The AP College Football Top 25 poll for Week 2 was released on Tuesday. After the fireworks that came from Week 1, there was plenty of movement in the poll. Clemson dropped from nine to 25 after their upset loss at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils, who are now ahead of them in the rankings at 21, in Durham on Monday Night. Teams like the TCU Horned Frogs and Iowa Hawkeyes dropped out of the rankings. Teams like Florida State moved up. And then there were teams like the USC Trojans who stood pat.

USC has had a pretty nondescript start to the season, but they, along with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, are the only 2-0 ranked teams in the country so far. It could be argued that USC is not ranked high enough in the AP Poll with their sixth ranking. They wouldn't be the only one. USC and two other teams are ranked a little too low in the Week 2 AP poll.

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6. USC Trojans

USC has not had a murderer's row of opponents through Week 1 of the college football season. They debuted in Week 0 against the San Jose State Spartans, who they beat 56-28. They didn't cover, but they did win handily. They did both in Week 1 against the Nevada Wolfpack, winning by a final score of 66-14.

The primary source of optimism for USC begins with reigning Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams. Williams is already a superstar quarterback and is nearly a shoo-in to be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. And for good reason too. Williams threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns compared to five interceptions last season, his first in Los Angeles, while completing 66.6% of his passes and averaging 9.1 yards per attempt. He's only played two games against Mountain West competition, but Williams is already off to a better start this season. He's completed 73.5% of his passes, averaging 12.2 yards per attempt, and has 597 yards and nine touchdowns already. And he's back to making highlight plays.

USC's defense is still a weak spot. San Jose State gained 396 of offense against USC back in Week 0. But anything is possible with Caleb Williams at the helm. USC is a sneaky contender and Williams is the biggest reason why. Get them higher on the AP College Football Top 25 poll.

16. Oregon State Beavers

USC is a sneaky playoff contender, but Oregon State is a sneaky contender to win the Pac-12 this season. The biggest reason is defense. The Beavers gave up the second-fewest yards per game among Pac-12 teams a year ago at 342.3. Remember how San Jose State accrued 396 yards against USC in Week 0? Well, in Week 1 going up against these Oregon State Beavers, San Jose State gained just 279 yards.

On top of that, Oregon State hit the jackpot in the transfer portal by landing Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei to be their quarterback. Uiagalelei struggled as Clemson's quarterback taking over for Trevor Lawrence, but Uiagalelei looked great in his Oregon State debut. Uiagalelei went 20-25 for 239 yards and threw for three touchdowns. He looked very calm and composed within Oregon State's offense.

He also added two touchdowns on the ground.

Oregon State has been one of the biggest losers of conference realignment and the dismantling of the Pac-12, but they have a chance to get their revenge on the field. They were already a great defensive team a year ago and are more complete now with DJ Uiagalelei at the helm. Keep an eye on the Beavers going forward in the AP College Football Top 25 poll.

24. Tulane Green Wave

Tulane put the college football world on notice when they took down USC in the Cotton Bowl last season. That was no fluke. Tulane is a sturdy defensive team and their quarterback is one of the best in the country. Michael Pratt threw 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions a year ago while throwing for 3,010 yards and completing 63.6% of his passes.

Pratt got off to a good start for the 2023 season in Tulane's win over South Alabama. Pratt had more touchdown passes than incompletions. He went 14-15 for 293 yards and four touchdowns.

Tulane has the biggest test of their season in Week 2 when they take on Ole Miss in New Orleans. They beat Kansas State as well as USC a year ago and gave Oklahoma all they could handle two years ago. Tulane is 7.5 point underdogs but they can not only cover but win this game outright. Don't sleep on the Green Wave.