The 2025 college football season officially kicked off this weekend with the start of Week 1. While a pair of the teams in the top 25 college football rankings played last Saturday, Week 1 is the true start of the college football season. It also delivered a few great matchups to evaluate the best college football teams in 2025.
As Saturday’s action draws to a close, let’s dive into our Week 2 college football rankings. For the sake of transparency, you can find our top 25 rankings from before Week 0 here. We’ll have post-game updates for Miami, Notre Dame and South Carolina on Sunday night.
25. Louisville Cardinals (24)
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A two-interception performance isn’t exactly what we were expecting from Miller Moss against Eastern Kentucky. Fortunately for him, running back Isaac Brown put the Louisville Cardinals on his back with 2 touchdowns and 126 rushing yards on only six carries. The bright side for Moss is, teams schedule these opponents so players can work through early mistakes without them proving costly. We like Moss and the Cardinals’ roster enough to believe the best is yet to come.
24. Tennessee Volunteers (Unranked)
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The Tennessee Volunteers just make it into our Week 2 college football rankings thanks to Saturday’s win over Syracuse. We entered the season a bit skeptical of an offense led by quarterback Joey Aguilar, with such an unproven receiving corps and an overhauled offensive line. It also doesn’t help that All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy (ACL tear) will miss multiple regular-season games. Saturday’s performance did raise some new concerns about this defense, too.
23. Oklahoma Sooners (23)
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The beauty of bringing in a quarterback and play-caller from the same program is the system continuity you have earlier in the season. John Mateer showed that familiar feel in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s system, putting this offense on his back on a day when Oklahoma couldn’t get the ground game going early on. We’re still lower on the Oklahoma Sooners than the consensus top 25 college football rankings, but there’s an opportunity to change that in Week 2 at home against Michigan.
Related: College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat 2025
22. Indiana Hoosiers (21)
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The Indiana Hoosiers‘ dominance of unranked teams continues into the 2025 season. New starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza wasn’t the star of the show on Saturday, as the Hoosiers’ run game did most of the work. We really won’t be able to make a fair evaluation of Indiana until late September, when they face Illinois, Iowa, and Oregon in three consecutive weeks. Based purely on the Week 1 performance, though, a 1-2 record in that stretch is the best-case scenario.
21. SMU Mustangs (20)
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We’re still not quite as sold on an SMU Mustangs football program led by quarterback Kevin Jennings as the consensus. He put on a first-quarter passing clinic against East Texas A&M on Saturday night, demonstrating once again that he can put up some great numbers against bad competition. Our question comes down to how he fares against quality top-end programs. Given what Dave Aranda’s defense just allowed Jackson Arnold to do in Week 1, Jennings should deliver another strong performance next week against Baylor.
20. Alabama Crimson Tide (8)
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Kalen DeBoer is in trouble. The Alabama Crimson Tide were utterly dominated up front on both sides of the football. Ty Simpson didn’t look great, but it’s tough to do that on the road when you’re running for your life and don’t have a ground game to take the pressure off you. As for Alabama’s defense, the absence of run-stuffer Tim Keenan loomed large with Florida State putting up 230 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. If the Crimson Tide can’t improve the battles in the trenches moving forward, this is going to be a four-loss season at a minimum.
Related: Crimson Tide Game Today: Alabama Football Schedule 2025
19. Ole Miss Rebels (19)
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The good news for Lane Kiffin is that Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy, who came over in the transfer portal, thrived on Saturday night. He made the most of his opportunities and, along with fellow transfer player Harrison Wallace III, shone on a night when quarterback Austin Simmons gave the football away multiple times. This looks like an Ole Miss team that can go on the road next week to beat Kentucky, but it’s hard to have confidence in Simmons against quality SEC-caliber defenses.
18. Iowa State Cyclones (Unranked)
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The Iowa State Cyclones went out to Dublin and delivered their first ranked win of the season in Week 0. Rocco Becht wasn’t flawless (50 percent completion rate), but he came through with all of the Cyclones’ touchdowns against Kansas State. Becht also delivered two fourth-quarter scoring drives, which were needed with Iowa State’s defense collapsing a bit down the stretch. After that, Becht and Co. easily took care of South Dakota in Week 1 to improve to 2-0.
17. Florida Gators (18)
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Facing Long Island, all that really mattered for the Florida Gators was emerging from Week 1 healthy. Not a ton was put on the shoulders of quarterback DJ Lagway, especially not with running back Jadan Baugh popping early in The Swamp. The real victory for the Gators on Saturday, beyond the 1-0 record, might’ve been the Crimson Tide losing just a few hours away. The Gators have another week to work on things (vs South Florida) before heading out to face the LSU Tigers in Week 3.
16. Texas Tech Red Raiders (16)
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It was over in the first quarter. The Texas Tech Red Raiders showcased their well-paid roster on Saturday, utterly dismantling Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Defensively, Texas Tech looked outstanding with turnovers that set up short fields for quarterback Behren Morton to deliver three first-quarter touchdowns. We do believe Texas Tech’s ceiling is a lot higher than this, but the opportunity to prove it will come next in late September.
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (14)
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The South Carolina Gamecocks will open the season on Sunday afternoon in the Aflac Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Virginia Tech. Heading into the Gamecocks’ season-opener, we’re bullish on quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart. Both showed flashes of being the player who can single-handedly take over games, eventually at the NFL level. Having one of those on each side of the ball, with the surrounding talent, gives South Carolina a legitimate shot at playoff contention. We’ll also update this following the team’s game on Sunday.
Related: Ranking Heisman Trophy Candidates 2025; Risers and Fallers after Week 1
14. Texas A&M Aggies (10)
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We’re dialing back our optimism a bit with the Texas A&M Aggies. Marcel Reed looked good against UTSA, but there’s no excuse for how this Aggies’ defense performed (209 total yards allowed in the first half). Mike Elko will have another game to make adjustments and two weeks to prepare for Notre Dame, but Texas A&M’s run defense does not look at all prepared to face Jeremiyah Love on Sept. 13.
13. Illinois Fighting Illini (15)
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The Illinois Fighting Illini did exactly what you’d expect from them at home against Western Illinois in the regular-season opener. The Leathernecks’ defense allowed just 163 total yards, with Gabe Jacas (2 sacks) leading a dominant performance by the defensive line, which recorded 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. With Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin combining for 175 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, all Luke Altmyer needed to do was take what the Leathernecks’ defense gave him. Illinois was in cruise control by halftime. Up next, a road trip versus Duke.
12. Miami Hurricanes (12)
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Carson Beck gets challenged immediately in his Miami Hurricanes‘ debut on Sunday night at home against Notre Dame. It’s a great first test against one of the best defenses in college football. We’re particularly excited to see how a very experienced Hurricanes’ offensive line holds up, as Beck had a 5-5 TD-INT ratio with a 40 percent completion rate and 35.8 PFF rating when pressured last season. There will also be a lot of eyes on how Miami’s run defense fares against Jeremiyah Love.
Related:Â Highest paid college football players 2025, based on NIL value
11. Michigan Wolverines (13)
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The Michigan Wolverines took the right approach in Week 1, easing true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood into action by having running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall shoulder the load. Michigan isn’t going to ask Underwood to do much right now, nor should they. The Wolverines’ defense did its job with a crisp performance on Sunday night and that, paired with Haynes’ big game, was all Michigan needed to beat New Mexico. Underwood gets his first real challenge next week at Oklahoma, with Michigan hoping he avoids an Arch Manning-like performance in a hostile environment. The hope is that Underwood’s two-minute touchdown drive, when Michigan needed a score, is a sampling of his ability to be composed in a tough spot.
Read More: College Football Breakout Candidates 2025
10. Arizona State Sun Devils (11)
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With two top-10-ranked teams losing on Saturday, the Arizona State Sun Devils get to move up in the Week 2 college football rankings. There’s not much that can be taken from a season-opening performance against Northern Arizona, but some quality tests are upcoming for Sam Leavitt and Co. One small positive for the Sun Devils: Big 12 foes Kansas State and Baylor have already picked up their first losses of the season.
9. Clemson Tigers (1)
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Well, it won’t be this year’s version of the Clemson Tigers that fulfill Dabo Swinney’s prediction of the first 16-0 team in college football history. Clemson’s defense did an admirable job keeping this one close, but that unit can only keep LSU in check for so long. LSU utterly dominated the time of possession battle, even with 2 turnovers, thanks in large part because Clemson couldn’t run the football to save its life. If the offensive line and running backs can’t turn things around, this team is headed for its fifth consecutive season with three-plus losses. Maybe that late fight
8. Texas Longhorns (3)
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The hype simply got far too out of control with Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Arch Manning. Texas has the overall roster to compete for a national championship, but the consensus college football rankings treated Manning like he was a proven, multi-year starter who was a shoo-in for legendary status. Week 1 was a wake-up call for Manning and those who lost sight of just how inexperienced he is. No one should write off Texas; the coaching and talent are too deep for that. Give Manning some time to build his confidence, and by the time the Longhorns hit the SEC portion of their schedule, he will have a chance to prove himself again in The Swamp against Florida’s defense in October.
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7. Florida State Seminoles (Unranked)
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The Florida State Seminoles dominated Alabama. It was a battle won up front, with Gus Malzahn’s run game devastating the Crimson Tide’s defense. Tommy Castellanos, at 5-foot-11, led the Seminoles in rushing yards (78), with none of those carries going beyond 14 yards. He was also efficient through the air when needed. Combine that with this strong showing from Florida State’s defensive line, and you’ve got the best performance from this FSU program since their playoff-deserving season. The upcoming Seminoles schedule — vs East Texas A&M, vs Kent State, at Virginia — gives them a clear path to a 4-0 record before Miami comes to town.
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7)
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who face the Hurricanes on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium, move up a spot in our Week 2 college football rankings with the Longhorns’ loss to Ohio State on Saturday. In one of only two ranked-versus-ranked matchups in Week 1, we’ll immediately get to see how freshman quarterback CJ Carr handles the pressure of playing on the road against a top-10 team. If he passes that test, with the help of Jeremiyah Love, we’d feel even better about the Fighting Irish taking on Texas A&M in two weeks.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (6)
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A smooth start for Gunner Stockton and the Georgia Bulldogs to open the season. Immediately against Marshall, Stockton went to work spreading the football around, and he rushed for 40 yards in the first half, showing that dual-threat ability (73 yards, 2 touchdowns) that fans saw glimpses of in the 2023 Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs should look just as good next week at home against Austin Peay, giving them two games to build some confidence and work out the early-season kinks before that road trip to Neyland Stadium on Sept. 13.
Read More: Heisman Watch Archive, Week by Week Heisman Ballot, History of Voting
4. Oregon Ducks (5)
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Montana State provided the Oregon Ducks with a tune-up game. Even playing short-handed on both sides of the ball, the Ducks made it look easy at home in the season opener. Dylan Moore didn’t put up gaudy stats, but that shouldn’t be expected after you take a 17-point lead into the second quarter. What mattered for the Ducks in Week 1, beyond getting the win, was helping Moore get comfortable in his first start with the program and seeing this defense dominate an opponent like it should. Oklahoma State will have a lot of trouble scoring on this Ducks’ defense next week.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (2)
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With Ohio State winning in Week 1 over Texas, the Penn State Nittany Lions have to move down a spot in our top 25 college football rankings. Still, James Franklin’s program did everything you’d expect against an unranked opponent. Drew Allar performed like one of the best quarterbacks in college football and the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack showed why having such a lethal 1-2 combo is so effective on a weekly basis. Penn State controlled this one throughout and the upcoming Nittany Lions schedule won’t slow them down until Week 5.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (4)
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The Ohio State Buckeyes look like the team to beat once again. It wasn’t the crispest offensively from the Buckeyes in Week 1—25 percent third-down conversion rate—but that’s not too much of a concern in the season opener against one of the best defenses in college football. What matters is that, even on a day when Jeremiah Smith had an uncharacteristic drop and a modest line (6 receptions for 43 yards), Ohio State’s defense could carry it to a win over the previously top-ranked Longhorns. Ohio State moves to 1-0, and the upcoming Buckeyes schedule gives them a clear path to a perfect record when they travel to Illinois in October.
Related: Ohio State Game Today, Buckeyes Schedule 2025
1. LSU Tigers (9)
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Garrett Nussmeier certainly made us believers on Saturday night. What pushed the LSU Tigers even higher was the defensive clinic put on in Death Valley on a big stage with a lot of people expecting Brian Kelly’s team to deliver another letdown. Nussmeier looked like the best quarterback in college football in Week 1 and the supporting cast (Caden Durham, Aaron Anderson and LSU’s defense) inspires even more confidence in this team. We might not be totally sold on Kelly, but this Tigers’ team made a statement.
Related:Â LSU Game Today, LSU Tigers football schedule
NFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. … More about Matt Johnson