Week 1 rankings are supposed to be a little irresponsible. We have one game for most of these teams, two for a couple of them, and somehow we’re already supposed to know who is winning the national championship, who is fraudulent and which quarterback should start shopping for a tuxedo in December.
Perfect. Let’s rank them.
The college football top 25 after Week 1 starts with Ohio State, Georgia and LSU in my top three, with Notre Dame and Miami finishing out the top five. Some of this is what teams did this weekend. Some of it is what they looked like doing it. And yes, there are absolutely teams sitting below someone they could beat tomorrow. That’s college football rankings in September. If everybody agreed, this would be a standings page and we’d all be bored.
College Football Top 25 After Week 1: The Full Rankings
25. Pitt
Seven touchdown passes gets you into the Top 25. Those are the rules.
Mason Heintschel threw for 453 yards and SEVEN touchdowns in Pitt’s 59-14 win over Miami (Ohio), and somehow the funniest part is that all seven scores went to different receivers. Pitt finished with 646 total yards and Heintschel didn’t throw an interception. Miami isn’t going to tell us whether Pitt can hang with the best teams in the ACC, but when your quarterback opens the season looking like somebody turned the difficulty down to Freshman, you get my attention. The Panthers are at 25 because there’s still a lot to prove.. but they’re in.
24. Virginia
Virginia gets rewarded for actually beating a Power Four team while half the country spent opening weekend collecting checks from FCS schools.
The Cavaliers handled NC State 34-8 back in Week 0 and then got to spend Week 1 sitting at home watching everybody else. Virginia ran for 251 yards, jumped out 17-0 by halftime and made NC State look completely miserable offensively. Maybe NC State ends up being awful and this ages terribly. Fine. Right now Virginia has a convincing conference win on the board, and there aren’t many teams around this part of the rankings that can say the same thing.
23. Washington
The Apple Cup is exactly the kind of game where a team can look stupid for three quarters and spend the next week explaining why rivalry games are weird. Washington avoided all of that.
The Huskies beat Washington State 24-10 and kept the Cougars scoreless through three quarters. Demond Williams Jr. threw for 268 yards, ran for another 61 and accounted for two touchdowns. The gigantic red flag was 12 penalties for 130 yards, because eventually that becomes the difference between surviving and handing somebody a game. Still, Washington controlled its rivalry game and got out 1-0. That’s enough for 23.
22. Missouri
Austin Simmons waited a long time for another chance to be QB1 and then treated Arkansas-Pine Bluff like he had somewhere else to be.
Seventeen completions on 19 attempts. 252 yards. Four touchdowns. Less than a half of football. Missouri was up 40-0 before Simmons was basically allowed to clock out for the evening. UAPB obviously isn’t the game that determines anything about Missouri’s SEC ceiling, but this was exactly what you wanted from a new quarterback. No drama, no adjustment period, no spending three quarters trying to “find a rhythm.” Kansas is next. That will tell us a lot more.
21. Louisville
Yep, an 0-1 team is ranked.
Louisville lost 41-38 to Ole Miss on a field goal as time expired, and dropping the Cardinals behind teams that spent the weekend beating up on cupcakes simply because the little number in the loss column changed would be lazy. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 307 yards, ran for 69 more and accounted for three touchdowns in his first start after transferring from Ohio State. Louisville went into a ranked matchup, traded punches all night and was 48 yards of Lucas Carneiro’s leg away from overtime. They looked like a team that belongs in the ACC race.
20. Iowa
Iowa scored 40 points. Everybody remain calm.
The Hawkeyes shut out Northern Illinois 40-0 and outrushed them 289-7, which sounds like somebody entered a stat wrong until you remember Iowa is physically capable of making football look like trench warfare. Kamari Moulton went for 183 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. There were seven penalties and a turnover, so Kirk Ferentz will still have enough material to be irritated about for six straight days, but 40 points and a shutout is a hell of an opening argument.
19. Tennessee
Faizon Brandon might make Tennessee extremely fun.
The true freshman completed 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, then added 68 yards and two more scores on the ground in a 56-9 win over Furman. Five touchdowns in your first college start is a decent way to introduce yourself. Tennessee also gave up 178 rushing yards to a Southern Conference team, and THAT is why they’re sitting at 19 instead of getting launched into the top 15 after one offensive explosion. Georgia Tech is going to give us a much more useful answer.
18. Texas Tech
Texas Tech’s defense looked exactly like the reason people bought into this team all offseason.
Abilene Christian managed 10 points, with seven of those coming late after Tech had already built a 33-3 lead. The Red Raiders held ACU to 2.6 yards per carry and 3.7 yards per pass attempt while Will Hammond threw for 298 yards in his first start of the season. The offense wasn’t some 60-point fireworks show, but that’s fine. If that defense keeps making teams work for every five-yard gain, Texas Tech doesn’t need to score 50 every Saturday.
17. Utah
Utah apparently spent the offseason deciding subtlety was overrated.
The Utes beat Idaho 66-14, ran for 364 yards and finished with 633 total yards. Devon Dampier threw three touchdown passes before his afternoon was basically over, and Utah looked bigger, faster and meaner everywhere. Idaho isn’t Arkansas, which is who comes next, but this is exactly what a ranked team should do when an overmatched opponent shows up. Don’t spend two quarters screwing around with them. Put them away and start getting the backups reps.
16. BYU
BYU was up 56-0 before Utah Tech finally scored, which is usually a pretty good indication that the afternoon went according to plan.
The Cougars ran for 308 yards, had seven different players hit at least 20 rushing yards and forced four turnovers. Bear Bachmeier still found time inside the demolition to throw for 198 yards and three touchdowns. There’s almost nothing negative to take from this game other than the obvious fact that Utah Tech wasn’t remotely equipped to test them. Arizona will be a better measuring stick. For now, BYU did exactly what a top-20 team should do.
15. Penn State
Penn State has a new quarterback and Rocco Becht apparently decided easing into the job was unnecessary.
He threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-0 demolition of Marshall, while the Nittany Lions defense held Marshall to 147 total yards and a 1-for-11 day on third down. That’s about as clean as an opener gets. Penn State is only at 15 because Marshall isn’t giving me a reason to suddenly move them above teams that have already beaten better competition. The actual performance? Hard to complain about much.
14. SMU
SMU turned the ball over FOUR times at Florida State and still left Tallahassee with a win. That game made absolutely no sense.
Kevin Jennings threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns, SMU piled up 585 yards of offense, and Nick Reed hit the winning field goal with 21 seconds left for a 27-24 victory. The Mustangs also kept handing Florida State opportunities and somehow survived every one of them. A road conference win is a road conference win, especially on a night delayed forever by a power issue, but four turnovers will get you killed against better teams. SMU looked dangerous and sloppy at the same time.
13. USC
USC is already 2-0 and Jayden Maiava has basically forgotten how incompletions work.
Maiava is 48-of-54 for 635 yards and five touchdowns through two games, and USC followed a 42-26 Week 0 win over San Jose State with a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State. The defense held Fresno State to 116 total yards. That second part is what gets my attention, because nobody has ever needed convincing that Lincoln Riley can produce offense. If USC is actually going to erase people defensively too, this ranking is going to look low pretty quickly.
12. Alabama
East Carolina finished with TWO rushing yards against Alabama.
Two.
The Crimson Tide won 48-10, held a 227-2 advantage on the ground and got a promising first start from Keelon Russell, who threw for 249 yards and added 86 more with his legs. Alabama looked athletic, comfortable and very Alabama-ish. The only reason they aren’t higher is because beating East Carolina senseless doesn’t answer the questions that matter after last season. The talent is still obvious. Now we need to see it against somebody capable of punching back.
11. Ole Miss
Ole Miss and Louisville gave us one of the few Week 1 games where both teams could walk away looking better.
The Rebels won 41-38 on Lucas Carneiro’s 48-yard field goal as time expired, and Trinidad Chambliss immediately threw himself back into the national conversation with 336 passing yards, 60 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. There are defensive questions after giving up 38, and Kewan Lacy leaving the game adds something else to watch, but Ole Miss has something most of these teams don’t have yet: a win over a ranked opponent. That’s worth something.
10. Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s defense looked disgusting in the good way.
UTEP managed 198 total yards, went 2-for-13 on third down and never scored in a 51-0 Sooners win. John Mateer only completed 11 passes and somehow turned them into 225 yards and three touchdowns, while Isaiah Sategna III added an 88-yard punt-return score because apparently UTEP needed one more problem. Michigan is next, and after watching the Wolverines need a miracle to survive Western Michigan, Oklahoma has a chance to make a VERY loud statement.
9. Texas A&M
Missouri State had 67 yards.
Not rushing yards. TOTAL yards.
Texas A&M won 50-0, held Missouri State to four first downs and finished with 505 yards of offense. Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and the Aggies possessed the ball for more than 43 minutes. You could have left the defense on the field, gone to get nachos, come back five minutes later and Missouri State probably still hadn’t crossed midfield. The opponent obviously matters, but total domination still counts for something.
8. Oregon
Oregon had to work for this one, and that’s exactly why the Ducks are down at eight.
Boise State led 17-14 at halftime and Oregon didn’t take its first lead until the third quarter. The game was still tied at 27 with under eight minutes left before Dante Moore found Dakorien Moore for a 62-yard touchdown that finally ended it, 34-27. Dante Moore threw for 378 yards and three scores, and Oregon outgained Boise 497-274, so this wasn’t some disaster hiding behind the final score. Ten penalties and a game that stayed uncomfortable for three and a half quarters are enough to keep them out of my top five for now.
7. Indiana
The defending national champions started 2026 by hanging 52 on North Texas, and somehow the stat I keep coming back to is that North Texas actually outgained them.
Indiana won 52-16 behind four touchdown passes from Josh Hoover, but the total yardage was 367-365 in favor of North Texas. That’s weird. Maybe meaningless Week 1 weird, maybe something Curt Cignetti spends the next month fixing. Either way, Indiana still has the roster, the coaching and the giant shiny trophy from last season, so nobody is getting cute and throwing them down into the teens because the yardage total looked funny for one afternoon.
6. Texas
Texas gave Ohio State absolutely nothing useful to feel comfortable about.
The Longhorns beat Texas State 59-7, scored on eight of nine drives and finished with 516 yards. Arch Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, Ryan Wingo went over 100 yards receiving and the defense forced three turnovers. Exactly what Texas needed.
And now the fake part of the schedule is finished immediately. Ohio State is coming to Austin. No. 1 against No. 6 on this list, with Manning and Julian Sayin getting the kind of September stage that can change how everybody talks about the season by midnight. Texas looked ready. We get to find out if they actually are.
5. Miami
Malachi Toney somehow came out of the offseason even more ridiculous.
Miami went across the country and beat Stanford 45-6 while Darian Mensah completed 27 of 30 passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns. Toney caught 12 balls for a school-record 234 yards and three scores, which is the kind of Week 1 stat line where the Heisman conversation starts whether you planned on having it or not.
Stanford isn’t a playoff test, but road games with a new quarterback can get weird fast. Miami turned it into a walkthrough. The Hurricanes have too much speed, Toney looks like a cheat code, and Mensah looked completely comfortable running the whole thing. Five feels right now. It might not for long.
4. Notre Dame
Notre Dame beat Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field, and the final score actually makes it look easier than it was.
The Irish led 27-13 before pulling away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. C.J. Carr went 19-of-29 for 239 yards and two scores, while Aneyas Williams stepped into the lead-back job with 90 yards and two touchdowns. The defense also made enough big plays to keep Wisconsin from ever seriously threatening late.
There was some first-game messiness in there, which is why they’re behind LSU and the two machines above them. Still, taking Wisconsin to Lambeau and leaving with a four-touchdown win is a pretty nice way to start a season where half the country already picked you to contend for the title.
3. LSU
LSU has the best win in college football right now.
Clemson came into Death Valley ranked. They left after losing 51-10. LSU gave up an early field goal and then scored 51 straight points, while Clemson went 0-for-12 on third down. That’s an ass kicking. There’s no nicer analytical phrase required.
Sam Leavitt also looked exactly like the quarterback LSU hoped it was getting. He threw for 230 yards, ran for 113 and accounted for three touchdowns in his debut. LSU finished with 644 yards, and the defense spent most of the night treating Clemson’s offense like an inconvenience.
After one week, Georgia and Ohio State still get the benefit of the doubt above them. LSU has already done more against a legitimate opponent than either one. If we’re ranking résumés alone, the Tigers have an argument for No. 1.
2. Georgia
Georgia played Tennessee State, so we’re obviously not learning whether the Bulldogs can survive Alabama in December from this one.
We did learn that the machine appears to be working.
Georgia scored touchdowns on its first five drives, won 63-3 and put up 660 yards. Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns before Georgia basically said thank you, that’s enough, please don’t get hurt. The defense allowed 109 total yards and only 10 rushing yards on 32 carries.
That’s Georgia. You bring in somebody overmatched, they suffocate them for three hours, everybody gets home early. Until someone gives me an actual reason to stop trusting Kirby Smart with a loaded roster, the Bulldogs stay right near the top.
1. Ohio State
Ohio State gets No. 1 because the defending version of this roster already had an argument for the most talented team in America, and Week 1 did nothing to change it.
The Buckeyes opened with a three-and-out against Ball State, then scored touchdowns on six of their next seven possessions and won 56-3. Julian Sayin went 21-of-25 for 320 yards and three passing touchdowns. Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores. Bo Jackson ripped off a 65-yard touchdown. Fourteen different Buckeyes caught a pass.
Ball State isn’t the reason Ohio State is No. 1. The way the pieces looked is.
Sayin and Smith already looked like the best quarterback-receiver connection in the country, Ohio State suddenly has more weapons around them and the defense gave Ball State almost nothing all afternoon. Now comes Texas in Austin, and we get the greatest possible thing for a Week 2 ranking.. No. 1 has to prove it immediately.
