Week 1 has come and gone, and we have learned a bit about some teams, although the huge number of cupcakes on the schedule kept us in the dark about many teams' potential. The performance of the week belonged to Alabama, which destroyed fellow top-10 Michigan on a neutral field without breaking a sweat, earning the defending champs a lot of respect and the top spot in this week's rankings. Here are the top 25 teams as of today, with each team's ESPN ranking in parentheses after its record.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) (ESPN)
1. (3) Alabama (1-0) (1)
2. (4) West Virginia (1-0) (8)
3. (1) Kansas State (1-0) (20)
4. (NR) Ohio State (1-0) (NR)
5. (8) Utah (1-0) (30)
6. (19) South Carolina (1-0) (9)
7. (2) USC (1-0) (2)
8. (10) Florida State (1-0) (6)
9. (20) Notre Dame (1-0) (22)
10. (11) TCU (0-0) (17)
11. (12) Air Force (1-0) (NR)
12. (9) Nebraska (1-0) (14)
13. (NR) UCLA (1-0) (NR)
14. (15) Missouri (1-0) (32)
15. (NR) BYU (1-0) (27)
16. (7) Texas (1-0) (15)
17. (NR) Baylor (1-0) (28)
18. (21) Oregon State (0-0) (NR)
19. (22) Oklahoma State (1-0) (16)
20. (23) Purdue (1-0) (NR)
21. (NR) Wisconsin (1-0) (13)
22. (NR) Oregon (1-0) (4)
23. (NR) Louisville (1-0) (24)
24. (16) LSU (1-0) (3)
25. (14) Vanderbilt (0-1) (44)
Dropped from Rankings
(6) Michigan (0-1) (19)
(5) Oklahoma (1-0) (5)
(17) Clemson (1-0) (12)
(25) Rutgers (1-0) (45)
(13) California (0-1) (NR)
(24) SMU (0-1) (NR)
(18) Pittsburgh (0-1) (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 12 - 6
SEC - 5
Pac 12 - 5
Big 10 - 4
Ind - 2
ACC - 1
MWC - 1
Big East - 1
Alabama vs. Michigan was supposed to be the marquee matchup of the opening weekend, but after the Crimson Tide raced out to a 31-0 lead, it became obvious that they were on a different level than Michigan, and perhaps every other team in the nation. Their amazing performance vaulted them to #1 in both national polls as well as my rankings, although a couple of games against weak opponents could lower their strength of schedule enough to crown a new #1 next week.
It's hard to believe that Ohio State was down 3-0 entering the second quarter against Miami of Ohio, but maybe it just took 15 minutes for the players to get used to running Urban Meyer's offense. They ended up scoring 8 touchdowns over the final 3 quarters, and allowed the RedHawks just one more score late in the third quarter, making them the best ineligible team since USC last year.
The only team with a losing record to appear in my rankings this week is Vanderbilt, and that is due to the way they fought a very good South Carolina team before losing late in the fourth quarter. South Carolina was aided by a missed pass interference call that cost Vanderbilt possession of the ball and their potential game-winning drive, but Vanderbilt should still finish the season far above the expectations of most experts.
Oklahoma's drop from the rankings may be a bit of a surprise, but after they nearly lost to UTEP, which hasn't had a winning season since 2005, going into halftime tied at 7 and giving up multiple blocked kicks to a team that is not known for its defense. They'll need to perform much better against Florida A&M next week if they want to even have a chance to get back in the conversation this year.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati - Bearcats
Friday
Utah at Utah State - Utes by 27
Saturday
North Carolina State at Connecticut - Huskies by 6
New Hampshire at Minnesota - Golden Gophers
UCF at Ohio State - Buckeyes by 28
Tulane at Tulsa - Golden Hurricane by 14
Maryland at Temple - Owls by 18
Penn State at Virginia - Cavaliers by 20
Auburn at Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 1
Miami at (20) Kansas State - Wildcats by 36
East Carolina at (9) South Carolina - Gamecocks by 45
Ball State at (12) Clemson - Tigers by 11
Maine at Boston College - Golden Eagles
Southern Illinois at Miami-Ohio - RedHawks
Illinois State at Eastern Michigan - Eagles
Austin Peay at (18) Virginia Tech - Hokies
Texas A&M-Commerce at Texas-San Antonio - Roadrunners
Southern Utah at California - Golden Bears
Sacramento State at Colorado - Buffaloes
North Carolina at Wake Forest - Tar Heels by 6
Weber State at BYU - Cougars
Eastern Washington at Washington State - Cougars
Purdue at (22) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 11
Missouri State at (24) Louisville - Cardinals
Indiana at Massachusetts - Hoosiers by 12
Air Force at (19) Michigan - Falcons by 3
Howard at Rutgers - Scarlet Knights
(2) USC at Syracuse - Trojans by 33
(23) Florida at Texas A&M - Aggies by 9
Western Kentucky at (1) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 50
(11) Michigan State at Central Michigan - Chippewas by 3
Iowa State at Iowa - Cyclones by 16
Rice at Kansas - Owls by 12
South Florida at Nevada - Wolf Pack by 1
(15) Wisconsin at Oregon State - Beavers by 7
Georgia State at Tennessee - Volunteers
Toledo at Wyoming - Cowboys by 21
Nicholls State at South Alabama - Jaguars
Savannah State at (6) Florida State - Seminoles
Morgan State at Buffalo - Bulls
Akron at Florida International - Golden Panthers by 24
Fresno State at (4) Oregon - Ducks by 20
North Dakota State at Colorado State - Rams
Presbyterian at Georgia Tech - Yellowjackets
Washington at (3) LSU - Tigers by 29
UTEP at Mississippi - Rebels by 2
Idaho at Bowling Green - Falcons by 36
New Mexico State at Ohio - Bobcats by 53
Florida A&M at (5) Oklahoma - Sooners
Texas Southern at North Texas - Mean Green
West Carolina at Marshall - Thundering Herd
Texas Tech at Texas State - Red Raiders by 49
Memphis at Arkansas State - Red Wolves by 47
Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee - Owls by 8
Louisiana-Monroe at (10) Arkansas - Razorbacks by 9
Tennessee-Martin at Northern Illinois - Huskies
Grambling State at (17) TCU - Horned Frogs
Louisiana-Lafayette at Troy - Trojans by 4
Eastern Illinois at Western Michigan - Broncos
Army at San Diego State - Black Knights by 5
(14) Nebraska at UCLA - Bruins by 5
Kent State at Kentucky - Wildcats by 17
(7) Georgia at Missouri - Tigers by 23
UC-Davis at San Jose State - Spartans
Vanderbilt at Northwestern - Commodores by 18
Louisiana Tech at Houston - Bulldogs by 9
New Mexico at (15) Texas - Longhorns by 67
Stephen F Austin at SMU - Mustangs
Northern Arizona at UNLV - Rebels
(16) Oklahoma State at Arizona - Cowboys by 22
Duke at (21) Stanford - Cardinal by 3
Illinois at Arizona State - Fighting Illini by 7
Prediction Results
College Football: 57-18 (.760)
Upsets: 2-10 (.167)
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