One of the fun storylines beneath the surface of Saturday night's top-10 thriller between No. 6 LSU and No. 9 Texas was the space that each team occupies within its own conference landscape. Both teams were battling to elevate themselves to national title contention, both teams were looking to make up ground in the separation that's been created from rivals in their own backyards. On Saturday night, both LSU and Texas showed that they've got the stuff to knock off Alabama and Oklahoma in 2019, and both teams are among the top 10 in the nation. 

It's possible that Texas will fall out of the top 10 in Sunday's new AP Top 25 poll, but I bet by the time the season is done both of these teams will have double-digit wins and be back where they stood in the rankings prior to Saturday night's game.  LSU, in a clean 45-38 victory on the road, should tick up into the top 5 of the rankings.

It was an evening that put Alabama and Oklahoma on notice: Their respective reigns of supremacy might be challenged this fall if they're not careful. 

1. Clemson (Last week -- 1): I'd expect a handful of first-place votes to drift Alabama's way but not enough to lead to a change at the top or even a "Who's No. 1" debate. Next week presents what we thought was going to be Clemson's toughest challenge in the ACC, but given the state of Syracuse, I'd expect the Tigers to hold this position in the polls for at least another couple weeks. 

2. Alabama (2): A 62-10 win against New Mexico State won't vault Alabama over Clemson, but as SEC play begins, there will be opportunities to put together the kind of quality wins that will see more first-place votes land with the Tide. 

3. Georgia (3): No change after a 63-17 walloping of Murray State.

4. LSU (6): A thorough, consistent win on the road over Texas had LSU looking like it can go toe-to-toe -- or close to it -- with Alabama. The Tigers notched the biggest win of the young season and should move a couple spots up the rankings on Sunday.

5. Ohio State (5): While rival Michigan was struggling with Army, Ohio State's thorough dispatching of Cincinnati was an impressive foil that suggests there's no change at the top of the Big Ten. The Bearcats are a solid AAC team, and they couldn't get anything against Ryan Day's super-talented juggernaut in Columbus. 

6. Oklahoma (4): Wild numbers against for Jalen Hurts, but running it up on South Dakota isn't going to move many AP voters. 

7. Notre Dame (8): The Irish were off in Week 2 after their slot on Monday night against Louisville. Up next is a visit from New Mexico but not Bob Davie (who is still recovering from a health issue) on Saturday.  

8. Michigan (7): All the excitement around Michigan's new offense has reversed course, and now there's both quarterback questions and execution issues that appear to be preventing this year's Wolverines team from putting together a complete game. The defense played great against Army, it was, again, the offense that seems to be holding this Michigan back.

9. Texas (9): A nice landing spot for Texas -- unchanged -- after ending up just a touchdown short against LSU. The Longhorns proved they can play with the best in the nation, but their defense could not hold up against the Tigers' speed.  

10. Florida (11): Would not expect to see much adjustment in the pecking order for the Gators after their dominant 45-0 showing over Tennessee-Martin, but there will be an opportunity to leave a more significant impression on voters coming up in Week 3 at Kentucky. They are undefeated with a Power Five win.

11. Utah (13): An under-the-radar 35-17 win against Northern Illinois moves Utah up in the pecking order with Texas A&M's loss -- but not much further than a spot or two. 

12. Auburn (10): Hey there Tigers, we need to have a conversation about your offense. It hasn't looked all that consistent, and it's starting to concern everyone who believed you were a top-10 team. After grinding its way through a win against Tulane, I wouldn't be surprised to see Auburn take a small step back in the polls.

13. Oregon (16): Justin Herbert had an absolutely monster performance against Nevada (310 yards, five touchdowns) in a 77-6 win, and I think the victory will be enough to gain back some of those poll points lost following the defeat to Auburn. 

14. Washington (14): At the last update, Washington was tied 10-10 with Cal in the third quarter in the early hours of Sunday morning. In the event of a loss, the Huskies could find themselves in the lower 20s but I do not think voters would drop them all the way out for a game that included the unusual circumstances of a lengthy delay and late night finish. 

15. Penn State (15): After going down 10-7 at halftime to Buffalo, Penn State avoided a potentially dangerous spot against the Bulls with a 28-point third quarter and pulled away for a 45-13 win. 

16. Wisconsin (17): The Badgers are outscoring opponents 110-0, and Jonathan Taylor is putting together the kind of stat lines that will make him competitive in the Heisman Trophy conversation in November. Taylor ran for three touchdowns and caught another as Wisconsin rolled up 599 yards of total offense in a 61-point win against Central Michigan. 

17. Texas A&M (12): Kellen Mond didn't have a great day against Clemson, and Texas A&M's struggles on offense are going to cause it to drop in the polls. The Aggies weren't picked to win, and in fact, they did cover the 17-point spread, but they were not competitive enough against the No. 1 team in the country to think they'll remain in the top 15. 

18. UCF (18): No time was wasted putting the hurt on FAU, as the Knights jumped out to a 28-6 halftime lead and cruised to a 48-14 win. 

19. Michigan State (19): Mark Dantonio challenged his offense, in particular his offensive line, following a less than inspiring showing against Tulsa in the opener. The spartans got off to a fast start against Western Michigan and raced away with a 51-17 win. That won't be enough to make a big jump in the polls, but it should restore some confidence in Sparty's chances to make some noise in the Big Ten East. 

20. Iowa (20): A dominant 30-0 win against Rutgers shouldn't lead to a huge jump in the polls, but it should give Hawkeye fans confidence heading into the CyHawk Trophy game against Iowa State next week. 

21. Washington State (22): No real adjustments after rolling over Northern Colorado, but it's worth pointing out that Washington State's offense has put up 58-plus points in each of its first two games and senior quarterback Anthony Gordon has completed 60-of-74 passes (81 percent) with nine touchdowns and just one interception. 

22. Iowa State (25): The Cyclones were off in Week 2. 

23. Virginia (NR): One week after being the first team left out of the top 25, I think the Wahoos break in, not because they beat William & Mary but due to a profile that includes a convincing ACC win. Bronco Mendenhall's team looks good, so much so that it could wind up being favored against Florida State later this month. 

24. Boise State (25): Depending how things shake out, it's possible that a sloppy 14-7 win against Marshall at home will get the Broncos left on the outside of the top 25. 

25. Army (NR): Say it with me now: "qua-li-ty loss." Week 1 against Rice didn't look great for the Black Knights, but it's possible that we see Jeff Monken's group run off a long string of wins after this double-overtime thriller and finish with double-digit wins for the second straight season. 

Projected to drop out: Syracuse (21), Stanford (22), Nebraska (25)