25. Missouri-The Tigers won their opening game 38-18 against South Dakota State. Missouri came out of the gate running, taking an early 21-3 lead. After the big lead early they would let South Dakota State get back into it, but would eventually hold on to win. Missouri doesn't drop out of the rankings since they won, but they were very unimpressive, so I won't move them up.
24. Louisville-The Cardinals opened the season with a solid performance against Miami, winning 38-13. They started the game slow, but were able to come back and win convincingly. If Louisville continues to play like this, then they should be able to play just as good as last year, even with a new coach and quarterback.
23. Texas-The Longhorns won big in their opener against North Texas. North Texas isn't the best team in the country, but Texas was missing multiple starters, while also breaking in a new head coach, and they still won 38-7.
22. North Carolina-The Tar Heels started off horribly, leading just 21-15 at halftime against Liberty. After giving up a score to go down 22-21, they would score 28 unanswered to end the third quarter. They would eventually win 56-29, showing that they really can be a great team when they try.
21. South Carolina-The Gamecocks were clearly not prepared for Kenny Hill and Texas A&M in week one. Their defense came out looking slow, and couldn't stop the passing game. They also relied to heavily on the deep ball. South Carolina had a few deep touchdown passes, but had many incomplete passes trying to go long. They should still be able to compete for the SEC East, but this was a tough loss.
20. Wisconsin-The Badgers were dominating LSU through most of the game on Saturday night. They took a 24-7 lead in the third quarter before Les Miles pulled off a fake punt, completely changing the momentum of the game. Wisconsin would blow the lead and lose 28-24. They are still one of the most talented teams in the Big 10, and with such a soft schedule, they will rise back up in the rankings.
19. Texas A&M-The Aggies took the world by storm on Thursday night. New quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 511 yards, more than Manziel ever had at A&M. Their offense showed that they are ready to compete with the top teams in the SEC. If they keep playing like this, they will be top ten soon.
18. Nebraska-The Huskers won 55-7 over Florida Atlantic in the season opener. The offense looked great, while the defense did enough to win. They played exactly how most people expected them to. Nebraska should be fine until their week four game against Miami, when they face their first true test of the season.
17. Kansas State-The Wildcats won 55-16 in their first game against SF Austin this weekend. Their offense proved that they should be able to compete with the best in the Big 12. If they can beat Auburn, they should be able to take the conference.
16. Notre Dame-Everett Golson was fantastic in his return for the Irish. He threw for 295 yards and two scores while also running for 41 yards and three touchdowns. The Irish won 48-17 against a Rice team that was clearly outplayed. If Notre Dame can play like that against better competition, they could be in competition for the first playoffs.
15. Arizona State-The Sun Devils won their opening game 45-14 on Thursday night against Weber State. Their offense looked great, and the home field advantage was effective as always. Arizona State is a very underrated team in the Pac-12.
14. Ohio State-J.T. Barrett did what he needed to do in the season opener against Navy. Ohio State struggled early, but was able to grind out a 34-17 win. Barrett finished the game 12/15 for 226 yards, two scores and one interception, while also running for 50 yards on nine carries. Ohio State is clearly not the same team without Braxton Miller, but they should still have a solid season.
13. Ole Miss-The Rebels defense shined in their season opening 35-13 win over Boise State. Quarterback Bo Wallace struggled with his decision making early, but recovered finishing the game with 387 yards and four touchdowns, while also throwing three picks. Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche had a great game, leading the defensive line to a solid game. They are one of the many solid teams in the SEC West.
12. USC-Despite multiple distracting off the field events over the last week, USC was still able to destroy Fresno State 52-13 on Saturday night. Fresno State showed that is not the same team as last year, and USC showed that they are back. USC has one of its toughest games of the season coming up now this week.
11. LSU-LSU came from behind to get a huge win over Wisconsin in the opening game. Quarterback Anthony Jennings had a good first game, throwing for 239 yards and two scores while running back Kenny Hilliard ran for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers had a great second half comeback, sparked by a classic Les Miles fake punt call. LSU will need to continue to be lucky if they want to get through this season.
10. Georgia-Todd Gurley and the Bulldogs had a great game against Clemson. Gurley ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns, while also taking a kick 100 yards for a score in the late first half. After heading into the break tied at 21, Georgia completely dominated the second half. Georgia has a week off now before facing another test against South Carolina.
9. Stanford-The Cardinal won big in their opening game against UC Davis, shutting them out 45-0. Kevin Hogan had a good game, throwing for 204 yards and three touchdowns. It was running back by committee for Stanford who had ten different players with at least one carry, totaling 149 yards and a touchdown on 32 runs. Stanford might be shying away from its typical run first style this season.
8. Michigan State-Michigan State's defense was ready to go in their 45-7 season opening win against Jacksonville State. Quarterback Connor Cook was injured in the first quarter, but it wasn't serious. He would go on to throw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was solid all night, with defensive end Shilique Calhoun playing great, even if he only recorded one sack.
7. UCLA-The Bruins offense struggled in the opener. They pulled out a 28-20 win, but the offense was only able to score one touchdown the entire game. After a scoreless first quarter, the defense would score three touchdowns in the second quarter, two on pick sixes and one on a scoop and score fumble. If UCLA wants to move up in the rankings and win games this season, the offense will need to improve on its first performance.
6. Baylor-Bryce Petty looked great before going down with a back injury. Luckily for Petty it wasn't a serious injury and he will be ready to go next week. They were able to win 45-0 against an SMU team that is better than most people think.Baylor moves up, but still isn't the top ranked team in the Big 12.
5. Oklahoma-The Sooners were solid in their opener, winning 48-16 against Louisiana Tech. Quarterback Trevor Knight had a less than perfect night, while still playing fairly well, showing that he is good but not great, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Oklahoma isn't as good as some people think, but until they lose they will stay in the top ten.
4. Oregon-The Ducks played very well in their 62-13 season opening win against South Dakota. They were hot early, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, with quarterback Marcus Mariota throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 43 yards and another score. The Oregon offense as a whole accounted for 673 yards of total offense, while having a solid game defensively as well. It was a great warm up for their offense, who now had to play one of the nations top defenses next week in one of the biggest non-conference games of the season.
3. Auburn-The Tigers were struggling against Arkansas in the first half, as the game was tied at 21 at the half. The Tigers decided to put Nick Marshall back in in the second half after suspending him in the first. Marshall made some great plays, leading the team to a 45-21 win.
2. Alabama-The Tide looked really bad in their opener against West Virginia. They were able to pull out a win, but they only won 33-23, and they looked flat. It didn't look like a Nick Saban coached team. They will stay number two for now because they are still Alabama, but they could get jumped if they keep playing like this.
1. Florida State-Jameis Winston had a below average game to say the least. He did throw for 370 yards, but he also threw a career high two interceptions in in the first half alone. Florida State as a whole looked bad, although Oklahoma State deserves some credit. The Cowboys had a solid performance against Florida State's defense, although the Seminoles should have handled it a little better. Florida State will be number one as long as they keep winning, and I expect them to get better as time goes on, and win another ACC title.
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