College football rankings: ESPN updates Top 25 poll for Week 2

An opening Saturday to remember found several ranked teams facing off on the same field, and coming out of that action, there were some notable changes on the ESPN top 25 college football rankings as we look ahead to the Week 2 games.

Opening weekend brought us plenty of action across the country, including a marquee clash between No. 1 (for now) Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, while top 10 foes LSU and Clemson met in one of the Death Valleys, while Alabama ran into some trouble at Florida State.

Another clash of top 10 College Football Playoff hopefuls saw the reigning national title runner-up Notre Dame edged out by a narrow margin by ACC title contender Miami in a signature moment for new quarterback Carson Beck.

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

Teams are ranked not in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.

Where do things stand in the ESPN top 25 college football rankings this week?

College football rankings: ESPN updates Top 25 poll for Week 2

25. Kansas

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 8.0 games

The Jayhawks moved to a perfect 2-0 after dismantling Wagner in a 46-7 decision at home, as quarterback Jalon Daniels hit 280 yards passing with 4 touchdowns. Kansas goes to SEC challenger Missouri next time out in a much tougher assignment.

24. SMU

Rankings change: Down 5

Win projection: 8.6 games

Not much of a challenge for the Mustangs in the opener, taking care of East Texas A&M in a 42-13 rout as the defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Now, the ACC runner-up from last season gets a shot at Baylor, which lost to Auburn in its opener.

23. Iowa State

Rankings change: Up 10

Win projection: 8.6 games

The second-biggest positive mover in the ESPN rankings this week, the Cyclones returned from a Week 0 victory in Farmageddon to plant South Dakota in a 55-7 demolition, as Rocco Becht set a school record for accuracy, hitting 19 of 20 passes for a 95 percent completion mark.

22. Oklahoma

Rankings change: Down 2

Win projection: 6.0 games

As was hoped for, John Mateer proved an early upgrade for the Sooners’ offense, as the quarterback went 30 of 37 passing for nearly 400 yards with four all-purpose touchdowns and one pick as OU handled Illinois State in the 2025 debut.

21. Clemson

Rankings change: Down 5

Win projection: 7.8 games

Cade Klubnik couldn’t hit a late fourth down pass at home in a seven-point loss against LSU, and he didn’t get much help from the ground game, which accounted for just 31 total yards rushing and a paltry 1.6 yards per carry. This marked the seventh-straight loss for Clemson against a ranked SEC opponent.

20. Michigan

Rankings change: Down 5

Win projection: 8.0 games

No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood threw a touchdown pass while adding 251 yards in the air and transfer back Justice Haynes ran for three touchdowns to help the Wolverines get past New Mexico before a key date at Oklahoma next week.

19. Utah

Rankings change: Up 26

Win projection: 8.9 games

The biggest mover in the ESPN college football rankings this week, the Utes had a field day on the road against UCLA, spoiling Nico Iamaleava's debut there, as Devon Dampier went 21 of 25 passing for 206 yards and ran for 87 yards while the Utes rumbled for 286 yards on the ground in a 43-10 win.

18. Missouri

Rankings change: Up 5

Win projection: 8.0 games

Beau Pribula passed the first test to see if he deserves to be Missouri’s starting quarterback, tallying 283 yards passing with two touchdowns while rushing for two more scores as the Tigers stepped on Central Arkansas in a 61-6 smashup.

17. BYU

Rankings change: Up 5

Win projection: 9.1 games

No Jake Retzlaff, no problem. At least not yet, as the Cougars powered a strong 69-0 victory over Portland State on the back of 468 rushing yards, including five all-purpose touchdowns from new signal caller Bear Bachmeier in the largest margin of victory in BYU history.

16. Auburn

Rankings change: Up 5

Win projection: 8.3 games

New transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold showed off his wheels by rushing for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns while Auburn racked up 307 total yards on the ground in a signature 38-24 victory on the road against Big 12 title hopeful Baylor.

15. Miami

Rankings change: Up 2

Win projection: 9.8 games

Carson Beck hit over 200 yards passing and the Hurricanes defense looked very strong in a statement win over Notre Dame on Sunday night, the program's first against an AP top 10 opponent since the 2017 season and a good first sign this team can make a run at the ACC title.

14. Texas A&M

Rankings change: Down 5

Win projection: 7.6 games

Marcel Reed threw for a career-high four touchdown passes and transfer wideout KC Concepcion had a great debut, catching a TD pass and returning a punt 80 yards for a touchdown, but the Aggies struggled to run the ball until late in a win over UTSA.

13. Alabama

Rankings change: Down 10

Win projection: 6.8 games

Once again, Gus Malzahn gets one over on the Crimson Tide, this time in the role of Florida State’s offensive coordinator, calling a perfect game to pull off a major upset of No. 8 Alabama, casting more doubt on Kalen DeBoer’s coaching tenure as the perennial SEC titans start out 0-1 in 2025. This is the biggest negative mover in the ESPN college football rankings this week.

12. Florida

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 6.8 games

The Gators ran for 200 total yards and both their quarterbacks accounted for five combined touchdowns in a 55-0 rout against Long Island in the opener heading into a home date against USF before a key road trip against LSU after that.

11. LSU

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 8.5 games

Both quarterbacks in this game were eerily similar, throwing for 230 yards each and both averaging 6.1 yards per pass, but LSU got more from its run game and Garrett Nussmeier threw a touchdown to give Brian Kelly his first Week 1 win with the program. And it was the Tigers’ first Week 1 win since 2019, when they won the national title. Lee Corso did pick this team to go all the way this year...

10. South Carolina

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 8.4 games

We didn’t see the Gamecocks in action during the Saturday games, but the SEC hopefuls will go up against Virginia Tech on Sunday.

9. Notre Dame

Rankings change: Down 3

Win projection: 9.0 games

There were some good moments for CJ Carr in his first start at quarterback for the Fighting Irish, like his game-tying rushing touchdown late in the game, but definitely some learning moments, too, and the Golden Domers didn’t run the ball nearly as well as they were expected to. Texas A&M remains as the last ranked team on ND’s schedule, so there’s less margin for error in the playoff chase than before with this loss.

8. Tennessee

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 9.5 games

Joey Aguilar looked superb in his debut for the Vols, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns to hold off Syracuse in a 19-point victory, piling up almost 500 yards of total offense, while DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis both rushed for a touchdown.

7. Oregon

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 9.8 games

Dante Moore predictably got the nod as the Ducks’ starting quarterback, going 18 of 23 with 213 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Oregon added over 200 rushing yards to stomp Montana State in the opener at home.

6. USC

Rankings change: Up 8

Win projection: 9.9 games

A good first impression for the Trojans’ offense, as Jayden Maiava had almost 300 yards passing and freshman Husan Longstreet ran for two TDs in an explosion that saw this team finish with 602 total yards and score 73 points over Missouri State, the highest point total for the program since 1930.

5. Penn State

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 10.3 games

Nick Singleton ran for 2 touchdowns and this fearsome Nittany Lions defense forced three turnovers to handle Nevada in the opener from Happy Valley, and they could move into the No. 1 position in the AP rankings.

4. Ole Miss

Rankings change: Up 6

Win projection: 9.8 games

A monster jump for the Rebels, the third-biggest of any team in the ESPN college football rankings this week. Austin Simmons looked the part at quarterback, stacking up 341 yards in the air with three touchdown passes as Ole Miss smashed Georgia State by a 63-7 count.

3. Ohio State

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 10.8 games

Matt Patricia’s defense looked fantastic going against Arch Manning in a signature win over No. 1 Texas at home, allaying some early fears that Jim Knowles’ departure could cut into the unit’s production, but the jury’s still out on the offense, which looked sluggish in Julian Sayin’s first outing as the starting QB.

ESPN kept the Buckeyes behind the team they beat, given its computer rankings model still expects the Longhorns to be better than future opponents by a wider margin.

2. Georgia

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 9.9 games

Some people may cry SEC bias at this positioning, as Georgia checks in ahead of the team that beat a No. 1 opponent. Gunner Stockton threw two touchdowns and the Bulldogs amassed more than 220 yards rushing in a romp over Marshall to start out between the hedges with a date at home against Austin Peay up next.

1. Texas

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 9.5 games

Yes, the ESPN rankings kept the top-ranked team that lost its season opener in the No. 1 position heading into Week 2, but that’s because the model, which is based around future projections rather than past results alone, forecasts the Longhorns will be 23.2 points better than opponents on average going forward, the widest margin of any team in the country.

Still, Arch Manning’s debut was forgettable, as the star quarterback, playing under enormous pressure and the subject of intense hype, struggled to find his receivers and was confused by Ohio State’s defense in a seven-point loss on the road against the Buckeyes. There goes the Longhorns’ No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, at least.

College football rankings: ESPN updates Top 25 poll for Week 2

25. Kansas

24. SMU

23. Iowa State

22. Oklahoma

21. Clemson

20. Michigan

19. Utah

18. Missouri

17. BYU

16. Auburn

15. Miami

14. Texas A&M

13. Alabama

12. Florida

11. LSU

10. South Carolina

9. Notre Dame

8. Tennessee

7. Oregon

6. USC

5. Penn State

4. Ole Miss

3. Ohio State

2. Georgia

1. Texas

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