College Football Rankings: B/R's Top 25 After Week 1
It's that time of year again, football fans.
After an appetizer of games last weekend, college football was in full swing this weekend. And while the slate was not littered with upsets, it was an opportunity for the nation's title contenders to flex their muscles against lesser competition.
The upset of the day was Deion Sanders-led Colorado over No. 17 TCU in a game that will only fan the flames of the offseason-long storyline that has been Prime Time's arrival at what was a 1-11 program just a year ago.
Here's how Bleacher Report's college football writing staff—David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard—lines up the top 25 teams in the nation:
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Alabama
4. Florida State
5. USC
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Tennessee
9. Notre Dame
10. Ohio State
11. Texas
12. Oregon
13. Utah
14. LSU
15. Oklahoma
16. Kansas State
17. North Carolina
18. Duke
19. Clemson
20. Texas A&M
21. Colorado
22. Wisconsin
23. Arkansas
24. Texas Tech
25. Auburn
Editor's Note: These rankings were updated from the original published version after Florida State's win over LSU and Duke's upset over Clemson.
Who's Hot: Heisman Favorites
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As expected, the nation's most high-profile quarterbacks and Heisman Trophy favorites shined on Saturday against lesser competition.
USC star and reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams completed 18-of-24 passes for 319 yards with five touchdowns in a 66-14 shellacking of Nevada, and the Trojans are off to a quick 2-0 start after dismantling San Jose State last weekend.
Not to be outdone, fellow Pac-12 standout Michael Penix Jr. racked up 450 yards and five touchdown throws of his own in a 56-19 victory over Boise State, connecting on 29-of-40 attempts to help the Huskies get off to a convincing start.
Behind that duo, Oregon's Bo Nix (23/27, 287 yards, 3 TD), Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel (19/22, 308 yards, 2 TD), Notre Dame's Sam Hartman (14/17, 194 yards, 2 TD), Tennessee's Joe Milton III (21/30, 201 yards, 2 TD) and Texas' Quinn Ewers (19/30, 260 yards, 3 TD) all had efficiently productive games through the air in lopsided wins.
Who will start to separate themselves from the pack in the coming weeks as the quality of competition improves?
Who's Not: The Big Ten
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The Big Ten only lost one game on Saturday to an opponent outside of their own conference, but it was a less-than-stellar first full weekend of action for the conference as a whole.
The most notable loss of the day in the conference was Purdue falling at home against Fresno State, but several other teams debuted with a bit of a thud.
Conference favorites Michigan (+36) and Ohio State (+30) failed to cover the spread, and while both teams only allowed a single field goal on the defensive side of the ball to East Carolina and Indiana, respectively, it was a somewhat disappointing showing on a day when teams like Oregon (81 points), Oklahoma (73 points), USC (66 points), Alabama (56 points), Washington (56 points) and Notre Dame (56 points) put big numbers on the scoreboard.
A ranked Iowa team also stumbled through a 24-14 victory over Utah State in game where they were 24-point favorites, while Illinois needed a Hail Mary completion and a last-second field goal to survive at home against Toledo.
All in all, not the Week 1 flex the Big Ten Conference was looking for in a slate where most of the conference's teams were heavily favored.
Fun Fact: Shedeur Sanders Sets Single-Game Passing Record at Colorado
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One of the most intriguing matchups of Week 1 pitted No. 17 TCU against a Colorado team that made headlines all offseason following the hiring of Deion Sanders as its new head coach.
It didn't disappoint.
Not only did the Buffaloes cover a 21-point spread, but they also came out on top in a back-and-forth contest to secure a 45-42 win, announcing to the nation that they are the real deal on the heels of a 1-11 season and a complete roster overhaul.
However, the story of the day was the performance of quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who racked up an absurd number of yards through the air to etch his name into the record books:
That's how you decisively enter your name into the early Heisman conversation, and he'll look to continue building his case next week against Nebraska.
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Looking Ahead: An Early Preview of SEC Life for the Texas Longhorns
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After a Week 1 slate that was mostly chalk across the board, aside from Colorado pulling off an upset of No. 17 TCU, there are some bigger matchups on deck in Week 2.
The Game of the Week is undoubtedly the Texas Longhorns hitting the road to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in what will be a preview of life in the SEC for them next year once they move out of the Big 12. It will be a great opportunity to prove they belong in this year's College Football Playoff picture.
The other matchup of ranked teams features No. 22 Ole Miss on the road against No. 24 Tulane in what will be a significant boost to the resume of whoever comes out on top, and a likely ticket out of the AP poll for whoever is on the losing end.
For rivalry fans, Iowa vs. Iowa State is always a hard-fought contest, and don't sleep on Notre Dame on the road against NC State in a tough test for the Fighting Irish after a pair of blowout wins to start the year.
College football is officially in full swing. Sit back and enjoy!
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