Weekly college football top 25 rankings are a big part of every season, and Athlon Sports will update its top 25 following the games each weekend.
The first weekend of the 2026 season was headlined by LSU’s dominant victory over Clemson, Ole Miss’ last-second win over Louisville, Auburn’s goal-line stop to beat Baylor and Notre Dame’s strong second half to put away Wisconsin. Top-ranked teams Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Indiana, Miami, Oklahoma and Texas A&M cruised to easy victories in Week 1.
Ohio State takes the No. 1 spot in the post-Week 1 top 25 rankings, followed by Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and Indiana. Here are Athlon Sports’ top 25 college football teams after Week 1:
College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 1)
1. Ohio State (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 1
Week 1 Result: Defeated Ball State
The Buckeyes look ready for next Saturday’s showdown at Texas after a 56-3 victory against Ball State. Receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores in the win over the Cardinals.
2. Georgia (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 2
Week 1 Result: Defeated Tennessee State
Total domination is the best way to sum up Georgia’s 63-3 victory over Tennessee State. The Bulldogs allowed only 109 yards to the Tigers, while coach Kirby Smart’s offense averaged a healthy 11.0 yards per play.
3. Texas (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 3
Week 1 Result: Defeated Texas State
After struggling in last year’s opener at Ohio State, it was a different story for quarterback Arch Manning in 2026. In a 59-7 victory over Texas State on Saturday, Manning completed 20 of 27 throws for 305 yards and four touchdowns.
4. Notre Dame (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 4
Week 1 Result: Defeated Wisconsin
The Fighting Irish started slow but used 28 second-half points to beat Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field. Notre Dame’s defense allowed just 284 yards to the Badgers.
5.Indiana (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 5
Week 1 Result: Defeated North Texas
Indiana’s national title defense got off to a strong start with a 52–16 win over North Texas. New quarterback Josh Hoover tossed four touchdown passes for the Hoosiers, with two going to receiver Charlie Becker.
6. Oregon (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 6
Week 1 Result: Defeated Boise State
After a sluggish first half, Oregon used 20 points in the final two quarters to escape Boise State’s upset bid in a 34-27 victory.
7. Miami (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 7
Week 1 Result: Defeated Stanford
The Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney connection is already off to a strong start, as Miami routed Stanford 45-6 on Friday night. Mensah threw for 401 yards in the win, while Toney grabbed 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
8. LSU (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 10
Week 1 Result: Defeated Clemson
The Lane Kiffin era is off to a strong start after LSU crushed Clemson 51-10. Quarterback Sam Leavitt led the way with 343 total yards, and the Bayou Bengals limited Clemson’s offense to only 145 yards.
9. Oklahoma (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 8
Week 1 Result: Defeated UTEP
The Sooners cruised to a 51-0 victory over UTEP on Friday night. In addition to a suffocating defensive effort, quarterback John Mateer (11 of 17 for 225 yards and three touchdowns) was solid, and the ground game displayed some signs of life after struggling in ‘25.
10. Texas A&M (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 9
Week 1 Result: Defeated Missouri State
The Aggies started slow but finished fast in a 50-0 win over Missouri State. Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and coach Mike Elko’s defense allowed only 67 yards.
11. Ole Miss(1-0)
Preseason Rank: 11
Week 1 Result: Defeated Louisville
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ clutch play in the second half helped Ole Miss hold off Louisville’s upset bid in a 41-38 thriller in Nashville.
12. Texas Tech (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 12
Week 1 Result: Defeated Abilene Christian
The Red Raiders handled Abilene Christian 33-10 on Saturday night. Coach Joey McGuire’s team needs to do a better job of finishing drives, but quarterback Will Hammond (26 of 33 for 298 yards) was solid coming back from a season-ending knee injury in ‘25.
13. USC (2-0)
Preseason Rank: 14
Week 1 Result: Defeated Fresno State
Coach Lincoln Riley’s offense is already in midseason form after scoring 81 combined points in wins over San Jose State and Fresno State to start ‘26. The 39-0 victory over Fresno State on Friday night was the program’s first shutout since 2024.
14. Alabama (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 15
Week 1 Result: Defeated East Carolina
Quarterback Keelon Russell impressed, and the ground game displayed some signs of life, as the Crimson Tide handled East Carolina 48-10.
15. BYU (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 16
Week 1 Result: Defeated Utah Tech
Freshman receiver Legend Glasker impressed with three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns and a score on the ground in BYU’s 63-7 blowout of Utah Tech.
16. Washington (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 17
Week 1 Result: Defeated Washington State
Quarterback Demond Williams accounted for 329 total yards, while Washington’s defense limited Washington State to 242 yards and 10 points to secure a 24-10 Apple Cup victory.
17. Penn State (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 18
Week 1 Result: Defeated Marshall
The Matt Campbell era is off to a 1-0 start after a 45-0 victory over Marshall. Quarterback Rocco Becht shined in his first start for the Nittany Lions by completing 13 of 18 throws for 271 yards and four touchdowns.
18. Houston (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 19
Week 1 Result: Defeated Oregon State
Cleaning up the penalties and mistakes is a priority for Houston after a 33-20 victory over Oregon State. Transfer running back Makhi Hughes (98 yards) and receiver Amare Thomas (eight catches for 133 yards) delivered big-time performances against the Beavers.
19.Utah (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 20
Week 1 Result: Defeated Idaho
New coach Morgan Scalley’s first season in charge got off to a good start with a 66-10 victory over Idaho. The Utes ran for 364 yards in the win, and quarterback Devon Dampier was sharp (13 of 18 for 176 yards and three touchdown tosses).
20. Tennessee (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 21
Week 1 Result: Defeated Furman
True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon accounted for five overall touchdowns in an easy 56-9 victory over Furman.
21. SMU (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 22
Week 1 Result: Defeated Florida State
SMU made too many mistakes and lost four turnovers, but coach Rhett Lashlee’s team escaped Tallahassee with a 27-24 victory over Florida State on Monday night.
22. Louisville (0-1)
Preseason Rank: 23
Week 1 Result: Lost to Ole Miss
The Cardinals came up just short in a 41-38 loss to Ole Miss on Sunday night. However, quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (18 of 29 for 307 yards and 69 rushing yards) delivered several clutch plays in his first start at Louisville.
23. Boise State (0-1)
Preseason Rank: 24
Week 1 Result: Lost to Oregon
The Broncos gave Oregon all it could handle in Week 1. Boise State has a massive showdown on tap against Memphis in Week 2.
24. Iowa (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 25
Week 1 Result: Defeated Northern Illinois
The quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski will continue into Week 2, but Iowa’s rushing attack and defense appeared to be in midseason form after a 40-0 win over Northern Illinois.
25. Florida (1-0)
Preseason Rank: 26
Week 1 Result: Defeated FAU
The Jon Sumrall era is off to a fast start after Florida crushed FAU 66-21. The Gators averaged 9.3 yards per play in the victory.
