With the amazing opening week of college football completed, I have compiled my top 25 rankings. These rankings account for game performance, not just the preseason rankings. My rankings are created in regard to the updated AP Poll, but also include what I think the AP Poll got wrong. With that said:
- Alabama
- Florida State
- Clemson
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Houston
- Stanford
- Georgia
- Washington
- Louisville
- Michigan State
- Wisconsin
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- TCU
- Iowa
- LSU
- Notre Dame
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma State
- Baylor
- Texas A&M
- Oregon
- Miami
Georgia made the biggest leap forward (+10) among teams that were in the preseason top 25, while Texas and Wisconsin skyrocketed from the depths of the unranked to the middle of the list. Both Houston and Louisville rose 9 spots in my poll. LSU (-13), Oklahoma (-12), Notre Dame (-9) and Ole Miss (-9) took big hits to start their respective seasons. Texas A&M and Miami are the other two teams that climbed into the top 25.
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The AP Poll has Alabama at #1 – for obvious reasons – followed by Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, and Michigan to round out their top five. The only thing I had different was FSU at #2 and Clemson at #3. The Tigers played an unranked opponent – albeit a good one – in Auburn and almost lost, while the Seminoles beat a ranked Ole Miss squad rather impressively (in the second half). For the simple reason that FSU looked more impressive, I have them above Clemson. I, like the AP Poll, have Houston at #6 and Stanford at #7, both coming off of great wins against Big 12 teams. However, the AP has Washington at #8 and Georgia at #9. Both teams are primed to do some damage this season, but I was more impressed with Georgia’s big win over North Carolina. Hyper-reacting to upset wins seems to be a calling card of the AP, as they elevated Wisconsin to #10 and Texas to #11. Both teams cashed in on huge victories as the underdog in week one, but do they really deserve to be that high?
As you can see, I don’t have them far away (#12 and #13); however, I struggled to even place them in the top 15. Realistically, no team should jump into the top 15 one week after being unranked. Nevertheless, the lack of good team performances in front of them prompted me to include the Badgers and Longhorns at their respected spots on my list. The only other teams I kept above them that I have not mentioned yet are Louisville (#10; #13 AP) and Michigan State (#11; #12 AP), although it was hard to bump the Spartans up a spot after they struggled for most of the game against Furman. Tennessee and Oklahoma complete my top 15, with both teams falling due to bad performances (Tennessee) or a loss (Oklahoma).
The AP Poll has the Sooners at #14 and the Volunteers at #17. I have TCU at #16; the Horned Frogs produced on offense with Kenny Hill but got exposed on the defensive side of the ball. Consequently, I have them three spots back from their preseason ranking, whereas the AP Poll has them at #15. Iowa (#16 AP), LSU (#21 AP), Notre Dame (#18 AP) and Ole Miss (#19 AP) finish up my top 20. In my last five, I have Oklahoma State (#22 AP), Baylor (#23 AP), Texas A&M (#20 AP), Oregon (#24 AP), and Miami (#25 AP). The only difference with my poll and the AP Poll is the A&M ranking; I am not very high on UCLA, so in my eyes it was a less impressive victory than what the AP Poll had in mind (I would have had UCLA at around #25 instead of #16 to start the season).
So there you have it. What do you think of my top 25? Is it good, bad, or just okay? Of course, this is just week one, and the first several weeks of rankings will be very fluid.
Unfortunately, there are no ranked matchups in week two, but that does not mean that there will not be some good games on the slate. Week two games to watch for:
Penn State @ Pittsburgh – 11:00 AM on ESPN
SMU @ Baylor – 2:30 PM on FS1
Arkansas @ TCU – 6:00 PM on ESPN
BYU @ Utah – 6:30 PM on FOX
Virginia Tech vs Tennessee – 7:00 PM on ABC
Texas Tech @ Arizona State – 9:00 PM on FS1
