College Football Rankings 2018: NCAA Top 25 Predictions After Opening Saturday
There won't be any significant changes to the AP Top 25 after Week 1, but there will be a few differences from the initial ranking.
With four games featuring ranked opponents in Week 1, two of which will be played Sunday and Monday, the losers will slide a few spots, or in some cases leave the rankings.
Alabama will remain on top after blowing out Louisville, while Clemson should stay at No. 2 following its easy win over Furman.
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The entire top five could stay the same, but there's a chance Auburn slides into one of those spots after defeating Washington in Atlanta.
Below is a look at how the top 25 should look following Saturday's games.
Top 25 Predictions
1. Alabama (1-0)
2. Clemson (1-0)
3. Georgia (1-0)
4. Wisconsin (1-0)
5. Ohio State (1-0)
6. Auburn (1-0)
7. Oklahoma (1-0)
8. Miami (0-0)
9. Notre Dame (1-0)
10. Washington (0-1)
11. Penn State (1-0)
12. Michigan State (1-0)
13. Stanford (1-0)
14. USC (1-0)
15. TCU (1-0)
16. West Virginia (1-0)
17. Mississippi State (1-0)
18. Michigan (0-1)
19. Florida State (0-0)
20. Virginia Tech (0-0)
21. UCF (1-0)
22. Boise State (1-0)
23. Oregon (1-0)
24. LSU (0-0)
25. South Carolina (1-0)
Auburn Comes Close To Top 5
Auburn came out on top in Saturday's most meaningful game, as it survived a defensive struggle and won 21-16 over Washington.
The victory by Gus Malzahn's side should boost it up the rankings since every other team around it played a lesser opponent.
The only other team in the top 10 that received a challenge in Week 1 was Penn State, who unexpectedly went into overtime at home against Appalachian State.
At the bare minimum, the Tigers should swap spots with the Huskies, who started the season as No. 6 team in the nation.
If some voters value Auburn's quality Week 1 win more than others, the Tigers could receive some top-five votes.
While the quality wins will balance out the top five later in the season, and in some cases as early as Week 2, Auburn holds the edge in that category for now.
Auburn will at least make a three-spot leap to No. 6, but don't be surprised if the Tigers are awarded the No. 5 position over Ohio State either.
How Will Voters View Penn State?
Usually the top teams in the rankings don't lose ground because of victories, but Penn State is in a peculiar situation following its overtime win over Appalachian State.
The Nittany Lions entered Week 1 at No. 10, but an argument could be made that they deserve to drop out of the top 10.
In that scenario, Penn State would fall because of Notre Dame's rise and a small dip by Washington.
Notre Dame deserves a boost from No. 12 for beating No. 14 Michigan by seven points at home, while the Huskies impressed despite falling short against Auburn.
If the voters want to reward Notre Dame for a ranked victory and Washington for a hard-fought loss, they could put the Fighting Irish and Huskies at No. 9 and No. 10, or at No. 8 and No. 9 if Miami falls to LSU Sunday.
In that case, a loss by Miami would suit Penn State better, as it wouldn't slip out of the top 10, but if the Hurricanes win, the Nittany Lions could drop a position or two.
The good news for Penn State is even if voters want to penalize it for stumbling at home in Week 1, they can't justify placing Michigan State above it because the Spartans struggled with Utah State Friday night.
A one-spot drop to No. 11 seems likely given the performances of Notre Dame and Washington, but Penn State can easily gain ground back with a road win over Pitt in Week 2.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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