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
Former ESPN star blasts Ole Miss after Pete Golding revealed as Lane Kiffin’s chosen successor
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The closely watched drama in the college football world finally reached its conclusion. Lane Kiffin, the head coach at Ole Miss for the past six years, boarded a flight for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sunday.
Kiffin was formally introduced as LSU’s next head coach Monday. Ole Miss quickly responded to Kiffin’s exit by elevating Pete Golding from defensive coordinator to head coach.
While Kiffin’s exit sparked considerable backlash, former ESPN host and current sports commentator and podcaster Bomani Jones turned his focus to the coach’s handpicked successor.
Pete Golding before a game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs Oct. 18, 2025, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jones lambasted Golding’s performance during his stint as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator. He also floated a theory about Golding’s appearance.
COACH WHO LEFT OLE MISS TO JOIN LANE KIFFIN AT LSU WILL FINISH SEASON WITH REBELS
“I had known him by name. I saw a picture of him and was like ‘There’s no way that man is a head coach,’” Jones said.
Bomani Jones Nov. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Netflix)
Golding has coached for nearly two decades, but this will be his first opportunity to lead a football program that competes in a Power Four conference.
Kiffin coached the Rebels to victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl rivalry game Friday to secure an 11-1 record for Ole Miss. While Ole Miss did not qualify for this week’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the seventh-ranked Rebels are in position to advance to the College Football Playoff.
Whatever game Ole Miss ends up playing later this month will be Golding’s first opportunity as the Rebels’ head coach. After reportedly meeting with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and school chancellor Glenn Boyce, Kiffin learned his time coaching the Rebels had come to an end.
LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium Dec. 1, 2025, in Baton Rouge, La. (Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images)
“I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said in a statement.
LSU parted ways with Brian Kelly in late October, shortly after the Tigers dropped a home game to Texas A&M.
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Sports
USC women’s basketball smothers Saint Mary’s ahead of Big Ten opener
On Tuesday night at Galen Center, a light crowd cheered hard for the defense. Any time the Trojans fought off a jump-ball, any time they chased down a loose ball, any time the team quickly transitioned to offense off one of the 18 defensive rebounds, the arena DJ asked the fans to cheer on the hustle.
“DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!”
As Saint Mary’s (5-4) turned the ball over 29 times, USC (6-2) took advantage of each opportunity it made by cruising to a commanding 79-33 victory over the Gaels. The Trojans flexed on both sides of the court. They held the visiting team to single-digit points in the last three quarters of the game and led by as many as 46 points, never giving up the lead.
Senior Londynn Jones led the Trojans with 17 points while going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
“We made them look rougher than they are,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s a really good team who played some other Power Four teams really tough and challenged us to get better this week, which we did.”
The Gaels never stood a chance against the Trojans. After finishing the first quarter up by four points, the USC defense exploded with six steals while forcing nine turnovers and holding Saint Mary’s to four points in the second quarter. Saint Mary’s shot 27% from the field and went 2-of-13 from the three-point line.
Three USC players scored in double figures while contributing on defense as well. After earning her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season, Jazzy Davidson had 14 points, three blocks, six assists and four rebounds. Senior Kara Dunn had 15 points with five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jones, who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring, added four steals.
The Trojans earned 13 fast break points, quickly moving the ball up the court after defensive stops. They shot 46% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line.
“We’re making sure that our execution is really good and that we’re giving all of our effort into every single play and making sure that we are getting better at boxing out,” Dunn said. “We’re making sure we’re getting better at moving the ball.”
The Trojans did not take the game lightly, with the bench scoring 33 points and scoring 24 points in two separate quarters. USC aims to maintain its strong execution when it hosts No. 5 Washington on Sunday.
“I think we’ve really made a concerted effort to work and get better,” she said. “It’s not just getting better at jumpers or getting better at a play, it’s mentally saying, ‘Do we need to talk more?’”
USC’s communication was strong throughout Tuesday’s game. Saint Mary’s players felt pressure from two Trojans every time they touched the ball. If a shot was missed, USC took care of the rebound.
“It’s a huge energy boost,” Dunn said of the dominant performance. “I feel like it brings us together, it connects us.”
Sports
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gives surprising answer when asked about fans calling for his job
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The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills 26-7 on Sunday, and a restless Steelers crowd was letting the home team hear it.
Fans booed and even called for head coach Mike Tomlin’s job, but the 53-year-old veteran head coach had a surprising answer when asked about his perspective on the crowd’s frustrations and the calls for his firing.
“In general, I agree with them, from this perspective: Football is our game, we’re in a sport-entertainment business,” Tomlin said Tuesday during a press conference. “And so, if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And so when you’re not winning, it’s not entertaining.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin warms up for a game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 30, 2025. (Barry Reeger/Imagn Images)
“If you’ve been in this business, you understand that, and so I respect it. I share frustrations, I understand what makes this thing go, and winning is what makes this thing go.”
The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are both atop the AFC North at 6-6, but neither has looked like a first-place team. The Steelers have lost five of their last seven games as their once-seemingly big lead in the division has vanished.
The Steelers had a chance to run away with the division after a 4-1 start. The Ravens were 1-5 and the Cincinnati Bengals were struggling to find their footing after losing Joe Burrow, but now the Steelers’ path to the playoffs looks murkier than ever.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION REVEALS REASON FOR VIRAL FREEZE-UP DURING PREGAME SHOW
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shouts in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
They did take a 7-3 lead into halftime over the Bills, but things quickly unraveled in the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa crushed an unsuspecting Aaron Rodgers to force a fumble, which was recovered for a touchdown.
The Bills never looked back, and the Steelers’ offense never got anything going.
With the Steelers’ recent struggles, the fans’ intensity in their jeers has only grown, and Tomlin agreed with the fans.
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Tomlin is the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, as he has held the position since 2007. In 304 games, Tomlin has a 189-113-2 record.
The Steelers will look to give their fans something to cheer about when they take on the Ravens in a pivotal matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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