The first AP Top 25 of the regular season is here, and college football has already delivered plenty of surprises.
Ohio State remains No. 1, but the biggest story may be what happened behind the Buckeyes. LSU stormed into the top 10, Oregon dropped out of the top five and Michigan completely fell out of the rankings following a controversial season-opening victory.
Ohio State Remains No. 1
The Buckeyes continue to sit at the top of the country after opening the season with a dominant 56-3 victory over Ball State.
Ohio State received 46 of the 69 first-place votes, giving the Buckeyes a comfortable advantage over No. 2 Georgia.
The biggest test is coming this weekend, however, when Ohio State travels to face No. 4 Texas in one of the biggest games of the young season.
LSU Makes a Huge Jump
The biggest riser in the new rankings is LSU.
After destroying Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin’s debut, the Tigers jumped from No. 11 to No. 8.
LSU also received five first-place votes, showing that some voters already believe the Tigers could be a legitimate national championship contender.
The jump is even more impressive considering everything happening around the program. LSU is currently dealing with a major dispute with the SEC, with conference leaders preparing to discuss the possibility of expelling the Tigers.
On the field, though, LSU couldn’t have looked much better.
Oregon Takes a Step Back
Oregon entered the season ranked No. 2 but dropped all the way to No. 6 despite beating Boise State 34-27.
The Ducks were heavily favored but struggled to put the Broncos away, allowing voters to question whether Oregon deserves to be considered one of the country’s top teams right now.
Boise State nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the opening weekend.
Michigan Is Gone
Perhaps the most shocking development is Michigan falling completely out of the Top 25.
The Wolverines entered the season ranked No. 16 but barely survived Western Michigan 13-12 after getting a second chance at a Hail Mary.
Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown after officials restored one second to the clock.
Michigan still received enough votes to rank unofficially around No. 28, but the Wolverines were no longer among the nation’s 25 ranked teams.
According to AP, it was the first time since at least 2008 that a team ranked as high as No. 16 fell out of the rankings after winning its game.
The New Top 25
The latest rankings are:
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Texas
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Miami
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- USC
- BYU
- Penn State
- SMU
- Tennessee
- Washington
- Utah
- Iowa
- Houston
- Missouri
- Louisville
- Virginia
Week 2 Could Change Everything
The new rankings already set up several massive games.
The biggest is No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas, but Oklahoma traveling to Michigan is also fascinating after the Wolverines’ controversial opening week.
Meanwhile, LSU gets a chance to continue building momentum after its statement win over Clemson.
Only one week into the season, the rankings are already moving rapidly.
LSU is climbing. Michigan is falling. Oregon is trying to recover. And Ohio State has a massive test waiting.
College football is officially getting serious.
