The first week of the College Football season is officially in the books, and it was an eventful slate of games. We had three massive playoff-altering matchups in Ohio State Vs Texas, LSU Vs Clemson, and Notre Dame Vs Miami, while Florida State's upsetting Alabama sent a massive message. It's hard to rank teams before the season begins but, based on the talent on the rosters along with this first week of results, we can start to stack teams against each other.
Each week that the season progresses, we start to get a better sense of the team's that are Playoff contenders while many are College Football Playoff pretenders. Following the first week of the season, here is how each team stacks up Nationally.
Ranking the Top 25 teams in College Football
While they had solid showings, teams like Missouri, Nebraska, Tulane, BYU, Auburn, and Louisville just miss out on making the Top 25 this week.
Last season, the Utah Utes had one of the rare losing seasons of the Kyle Whittingham era as their quarterback, Cam Rising, dealt with injuries. This season, Utah is going to be right back to being one of the toughest teams in the Country, and it starts with Devon Dampier, who was beyond impressive as a passer and rusher. The defense gave Nico Iamaleava issues all night and look like one of those teams that is going to be a nightmare to play.
This offseason, the Texas Tech Red Raiders bought one of the best transfer classes in the Country, and they used their season opener to show the class off. Behren Morton was incredibly efficient, suffered an injury, but the passing attack as a whole was beyond impressive. The defense applied pressure on every play, ending the game with 3 sacks and an interception. Everyone will now watch to see if Morton is healthy, but we all want to see what this team looks like when they face any resistance.
In the first game after the Nico Iamaleava saga, the Tennessee offense looked far superior to the group we watched last season. Joey Aguilar passed for three touchdowns while taking care of the football, which was great to see after he led the NCAA in interceptions last year. The biggest concern lies at cornerback as a team already without Jermod McCoy will also be without Rickey Gibson as he suffered an injury in the opener.
For the first few weeks of every season, you can almost guarantee that Lane Kiffin's team is going to hang insane numbers on a smaller school. In his debut as the starter, Austin Simmons was a rollercoaster as he had 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. All of the transfer additions at the skill positions looked impressive but, they faced no resistance. The biggest concern should be that the defense only recorded one sack while Georgia State had some success running the ball for 5.5 yards per carry.
While everyone said Curt Cignetti is playing a cupcake schedule, it wasn't quite that easy as Indiana didn't pull away until the second half. Fernando Mendoza went 18-31 passing for 193 yards in his Hoosiers debut leaving a bit to be desired. This team still has all the potential to be a Playoff team but, Mendoza is going to have to click to make this work out.
Through two games, the Iowa State Cyclones are off to an impressive start and look like one of the top teams in the Big 12. The Cyclones' win over Kansas State in Dublin was the most impressive, but this week against South Dakota State, the team started to iron out some issues. When the Cyclones got some of their most important playmakers back for another season, it hinted toward a special year, and Rocco Becht and crew are well on their way.
It was clear in Texas A&M's season opener that letting Marcel Reed pass was the priority, and he impressed with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Mario Craver and KC Concepcion shined in their debuts, combining for 184 yards and 4 total touchdowns, making an instant impact. The run defense has to be a concern, as Texas A&M allowed 6.2 yards per carry and has lost some key pieces on the line to the NFL.
Facing off against Illinois State isn't quite impressive, but for an Oklahoma team working through a new offense, it was a great first landing spot. John Mateer looked exactly like the player to believe in passing for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for another score. The receiving core looked much better as they're finally healthy, which should allow this offense to improve, along with having Mateer. This week's matchup against Michigan should give us a better idea of where both teams truly stand.
Alabama losing to Florida State isn't the biggest concern but, it's the way that Alabama looked on the way to the loss. Florida State dominated the Crimson Tide in the trenches, and the defense that is supposed to be one of the Nation's best looked helpless in stopping another running quarterback. Many are questioning the effort of Alabama's players, and it'll be interesting to see how Kalen DeBoer gets his team to respond.
Fresh off their run to the College Football Playoff, Rhett Lashlee's team got to work some of the rust off against East Texas A&M. The biggest concern with this team is finding its replacement for Brashard Smith, and in the game, SMU found it has a few pieces capable of making an impact. Star tight end RJ Maryland made his return from a torn ACL and made an impact, as he should only get better as he gets more snaps. Kevin Jennings did turn the ball over twice, but as a whole, it was what you'd expect from SMU.
Florida State came into the season with a ton of questions, and leaving the season opener, they look like they're right back to being a contender in the ACC. Florida State didn't beat Alabama in a fluke fashion, they were the better team the entire game and were dominant in the trenches. Pairing Thomas Castellanos and Gus Malzhan is a match made in heaven and this offense is dynamic enough to give most teams fits.
We weren't going to learn a ton from the Florida Gators facing off against Long Island, but they handled business. DJ Lagway was incredibly efficient, which is positive to see, and he left the game healthy, which is the best news. The defense played lights out, and getting a game under their belt was key, as they lost several key pieces to the transfer portal. The next step will be proving they can do it against a real team but, Billy Napier is off and running.
Everyone tuned into Michigan's season opener for the debut of Bryce Underwood, and while he was impressive, it was the Justice Haynes Show. The Alabama transfer picked up 159 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per carry and looking like the driving force this offense needs. The defense has plenty to work on, but they did pick off Jack Layne 3 times, which is impressive as they replace veterans like Will Johnson and Makari Paige on the backend.
There was plenty of good and bad to take away from South Carolina's season opener, but, regardless, they picked up a Power 4 win to start the season. The offense didn't click like you'd hope with a Heisman front-runner at quarterback, but when they needed a score the most, LaNorris Sellers found Nyck Harbor deep for a beautiful touchdown. The defense lost so many key pieces to the NFL, yet in the end, they only allowed 3 field goals. This team has three true aliens in LaNorris Sellers, Nyck Harbor, and Dylan Stewart, and the trio may just be enough to ride to the playoff.
Losing to Miami will sting for Notre Dame as the team clearly left some points out on the field but, this is still just a team breaking in a new QB. The biggest head scratcher was not getting Jeremiyah Love more involved early and often, as he finished this game with just 10 carries and could've taken a ton of pressure off of CJ Carr. Everyone came into the year thinking this could be the best defensive line in the Country but, this game proved that everyone should pump the brakes.
Bret Bielema's team enters the season with hopes of making the College Football Playoff and demolishing teams like Western Illinois is as expected. Luke Altmyer was efficient, going 17-21 passing, while Hank Beaty had a massive game with 108 yards receiving. Gabe Jacas once again looks like one of the best defenders, racking up 2 sacks. This week didn't prove a ton, but next week against Duke will tell us a ton about both teams.
Fresh off their run to the Playoff and their Big 12 Championship, Kenny Dillingham and his team got to start again against Northern Arizona. For Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson, it was business as usual as the two connected for touchdowns twice while Leavitt rushed for a third score. Kyson Brown looks like the clear replacement for Cam Skattebo as he picked up 73 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving, making an all-around impact. The defense was solid for most of the game, but they were vulnerable to the big play.
Coming into the season, it was easy to feel really good about Clemson, and leaving this game, you'll feel overall positive, but there are some massive concerns. The rushing attack was only able to manage 1.6 yards per carry, which is never going to support a Championship run. The defensive front was going against a brand new LSU offensive line, and despite all the talent, it only recorded one sack and clearly lost the battle. Cade Klubnik is going to need to find a way to be more effective when kept in the pocket, as it was clear that once LSU contained him, the entire offense fell apart.
The Texas Longhorns came into the season with some concerns, and they were exposed by a defensive coordinator with NFL experience in Matt Patricia. Arch Manning looked like a quarterback making his first big-time start, and the training wheels may have been on as he struggled to find any rhythm. The new wide receiver room had some issues creating separation, which didn't help Manning at all, while the new offensive line needs more reps together. The reason to believe in this team is that the defense may be the best in the Country, limiting a loaded Ohio State offense to 14 points.
Coming into the season, all the conversations were about the Fighting Irish having the best offensive line in the Country. Miami's defensive front applied pressure the entire night, forcing a first-time starter into some mistakes while slowing the impressive rushing attack led by Jeremiyah Love. The offense doesn't look nearly as explosive as it was last season, but if Carson Beck can continue to take care of the football, this team is improved enough on defense to beat any team.
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have a ton of holes to fill, and in Week 1, we were going to see the changes, but it's also hard to fully judge the team. Dante Moore was efficient and took care of the football, which is a great sign of how much he developed behind Dillon Gabriel. Makhi Hughes surprisingly got just 1 carry, which is puzzling after his dominance at Tulane. Overall, it's hard to gauge anything Oregon did in this game, but they did get a ton of their key pieces involved with the team in this game, which will hopefully help out down the line.
The Georgia Bulldogs, facing off against Marshall, created the most predictable outcomes of the week as the defense dominated while the offense worked out some kinks. In his first game as the full-time starter, Gunner Stockton showed some bright spots, including his ability to run, but he also completed just 58.33% of his passes. Kirby Smart got a ton of players on both sides of the ball involved in this game, which will make it interesting to see who plays when they face Tennessee in two weeks.
There isn't much you can learn about Penn State in its opener against Nevada, but it served as a great warmup for the new Jim Knowles-led defense as well as the new pieces on this team. Drew Allar was incredibly efficient, and it looks like he finally has the pieces to succeed at wide receiver. The rushing attack was surprisingly slowed, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, but they also weren't asked to do much. The best sign is that the defense was able to generate pressure from several positions which will help in replacing Abdul Carter.
The LSU Tigers picked up one of the best wins any team will pick up this season as Brian Kelly's team went on the road and knocked off Clemson. The improvement this defense made is the most encouraging sign as the additions of Mansoor Delane and AJ Haulcy looked like players the team has missed for years. The offense looked much better than the 17 points they scored and as the transfers continue to gel this group is only going to get scarier.
If we're going to rank teams before the season even begins, then the team that ended the last season with the crown should begin the next season on top. On Saturday Afternoon, the Ohio State Buckeyes proved they're still the team to beat as Matt Patricia's defense looked like a group that played together for years rather than a group mixing in a ton of new pieces. As Julian Sayin continues to get experience, the offense will only get better, especially with the weapons this team has.
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