Ducks Digest

AP Top 25 Poll Shakeup: Texas, Alabama, Clemson Drop in Latest Rankings

After the first full weekend of college football games, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll after defeating No. 7 Texas Longhorns. The No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 6 Oregon Ducks moved up slightly after No. 8 Clemson and No. 21 Alabama lost.
Charlie Viehl|
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) on the field for warm ups before the Ohio State and Texas game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) on the field for warm ups before the Ohio State and Texas game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oregon DucksClemson TigersLSU TigersAlabama Crimson TideFlorida State SeminolesGeorgia BulldogsPenn State Nittany LionsOhio State BuckeyesTexas Longhorns

With the 2025 college football season officially underway, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes are the new top team in the country after beating the No. 7 Texas Longhorns, previously ranked No. 1.

Week 1 Recap

Ohio State beat Texas 14-7 as the Buckeyes defense shut down the Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning in Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps the most shocking upset of the day was No. 21 Alabama losing 31-17 to previously unranked Florida State, now No. 14. No. 3 LSU beat No. 8 Clemson on the road, marking the third upset of a top-10 team on Saturday.

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) and linebacker Arvell Reese (8) celebrate in the second half at Ohio Stadium
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) and linebacker Arvell Reese (8) celebrate in the second half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions, No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs, and No. 6 Oregon Ducks all took care of business at home. Penn State didn't move, but Oregon and Georgia slightly benefitted from teams losing around them.

Biggest Risers, Fallers

After an exciting slate of week 1 games, the top-10 saw a decent amount of shuffling.

No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Clemson, and No. 9 Notre Dame all fell, while No. 3 LSU and No. 5 Miami shot up the rankings. Florida State was unranked in the preseason rankings, but now the Seminoles are No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Alabama Crimson Tide Florida State Seminoles upset AP Top 25 Poll Dan lanning Oregon Ducks Texas Longhorns Ohio STate Buckeye
Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Farther outside of the top 10, Iowa State moved up six spots in the ranking to No. 16.

By far, the biggest faller after week 1 was the Alabama Crimson Tide who fell 13 spots from No. 8 to No. 21.

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After losing a close one to LSU at home, Clemson stayed inside of the top 10. Are the Tigers benefitting from a shift in perception around strength of schedule?

The College Football Playoff released new strength of schedule metrics before the season that essentially decreases the punishment for losing to a tough opponent, like in the case of Texas and Clemson.

Most teams only moved slightly in the rankings outside of the few upsets from the weekend. Temas like No. 11 Illinois, No. 13 Florida, No. 15 Michigan, and No. 17 SMU only moved one spot in the rankings with Illinois and Florida moving up one while Michigan and SMU were dropped.

No. 23 Indiana struggled for a bit in the Hoosiers' season opener against Old Dominions, and AP voters subsequently lowered Indiana in the rankings by three positions.

LSU Tigers Clemson Tigers upset AP Top 25 Poll Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Alabama Crimson Tide Texas Longhorns Ohio Stat
Aug 30, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) look on during warmups before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium. | Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Week 2 AP Top 25 Poll

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. LSU
4. Georgia
5. Miami
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Clemson
9. Notre Dame
10. South Carolina
11. Illinois
12. Arizona State
13. Florida
14. Florida State
15. Michigan
16. Iowa State
17. SMU
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Ole Miss
21. Alabama
22. Tennessee
23. Indiana
24. Texas Tech
25. Utah

The biggest college football matchup of week 2 is expected to be No. 15 Michigan vs. No. 18 Oklahoma.

Published | Modified
Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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