College Football Power Rankings for Week 1

College Football Power Rankings for Week 1

The first official week of college football is over and that’s called Week 0. Nothing really special happened as USC and Notre Dame took care of business with ease against Navy and San Jose State respectively. Let’s take a look at the top 10 teams from our power index based on talent, returning starters, key injuries, conference strength, coaching and more. I also list the next 15 in the second-tier index.

1)Ohio State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten), AP Ranking: No. 3

The Buckeyes are searching for a quarterback but finding a qb hasn’t been that difficult over the years in Columbus. Justin Fields, J.T Barrett, Troy Smith, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, Dwayne Haskins and C.J. Stroud were pretty good players. When you have Marvin Harrison Jr., you don’t need to be great at quarter. Harrison Jr. might be the best player in the nation. They added speed to their secondary with the addition of Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun.

2)Georgia (15-0, 8-0 SEC) AP Ranking: No. 1

Georgia just re-loads though replacing Stetson Bennett might be more difficult than C.J. Stroud. They do have an incredible tight end in Brock Bowers with an incredible recruiting class and some great pickups in the portal led by wide receivers Rara Thomas (Miss. State) and Dominic Lovett (Missouri). The defensive line is as good as anybody in football.

3)Alabama: (11-2, 6-2 SEC). AP Ranking: No. 4

Another team with a quarterback issue. Bryce Young was a terrific quarterback, but the Tide should find a replacement. Ty Simpson, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Buchner are all candidates and nobody has been named as of press time. Defensively, Alabama is always going to be strong, but replacing Willie Anderson will be difficult.

4)Michigan (13-1, 9-0 Big 10). AP Ranking: No. 2

Jim Harbaugh’s squad is typical of the Big 10. They are physical up front on both sides of the ball, but unlike the top three programs, they have an experienced QB in J.J. McCarthy. The receiving unit could be better, but against most teams, they can pick them apart on thee ground and with their stifling defense.

5)Texas (8-5, 6-3 Big 12). AP Ranking: No. 11

It’s time for the Longhorns to live up to their potential as a program. Quinn Ewers stabilizes the QB situation and if he can’t get the job done or gets hurt, there’s 5-star Arch Manning behind him. Most of the offense is back including the entire O-line and the defensive line mostly returns. Last season, the Longhorns led the nation in quarterback pressures.

6)LSU (10-4, 6-2 SEC). AP Ranking: No. 5

Jayden Daniels is back at quarterback along with eight starters and the entire offensive line. Their problem is that they are in the same conference as Alabama and Georgia with Texas joining next season. Brian Kelly is no joke as a head coach.

7)Clemson (11-3, 8-0 ACC). AP Ranking: No. 9

The problem with the Tigers last season was that Dabo Swinney stayed with DJ Uiagalelei too long. Cade Klubnik has taken over and should be better as a sophomore. Will Shipley is a dynamic runner and will lead the offense once again. The ACC is weak again so they will need to dominate since their non-conference schedule is not very daunting.

8)USC Trojans (11-3, 8-1 Pac-12). AP Ranking: No. 6

Superstar QB Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns against San Jose State in the first week. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Branch looks to be the next star. However, USC will go as far as their defense takes them. They ranked 94th in scoring defense last season. Bear Alexander arrives from Georgia to improve their defensive line.

9)Notre Dame (9-4 Indep). AP Ranking: No. 13

The Irish opened up with an easy win over Navy in Ireland. Sam Hartman wasn’t really tested as he went 19 of 23 for 251 yards and four TDs. Still, he was a great pickup for Marcus Freeman, who also has a strong running game behind a very good offensive line.

10)Tennessee (11-2, 6-2 SEC). AP Ranking: No. 12

Hendon Hooker is gone but Josh Heupel is going to figure out the offense. Enter Joe Milton, a Michigan transfer, with a huge arm but is not as good as Hooker. Fortunately, they have a quality and experienced offensive line. The defense was terrible against the pass last season and they will need to improve on the back end to make a run in the SEC.

Tier 2

11)Oregon (10-3, 7-2 Pac-12). AP Ranking: No. 15

12)Penn State (11-2, 7-2 Big 10). AP Ranking: No. 7

13)Florida State (10-3, 5-3 ACC). AP Ranking: No. 8

14)Utah (10-4, 7-2 Pac-12). AP Ranking: No. 14

15)Oklahoma (6-7, 3-6 Big 12). AP Ranking: No. 20

16)Washington (11-2, 7-2 Pac-12). AP Ranking: No. 10

17)Texas A&M (5-7, 2-6 SEC). AP Ranking: No. 23

18)Florida (6-7, 3-5 SEC). AP Ranking: NR

19)TCU (13-2, 9-0 Big 12). AP Ranking: No. 17

20)Ole Miss (8-5, 4-4 SEC). AP Ranking: No. 22

21)Texas Tech (8-5, 4-4 Big 12). AP Ranking: NR

22)Baylor (6-7, 4-5 Big 12). AP Ranking: NR

23)Oregon State (10-3, 6-3, Pac-12). AP Ranking: No. 18

24)North Carolina (9-5, 6-2 ACC). AP Ranking: No. 21

25)South Carolina (8-5, 4-4 ACC). AP Ranking: NR