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That was quite the opening weekend of college football! Cal got a decent win over UNC (not sure if we should be happy for the Pac-12 or be angry that the Bears got a win at all...maybe both?), UCLA came back in an epic win against the Aggies (that whiplash from FIRE MORA to FIRE SUMLIN), and TEXAS IS BACK...to looking sloppy and losing to teams they shouldn’t. Week 2 looks to be a lot more fun (Beat SC!), but before we get there let’s take a look at the week 1 rankings. Because of the Labor Day holiday and games going all through Monday, the polls got released at wacky times: the Coaches Poll at 10:40am Pacific on Tuesday and the AP Poll at 11am Pacific on Tuesday .
Week 1 Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Record | Points |
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | 1-0 | 1594 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 2 | 1-0 | 1502 |
| 3 | Clemson | 5 | 1-0 | 1443 |
| 4 | Penn State | 6 | 1-0 | 1324 |
| 5 | USC | 4 | 1-0 | 1317 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 8 | 1-0 | 1256 |
| 7 | Washington | 7 | 1-0 | 1182 |
| 8 | Michigan | 9 | 1-0 | 1083 |
| 9 | Florida State | 3 | 0-1 | 1028 |
| 10 | Oklahoma State | 11 | 1-0 | 1011 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 10 | 1-0 | 951 |
| 12 | LSU | 12 | 1-0 | 928 |
| 13 | Auburn | 13 | 1-0 | 849 |
| 14 | Stanford | 14 | 1-0 | 828 |
| 15 | Georgia | 15 | 1-0 | 750 |
| 16 | Louisville | 17 | 1-0 | 559 |
| 17 | Miami | 18 | 1-0 | 541 |
| 18 | Virginia Tech | 22 | 1-0 | 498 |
| 19 | Kansas State | 19 | 1-0 | 424 |
| 20 | USF | 21 | 2-0 | 250 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 24 | 1-0 | 191 |
| 22 | Washington State | 26 | 1-0 | 187 |
| 23 | Utah | 25 | 1-0 | 185 |
| 24 | Florida | 16 | 0-1 | 176 |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 29 | 1-0 | 115 |
Stanford remains at the #14 spot, with not too much movement around them. A little surprised Louisville jumped a spot after a lackluster performance against Purdue but that could just be a factor of other teams above them losing (namely Florida, who’s surprisingly still ranked? That offense looked BAD). The only other significant change is FSU dropping 6 spots after their loss to Alabama to #9. Entirely possible that votes may have been cast before the news that Deondre Francois would be out for the season, or maybe coaches are still VERY high on FSU’s defense. Overall, nothing too much to complain about (especially since we all know preseason rankings are basically useless and week 1 polls are largely still based on preseason rankings sprinkled in with overreactions to a single game, therefore making them also....basically useless).
Week 1 AP Poll
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Record | Points |
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | 1-0 | 1524 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 2 | 1-0 | 1445 |
| 3 | Clemson | 5 | 1-0 | 1317 |
| 4 | Penn State | 6 | 1-0 | 1303 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 7 | 1-0 | 1253 |
| 6 | USC | 4 | 1-0 | 1224 |
| 7 | Washington | 8 | 1-0 | 1083 |
| 8 | Michigan | 11 | 1-0 | 1051 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 9 | 1-0 | 979 |
| 10 | Florida State | 3 | 0-1 | 976 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 10 | 1-0 | 950 |
| 12 | LSU | 13 | 1-0 | 898 |
| 13 | Auburn | 12 | 1-0 | 873 |
| 14 | Stanford | 14 | 1-0 | 772 |
| 15 | Georgia | 15 | 1-0 | 685 |
| 16 | Miami | 18 | 1-0 | 537 |
| 17 | Louisville | 16 | 1-0 | 529 |
| 18 | Virginia Tech | 21 | 1-0 | 490 |
| 19 | Kansas State | 20 | 1-0 | 398 |
| 20 | Washington State | 24 | 1-0 | 216 |
| 21 | USF | 19 | 2-0 | 207 |
| 22 | Florida | 17 | 0-1 | 164 |
| 23 | TCU | NR | 1-0 | 154 |
| 24 | Notre Dame | NR | 1-0 | 141 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 25 | 1-0 | 124 |
The AP Poll after opening weekend looks pretty similar to the Coaches Poll, with just a few teams swapping spots. Strangely the Gators are even higher in the AP Poll, and the TCU is essentially subbed in for Utah. The Coaches are a bit higher on Tennessee than the AP Poll voters, but beyond that, nothing too major to quibble about. Looks like both polls are setting up for next Saturday’s #14 Stanford at #5/6 USC, which should be a great one.
See you all next Sunday to discuss the week 2 rankings!