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Do you ever look at the AP Poll or some other poll and wonder which college football team they were watching to have them ranked where they do? Me too. We have a feature here at RotoBaller this year in which we will have a rundown of the NCAA college football power rankings every week. This is just like a top-25 poll anywhere else except I probably watch more football than most of them. Take that for what you will.
This is also going to be far different than traditional polls because I will only look at what has been done on the field so far, not what is expected of a specific team. Florida State is number 1 this week. Do I think they're the best team? No, but they did beat the best team in Week 1. These rankings will normalize throughout the year, but it could look a little crazy in the first month. Also, I do put a little more into the teams I had ranked in the preseason. That means that I won't dock a team for beating up on an inferior opponent and not playing someone better.
Most teams were in action in the first week. Accordingly, those who opened up with soft teams are going to suffer a bit in the rankings. However, Oregon setting a scoring record at The Zoo won't be ignored. 81 points is impressive no matter who it's against.
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(25) Texas State (1-0) (NR)
Last week: W 42-31 at Baylor
? MAJOR UPSET
At just 34 years old and in his FBS coaching debut, G.J. Kinne and the Texas State Bobcats walk into Waco as 28-point underdogs and take down the Baylor Bears! pic.twitter.com/0cIztLT89E
— Texas Football Life (@txfblife) September 3, 2023
They beat a Power Five team on the road and this score is a bit misleading. The Bobcats led much of this game by 14 points or more. I obviously don't think Texas State is a top-25 team, but hey...if you can beat a Power Five team on the road in the first week, you've earned it.
(24) Tulane (1-0) (NR)
Last week: W 37-17 vs. South Alabama
Make no mistake about it. South Alabama is a pretty good team. A lot of sharps were on the Wave not to cover this. I nearly changed my pick because of it. Michael Pratt reminded me of why I didn't. He elevates this team to a different level.
(23) Oklahoma (1-0) (NR)
Last week: W 73-0 vs. Arkansas State
The Sooners haven't shut out an opponent or scored 70 in nearly two years. That's as good a reason as any to rank them. I'm not convinced that they'll last here, but they took care of business for this week.
(22) Minnesota (1-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 13-10 vs. Nebraska
Yes, the Gophers beat a conference opponent, but I'm not going to vault them up this list. They didn't so much win this game as Nebraska lost it. You can say the same for a lot of Nebraska opponents over the last five years. Minnesota got lucky. That's it. Jeff Sims made a really bad decision at a really bad time.
(21) Kansas State (1-0) ⇓4
Last week: W 45-0 vs. Southeast Missouri State
Will Howard looked in mid-season form and DJ Giddens showed that the Wildcats are going to use two backs an awful lot this season. He out-carried and out-rushed high-profile Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward.
(20) Mississippi (1-0) ⇓4
Last week: W 73-7 vs. Mercer
Ole Miss could do no wrong after a 75-yard touchdown run by Mercer quarterback Carter Peevy on the first drive for the Bears.
(19) Notre Dame (2-0) ⇓4
Last week W 56-3 vs. Tennessee State
They beat Eddie George. Yes, that Eddie George. No, he wasn't the starting RB for Tennessee State.
(18) Kentucky (1-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 44-14 vs. Ball State
Devin Leary was solid but unspectacular. The same can be said for Ray Davis. Nothing looked too special except for the score. It felt like Kentucky wasn't up much, and then...BAM! It's 37-14. They can do that to you.
(17) Wisconsin (1-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 38-17 vs. Buffalo
The Badgers disposed of a pretty good Buffalo team here. I still think that Toledo is the class of the MAC, but the Bulls could make some noise here. Wisconsin didn't put the Bulls away until late in the third quarter.
(16) Oregon State (1-0) ⇑6
Last Week: W 42-17 at San Jose State
The Beavers get a little more credit for beating a solid San Jose State team on the road. DJ Uiagalelei looked good for the Beavers and their run game was on point. I feel like I underestimated Oregon State before the season. I know that it's only one game, but they looked really good in that one game.
(15) Oregon (1-0) ⇓1
Last week: W 81-7 vs. Portland State
Oregon became the first FBS team to drop 80 since UNLV in 2015. They also scored their most points since the 1916 season opener against Willamette. I don't care who the opponent is. Can you imagine how many more push-ups that poor duck would have had to do without those new asinine clock rules?
Shoutout to the Oregon Duck today
546 pushups ? pic.twitter.com/eVuhUipsZU
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 2, 2023
Yes, I'm attacking the clock rules. Imagine the hypocrisy here on the part of the NCAA. We value player safety. Sure you do. You value it so much that you care nothing about the hundreds of thousands of extra travel miles across all sports due to realignment. You care nothing about making the 2024 National Champion play one game less than an NFL schedule to get there. Blow it out your ass! Give me back my 10 extra plays a game!
(14) Texas (1-0) ⇓2
Last week: W 37-10 vs. Rice
Am I a little torqued that Texas didn't cover a team like Rice? Sure, but I'm not going to come here and dock them for being vanilla. They have a huge game against Alabama this week. I don't blame them one bit for making this basically an Iowa game.
(13) USC (2-0) ⇓8
Last week W 66-14 vs. Nevada
The Trojans are just fine-tuning the offense to get ready for a date with Notre Dame in a little over a month. The defense looked markedly better against a Nevada offense that shouldn't be bad behind Colorado transfer Brendon Lewis and Oregon transfer Sean Dollars.
(12) Georgia ⇓8
Last week: W 48-7 vs. Tennessee-Martin
Every time I heard someone mention UT-Martin, I kept thinking of former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin. Yes, that's the most exciting thing about this game. The fans were treated to a rather vanilla performance by Georgia, but they didn't need anything else. Carson Beck looked good. If he is good, this team can still be great.
(11) Alabama (1-0) ⇓6
Last week: W 56-7 vs. Middle Tennessee State
It's simple math. The Tide beat a better opponent by more points. This has nothing to do with my personal feelings for either team. Simply looking at the numbers, Bama beats Georgia this week. It doesn't hurt that Jalen Milroe was absolutely electric.
Just in case you were still uncertain if Jalen Milroe can rip it.... pic.twitter.com/DcT5jLDXfM
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 6, 2023
(10) Michigan (1-0) ⇓9
Last week: W 30-3 vs. East Carolina
A methodical thumping of a rebuilding East Carolina team. Just another day at the Big House.
(9) North Carolina ⇑14
Last week: W 31-17 vs. South Carolina
This was Weeks 1-10 Drake Maye from last season. On top of that, the Tarheels defense turned in one of their finer performances of Mack Brown's second tenure in Chapel Hill. I don't know what that means beyond this, but the Heels are the kings of Carolina...both of them.
(8) Penn State (1-0) ⇑3
Last week: W 38-15 vs. West Virginia
Drew Allar made a few questionable decisions early on, but once he got acclimated, this offense looked better than it has in years. That's all quarterback play, folks. It's not like West Virginia is a bad team either. This could be the best team that James Franklin has put together. Keandre Lambert-Smith is the real deal. He's every bit as good as Jahan Dotson.
(7) Tennessee (1-0) ⇑3
Last week: W 49-13 vs. Virginia
Every facet of the Volunteers looked good in this one. Their win over an ACC team at a neutral site is a bit more impressive than Alabama or Georgia beating on some unknown or relative unknown.
(6) Ohio State (1-0) ⇓3
Last week: W 23-3 vs. Indiana
There is plenty to be concerned about if you're an Ohio State fan. Is it the three-headed backfield? How about the pedestrian play of Kyle McCord? Maybe it's the tight end leading the team in receiving. Take your pick. I have a hard time keeping the Buckeyes this high, but they did beat a conference opponent. That counts for something.
(5) Washington (1-0) ⇑3
Last week: W 56-19 vs. Boise State
Like it or not, we live in a world where Boise State is a big name. One of the biggest names outside of a Power Five conference. Boise is more than a name though. This is still a solid team that Michael Penix absolutely carved up.
Michael Penix Jr. is so back. pic.twitter.com/p6lYVHbp3y
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) September 2, 2023
(4) Utah (1-0) ⇓2
Last week: W 24-11 vs. Florida
This is where the polls will start to normalize a little. Utah was ranked second, but they got the jump on Michigan by beating a better opponent. It's nothing personal, it's just business. Oh...and winning against an SEC team without your starting QB and starting TE is pretty impressive.
(3) Colorado (1-0) (NR)
Last week: W 45-42 at (19)TCU
Not to sound like a broken record, but @ShedeurSanders had a really good game on Saturday ?#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/C4eAetuO6v
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 6, 2023
I'm not trying to fuel this already crazy hype train, but in sticking with how I'm ranking everyone, three teams beat ranked teams this week. They are the top three in my poll. Obviously, the winner of this week's playoff game will jump one or three of these guys next week, but Colorado traveling to Fort Worth and beating the National Runners-Up is a big deal. It's even more of a big deal when you realize that Colorado won one game last year.
That said, Deion Sanders exterminated most of the incumbents like roaches upon his arrival in Boulder. He broke it down to the studs and custom-built the house himself. Something that used to take years can now be done in months thanks to the transfer portal and NIL. It's actually quite fascinating.
(2) Duke (1-0) (NR)
Last week: W 28-7 vs. (13)Clemson
Duke beat my next-highest-ranked team, so they got moved up. I have emphasized what is shown on the field. Obviously, by not just beating – but blowing out – 13th-ranked Clemson, they landed here. I'm not much into subjectivity. I'm all for what you show on the field. This week, Duke looked the part.
(1) Florida State (1-0) ⇑8
Last week: W 45-24 vs. (6)LSU
Blowing out a team that I had ranked sixth and the polls had at five is a good way to shoot up the polls. This game wasn't as close as the 21-point final score indicated. FSU absolutely dominated the middle of this game. If Jaylen Daniels is going to be the leading rusher on this team again, I fear for his safety. The guy is a special talent, but he needs some help in the run game.
Florida State Seminoles still SEC west champions! pic.twitter.com/IaBiPdY63v
— chad uhrig (@chaduhrig) September 4, 2023
Others Receiving Votes
- Washington State
- Iowa
- Houston
- Wyoming
- Central Florida
Stay tuned for the college football rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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