DISCLAIMER: I work for a major media affiliate but do not have a vote in the Associated Press poll so my opinion means virtually nothing. These rankings have nothing to do with preseason polls or last season’s results; they’re based on games that have been played this year only. The rankings will be volatile, especially early in the season.
Teams that play tough non-conference schedules and lose badly will unfortunately be punished for taking early season losses. These games could help their ranking later in the season for teams that improve, however they will free fall in the short term.
Programs that took the high road include: Alabama, FSU, Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame. They refrained from scheduling cupcakes to secure an easy three wins and deserve credit for playing meaningful games in August.
Biggest winners of week one:
- Utah came into this season with a ton of roster turnover and uncertainty around the program. They dismantled a Big 10 team with a legit(?) QB in the late Saturday game for the whole country to see.
- Ohio State played in the biggest week one age game in recent memory and dismantled top ranked Texas who now faces some uncertainty of their own.
- Miami took down a highly doubted Notre Dame team after losing their first overall pick QB in Cam Ward and their defense looked fantastic after being potentially the worst unit in the country last season.
- LSU showed up big on the road dominating Clemson and holding it down for the SEC which has regressed to the mean immensely since other conferences started paying players as well.
- Tennessee seems to have won the breakup; Joey Aguilar looked awesome and Nico Iamaleava got dismantled on national TV.
Biggest losers:
- Boise State knew they were going to miss Ashton Jeanty but not to this extent. Experienced QB Maddux Madsen looked shaky at best while South Florida completely kicked their teeth in. The Mountain West could be wide open if they don’t right the ship.
- Kansas State was ranked 17th following a loss to rival Iowa State in Dublin. They were huge favorites at home and FCS North Dakota took them to the wire.
- Alabama came in at #8 and legitimately didn’t look like a ranked team. It was honestly baffling to watch; the amount of slop displayed in Tallahassee would not have been tolerated in Nick Saban’s worst nightmare. Florida State won two games last year, brought in a QB from Boston College and took down the Tide handily. Kalen DeBoer will not survive this season, congrats on the $70 million dollar buyout.
My rankings:
- LSU – Garrett Nussmeier is an elite intermediate passer and will be a top-five pick in the NFL draft. The Tigers are loaded with talent all over the field and are the early favorite to win the SEC. This would actually matter if half the conference didn’t automatically qualify for the playoff.
- Ohio State – Dominated Texas in relatively mundane fashion, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes will win at least 11 games.
- Penn State – Ranked high, played a cupcake, won big.
- Miami – Carson Beck had a lot of questions to answer following his transfer from Georgia; in a weak ACC they’ve already won their toughest game of the season. With no Clemson on the schedule this year, the Canes have the inside track to win the conference.
- Georgia – Ranked high, played a cupcake, won big.
- Oregon – Ranked high, played a cupcake, won big.
- Florida State – Dismantled Alabama in stunning fashion, they’ve climbed completely out of the grave and can challenge Miami along with Clemson in the ACC.
- Utah – The Utes crushed UCLA and transfer QB Devon Dampier could win the Heisman if he refrains from turning over the ball.
- South Carolina – Deserves a lot of credit for winning at a neutral site game vs another P4 team. Lanoris Sellers and Nyck Harbor are an elite combination and could help the Gamecocks finally propel in the upper echelon of the SEC.
- Tennessee – Put up 45 points with a transfer QB against a P4 team, not a lot to complain about in Knoxville – yet.
- Florida
- Michigan
- Texas
- Clemson
- Illinois
- Notre Dame
- Arizona State
- Auburn
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- BYU
- Texas Tech
Next week’s rankings will include the full body of work from weeks one and two of the college football season. There will be no playoff speculation until at least mid October.
Mitchell Linsley
mitchlinsley.com 
Leave a comment