The start of college football has come and gone. After many wild finishes in Week One, the (9/5/2023) AP Top 25 is here as well.
Others receiving votes: Iowa, UCLA, Arkansas, TCU, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Mississippi St., Miami, NC State, Auburn, Troy, Fresno St., Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa St., Texas St., Texas Tech, Louisville, Washington St., Illinois, Houston, UCF, James Madison
AP TOP 25
25. Clemson Tigers (0-1)
Previous Ranking: 9 (dropped 16)
Week 1 Result: 28-7 Loss to Duke
What’s next: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday 9/9/2023 2:15 P.M. ET
It is evident Will Shipley is the face of the Clemson offense. Clemson’s success this season will rest on his shoulders barring major developments from Cade Klubnik. This may go down as the most humilating loss of the Dabo Swinney era, but they will have two weeks of games where they can regroup and experiment before a make-or-break game against Florida State. – Max Crider
24. Tulane Green Wave (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 37-17 W South Alabama
What’s next: vs. Ole Miss, Saturday 9/9/2023 3:30 P.M. ET
Tulane remains the only Group of 5 team in the rankings after positioning themselves as such against up-and-coming South Alabama. All eyes will be on the Green Wave defense as they try to stop an explosive Ole Miss offense in New Orleans. Just last year, Tulane took down eventual Big XII champion Kansas State and look for another Power 5 in the program’s search for respect among the FBS elite. – Owen Patterson
23. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 52-10 W New Mexico
What’s next: at Miami, Saturday 9/9/2023 3:30 P.M. ET
Connor Weigman tossed five touchdown passes in a 52-10 blowout win over New Mexico. Three went to Noah Thomas and the other two found the hands of Evan Stewart. Week 2 has a trip to South Beach in store as the Aggies look to win back-to-back against the Miami Hurricanes. – Owen Patterson
22. Colorado Buffaloes (1-0)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 1 Result: 45-42 W TCU
What’s next: at Nebraska, Saturday 9/9/2023 5 P.M. ET
The Buffaloes are back in the AP Top 25 (9/5/2023) under Coach Deion Sanders! Shauder Sanders and Travis Hunter walked all over that TCU defense, tallying 510 yards in the air. Their defense needs some work as it is very spotty, but after knocking off the runner ups from last year, the Colorado Buffaloes are poised to have a big year and deserve every bit of that 22nd associated press poll ranking.
21. Duke Blue Devils (1-0)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 1 Result: 28-7 W Clemson
What’s next: vs. Lafayette, Saturday 9/9/2023 9 P.M. ET
Nobody on Duke who wasn’t a quarterback totaled more than 100 yards from scrimmage and nobody had 50 or more receiving yards. The Blue Devils still won by three scores. This Duke offense was stuck in neutral almost all of the first half, but Clemson’s several mistakes caught up to them. Like Clemson, Duke has a few nonconference games they can use to figure things out for a Week Five matchup with Notre Dame. – Max Crider
20. Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 22 (moved up 2)
Week 1 Result: 73-7 W Mercer Island
What’s next: at Tulane, Saturday 9/9/2023 3:30 P.M. ET
Scoring 73 points on Mercer did not go unnoticed, placing the Rebels ahead of the two biggest stories of the week (Duke and Colorado). All that means is that Ole Miss is on the hot seat and next week’s opponent, Tulane, will be no walkthrough.
19. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 38-17 W Buffalo
What’s next: at Washington State, Saturday 9/9/2023 7:30 P.M. ET
The first week was a good start for Wisconsin, but week two? They are jumping into tough competition with Washington State. The Cougars defeated Colorado State 50-24. So the matchup between Wisconsin and Washington State should be the Game of The week.
18. Oklahoma Sooners
Previous Ranking: 20 (moved up 2)
Week 1 Result: 73-0 W Arkansas State
What’s next: vs., SMU, Saturday 9/9/2023 6 P.M. ET
The Sooners annihilated Arkansas State. This team looks to be different than Sooners teams in past years. Next week they’ll face higher competition with SMU, but it should be a winnable game.
17. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 21 (moved up 4)
Week 1 Result: 31-17 W South Carolina
What’s next: vs. Appalachian State, Saturday 9/9/2023 5:15 P.M. ET
The Tar Heels claimed Carolina supremacy against South Carolina in what was a team effort. On offense, Drake Maye had a solid outing (24/32, 269 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) and British Brooks ran for 103 yards. The defense, though, was the difference-maker, sacking Spencer Rattler nine times. If this defense holds up, North Carolina will have Charlotte in their sights. They’ll need to be on their toes next week against an Appalachian State team that fought them until the end last year. – Max Crider
16. Oregon State Beavers (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 18 (moved up 2)
Week 1 Result: 42-17 W San Jose St
What’s next: vs UC Davis, Saturday 9/9/2023 9 P.M. ET
Oregon State had an impressive 42-17 win over San Jose State. SJSU has a talented offense and put up 28 points against USC the week before, so this was a solid effort by the Beavers defense. Clemson quarterback transfer DJ Uiagalelei also looked much more comfortable under center, completing 20-25 passes with three touchdowns. – Alex Twist
15. Kansas State Wildcats (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 16 (moved up 1)
Week 1 Result: 45-0 W South Missouri State
What’s next: vs Troy, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
The Wildcats were a big surprise last season and were within the Top 15 for most of the season. After demolishing South Missouri, they are back in that spot. Will they be as good as last season?
14. LSU Tigers (0-1)
Previous Ranking: 5 (dropped 9)
Week 1 Result: 45-24 Loss to Florida State
What’s next: vs. Grambling, Saturday 9/9/2023 7:30 P.M. ET
Will this loss totally kill LSU’s playoff chances? No. As long as the Tigers can rebound against their next few opponents, wins against Ole Miss in Week 5 and Alabama or Texas A&M later in the year will bring Brian Kelly’s team right back to where they want to be. – Owen Patterson
13. Oregon Ducks (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 15 (moved up two)
Week 1 Result: 81-7 W Portland State
What’s next: at Texas Tech, Saturday 9/9/2023 7 P.M. ET
Oregon obliterated Portland State 81-7. The Ducks scored a whopping seven touchdowns on the ground and got another four through the air. Oregon clearly has some elite weapons on both sides of the ball, but their next matchup against Texas Tech will give us a much better idea of how good they really are. – Alex Twist
12. Utah Utes (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 14 (moved up 2)
Week 1 Result: 24-11 W Florida
What’s next: at Baylor, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
Even without starting quarterback Cameron Rising, the Utah Utes managed to blow away the Florida Gators under Bryson Barnes under center. He was responsible with the football and very accurate, which is a good sign of Rising misses more time. Utah will be viewed as a top 15 team as such because of their stellar defense and above average offense. – Kyle Thibideau
11. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 37-10 W Rice
What’s next: at Alabama, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
The Longhorns looked great on both sides of the ball. The game may not have been won with style points, but a win is a win. They’ll have to clean things up in practice if they want to compete against Alabama.
AP Top 25 (9/5/2023)
Top 10
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 1 Result: 56-3 W Tennessee State
What’s next: at N.C. State, Saturday 9/9/2023, 12 P.M. ET
Even though the Irish haven’t played anyone of competition, they did blow away opponents with a 46 point differential, something old Irish teams couldn’t say. They found their star quarterback in Sam Hartman while Audric Estime is a beast on the ground. Defense is playing lights out, so there’s every reason the Irish should be a top-10 team. – Kyle Thibideau
9. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 1 Result: 49-13 W Virginia
What’s next: vs. Austin Peay, Saturday 9/9/2023 5 P.M. ET
Up three spots from the preseason, Tennessee benefitted from the losses by Clemson and LSU to shoot into the Top 10. A neutral site game against Virginia went as imagined, the Vols piling up yards and points on a struggling Cavalier team. We may get to see more of top QB prospect in 2023, Nico Iamaleava, in Saturday’s matchup with Austin Peay. – Owen Patterson
8. Washington Huskies (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 10 (moved up 2)
Week 1 Result: 56-19 W Boise State
What’s next: vs. Tulsa, Saturday 9/9/2023 5 P.M. ET
Michael Penix has solidified himself as a top Heisman candidate. Paired with the best receiver trio in the country. Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Jaylen Polk combined for four touchdowns. This team will be heavy favorites for a CFB playoff spot. – Kirk Chaves
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 38-15 W West Virginia
What’s next: vs. Delaware, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
The Nittany Lions are back towards the top of the AP Top 25 to start the season (9/5/2023). The Drew Allar era is off to a good start in Penn State, but the first two opponents aren’t significant either.
6. USC Trojans (2-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 66-14 W Nevada
What’s next: vs. Stanford, Saturday 9/9/2023 10:30 P.M. ET
USC still looks like the team to beat in the PAC-12 after two blowout wins over San Jose State and Nevada. In those two games, Caleb Williams made strong case to remain as the Heisman front-runner. He threw for a combined 597 yards and nine touchdowns with zero turnovers. They’ll begin conference play this weekend at home against Stanford. – Alex Twist
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 3 (dropped two)
Week 1 Result: 23-3 W Indiana
What’s next: vs. Youngstown State, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
The quarterback position is a worry for the first time since 2020 when CJ Stroud took the reigns and struggled. Kyle McCord looked alright at best against a less than impressive Indiana squad that won one conference game last season. Defense looks terrific, but the offense will need to click sooner rather than later. Buckeyes are still a top five team. – Kyle Thibideau
4. Florida State Seminoles (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 8 (moved up four)
Week 1 Result: 45-24 W LSU
What’s next: vs. Southern Miss, Saturday 9/9/2023 8:30 P.M. ET
FSU arguably had the most impressive showing last week, embarrassing LSU in a primetime matchup. It’s the Noles’ first win over a top five opponent since Notre Dame in 2014. Heisman candidate Jordan Travis had the best game of his career with 5 total touchdowns, while Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman hauled in three touchdown passes. Overall the ACC looks pretty weak this season, but if any of those teams have a shot at making the Playoff, it’s FSU. – Alex Twist
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
Previous Ranking: 4 (moved up 1)
Week 1 Result: 56-7 W Middle Tennessee
What’s next: vs. Texas, Saturday 9/9/2023 7 P.M. ET
QB Jalen Milroe played better than a lot expected him to in Alabama’s 56-7 thumping of Middle Tennessee. The poor Blue Raiders only gained 221 yards of offense while the defense allowed 205 rushing yards and five rushing scores. Week 2 is no joke for the Tide as they travel to Texas for a rematch with the Longhorns. – Owen Patterson
2. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 30-3 W East Carolina
What’s next: vs. UNLV, Saturday 9/9/2023 3:30 P.M. ET
At first glance, it seems like the Wolverines have everything figured out. However, they still have not figured out if they are a run or pass team. That is the puzzle that Jim Harbaugh will need to figure out before Michigan faces Rutgers on September 23.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 1 Result: 48-7 W Tennessee-Martin
What’s next: vs. Ball State, Saturday 9/9/2023 12 P.M. ET
The number one team in the nation had no problem with UT Martin, and why would they? New starter Carson Beck went 21/31 for 294 yards and both a passing and rushing touchdown. Week 2 should be very much if the same as Ball State comes to Athens, but Week 3 is when we will first see Georgia be tested as they face South Carolina. – Owen Patterson
TL//DR: These AP Top 25 rankings (9/5/2023) are based on the official website. The summaries are brought to you by our staff.
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