College Football Power Rankings: Ohio State, LSU, Miami make season-opening statements with marquee wins

Ohio State
The most impressive win in Week 1 deserves a No. 1 ranking … for now. The Buckeyes’ defense was phenomenal despite losing eight starters from last season – that secondary, returning two starters, is elite – and held Texas in check with four fourth-down stops. Arch Manning was flustered and had eyes on safety Caleb Downs all afternoon. Will OSU’s offense, which had only 203 yards, show more firepower in the next few weeks? 6 1-0
2

Penn State
I would not fault anyone for moving Penn State up to No. 1 this week. I have more confidence in Penn State’s offense today than I do Ohio State, but quality wins matter, and a blowout of Nevada isn’t that. Nick Singleton is now only nine touchdowns away from tying Saquon Barkley’s school record (51). 2 1-0
3

LSU
LSU should have beaten Clemson by double digits but turnovers. Blake Baker’s defense has transformed overnight with the help of a load of transfers and looks the part of a top-10 unit. QB Garrett Nussmeier was fantastic as expected in LSU’s first road win against a top 5 team since 2019. NR 1-0
4

Georgia
Gunner Stockton gives Georgia a duality at quarterback that has been missing since Stetson Bennett, and with a vast array of new weapons at receiver, he provided a breakout performance in the opener. He threw for 190 yards and two TDs and led the team with 73 yards and two scores on the ground. The defense held Marshall to 72 yards through three quarters. 1 1-0
5

Miami (Fla.)
The Hurricanes were simply better than Notre Dame in the trenches, and it showed along the offensive line in the middle 8 of the game and along that fast and big defensive line on the Irish’s final possession. Georgia transfer Carson Beck doesn’t have to worry about receivers dropping passes any more, either. The Hurricanes knocked off Notre Dame 27-24 for their first top-10 win since 2017. 11 1-0
6

Oregon
Oregon’s offensive line might be one of the best in the nation, and tight end Kenyon Sadiq is a weapon (did you see that leap over a would-be tackler Saturday?) that makes Will Stein’s offense, led by quarterback Dante Moore, difficult to defend. Oklahoma State will be a good test this week, but all eyes are on the trip to No. 2 Penn State on Sept. 27. 5 1-0
7

Texas
Arch Manning was mostly a mess against Ohio State, misfiring on 37% of his passes, according to ESPN’s advanced analytics, but he improved in the fourth quarter in the comeback attempt and it’s clear he has immense talent. The Longhorns’ defense held Ohio State to 203 yards and will carry the program early in the season. 4 0-1
8

Notre Dame
Notre Dame continued to fight when it fell behind 10 points at Miami, tied the game and had a chance to win on the final possession. First-time starter CJ Carr made some good throws but struggled on two of the final three possessions against the rush. Getting Jeremiyah Love more involved is critical. This is still a top-10 team. 6 0-1
9

Illinois
Luke Altmyer led Illinois to its fifth straight win dating back to last season, tying for the longest active streak among power schools. The quarterback recorded his fifth career game with three-plus touchdown passes. Receiver Hank Beatty, who led the Big Ten in punt return yards, exploded for 108 receiving yards and returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown in the 52-3 win against FCS Western Illinois. 11 1-0
10

Clemson
I’m more worried about Clemson than I am Texas after Week 1. The Tigers never could run the ball effectively against LSU’s revamped defense. Three 7-yard runs were the most explosive, but if you take those away, Clemson averaged only 1.3 yards per carry. Luckily for Clemson, it will not see many opponents as good as LSU in the ACC. 5 0-1
11

Utah
The Utes are fast and dangerous on offense with a new RPO system led by New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier, who delivered a 43-10 blowout win on the road at UCLA. Dampier threw for 206 yards with only four incompletions and rushed for 87 yards. Utah was my preseason pick to win the Big 12 and that belief was strengthened Saturday. NR 1-0
12

Florida
DJ Lagway was a tad sloppy, but his stat line was still great with three first-half touchdowns, and the Gators played a clean game (no penalties) in a 55-0 drubbing of Long Island. Next up: An unexpected early season test against South Florida, which will likely pop into the polls this week. NR 1-0
13

Florida State
Florida State made Alabama look soft (maybe the Tide are just that, actually) with a rebuilt roster that dominated the trenches. New defensive coordinator Tony White should be applauded for instilling some much-needed toughness. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn dug deep into his bag of tricks, running plays dating back to his days at Tulsa in the late 2000s, as FSU rushed for 240 yards. QB Tommy Castellanos stood on business, backing up his preseason claims. NR 1-0
14

Oklahoma
The John Mateer era is off to a strong start as Oklahoma got exactly what it paid for when it snagged the quarterback and his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, away from Washington State’s high-flying offense. Mateer scored four combined touchdowns and was 30-of-37 passing for 392 yards and three touchdowns with one pick. Next up is a story-filled showdown with Michigan and coach Sherrone Moore, an OU alum. NR 1-0
15

Michigan
Bryce Underwood has a whip for an arm, and Michigan is going to be must-see TV all year with the freshman quarterback. He threw for 251 yards in his debut. The defense was fine despite allowing 217 passing yards, 21 first downs and 17 points. The secondary needs to shore things up before facing OU’s passing attack. NR 1-0
16

Tennessee
Dare we say the Vols are better with Joey Aguilar at quarterback this fall? The UCLA transfer made his reads, processed the coverages, led his receivers with his passes out in front on crossing routes and worked his way down the field in a three-touchdown debut in a 45-26 win against Syracuse. Tennessee is in good hands. 7 1-0
17

Arizona State
For those who believed Northern Arizona was going to be a pushover, you just weren’t paying attention. We expected a tighter-than-expected game and it was just that in a 38-19 win for ASU. Sam Leavitt set or matched four career highs, including 330 total yards and 25 pass completions. 7 1-0
18

Auburn
Auburn might have its best offensive line since 2014. OU transfer Jackson Arnold’s performance in the 38-24 win at Baylor had shades of Nick Marshall, the whip-smart running quarterback from a decade ago. Arnold ran for a career-high 137 yards as the Tigers owned the line of scrimmage with 308 rushing yards. NR 1-0
19

Texas Tech
QB Behren Morton injured his leg Saturday but is believed to be OK. That’s great news after what amounted to be nothing more than a scrimmage against UAPB, which included 8-minute quarters in the second half of the 67-7 win. The Red Raiders piled up 608 yards, including 294 yards rushing, the most for the program since 2017. NR 1-0
20

South Carolina
How great is it that Shane Beamer’s South Carolina team was propelled by Beamer Ball against his father’s former team, Virginia Tech, to break open a slugfest Sunday in Atlanta? Vicari Swain’s 80-yard punt return TD was special. Credit the Hokies for slowing LaNorris Sellers on the ground, but he made them pay through the air in the second half. 8 1-0
21

Alabama
Alabama looked soft and lost on defense after the first 5 minutes in Tallahassee. The lack of hustle and pursuit at times was easy to spot, too. Simply put, Alabama has a problem, particularly against teams that love misdirection and run-heavy schemes (Florida State in Week 1 and Vanderbilt last season). Kalen DeBoer is 1-3 in his last four games. 7 0-1
22

Louisville
Isaac Brown is the best running back in the ACC, and by the end of the year he might be the best in the country. He needed only six carries to hit 126 yards and two scores in the 51-17 win against FCS Eastern Kentucky. NR 1-0
23

SMU
The Mustangs scored 21 points off three turnovers in a 42-13 win against East Texas A&M. Kevin Jennings targeted Romello Brinson on 33% of his throws and he recorded a career high with 121 yards and one TD catch. SMU gets a very physical Baylor team this week. 17 1-0
24

Tulane
Jon Sumrall just gets it done. We expected Tulane to “upset” Northwestern, but the Green Wave did more than that in a 23-3 demolition of the Big Ten team. Former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff threw for 152 yards and ran for 113 more while scoring two combined touchdowns. NR 1-0
25

South Florida
It was only a matter of time before Alex Golesh got USF rolling. His offense is a pleasure to watch, and on Thursday, he picked up his first huge win as head coach by knocking off Boise State in a 34-7 blowout. Boise hardly resembles last season’s playoff team, but give USF credit. NR 1-0