Sports
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 1, from Georgia to Temple
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
Week 1 is complete, and we’ve finally gotten a look at everyone in FBS. Well, not everyone (sorry you have to wait, Ball State).
After a weekend that gave us only a few upsets but several mighty impressive performances, where does everyone move in this week’s edition of The Athletic 134?
Welcome back to the top spot, Georgia, for its 34-3 domination of Clemson. Welcome to the top 25, Vanderbilt! The Commodores were ranked 95th in the preseason rankings, but after an overtime win against popular ACC darkhorse Virginia Tech, why shouldn’t Vandy move up near the top 25 for now? It was the most shocking result of the season, against a team in my preseason top 25.
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Penn State, Miami and Georgia Tech also moved up, while Florida State, Florida and others have dropped.
A reminder: The rankings will be volatile early. Wins against quality and competent teams are rewarded and skewed. Teams can make big jumps quickly with good wins. Teams that beat up on inferior competition won’t move much or might even “drop,” but that’s simply because someone else jumped with a notable win. Don’t worry. Relax. It will take a few weeks for everything to sort out, once everyone has played at least one game of note. I try to emphasize results, and it takes time for everyone to have one.
Here is the Week 2 edition of The Athletic 134.
1-10
I considered moving Notre Dame to No. 2 just for this week. I did. The 23-13 win at Texas A&M was better than anything anyone in the top six did outside of Georgia. But Notre Dame isn’t the second-best team in the country, and everyone else looked fine against low-level competition, so it’s a slight move up for the Irish for now. Don’t expect them to move out of this area for a while with a favorable schedule for the next month. But this Notre Dame win may look better as the season goes on, which would impact the ranking.
Penn State, welcome to the top 10. I was a preseason skeptic. I didn’t believe in Drew Allar, but Saturday’s 34-12 win at West Virginia was a complete physical domination, and we saw an offense willing to throw the ball down the field and one that schemed those receivers open. It felt different than last year’s game. Maybe it’s a Week 1 overreaction, but it made me think this isn’t just a team that could make the College Football Playoff but one that could win a game or two.
Michigan and Oregon nearly dropped out of the top 10 after too-close-for-comfort wins against Fresno State and Idaho, respectively. Both teams were in a one-score game deep into the fourth quarter. But they won, so they get some Week 1 benefit of the doubt, for now. Next up is Texas and Boise State for each, so we’ll learn quickly if they’re for real.
11-25
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
11 |
1-0 |
10 |
|
|
12 |
1-0 |
11 |
|
|
13 |
1-0 |
14 |
|
|
14 |
1-0 |
15 |
|
|
15 |
1-0 |
33 |
|
|
16 |
0-1 |
13 |
|
|
17 |
1-0 |
18 |
|
|
18 |
1-0 |
19 |
|
|
19 |
1-0 |
20 |
|
|
20 |
1-0 |
21 |
|
|
21 |
1-0 |
22 |
|
|
22 |
1-0 |
25 |
|
|
23 |
0-1 |
16 |
|
|
24 |
1-0 |
62 |
|
|
25 |
1-0 |
95 |
Hello, USC. The overhauled defense looked more than competent, and Miller Moss looked like a proper Lincoln Riley quarterback as the Trojans upset LSU 27-20 and now move up to No. 15, while the Tigers drop to No. 16.
Clemson hangs on in the top 25 for now at No. 23. This is mostly based on my belief Georgia would do that to almost everyone. Boston College’s 28-13 win at Florida State was more dominant than the final score, as the Eagles jump from No. 62 to No. 24, and Vanderbilt’s overtime win at Virginia Tech moves the Commodores to No. 25.
26-50
Georgia Tech rises to No. 26 after a 2-0 start. The Yellow Jackets would’ve been in the top 25 until BC’s dominant win Monday night made the win over FSU in Ireland look less impressive. That’s how things can change week to week.
No. 27 NC State needed to come back in the fourth quarter and hold on against Western Carolina. The same for No. 29 Boise State against Georgia Southern. The Wolfpack and Broncos stay put in their positions for now. North Carolina moves up 10 spots to No. 36 after a win at Minnesota, thanks to a missed Gophers field goal, but the loss of quarterback Max Johnson for the season could be a problem.
Florida State drops from No. 9 to No. 46 after its dreadful 0-2 start, and right behind the Seminoles are the Florida Gators, two programs with fans facing existential crises.
Colorado moves up a few spots and into the top 50 after beating North Dakota State 31-26. The Buffaloes looked a lot like last year’s team, and some questionable clock management by Deion Sanders gave the Bison a shot at the end, but it was still a solid victory against a very successful program with its share of FBS upsets. TCU sits at No. 49 after a 31-24 win at Stanford.
51-75
UNLV just misses out on the top 50 after a dominant 27-7 win at Houston that was nearly a shutout. If you thought last year’s UNLV season was a fluke, the Rebels opened with a statement win, though concerns about the passing game persist after Week 1.
Arizona State’s 48-7 win against Wyoming might’ve been the most shocking margin of victory of the weekend, and ASU moves all the way up from No. 89 to No. 53. A Sun Devils program that finished 124th nationally in scoring last year (17.8 points per game) put it on a Wyoming defense that is usually very solid.
South Carolina drops nine spots and out of the top 50, falling to No. 54 after coming back and barely holding on for a 23-19 win against Old Dominion. The same goes for Texas Tech, which falls to No. 57 after needing a two-point stop in overtime to escape an Abilene Christian team that put up 615 yards of offense.
Coastal Carolina put it on Jacksonville State 55-27 in a surprisingly dominating performance to move up 30 spots to No. 64. The Chanticleers have now won seven of their last nine under head coach Tim Beck.
76-100
Is it already time to believe in Jeff Choate’s Nevada? The Wolf Pack hung with SMU in Week 0 and showed it wasn’t a one-off with a 28-26 win at two-time defending Sun Belt champion Troy. Nevada rockets up more than 50 spots to No. 76, after being lifeless for the past two seasons.
Old Dominion and Georgia Southern move up despite their losses as they put in good performances with fourth-quarter leads. Why lean on a preseason ranking if they both played better than expected in defeat? North Texas’ solid win at South Alabama moves the Mean Green up to No. 93.
Sam Houston was my preseason Conference USA team to watch, and the Bearkats made a statement with a 34-14 win at Rice to move up to No. 99. The Bearkats started last year 0-8 but won three of their last four and now start 2024 at 1-0. Hawaii played sloppy in a Week 0 win against Delaware State but nearly knocked off UCLA in Week 1, losing on a last-second field goal. So the Rainbow Warriors move up a few spots to No. 98. We’ll see which is the real Hawaii. Florida Atlantic moved up one spot into the top 100 after a close (but sloppy) 16-10 loss at Michigan State.
101-134
Arkansas State needed a last-second touchdown to beat Central Arkansas, so the Red Wolves drop to No. 103. New Mexico is 0-2, but buy that Bronco Mendenhall stock while you can. The Lobos had a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against Montana State in Week 0 and trailed Arizona by just three at halftime in Week 1. New Mexico lost both of those games, but the team has more of a pulse than we’ve seen in a while. As a result, the Lobos move up six spots to No. 116. New Mexico State needed a touchdown with less than two minutes left to beat Southeast Missouri State, so the Aggies drop to No. 117.
There is a new No. 134. Kennesaw State played UTSA deep into the fourth quarter, so the Owls move out from the bottom. In comes a different group of Owls. Temple turned the ball over six times in a 51-3 loss to Oklahoma. Things have been rough in Philly for the past few years, and it didn’t look any better Saturday.
The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Kirby Smart: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
Sports
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak favors veteran QB, hesitant to start rookie early in season
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Las Vegas may be Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL stop. But if he joins the Raiders as a rookie, his jersey may stay clean early if coach Klint Kubiak has his way.
Mendoza led Indiana to its first College Football Playoff national title in January and is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, a selection held by the Raiders.
Klint Kubiak was named the Raiders head coach in February, shortly after helping to lead the Seattle Seahawks to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator.
Kubiak believes rookie quarterbacks benefit from learning from an experienced player before seeing game action.
Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at an introductory news conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center on Feb. 10, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak told reporters Tuesday. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
MAXX CROSBY’S WIFE REACTS TO RAVENS TRADE FALLOUT WITH THREE-WORD MESSAGE
Aidan O’Connell is the only other quarterback on the Raiders’s roster after the team traded Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett signed with the Panthers. Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are among the veterans who remain unsigned.
The Raiders’ playoff win drought dates to the 2002 season, when the franchise won the AFC championship.
Kubiak pointed to Fernando Mendoza’s track record when asked about the quarterback.
“He’s a national champion. He’s a winner,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “He’s quick. He’s intelligent.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
On defense, the Raiders still have five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby after his trade to Baltimore was voided because he failed a physical.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak speaks to the media ahead of the Super Bowl at the San Jose Convention Center Feb. 5, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Kubiak said he smiled when general manager John Spytek gave him the news about the nixed deal.
“We got Maxx back. Are you kidding me? That’s great. Our team just got better,” Kubiak said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Air Force discovers another diamond gem in Malakye Matsumoto of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Whomever is responsible for discovering late-blooming high school baseball prospects in Southern California for the Air Force Academy deserves a raise.
It was six years ago when Air Force took away a 6-foot-7 pitcher/catcher named Paul Skenes from El Toro High. Last season Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award.
This season, Air Force has found another tall, promising prospect in 6-5 Malakye Matsumoto from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High. As a freshman he played on the freshman team. As a sophomore, he was on junior varsity. He pitched just three innings last season on varsity. This season, with a fastball that has touched 94 mph, he’s become a key closer for the Knights (14-1). He’s also hitting .385 with two home runs, the first of his career.
Yes, Matsumoto is well aware of Skenes’ journey and inspired by it.
“That’s the route. That’s the goal,” he said.
Matsumoto said Air Force started identifying him as a junior and saw him perform during a travel ball tournament. Selling him on Air Force was not difficult because of his family experience. His father and grandfather were in the Air Force and his uncle was in the Army. He has a 4.3 grade-point average.
“My dad told me everything about the Air Force,” he said. “Teaching me discipline, making me a better man and setting me up for life.”
Patience and trusting the process have been Matsumoto’s two guiding principles.
He appreciated spending his first two years getting to play on lower-level teams with no pressure of immediately playing on varsity while waiting for his body to mature.
“The biggest thing was it helped me build up my confidence,” he said. “I got to play shortstop the whole year, batted third. It helped me build a foundation. I started to grow, get stronger and become more comfortable.”
He had no problem “staying in the background.”
“Nobody really knew about me,” he said. “It allowed me to have more fun while playing the game. I didn’t feel pressure at the plate playing JV baseball.”
But the coaches knew about Matsumoto’s potential as they saw him grow from 5-10 to 6-5. Strength coach Nick Garcia said Matsumoto never missed a workout in the weight room. He played second base, third base and shortstop as a junior on varsity. He got in briefly on the mound. It all set up for him to show what could do as a senior.
“We always knew he would develop and be a big impact player down the road,” co-coach Nick LaFace said. “Last year his defense needed to get better, he worked at it and has been playing an amazing third base. He definitely has a big-time arm.”
There’s many different ways to fulfill baseball potential. Some stop growing after Little League stardom. Others are ready to play on varsity as freshmen because of their physical and mental prowess. Matsumoto reminds parents to not be so fast about lobbying for immediate varsity playing time.
“They don’t understand it puts a lot of pressure on kids,” he said. “I’ve seen it. They get called up immediately freshman year. All the pressure is put on their shoulders. Parents want them to be on varsity not realizing they either won’t play or when they are exposed to high-level pitching, high-level hitting, being that young, unless they are really a varsity-level player, they’re going to get exposed or it’s either going to be humiliating or lower the confidence.”
Matsumoto’s mother is of Korean descent and is principal at Hawthorne Math and Science Academy. His father is of Japanese descent and works in security.
As for the Air Force, don’t expect Matsumoto to be flying anytime soon.
“They told me I won’t be able to fit in some planes being 6-5,” he said.
Don’t worry. They had the same answer for the 6-7 Skenes, who turned out pretty good.
Skenes left Air Force after two years, but Matsumoto likes what he sees in his journey.
“It sets me up for life,” he said.
But things change, and beware of Matsumoto, the pitcher. He’s just learning what he can do.
“Pitching has become more of a reality,” he said. “I’m totally open to it in college. I’m going as a two-way player.”
Sports
Tiger Woods pleads not guilty, demands trial with jury after DUI arrest following rollover crash
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Tiger Woods has entered a plea of not guilty and has waived his arraignment, demanding a trial with a jury.
Woods was arrested in Florida with prescription opioids found in his pocket after being involved in a rollover crash this past Friday, according to court documents.
The 15-time major winner was arrested on charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while driving impaired.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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