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ESPN releases week one power rankings

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph•09/07/21
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After finishing week one of the college football season, ESPN has released its power rankings heading into week two. Some teams have played more than one game, but last week was the official kickoff to the college football season.

Power Rankings

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) LW rk.1
  2. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) LW rk.4
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) LW rk.5
  4. Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) LW rk.2
  5. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0) LW rk.6
  6. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0) LW rk.11
  7. Clemson Tigers (0-1) LW rk.3
  8. Oregon Ducks (1-0) LW rk.8
  9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) LW rk.9
  10. Florida Gators (1-0) LW rk.12
  11. Iowa State Cyclones (1-0) LW rk.7
  12. USC Trojans (1-0) LW rk.13
  13. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) LW rk.20
  14. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0) LW rk.18
  15. UCLA Bruins (2-0) LW rk. NR
  16. Texas Longhorns (1-0) LW rk.21
  17. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (1-0) LW rk.22
  18. Ole Miss Rebels (1-0) LW rk.24
  19. LSU Tigers (0-1) LW rk.14
  20. Wisconsin Badgers (0-1) LW rk.16
  21. North Carolina Tar Heels (0-1) LW rk.10
  22. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0) LW rk.25
  23. Utah Utes (1-0) LW rk. NR
  24. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) LW rk. NR
  25. Miami Hurricanes (0-1) LW rk.15

Teams Out

Indiana Hoosiers (17), Washington Huskies (19), Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (23).

Teams In

UCLA Bruins, Utah Utes, Virginia Tech Hokies

Biggest falls

North Carolina Tar Heels (-11), Miami Hurricanes (-10), Clemson Tigers (-5), LSU Tigers (-5), Wisconsin Badgers (-4).

Biggest Jumps

UCLA Bruins (+10), Penn State Nittany Lions (+7), Ole Miss Rebels (+6), Cincinnati Bearcats (+5), Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (+5).

The ACC conference as a whole took a big hit over the weekend. Playoff hopefuls Clemson and North Carolina lost in two very close games, while the conference’s dark horse down in Miami was soundly defeated by the defending champion, Alabama Crimson Tide.

In the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Ida, Tulane, and Louisiana University both put up hard-fought battles against their respected Big 12 opponents, Oklahoma, and Texas. However, both fell short in the end, in two close games. Aside from those two, the conference’s other top team, Iowa State won a close one against UNI.

The SEC top brass all finished the week with wins. Alabama crushed Miami, and in an old-school powerhouse-style game, Georgia outlasted Clemson. The Aggies and Gators both won decidedly. The SEC’s LSU Tigers were the only blemish on a near-perfect start-off for the conference. Defensive woes were mostly to blame for the Tigers’ loss to UCLA.

The Pac 12 had a solid start to the season as well. They now have the most teams in ESPN’s top 25 power index with seven. Although they saw Washington fall out; they gained Utah and UCLA, who launched up into the top 15. Head coach Chip Kelly has the Bruins off to a hot start at 2-0.

This weekend was an exciting start-off to the college football season. If the rest of the season plays out like week one, college football fans could be in for another wild season.