The ACC and Big Ten have already seen their titans damaged through two weeks of the 2021 season, with College Football Playoff hopes already on the brink.

The SEC has had no such problems.

The top two teams in the Associated Press poll, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia, kept rolling on Saturday against weaker opposition.

But Ohio State’s loss to Oregon suddenly knocked the 4-time defending Big Ten champions out of sorts and launched the Ducks squarely into the CFP conversation, a place where no Pac-12 team has been in a few years.

Oregon rose from No. 12 to No. 4 in this week’s AP poll. But the B1G isn’t dead; Iowa rose to No. 5 after defeating in-state rival Iowa State on the road. The Hawkeyes and Ducks are trying to turn back the clocks to the mid-2010s — Oregon played in the first CFP championship game in 2014, and Iowa went 12-0 in the 2015 regular season before losing to Michigan State in the B1G title game.

As for Georgia, the Dawgs romped over UAB 56-7 — and the Blazers are not a schmuck program. Since bringing back football in 2017 after a 2-year hiatus, the Blazers have won 2 Conference USA titles and lost once in the league title game. UAB is a solid Group of 5 program. UGA, with a backup quarterback, made the Blazers look like an FCS punching bag.

That’s how you back up a claim of being an elite team one week after beating Clemson.

We are using the Associated Press poll, released on Sunday, to order these teams. The first CFP rankings will be released later this season.

Alabama

We learned nothing about the Crimson Tide from their easy win over FCS program Mercer. We will learn plenty next week when Bama visits Florida. Alabama allowed 2.8 yards per rush in its opener against Miami and 2.0 against Mercer, so the run defense is stout so far. Whether the Tide can contain the Gators on the ground should determine Saturday’s game and perhaps the CFP hopes of both teams.

Georgia

The Bulldogs didn’t miss a step without starting quarterback J.T. Daniels, turning to Stetson Bennett IV, who threw for 5 TDs against UAB. And Georgia’s defense didn’t take a step back, either. A week after holding Clemson to 3 points and 2 rushing yards, the Dawgs gave up just 165 total yards and no offensive points to the Blazers, who scored only on an interception return when it was already 56-0.

Oklahoma

A week after barely beating Tulane, the Sooners looked more like the Sooners in routing Western Carolina 76-0. Like Bama, we learned nothing about Oklahoma against such overwhelmed opposition. There’s no reason to think that Nebraska will be able to keep up with the Sooners when the teams renew their classic rivalry this Saturday.

Oregon

For the first time in 10 attempts, Oregon defeated Ohio State. And the Pac-12 regained some of its shine. The forgotten Power 5 league of the past few years suddenly has a legit CFP contender. Oregon’s hopes might depend on how quickly its injured defensive players, most of all stud lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux, can return. OSU gained 612 yards on the Ducks, a cause for concern amid the celebration.

Iowa

The eternal Kirk Ferentz has another classic Hawkeyes team: Hit them hard, run well on offense and remember the fundamentals. Those things are important because, even after beating 2 top-20 teams, the Hawkeyes don’t yet look as complete as the teams above them on this list. Spencer Petras still has to prove he’s a CFP-level quarterback, and Iowa has 476 yards of offense — total, not average.

Clemson

A bounceback to restore confidence was what Dabo Swinney’s bunch needed, and South Carolina State of the FCS proved the perfect tonic (if it feels like we had a lot of FBS vs. FCS matchups this week, we did: 37 in all). Nobody in the ACC has shown that it is on the same level as the Tigers. None of the league’s other 3 ranked teams — Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina — is on Clemson’s schedule.

Texas A&M

The Aggies trailed Colorado for most of Saturday’s game before backup quarterback Zach Calzada led A&M to its lone touchdown with 2:41 left in the game. Calzada came in after starter Haynes King left the game with an injury. But A&M’s offense has another concern — after rushing for 303 yards in the opener against Kent State, the Aggies gained just 97 yards on the ground against the Buffaloes.

Cincinnati

Murray State was swept away quickly as Cincinnati scored 42 straight points to close out a 42-7 victory. The Bearcats fell one spot to No. 8 in the poll after Oregon and Iowa jumped them. Not to sound like a scratched record, but the 2 big games to help Cincy impress the CFP committee are straight ahead: at Indiana this Saturday, then, after a bye week, at No. 12 Notre Dame on Oct. 2.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes can still claw their way back into the Top 4, but, above any other concerns, the run defense needs to be fixed right away in Columbus. Granted, OSU has faced 2 top running backs in Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim (before he got injured in the opener) and Oregon’s CJ Verdell (20 carries, 161 yards, 2 TDs). It’s early, but OSU ranks 126th in the country in run defense, and that won’t win the B1G.

Penn State

The Nittany Lions have, somewhat quietly, elbowed their way into the Top 10 in the AP poll and the CFP discussion. The opening win at Wisconsin might have converted a few doubters, but PSU can raise a few more eyebrows by beating Auburn this week. The 2 B1G teams above them in the rankings are looming in October, both on the road (Oct. 9 at Iowa, Oct. 30 at Ohio State).

Florida

The biggest questions that everybody from Tuscaloosa to Gainesville and beyond will ask revolve around UF’s backup quarterback. How about that? Namely, is Anthony Richardson healthy after tweaking his hamstring on Saturday against USF, and how big of a role will he play in sharing duties with Emory Jones? The ABC broadcast on Saturday summed up Richardson well: He is appointment viewing.

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish are the least convincing team on this list. After needing OT to beat Florida State (which then lost to FCS Jacksonville State), Notre Dame had to rally late to beat Toledo in South Bend. The offseason questions were all about lost offensive production, but the defense, ranked 106th after 2 games, has been the real cause for questioning whether the Golden Domers belong on this list.