Alabama and Ohio State remain in the top spots of the CBS Sports 130, the most comprehensive 130-team ranking of college football teams, but unlike some of the traditional polls, the reactions to the first full week of action have led to a ton of shakeups in how the many voters here at CBS Sports and 247Sports view the college football landscape.
Washington and USC both started the season with wins but dropped in our rankings, a reaction to their early-game struggles with Rutgers and Western Michigan, respectively. Teams like LSU and Stanford moved up into the top 10 after impressive wins as even Wisconsin took a slight step back (down two spots) following an early deficit against Utah State.
But while there has been a lot of shifting around the top 20, that seems to be what we consider the top tier of teams. There was a good bit of shifting in the rankings from 21-40 -- hello, Iowa and Colorado! -- but outside of Notre Dame's bit move up there's an apparent cut line somewhere in the rankings where the consideration of conference and national title contenders stops.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below, and 26-130 on our rankings page.
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama | 1-0 | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | 1-0 | 2 |
3 | Clemson | 1-0 | 6 |
4 | Penn State | 1-0 | 5 |
5 | Oklahoma | 1-0 | 8 |
6 | Oklahoma State | 1-0 | 10 |
7 | Michigan | 1-0 | 13 |
8 | Auburn | 1-0 | 9 |
9 | LSU | 1-0 | 12 |
10 | Stanford | 1-0 | 14 |
11 | Georgia | 1-0 | 15 |
12 | Washington | 1-0 | 7 |
13 | Wisconsin | 1-0 | 11 |
14 | Louisville | 1-0 | 17 |
15 | Florida State | 0-1 | 3 |
16 | Notre Dame | 1-0 | 27 |
17 | Miami | 1-0 | 18 |
18 | USC | 1-0 | 4 |
19 | Virginia Tech | 1-0 | 22 |
20 | Kansas State | 1-0 | 20 |
21 | USF | 2-0 | 19 |
22 | Washington State | 1-0 | 24 |
23 | Boise State | 1-0 | 29 |
24 | Iowa | 1-0 | 37 |
25 | Colorado | 1-0 | 43 |
Biggest movers
- Colorado (+18): Any doubts about Colorado's defense after the loss of handfuls of starters and contributors -- not to mention defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt -- seem to have been calmed with the Buffs bottling up a Colorado State offense that hung half-a-hundred on Oregon State in Week Zero.
- Iowa (+13): Speaking of defense, the Hawkeyes are going to be a beast to deal with in the Big Ten this year. Turning future NFL Draft picks into mere mortals is just the start for a group that should be considered a threat in the Big Ten West.
- Notre Dame (+11): With strength up front on the offensive line, Notre Dame is going to be able to pound the rock this year. We saw that in the opener against Temple with three 100-yard rushers (including quarterback Brandon Wimbush).
- Michigan (+6): New starters doesn't necessarily mean new faces for Michigan, and players like Devin Bush and Mo Hurst showed up hungry in the debut that showcased an equally terrifying -- and maybe even faster -- Michigan defense.
- Florida State (-12): The Seminoles are the only team in the top 25 of the new 130 with a loss and hanging in the top 15 is a nod to a team that is still very dangerous even without starting quarterback Deondre Francois.
- USC (-14): The Trojans dropped more than a dozen spots in a loss, speaking to the impression they made in a slow start against Western Michigan. The CBS Sports 130 voters could totally reverse course with a strong performance against Stanford this weekend, but this was a stunning adjustment to the win, falling even farther than Florida State in a loss.
- Florida (-16): The Gators hung on in the polls but fell out of the top 25 of our rankings, dropping to No. 32 after their loss to Michigan.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 130: Teams ranked 26-130