Three top-10 matchups will lead to a lot of shuffling in college football power rankings—and fans were treated to three tight games in Week 1. With No. 1 Texas struggling on offense and going down at Ohio State, Georgia is now the SEC favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook. The Dawgs rise to No. 3 in our latest rankings.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) | Last week: 3 (+2)
No doubt, playing in The Horseshoe helped—but give the defending national champion Buckeyes a ton of credit for winning another close big game under Ryan Day. Julian Sayan was poised in his first career start, and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia looks like a massive addition for Ohio State, scheming for an extremely talented unit.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) | Last week: 2
Perhaps lost in the NCAAF latest news, Penn State was dominant in their first game of the season—outgaining Nevada, 438-203, in a 46-11 victory. Kaytron Allen (eight carries for 43 yards) and Nick Singleton (eight carries for 19 yards) combined for three touchdowns despite not a ton of room to run on the ground, so look for the dynamic duo to do more damage in terms of yardage versus FIU.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) | Last week: 5 (+2)
Georgia overwhelmed Marshall, racking up 27 first downs, 488 yards, and 45 points with new full-time starting quarterback Gunner Stockton (14/24, 190 passing yards, two passing touchdowns; 73 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns) doing an excellent job. Star receiver Zachariah Branch got off to a fast start for the Bulldogs, zooming down the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown reception.
4. Texas Longhorns (0-1) | Last week: 1 (-3)
There’s no question Arch Manning needs to play better if Texas is going to get to where they want to this season, but let’s remember that it was his first career start in a tough road environment. The Longhorns played hard and should boast an elite defense all season—and Manning can find a groove the next three weeks before beginning SEC play in October.
5. LSU Tigers (1-0) | Last week: NR
Speaking of elite defense, it looks like LSU might have one with the way they played at Clemson on Saturday night. Harold Perkins Jr. made plenty of plays all night, including forcing the final pressure to seal the victory for the Tigers from the SEC. Overcoming the recent disappointments in season openers, perhaps this LSU squad is different.
6. Oregon Ducks (1-0) | Last week: 6
Dan Lanning had the Ducks ready to go for Montana State, and Dante Moore Jr. (18/23, 213 yards, three touchdowns) is off to a great start as he takes over at quarterback. Defensively, Matayo Uiagelelei led the way in the Ducks’ 59-17 win.
7. Miami Hurricanes (1-0) | Last week: NR
You can make a case that Miami shouldn’t be quite this high and leap the few schools behind them in the power rankings, but we’ll give them the nod after securing a top-10 win against Notre Dame. Quarterback Carson Beck’s play is going to be under the microscope all season, and he started strong—including with some help on an early catch of the year nominee from receiver CJ Daniels.
CATCH OF THE YEAR NOMINEE 🤯
CJ DANIELS REELS IT IN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GLh8APSRsb
— ESPN (@espn) September 1, 2025
8. Clemson Tigers (0-1) | Last week: 4 (-4)
Offensively, Clemson just couldn’t get much going at all against a stingy LSU defense—particularly in the second half when they were shut out. Cade Klubnik was under a lot of pressure, but the experienced quarterback can certainly be helped if the Tigers find a run game. They were limited to 31 rushing yards and 3/13 on third downs in the loss.
9. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) | Last week: 9
While North Carolina struggled to conclude Week 1, South Carolina had a solid outing on Sunday afternoon. LaNorris Sellers and Nyck Harbor are matching some of the early hype, and it was nice for Shane Beamer to get a win against his father’s longtime school. Keep an eye on the status of impact defender Dylan Stewart, who left during the win over Virginia Tech.
10. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0) | Last week: 10
UTSA hung around for a bit, but Texas A&M took a 42-24 victory behind four touchdown tosses by Marcel Reed, who also led the team in rushing (39 yards). Mario Craver caught two of those touchdowns, with 8 receptions for 122 yards total for the Aggies. Next up is Utah State before a matchup at Notre Dame.