ESPN releases updated power rankings after Week 1

It was a thoroughly riveting first week of college football action, one marked by big wins and shocking upsets. Duke capped the weekend with a stunning 28-7 upset of No. 9 Clemson on Monday night.

Prior to that, Colorado‘s big upset over No. 17 TCU had been the talk of the college football world, as Deion Sanders‘ rebuild got off to a rocking start.

The action provided plenty of movement in the AP Top 25 poll, but how did it shake up ESPN’s Power Rankings? For that we dive in and take a closer look below.

ESPN Power Rankings – Week 1

1. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)

Georgia’s campaign to repeat as three-time national champions was never likely to hit any resistance in Week 1, and Georgia took care of business easily against UT-Martin. It was a chance for quarterback Carson Beck to get settled into the starting role.

Beck finished 21-of-31 passing for 294 yards and a touchdown without an interception, so it was a sound debut. Georgia made short work of UT-Martin, winning 48-7.

2. Florida State Seminoles (1-0)

Posting perhaps the most impressive win of the weekend, Florida State rallied from a slim halftime deficit to completely dominate the second half against No. 5 LSU. At one point, the Seminoles went on a 31-0 run in the game.

What’s clear is Florida State has a ton of weapons, from quarterback Jordan Travis, to receivers Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, to tight end Jaheim Bell. This will be a hard-to-beat bunch all year long.

3. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)

The Wolverines had a respectable Week 1 opponent in East Carolina, but they managed to handle the task against the Pirates quite well. Michigan won 30-3 and was dominant from start to finish in the game, looking like a team that could contend for a conference title.

A vaunted Michigan run game was kept in check for the most part, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and totaling 122 yards in the game. Quarterback JJ McCarthy made up for it by going 26-of-30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)

The Crimson Tide were another team introducing a new starting quarterback on Saturday, and Jalen Milroe was more than up to the task. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, leading the team both in passing and rushing against MTSU.

But the real test for Alabama and its place in the ESPN Power Rankings begins this week. Texas is headed to town and is going to want revenge after the Crimson Tide stole one in the waning moments last season. This should be a great gauge of where Alabama is at.

5. USC Trojans (2-0)

USC has handled two lower-level West coast schools now, beating San Jose State and then beating Nevada 66-14 over the weekend. Those wins are expected for a program at the level Lincoln Riley has gotten USC to already.

The stiffer tests will begin this week with a conference game against Stanford, which should be a step up in competition level. So far, though, Caleb Williams and company look every bit the part of a potential playoff contender.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)

Ohio State opened with a conference game against Indiana and probably got a bit tougher test than it expected. The game was just 10-3 at halftime and the Buckeyes managed to stretch it out to 23-3 by the time the final whistle sounded.

Quarterback Kyle McCord was so-so in his starting debut, going 20-of-33 passing for 239 yards with an interception. He’ll have to be better, as will the rest of the Buckeyes supporting cast, going forward.

7. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0)

The Nittany Lions had a tricky non-conference test against West Virginia and handled it pretty well, winning 38-15. Quarterback Drew Allar was quite good, going 21-of-29 passing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He very much looked the part.

While the ground game didn’t really get going, Penn State knows it should be able to lean on it this year more often than not. Against a decent non-conference opponent, Penn State acquitted itself well and holds a top spot in the ESPN Power Rankings as a result.

8. Washington Huskies (1-0)

It took a bit for Washington to get going, with a scoreless first quarter a definite surprise against Boise State. But when the Huskies got going, they got going, scoring 28 points in the second quarter to take a commanding lead.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. put up 450 yards passing and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, Washington had two receivers go for more than 100 yards and a third go for 95 yards and two touchdowns. There is some firepower on this Washington team.

9. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)

Tennessee faced a non-conference opponent in Virginia and made things look pretty easy after a slower start. The Volunteers ended up winning 49-13 as backups were introduced to the game in the second half.

Impressively, the Volunteers ran for a collective 287 yards in the game, led by Jaylen Wright‘s 12 carries for 115 yards. Joe Milton threw for 201 yards with two touchdowns, while avoiding any interceptions.

10. Utah Utes (1-0)

Utah was down eight starters in a non-conference game against Florida, but you’d hardly have noticed watching the two teams play on Thursday night. The Utes gave it to the Gators in the trenches, which allowed them to control the game pretty much from the start.

Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes did what he needed to, throwing for two touchdowns and occasionally serving as a rushing threat (he scored once on the ground). All in all, Utah looks like it can remain competitive even without star quarterback Cam Rising (torn ACL).

The Rest of ESPN’s Power Rankings

11. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
12. Oregon Ducks (1-0)
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)
14. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)
15. Oregon State Beavers (1-0)
16. Kansas State Wildcats (1-0)
17. LSU Tigers (0-1)
18. Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)
19. Duke Blue Devils (1-0)
20. Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)
21. Colorado Buffaloes (1-0)
22. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
23. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
24. Tulane Green Wave (1-0)
25. Clemson Tigers (1-0)

Texas hangs just outside of the top 10, with a chance to vault up into it with a win over Alabama. Meanwhile, Clemson claims the final spot in ESPN’s Power Rankings following a humbling loss to Duke. There are plenty of teams that will jockey for positioning in the coming weeks as more college football is played.