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Josh Furlong’s AP Top 25: Good luck stopping a strong Georgia, but others lurking
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Josh Furlong’s AP Top 25: Good luck stopping a strong Georgia, but others lurking

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s great to have college football back in action.

And the first full weekend of action did not disappoint — unless you’re Florida or Florida State — even as most of the FBS teams in the country played FCS teams in warm-up games. And yet, some of those warm-up games weren’t so easy — look at you, Oregon!

There were also some great matchups where two teams from the Power Four played each other, and while we’re probably overreacting to one week of football, we still learned something about each team.

As such, my rankings reflect some of what we’ve learned — moving some teams around — while looking largely the same as they did in pre-season. In reality, we’re only scratching the surface of what we know about each of these teams.

Below is the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press that will be included in the consensus rankings released Tuesday afternoon.

1. Georgia

Georgia is unfair… and inevitable… and suffocating. The Bulldogs lull you in, make you believe you can really pull through, while they slowly circle around you like a snake to set the trap. And once Georgia decides to intervene, it’s too late and there’s no escape.

Sure, Clemson isn’t what it used to be, but Georgia’s dismantling of the Tigers was something to behold. Georgia is a team that remains unstoppable…at least until someone steps up to challenge it. That chance didn’t come last weekend.

Week 1 seemed to be just the appetizer. Look forward to more in the coming weeks.

2. Ohio State

The Ohio State preseason debate over the No. 1 seed may still be valid after Week 1’s action, but it’s tough to put the Buckeyes in the same league as Georgia … yet. Yes, Ohio State has a roster that can likely compete with Georgia — and how about Jeremiah Smith?! — but at this point, the advantage seems pretty easily with the Bulldogs.

The Buckeyes are also dangerous this season, but they’re not as inevitable as Georgia seems.

3.Texas

Texas held no back against an outclassed Colorado State team that had to fight a little harder than in Week 1, even though it was a 35-point deficit.

But the Longhorns showed they’re not ready to play second fiddle to anyone — and they’re still coming back. Quinn Ewers threw his first interception of the season but was generally efficient en route to a 52-0 shutout victory.

His replacement, Arch Manning, added to the excitement by completing 95 passing yards and a touchdown on 5 of 6 passes in his first action of the season.

4. Ole Miss

What’s in Jaxson Dart? The former Corner Canyon High star had Ole Miss humming during a 76-0 shutout win over Furman. Dart threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns on 22 of 27 passing — he also added a rushing touchdown — before halftime.

He’s the first QB in the SEC to throw for 350+ yards in a half since Joe Burrow in 2019.

It’s only Furman, but Dart showed why he’s a real contender for the Heisman Trophy this year. Ole Miss will certainly face much tougher opponents in the SEC, but Week 1 was a reminder that Dart is ready for the spotlight. Oh… and the team as a whole is pretty good, too.

5.Alabama

Post Nick Saban’s life looks pretty good so far. Western Kentucky isn’t a major benchmark, but Alabama looked good in Kalen DeBoer’s debut in Tuscaloosa. The road is going to get much tougher in the coming weeks, but it’s always good to start strong with a lopsided win.

Jalen Milroe remains a threat at the QB position, efficiently throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 7 of 9 passing and completing a touchdown pass on nearly every other completion on a short night.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (center) throws a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Idaho, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, center, throws a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Idaho, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Lydia Ely, Associated Press)

6.Oregon

I don’t tend to overreact to the action of Week 1, but I’ll make an exception with Oregon. I believed the hype and was disappointed. I truly believe that Week 1 was an anomaly and not really indicative of what this Ducks team can do in their first season in the Big Ten, but it was also a little concerning.

Still, Oregon has everything going for it, even if they overlooked Idaho. The Ducks remain one of the best teams in the country, but other teams just look better after one week, so I dropped Oregon a few spots.

When Uncle Phil buys new players, he can’t just do it. The talent has to actually show up on the field and deliver a good product.

7. Penn State

In a game that suffered a lengthy weather delay, Penn State remained composed and came out on top in a hostile Morgantown. Drew Allar looked more like the quarterback many expected him to be, and the Nittany Lions showed great potential as one of the top teams in the Big Ten.

Most impressively, however, Penn State didn’t look boring in their season opener (a familiar calling card for the Nittany Lions) and actually produced some excitement in the Week 1 game.

8. Notre-Dame

In a tense battle on hostile territory, Notre Dame looked good. Quarterback Riley Leonard failed to pass for a touchdown and threw for just 158 ​​yards on 18 of 30 passing, but the Fighting Irish scored 17 points in the second half to outscore a seemingly improved Texas A&M team.

The schedule looks good for the Irish, so a win in Week 1 would be a big confidence builder, but there aren’t many more chances to really see how tough Notre Dame can be this season. Maybe it’s a bit of fool’s gold, but we’ll take the ace this week.

9.Miami

I had Miami much higher than the consensus rankings, and I stand by it. The Hurricanes looked really solid against a struggling Florida team, disrupting the Gators’ long season-opening winning streak in The Swamp — a tough place to win.

Cam Ward looked good at quarterback and Miami has a strong case to lead the ACC this year. We’ll see if they can keep it up, but so far I like what I’ve seen from Miami.

10.Utah

Utah looked good with Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe returning to the field. The two scored three touchdowns, with Rising throwing two more touchdowns in a career night for the veteran signal caller. The defense looked strong as well.

A convincing shutout win over an FCS team doesn’t bode well for future success, but Utah appeared to be the Big 12 favorite. A Week 2 test against an in-conference opponent, however, should provide a better picture.

tournament visualization

Drop out: Florida state, NC state

Check-in: Arizona, Nebraska

Under consideration (alphabetical): Arkansas, Memphis, NC State, SMU, UCF, Wisconsin

If you can’t see my full ballot below, click here.

table visualization