LSU is back in the top 10 of the first regular season AP Top 25 thanks to a blowout victory, while close-call wins for Michigan and Oregon weren’t enough to hold their preseason rankings.
No. 10 LSU made one of the biggest statements of Week 1 with its 51-10 rout of Clemson, living up to the hype of Lane Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge and rising two spots in the rankings.
Michigan plummeted out of the poll from No. 16 after a controversial Hail Mary, in the biggest drop to unranked by any team after a win since at least 2008.
No. 6 Oregon slipped from No. 2after a 34-27 win over Boise State as a 25.5-point favorite.
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Michigan’s schedule gets tougher
By MAURA CAREY
Michigan could have a tough road back into the rankings. The Wolverines host No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday and are listed as 5.5-point underdogs.
Despite slipping out of the top 10, Oklahoma had a strong debut and showed promise for another dominant season with a 51-0 rout of UTEP. Oklahoma’s defense remains one of the strongest in college football and it could prove difficult to handle for Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, who comes off a challenging debut.
Michigan has UTEP on the schedule after the Sooners and before turning to a difficult Big Ten schedule.
Ask a voter: Why didn’t Louisville move up?
By JON WILNER
Louisville lost in the last seconds by a field goal to Ole Miss, but didn’t move up at all??? Ridiculous!!
David
I was a tad surprised by that, as well.
For the record, I did not rank Louisville in my preseason Top 25. But I slotted the Cardinals 18th this week after that performance against Ole Miss.
Moving teams up after quality losses is important, as is moving teams down after unimpressive wins. And losing a close game on a neutral field to a top-10 opponent is the very definition of a quality loss. — Sports writer Jon Wilner has been an AP Top 25 voter for over 20 years. You can follow him on X: @WilnerHotline.
Seven teams receive first-place votes
By MAURA CAREY
Ohio State held onto No. 1, but six other teams also received first-place votes: Notre Dame (4), Texas (2), Indiana (8), Oregon (3), Miami (1), LSU (5).
No. 2 Georgia did not receive a first-place vote despite ranking higher than every team except Ohio State. The Buckeyes led the way with 46 first-place votes, six more than in the preseason.
A look at the reigning champs
Indiana got bumped up to No. 5 in the rankings after a 52-16 win against North Texas. It was a first look at Fernando Mendoza’s successor, Josh Hoover, who transferred from TCU to lead the Hoosiers’ offense in this year.
Hoover had just three incompletions and threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns while displaying the toughness required as the starting quarterback for the Curt Cignetti-led Hoosiers. He played through a severe bloody nose after North Texas defenseman Udoka Ezeani yanked his facemask in the second quarter.
“It looked way worse than it felt,” Hoover said after the game. “I didn’t even know it was bleeding like that, so, yeah, I feel good. I think it did me a favor, though. It looked worse than it was, so they were like ‘Hey, this guy’s tough.’”
Louisville rewarded for strong Week 1 performance
Louisville maintained its status as the No. 24 team in the AP Top 25 despite a 41-38 loss to No. 9 Ole Miss on Sunday night.
After an unexciting first half, both teams made strides in the second. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz went blow-for-blow with one impressive drive after the next.
Kienholz tied it up with a 7-yard rushing touchdown with 1:28 remaining in the fourth, but Chambliss put Ole Miss in field goal territory, and Rebels’ kicker Lucas Carneiro drilled it through the uprights as the clock expired.
Louisville had the edge in rushing yards (162), yards per play (6.9), third-down conversions (7/16) and time of possession (30:58).
Ask a voter: Why make such a big change in the AP poll after just one week of football?
By JON WILNER
Why make such a big change in the AP poll after just 1 week of football. First week is always for working out the odds and ends.
Hunter
That’s exactly why you need to make big changes, when warranted.
Everyone (voters, fans, etc.) has a preconceived notion about the teams: who’s elite, who’s mediocre, who’s terrible. The only way to eliminate that summertime bias — and create a Top 25 ballot that reflects the results — is to respond to what happens on the field. If that means making big changes every week for several weeks, so be it.
One thing fans sometimes forget, or overlook, is that voters are at the mercy of the schedules. Some teams play tough opponents early; others play cupcakes throughout the first month. So the process of crafting a ballot indicative of results is uneven, especially in September. — Sports writer Jon Wilner has been an AP Top 25 voter for over 20 years. You can follow him on X: @WilnerHotline.
MAC steps into Michigan-Western Michigan debate
By MAURA CAREY
The Mid-American Conference has appealed Michigan’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan, asking the NCAA and College Football Playoff administrators to recognize the Broncos as the winner.
Michigan won on Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary after one second was controversially put back on the clock. The stadium and TV clocks showed zeroes after Underwood’s first pass sailed out of bounds. The Big Ten said in a statement that time remained on a separate clock within its replay system.
Michigan fell out of the rankings this week.
Oregon falls to No. 6, opening the way for a
new top five
The Ducks’ narrow win against Boise State cost them top-five status in the AP Top 25, as Oregon dropped from No. 2 to No. 6. This shifted Georgia (2), Notre Dame (3), Texas (4) and Indiana (5) each up one spot.
Georgia rolled past Tennessee State 63-3, Notre Dame routed Wisconsin 41-13, Texas cruised past Texas State 59-7 and Indiana defeated North Texas 52-16.
Out goes Michigan, in comes Virginia
The voters have spoken and they were not quite convinced by Michigan’s 13-12 buzzer-beating win against Western Michigan.
After coming in at No. 16 in the preseason poll, Michigan became the only previously ranked team to stumble out of the AP Top 25 this week. Michigan’s absence cleared room for Virginia, which was voted No. 25 after a 34-8 win against conference foe NC State.
Michigan received the third-most votes of the unranked teams behind Boise State and Florida.
Ask a voter: Could LSU’s ranking be impacted if they use former NFL players?
By JON WILNER
Do you think LSU ranking could get affected in the future if they choose to play former NFL players
Karen M.
I doubt it.
Voters are allowed to consider personnel issues (injuries, eligibility) if they choose.
But there is no official guidance from the AP other than: Based your ballots on results. I don’t think voters will penalize the Tigers if they use former NFL players. Like everyone else, LSU will be judged on wins and losses.
(AP also allows voters to submit teams on NCAA probation on their ballots.) — Sports writer Jon Wilner has been an AP Top 25 voter for over 20 years. You can follow him on X: @WilnerHotline.
AP Top 25 temperature check
By MAURA CAREY
Heating up: Georgia (2), Notre Dame (3), Texas (4), Indiana (5), LSU (8), Alabama (12), Penn State (16), SMU (17), Tennessee (18), Utah (20), Iowa (21), Houston (22), Missouri (23) and Virginia (25).
Cooling down: Oregon (6), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (11), Texas Tech (13), BYU (15), Washington (19) and Michigan (OUT).
Holding steady: Ohio State (1), Miami (7), Ole Miss (9), USC (14) and Louisville (24).
Ask a voter: Why didn’t Miami move up?
By JON WILNER
How come Miami did not move up when they had a amazing showing and should easily be a 5 or 4th seed
Jeremy
I watched (in person) Miami decimate Stanford, and there’s no question the Hurricanes have national title talent. But Stanford has fallen so far from its glory days that voters don’t consider that a high-level win for Miami. They simply aren’t impressed — the result carried about as much weight as Indiana beating North Texas. That was my view, at least.
Stanford has gone 3-9, 3-9, 3-9, 3-9 and 4-8 the past five seasons. And it was missing three starting offensive lineman. A blowout was the expected result, so there was little resonance with voters.
Conference breakdown
By MAURA CAREY
The SEC leads the way again with nine teams in the AP Top 25: Georgia (2), Texas (4), LSU (8), Ole Miss (9), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (11), Alabama (12), Tennessee (18) and Missouri (23).
The Big Ten has seven ranked teams: Ohio State (1), Indiana (5), Oregon (6), USC (14), Penn State (16), Washington (19) and Iowa (21).
The ACC has four teams in the mix: Miami (7), SMU (17), Louisville (24), Virginia (25).
The Big 12 has four ranked teams: Texas Tech (13), BYU (15), Utah (20), Houston (22).
Notre Dame (3) is independent.
SEC considers expelling LSU
Leaders of the SEC will meet Thursday to consider expelling LSU from the conference amid a dispute over whether players with NFL experience can return to the Tigers’ roster.
The SEC amended its federal lawsuit against LSU on Tuesday, asking a judge to block the school from interfering with Thursday’s meeting. At least two-thirds of the conference’s presidents and chancellors would need to vote for expulsion.
The dispute stems from a Louisiana court ruling that blocked the SEC from enforcing its ban on players with NFL experience. Two LSU players, Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright, have been practicing with the team. Neither were on the roster during Saturday’s 51-10 win vs. Clemson.
Read more here.
AP Top 25
1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Indiana
6. Oregon
7. Miami (Fla.)
8. LSU
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Alabama
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Penn State
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Iowa
22. Houston
23. Missouri
24. Louisville
25. Virginia
Big Ten goes 16-2 as Oregon and Michigan dodge major upsets
By MAURA CAREY
Week 1 got off to a shaky start for the Big Ten.
After paying UMass $1.55 million in what was supposed to be an easy win, a 29.5-point favored Rutgers team was upset 37-21 by the Minutemen on Thursday night.
The conference’s other loss belonged to Wisconsin, which fell 41-13 to No. 4 Notre Dame.
Boise State gave No. 2 Oregon a game, leading for the first half before the Ducks tied it up in the third. In a back-and-forth second half, Dakorien Moore’s 62-yard receiving touchdown with 7:51 on the clock proved to be the game-winner.
No. 16 Michigan also narrowly dodged a major upset with a controversial 13-12 win against Western Michigan. The Wolverines’ win hinged on one second being put back on the clock after time had expired.
The SEC goes 16-0
For the first time since 1997, the Southeastern Conference swept its opponents with a perfect 16-0 record in Week 1.
No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 24 Louisville and Baylor-Auburn came down to the final moments. Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro drilled a 48-yard field goal to come out on top of a barnburner with a 41-38 win. Auburn stopped Baylor short of a two-point conversion as the clock wound down for a 17-16 win.
All other SEC teams won by at least three touchdowns. Most notably, LSU cruised past Clemson 51-10.
What happened in Week 0?
College football kicked off on Aug. 29 with a slate of eight games in Week 0. No. 14 USC was the sole Top 25 representative, defeating San Jose 42-26 in the season-opener.
Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels beat TCU 15-10. Virginia delivered a 34-8 rout of NC State. Florida State rolled past New Mexico State 34-17.
The stage is set
Results of the first regular-season AP Top 25 poll are three hours away. Here’s where we left off in the preseason:
Ohio State ranked No. 1 for the ninth time after receiving 40 first-place votes. Oregon earned its highest preseason ranking of all time, at No. 2 with 14 first-place votes. Georgia landed in the preseason top five for the ninth consecutive year at No. 3. No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Texas rounded out the top five.
The Southeastern Conference led the way with nine teams in the preseason rankings. The Big Ten had eight. The Big 12 had four, and the ACC had three. And, of course, Notre Dame is independent.
The Top 25 origin story
A version of The AP Top 25 college football poll started in 1936, the brainchild of former Sports Editor Alan J. Gould.
The number of teams ranked, the number of voters on the panel and how the ballots are tabulated have fluctuated over the years, but no news organization has been ranking teams and naming a college football national champion longer than the AP.
How the votes are counted
For decades, voters called, emailed and faxed their votes to the AP and ballots were tabulated by hand.
Now voting happens online and the count is automated first before AP checks for miscues.
The poll operates on a 1 to 25 point system, with the No. 1 team receiving 25 points down to the 25th team receiving 1 point. In between, the poll lists the teams with the most points from 24 down to 2. Teams that receive votes but not enough to make the top 25 are noted separately.
Lane Kiffin’s debut is a powerful success
After much anticipation — and a two-hour rain delay — Lane Kiffin made his LSU coaching debut on Saturday.
Clemson took an early lead after its opening drive culminated with a 49-yard field goal. But LSU barely looked back.
Kiffin’s Tigers led 17-3 by the end of the first quarter after a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Dilin Jones and a 30-yard pick-six by Jordan Ross. That lead was extended to 31-3 by halftime after two second-quarter rushing touchdowns by quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Leavitt was done for the day at the end of the third quarter after leading LSU to a 44-3 lead. The high-profile transfer finished the outing 16-of-28 for 230 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also led LSU with 12 carries for 113 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Backup quarterbacks Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet led drives for LSU in the fourth quarter en route to the 51-10 victory.
24 of the Top 25 open with Week 1 wins
Ranked No. 24 in the preseason, Louisville entered the weekend with limited room for error. But despite a 41-38 loss to No. 9 Ole Miss, the Cardinals proved they can hang with the best of them.
Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz impressed as the former Buckeye completed 18-of-29 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the Cardinals with 69 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
All other Top 25 teams won in Week 1, though near upsets for Oregon and Michigan could impact their rankings. Eyes will also be on No. 11 LSU, which had arguably the best performance of the week with a 51-10 rout of Clemson.
The Associated Press
