USA Today shakes up Top-25 in updated preseason college football rankings

College football will be played this weekend with the season kicking off in Week 0. That leaves a few more days for rankings and predictions to drop nationally, including the new re-rank of the sport this morning at USA Today.

On Monday, Paul Myerberg dropped the USA Today’s re-rank of all of the 136 teams in the FBS. It includes 22 of the 25 teams they released two weeks ago as part of the debut of the Coaches Poll, including a Top-10 that had the exact same teams but in an all-new order.

Here’s how USA Today projected the Top-25, with a full ranking of the Top-136 included here:

1. Penn State Nittany Lions

After coming in at No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the Preseason AP Poll, Penn State takes the top spot here at No. 1 in the re-rank at USA Today. That’s with Myerberg projecting the Nittany Lions to be the top team in the Big Ten over Ohio State considering all the changes from last year’s national-title team in Columbus.

“At this point, the Nittany Lions are more of a sure thing than Ohio State, which has a new quarterback, a new backfield, a largely remade defensive front seven and new coordinators on offense and defense,” wrote Myerberg.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Then, in a similar flip, Georgia is the top-ranked team here from the SEC after being No. 4 in the Coaches and No. 5 in the AP Poll. That largely had to do with Myerberg not yet ready to concede the Southeastern Conference to the Longhorns after the Bulldogs themselves beat them twice last season by 15 points in Austin and by three in overtime of the SEC Championship, respectively.

“The switch to Georgia atop the SEC stems from one of the biggest questions in the Bowl Subdivision entering the regular season: After beating Texas twice last season, are we really sure the Bulldogs are poised to cede control of the conference to the Longhorns?” asked Myerberg.

3. Clemson Tigers

Clemson is another team that continues to rise in some of these rankings as one of the best teams in the country. The Tigers came in here at No. 3 after being No. 6 for the Coaches before being No. 4 in the AP Poll.

Clemson is the heavy odds-on favorite this year to again win the ACC. With the progression of this roster to this point, though, their goals are bigger than just the conference as they again try to make it from the league to a berth and a deeper run in the CFP.

4. Texas Longhorns

This is a three-spot slide for Texas when compared to where a lot of the rest of the country is on them coming into this season. That’s after the Longhorns came in at No. 1 in both the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll the past two weeks.

Texas has been all the way back the past two years, both as a conference and playoff contender, in years three and four for Steve Sarkisian. Now, though, with just one conference title to show for it back in the Big 12, the Longhorns have this season to prove where their program is in the SEC and, from there, the CFP.

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame finished last season as the second-best team in the sport as the runner-up in the national title game for the CFP. They now enter this season as a top-six team in the nation at No. 5 in the Coaches Poll and this re-rank at USA Today and at No. 6 in the AP Poll.

The Fighting Irish still have one thing to figure out in fall camp with their opener now being less than two weeks out. Still, regardless of the outcome of their quarterback competition, they expect, although with a tough, independent schedule this season, to be right back where they were a year ago when it comes to the playoff.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State has then slid here for USA Today out of the top-three. That’s after the Buckeyes came in at No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP Poll.

Myerberg is right about the number of questions for the Buckeyes having lost all that they have, although still bringing back plenty of talent too, from last year’s team that won the national championship. However, since posting that article this morning, one of those thoughts got an answer with QB Julian Sayin announced as the starter this morning at Ohio State.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama is then a spot higher here than they are coming in based on the national ranking. The Coaches Poll as well as the AP Poll each had ‘Bama at No. 8 respectively the past two weeks.

The Crimson Tide also answered their quarterback question in the past week with the announcement of their starter in QB Ty Simpson. That’s the final piece placed into one of the best rosters in the sport still going into year two for Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa.

8. Oregon Ducks

Oregon is then a spot lower here for USA Today than it is in the other national ratings of late. The Coaches Poll and AP Poll both had the Ducks at No. 7 coming into kickoff.

The Ducks have seemingly been forgotten about to some extent as their 20-point loss in The Rose Bowl in the CFP ruined what was a 13-0 season to that point having won the Big Ten. They haven’t gone anywhere, though, as Oregon tries to make up for that, entering this season in the top-ten in the country.

9. Miami Hurricanes

Miami, similarly to Alabama, is a slot higher here than the other preseason ratings. The Coaches Poll and AP Poll each had The ‘U as the team that rounded out their respective Top-10s.

Similarly to Oregon also, late losses ruined what last season was in Coral Gables as the Hurricanes went from a playoff team at 9-0 at the start of November to 10-3 by the end of their season in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. That makes this fourth year an important one for Mario Cristobal for the ‘Canes to again be in contention out of the ACC.

10. LSU Tigers

Finally, like Oregon, LSU is down a spot for USA Today here at No. 10 than they were for the Coaches Poll and AP Poll at No. 9. However, Myerberg noted that the Tigers could quickly move higher into the top-ten pending what they do in week one on the road in their opener, trying to end their opener-losing streak against his third-ranked team, from Death Valley

“LSU is another team in line for a major boost after Week 1 should the Tigers win at Clemson,” wrote Myerberg.

11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. Illinois Fighting Illini
13. Kansas State Wildcats
14. Louisville Cardinals
15. Michigan Wolverines
16. Tennessee Volunteers
17. Ole Miss Rebels
18. Arizona State Sun Devils
19. Texas Tech Red Raiders
20. South Carolina Gamecocks
21. Nebraska Cornhuskers
22. Texas A&M Aggies
23. Boise State Broncos
24. Indiana Hoosiers
25. Florida Gators