The 2025-2026 College Football Playoff (Graphic by the College Football Playoff)
Here is where everyone is ranked in the first Power Rankings of 2025. USF made me look silly for having Boise State at #19 in the rankings coming into this week. And FSU did the same for having Bama at #13. I will brag a little bit that I was one of the few to have #22 TCU ranked in the top 25 as Sonny Dykes spoiled Bill Bellichek’s debut. Of my three teams that started the season with a loss, I think Notre Dame is the best. CJ Carr showed a lot of promise in his first start.
In these Power Rankings, an emphasis is placed on wins and losses and team records. Not all the subjective horse manure used by the big corporate sports media to push the conference with which they have the fattest contract. Another important criterion is that head-to-head play matters. If teams are within two games of each other in their records and have played one another, the team that won head-to-head is getting the nod in the rankings, even if they have one more loss or one less win than the team that they beat.
The importance of records and wins in losses will be reflected early in the season, as teams that are top-15 squads will be temporarily removed from the rankings, having not completed the assignment, while other teams did. So, before Texas, Clemson, and Notre Dame fans kill me, your teams will be back. Bama fans, I’m less certain.
And finally, teams with the same records will rarely jump one another if they both won or lost over the same weekend. So, here goes my college football power rankings.
1. Ohio State (1-0) (Last Week #1) (Ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Buckeye Silver Bullets were flying. The defense played lights out, allowing the offense to play the game conservatively so they didn’t put too much pressure on their young quarterback, Julian Sayin. Sayin looked like he could handle it as he outplayed Arch Manning in the first major game of these rising stars’ careers. Next up for OSU is FCS and HBCU Grambling.
2. Penn State (1-0) (Last Week #3) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
PSU did what they were supposed to do and put the hurt on Nevada. They stomped them 46-11. Next, they have another cupcake as they play Florida International. There are no non-conference challenges for Penn State this year, as they’ll play Villanova before they open Big Ten play with a challenge and rematch of the 2024 Big Ten Championship game with a home white against the Oregon Ducks.
3. Georgia (1-0) (Last Week #4) (Ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Dawgs walloped a rebuilding Marshall 45-7, and have a layup game against Austin Peay this weekend. The good news is that Gunnar Stockton looked the part against Marshall, playing as well as you could hope in a game like that. Stockton had 190 yards passing, 73 yards rushing, and four total touchdowns.
4. Oregon (1-0) (Last Week #6) (Ranked #6 and #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Quack Attack thumped the FCS powerhouse Montana State. Oregon won 59-13. Dante Moore looked like the five-star recruit that he was when Chip Kelly got him to UCLA a couple of years ago. Next, the Ducks play Big 12 power Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy in what should be a good game that Oregon will be favored in.
5. Arizona State (1-0) (Last Week #8) (Ranked #12 and #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
ASU had a solid start by beating a sturdy in-state FCS opponent in Northern Arizona. It wasn’t a perfect game, and I’m not sure we learned much about the Sun Devils from it, but any 19-point victory is a good thing. No rest for Arizona State, though, as they travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to play a Mississippi State team that is hungry to rebuild.
6. LSU (1-0) (Last Week #11) (Ranked #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Garrett Nussmeier and LSU had a great start to their season with their 17-10 road win over Clemson. If Clemson takes the ACC like they are still likely to, it would be a huge boost to the Tigers’ schedule when playoff time rolls around. LSU has a slightly easier game this week when Louisiana Tech comes to Baton Rouge, followed by a visit from a resurgent rival, the Florida Gators.
7. Illinois (1-0) (Last Week #9) (Ranked #11 and #12 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Illini opened with seven seven-touchdown win over Western Illinois, 52-3. They now hit the road to go to the East Coast to play a tough team in a game that they can’t overlook. If they do, Duke could easily beat them and seriously hurt their goals of playing in the College Football Playoff this year.
8. SMU (1-0) (Last Week #10) (Ranked #17 and #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Rhett Lashlee and SMU won easily against East Texas A&M, 42-13. They’ve got a tough game next as they host in-state foe and rival Baylor this weekend. Baylor just came off a tough loss to Auburn and will be desperate not to start the season 0-2. A desperate foe is an extra dangerous one, and I still think Baylor is a good team, so SMU better be careful.
9. Tennessee (1-0) (Last Week # 12) (Ranked #22 and #17 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Vols rocked what I think will prove to be an above-average Syracuse team by 19 points, 45-26. Tennessee needed that kind of debut from Joey Aguilar, because while they get Eastern Tennessee State this weekend at home. However, the following week, the #3 Georgia Bulldogs are coming to Rocky Top. Tennessee hasn’t beaten Georgia since Josh Dobbs threw a Hail Mary at the gun to win 34-31 back in 2016.
10. BYU (1-0) (Last Week #14) (Unranked and #25 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Bear Bachmeier Era got off to a bang for BYU. A 69-0 victory is always a good thing, as is your true freshman quarterback accounting for five touchdowns. However, it was only over a reeling Portland State team from the FCS, so BYU will need to prove themselves every week until their record can speak for itself. Next, they have a chance to do that against Stanford as that ACC team comes to Provo for another night game for the Cougars.
11. Miami (1-0) (Last Week #17) (Ranked #5 and #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The U got their biggest win since 2017 when they also upset a higher-ranked Notre Dame. While it’s a big win and could be a big building block to a good season, I’m still not sold on them yet. Mario Cristobal tends to lose head-scratching games late in seasons at both Oregon and Miami. I’ll have to see another win or two like this before I believe Miami is back.
12. Iowa State (2-0) (Last Week #15) (Ranked #16 and #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
ISU is off to a quiet 2-0 start. Beating Kansas State in soggy Dublin, Ireland, and following that up with a win over FCS powerhouse South Dakota is a good start for The Cyclones. No rest, however, as Iowa State hosts rival Iowa on Saturday in the battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy and bragging rights across their great state.
13. Indiana (1-0) (Last Week #16) (Ranked #23 and #21 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Curt Cignetti’s efforts to make Indiana good in the long term and not just one historical season got off on the right foot with a win. It wasn’t by as much as they wanted it to be, but a 27-14 win still beats a loss. The Hoosiers will have a couple of games against Kennesaw State and Indiana State to get things more settled before Illinois comes to town to start Big Ten play.
14. Navy (1-0) (Last Week #20) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
This is the team I think will be the Group of Five team that makes the playoff this year. Navy seems not to be as one-dimensional offensively this season, but you can only learn so much from a 52-7 victory over VMI. The Midshipmen start conference play against UAB this Saturday as they try to be the second straight military academy to win the American Conference.
15. South Carolina (1-0) (Last Week #21) (Ranked #10 and #11 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
SC started their season off with a solid win over an out-of-conference team in the ACC’s Virginia Tech. They’ll next play against FCS South Carolina State. The Gamecocks will ironically similarly finish their season with a game against an in-state foe before their finale against the ACC again. In between, they’ll play eight SEC teams. It’s an admirable schedule that the guys from Columbia will have to navigate.
16. Texas A&M (1-0) (Last Week #22) (Ranked #19 and #22 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Aggies played and beat UTSA (a team that could challenge Navy for the American Conference crown) 42-24. It was a solid team to test themselves against, and they’ll face another one on Saturday. It will be Aggies against Aggies when Utah State comes to town. USU is like UTSA in that they are better than most give them credit for and will not just roll over for A&M.
17. Louisville (1-0) (Last Week #23) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
U of L opened with a 51-17 stomping of FCS Eastern Kentucky. They’ll try to follow it up with a tougher opponent in James Madison. The good news for the Brohm brothers, Ron English, and quarterback Miller Moss is that they don’t have to stray far from the banks of the Ohio River until October 17th.
18. TCU (1-0) (Last Week #24) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Sonny Dykes’ squad scored the most points any Bill Belichick-coached team ever allowed. With Baylor, Cincinnati, and Colorado losing out-of-conference games to the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC, the Big 12 needed this game from TCU. I thought TCU would be a strong team this year with the return of a quarterback in Josh Hoover, who threw 27 touchdowns and almost 4,000 yards in 2024.
19. Florida (1-0) (Last Week #25) (Ranked #13 and #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Gators improved their winning streak to five games with their win over Long Island University. The 55-0 victory is looking like UF picked up where they left off from last season. They’ll have another chance to prove just that when USF, who just upset Boise State, comes to Gainesville for a visit before they go on the road to LSU and Miami.
20. Florida State (1-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #14 and #19 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I was happy for FSU when they took down Alabama. No one was screwed over by the cheating of Jim Harbaugh and his team more than FSU was in 2023. (College football needs an enforcement body that can punish cheaters in real time, not only to hold cheaters accountable but to keep teams like the 2023 Florida State Seminoles from being screwed out of opportunities they earned the right way). The way 2023 ended hit them so hard that they went 2-10 in 2024, looking like their souls were stolen all of last year. They’ll have a couple of easy games before they can prove they are back in the ACC, too.
21. Kansas (2-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Jayhawks are another team out to prove that 2024 was a fluke and not who they really are. Kansas is off to a 2-0 start and appears to have the dangerous offense they had before 2024. This week, they get a shot against an old foe in a renewed rivalry against Missouri. The Border War is back for the first time since 2011. Despite not being played in 14 years, this second-most-played rivalry of all time returns and will be as bitter as ever.
22. Auburn (1-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Beating Baylor on the road was an essential win for Hugh Freeze and Auburn under his leadership as head coach. Auburn needed that victory to believe in themselves again as they try to return as an SEC power. They have some easy games against Ball State and South Alabama before starting SEC play against Oklahoma on September 20th.
23. Georgia Tech (1-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Tech is a low-key contender for the ACC crown this season. They gutted out a win on the road against a solid Big 12 team and now have an easier game against Gardner-Webb. The difficulty gets right back to an elite level after that with a home game against a wounded rival in the Clemson Tigers.
24. Utah (1-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #25 and Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Kyle Whittingham and Utah are with Florida State and Kansas in trying to show that 2024 was a fluke bad season for them. Devon Dampier and new offensive coordinator (and former BYU Cougar) Jason Beck got them off to a good start with a 43-10 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Next, they have an easier home opener against Cal Poly.
25. Texas Tech (1-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #24 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Red Raiders got off to a good start with a 67-7 beating of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They face Kent State and Oregon State next, both at home in Lubbock, before opening Big 12 play on the road against the Utes in Salt Lake City.
Game of the Week
College Football Playoff Projections
While my top 25 reflects things as they are right now in the college football season, the top 12 and playoff projections are the way the postseason is currently looking. It is also how I currently see the postseason playing out.
First Round
5. Oregon vs. 12. Navy in Eugene, Oregon.
6. Notre Dame vs. 11. Clemson in South Bend, Indiana.
7. Tennessee vs. 10. Illinois in Knoxville, Tennessee
8. Texas vs. 9. BYU in Austin, Texas.
Quarterfinals
1. Ohio State vs. 9. BYU in the Rose Bowl
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Pasadena, California
2. Penn State vs. 7. Tennessee in the Orange Bowl
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Miami, Florida
3. Georgia vs. 6. Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Arizona State vs. 12. Navy in the Cotton Bowl
Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 – Arlington, Texas
Semifinals
1. Ohio State vs. 4. Arizona State in the Fiesta Bowl
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 – Glendale, Arizona
2. Penn State vs. 3. Georgia in the Peach Bowl
Friday, January 9th, 2026 – Atlanta, Georgia
National Championship
1. Ohio State vs. 3. Georgia in the National Championship
Monday, January 19th, 2026 – Miami, Florida
