The first week of college football is in the books, and while there weren’t many ‘great’ games, there were still plenty of great games throughout the day to keep any fan happy. Whether it was starting the week off with NDSU vs. Colorado or finishing up with UNLV and Houston, the weekend was full of entertaining games, and teams have already begun to make statements (or not) for the rest of the season.
AP Top 25 College Football Poll Likely Won’t See Drastic Change
With there not being a ton of huge matchups between ranked teams, the AP Poll is unlikely to see much change. Florida State will drop a few spots from their loss two weeks ago, and there will be some movement in the Top 25 matchups, but since there weren’t a ton of upsets, don’t expect many teams to suddenly appear in the rankings.
That is the biggest issue with the AP Top 25. Arkansas beat UAPB 70-0 in a game in which the Razorbacks became the first team ever to score a touchdown on all ten of their first possessions of a season. They likely won’t receive a single top-25 vote, though, because there weren’t many currently-ranked teams that lost.
Yes, it was an FCS opponent, but Arkansas played a phenomenal game and should be considered. Instead, they will still be behind Florida State, which lost to Georgia Tech last week.
Gridiron Heroics Top 25
If you want to see the preseason rankings (matching last year’s final rankings), click here.
1. Michigan
2. Washington
Yes, I know Washington isn’t ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, but again, I take last year’s final rankings as the starting point for this poll. Did Washington look nearly as tough as last year? No, but they still won convincingly and so for now, they remain ranked 2nd.
3. Texas
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Missouri (+2)
7. Ole Miss (+2)
8. Ohio State (+2)
9. Oregon (-3)
A big win against an FCS school does very little to help a ranking, but having to sweat one out does negatively affect one. Oregon, unlike the three teams they were ranked above last week, had to play their starters all game to ensure the victory.
10. Arizona (+1)
11.USC (NR)
12. Penn State (+1)
13. Notre Dame (+1)
14. Oklahoma (+1)
15. Oklahoma State (+1)
16. Tennessee (+1)
17. Kansas State (+1)
18. Louisville(+1)
19. Georgia Tech (NR)
Georgia Tech is having the most impressive start to the season of any team in college football. After beating Florida State in Ireland, some wondered if they Yellow Jackets would have a reset against Georgia State. Instead, they took care of business and got a solid 23 point win.
20. NC State (+1)
21. Kansas (+2)
22. Iowa (+2)
23. Liberty (+2)
24. Boise State (NR)
25. Florida State (NR)
Normally, if a team starts 1-1 with a loss to a non-ranked team, I’d push them completely out of the Top 25. However, I am going to give some benefit to the doubt to the actual truth about Florida State having to travel to Dublin to play in the first game. Yes, Georgia Tech also traveled, so it was ‘fair’, but one has to wonder whether an international flight does at least level the playing field somewhat.
Also Considered: Arkansas, Clemson, Memphis and Auburn
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