College Football Rankings 2020: NCAA Top 25 Predictions After Opening Saturday

The first Saturday of the 2020 college football season is now in the books. It wasn't the busiest day on the gridiron, nor the most eventful. But after there were doubts about whether there would even be football this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was great to have a weekend with pigskin again.

Teams from the AAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt were among those in action Saturday. The opening weekend of the season isn't over yet, either, as Navy will host BYU in what should be a competitive matchup Monday night.

In Week 2, there will be more teams hitting the field for the first time this fall as the ACC and Big 12 are set to open their seasons.

Because the Associated Press included all teams in its Top 25 preseason poll (even those from conferences such as the Big Ten and Pac-12 that won't be playing this fall), there were no ranked teams in action this weekend. But some teams will quickly move into the rankings as future editions won't consider the teams that had their seasons canceled.

Here's a look at how the rankings could look now that teams from conferences that aren't playing won't be included.

Top 25 Rankings Prediction

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Georgia

4. Oklahoma

5. LSU

6. Florida

7. Notre Dame

8. Auburn

9. Texas A&M

10. Texas

11. Oklahoma State

12. North Carolina

13. Cincinnati

14. UCF

15. Iowa State

16. Tennessee

17. Memphis

18. Virginia Tech

19. Miami

20. Louisville

21. Appalachian State

22. Kentucky

23. Baylor

24. TCU

25. Virginia

Saturday Recap

Of the teams that were victorious Saturday, there's likely only one that will move into the AP Top 25 poll. That's Memphis, which was already nearly voted into the preseason poll that included teams from conferences that won't be playing this fall.

The Tigers opened the 2020 season with a 37-24 win over Arkansas State. It was a strong enough showing that they should be ranked when the next edition of the poll is released.

Memphis compiled 502 yards of total offense, with quarterback Brady White going 26-of-36 for 275 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. And he got many of the Tigers' top weapons involved, as running back Rodrigues Clark (105 rushing yards and one touchdown) and wide receivers Sean Dykes (137 receiving yards and two touchdowns) and Damonte Coxie (90 receiving yards and one touchdown) all had solid showings.

"That's what I love about Memphis. It's just a matter of, which guy are we going to unleash?" White said, according to The Athletic's Chris Vannini.

It was Ryan Silverfield's first win since he became Memphis head coach last December. Now, he'll look to lead the Tigers to success in the AAC, as they're expected to be one of the top teams in the conference this season. They got off to a good start, and they should be rewarded by the poll voters.

Many of the other teams that move into the next AP Top 25 poll will likely be ones that have yet to play, but they'll be taking the spots previously occupied by teams from the Big Ten and Pac-12.

Although SMU probably won't be ranked, it's another AAC team that could have a strong season and may figure into the poll picture at some point this year. The Mustangs opened their season with a 31-24 victory over Texas State on Saturday.

SMU quarterback Shane Buechele is an NFL draft prospect who spent his first three seasons at Texas before transferring and earning first-team All-AAC honors for the Mustangs last year. In their opener, he went 26-of-36 for 367 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

It may not have been Buechele's best showing, but his lone touchdown was a 51-yard pass to Reggie Roberson Jr. that gave the Mustangs the lead late in the third quarter, which they never relinquished.

SMU plays Memphis on Oct. 3 and No. 20 Cincinnati on Oct. 24, both at home. Those will be the Mustangs' biggest tests of the season and should determine how high they could potentially climb in the rankings this season.