Johnny McGonigal’s Week 1 AP poll
Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and the updated Associated Press Top 25 poll is out.
As an AP voter this season, I’ll be sharing my Top 25 week by week and giving you a peek behind the curtain as to my thought process.
(Previous rankings on my preseason ballot are in parentheses.)
1. Alabama (1)
2. Georgia (5)
3. Ohio State (4)
4. Oklahoma (3)
5. Cincinnati (7)
Alabama did its thing against Miami. Georgia claims my No. 2 spot after its front-seven dominated Clemson. Five of the six Bulldogs who recorded sacks were former five-star recruits; Clemson is no slouch on the recruiting trail, but its offensive line couldn’t match that. Ohio State survived an early scare at Minnesota. Oklahoma struggled to put away an inspired Tulane offense while Spencer Rattler threw a pair of picks. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder was clinical (20-of-25 for 295 yards, four touchdowns).
6. Clemson (2)
7. Texas A&M (9)
8. Iowa State (6)
9. Oregon (10)
10. Notre Dame (11)
The Bulldogs failed to score an offensive touchdown, so let’s not bury Clemson too much here. But if the ACC’s Week 1 disappointment is an indication of what’s to come, it could be difficult for the Tigers to reach the playoff as a one-loss champion — that is, if they go unbeaten from here on out. Iowa State drops a bit after eking out a 16-10 win over Northern Iowa, though we’ve seen Matt Campbell’s team play vanilla against FCS foes in recent years. Oregon needed a fourth-quarter score to beat Fresno State at home, while Notre Dame held off McKenzie Milton’s hair-raising heroics.
11. Florida (12)
12. Penn State (17)
13. Iowa (18)
14. USC (13)
15. Texas (21)
Georgia aside, the big winners of the weekend were Penn State and Iowa. The Nittany Lions, hoping to put a hellish 2020 behind them, earned an important win at Camp Randall Stadium. Prior to Saturday, Penn State had only three wins in 13 tries against top-12 teams during James Franklin’s tenure. The win could propel Franklin’s team, which faces Auburn, Indiana and Iowa in the coming weeks. Speaking of Iowa, the Hawkeyes took it to Indiana in a 34-6 win, headlined by two pick-sixes and Tyler Goodson’s tough sledding. USC and Florida handled their Group of Five opponents, and Texas beat a good Louisiana-Lafayette team by 20 in Steve Sarkisian’s debut.
16. UCLA (NR)
17. North Carolina (8)
18. Ole Miss (22)
19. Arizona State (20)
20. Coastal Carolina (NR)
What a statement by Chip Kelly’s UCLA, bodying LSU up front and stampeding through the Tigers’ second and third levels. Zach Charbonnet and the Bruins looked like legitimate Pac-12 title contenders. North Carolina, meanwhile, had a rough outing with Sam Howell being sacked six times at Virginia Tech. After the 17-10 loss, Mack Brown called the Tar Heels “overrated,” and that seems to be the case. Ole Miss and Arizona State took care of business, while Grayson McCall’s surgical performance was a reminder that Coastal Carolina shouldn’t be overlooked.
21. Miami (15)
22. Wisconsin (16)
23. LSU (14)
24. Utah (25)
25. Virginia Tech (NR)
Miami was embarrassed by Alabama, Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz wasn’t up to the task, and LSU looked lost at the Rose Bowl. All three teams have talent and a chance to right their respective ships. But their Week 1 impressions were pretty discouraging. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, nabbed a massive win for head coach Justin Fuente, whose seat surely cooled a bit after the Hokies’ triumph over North Carolina.
Dropped: Indiana (19), Louisiana-Lafayette (23), Washington (24)
In my preseason poll, two teams were ranked four spots lower than the average voter: Wisconsin and Washington. Did I expect the Huskies to lose to FCS program Montana on the opening weekend? Absolutely not. But Washington might end up 0-2 after traveling to Michigan this weekend.