iowa State 16, Iowa 13
- No. 19 Florida State 77, East Texas A&M 3
- No. 20 Alabama 73, Louisiana-Monroe 0
- No. 21 Indiana 56, Kennesaw State 9
- No. 22 Texas A&M 44, Utah State 22
- No. 23 Texas Tech 62, Kent State 14
- No. 25 BYU 27, Stanford 3
(This story was updated to change a video.)
