College Football

Alabama, Georgia top RJ Young's Top 25, but shakeups galore in surprising Week 1

Updated Sep. 5, 2021 2:50 p.m. ET

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RJ Young

FOX Sports College Football Analyst

By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Editor’s note: Every Sunday during the college football season, RJ Young will release his updated Top 25 rankings.

Winning matters. But after a wild Week 1, not all wins are equal.

Wins against ranked teams matter more, which is another way of saying that strength of schedule (or lack thereof) and individual opponents matter. In a 12-game season, I have little patience for losers, and these rankings reflect that.

This early in the season, though, I have made allowances for Wisconsin and Clemson.

Here is my Top 25:

1. Alabama (last week: 4)

Nick Saban followed losing five first-round picks to the NFL with quite literally the best recruiting class in history.

That’s like if the Infinity Gauntlet were being worn by Captain Marvel. You don’t stop that; you bend the knee and beg for mercy from your queen.

The Crimson Tide demonstrated Saturday that they are the (defending) champions, my friends. The Tide obviously saw where I had ranked them in the preseason (No. 4) because of a new starting QB, offensive coordinator, wide receiving corps, center and cornerback, among other things. 

Bryce Young and Crimson Tide roll the Hurricanes, 44-3

Alabama started its season with a convincing 44-13 victory over Miami, getting four TD passes from new starting QB Bryce Young.

Well, the Tide took out their frustrations on Miami. New parts don't usually play like they've got 50,000 miles together. So I was right to doubt them — but not anymore.

Ohio State is as talented as Alabama — and as new in some spots. Stack Alabama’s performance against Miami with Ohio State’s performance against Minnesota, and this is Kang Variant Nick Saban. 

Bryce Young played like the million-dollar QB he actually is. He hit 27 of 38 passes for 344 yards with four TDs, and just like that, he’s the Heisman front-runner. Mostly because, unlike Spencer Rattler, C.J. Stroud and D.J. Uiagalelei, Young didn’t throw a pick.

The QB play in Week 1 was atrocious at times. Perhaps this is the Year of Defense, with a group of QBs that look like they’re searching for answers at a time in their careers — looking at you, Rattler and Sam Howell — when they should have the answers.

Back to Bama. Jameson Williams played like he was once No. 4 on the wide receiver depth chart at Ohio State and is holding a grudge. He had four catches for 126 yards, including one for 94. John Metchie added six for 76 with a TD, and two of Cameron Latu’s three catches were TDs.

Bama showed depth at tailback, too, with three backs getting at least eight touches and Trey Sanders, who missed last season due to injury, scoring from 20 yards out.

The Tide didn’t escape this one unscathed, though. Linebacker Christopher Allen suffered an injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Still, the Crimson Tide are now the clear No. 1 team in the country to me, and they’ve got no time for losing.

2. Georgia (2)

UGA has a lot to figure out on defense, but that defense is elite.

Ladies and gentlemen, there was a reckoning. A bloodletting was had. A sickness was cast out by Georgia, and thy name is Clemson. When D.J. Uiagalelei threw that pick-six, he sealed this note: Every starting QB on the top four teams in the country threw at least one interception in his opener — except Young.

In the third quarter, Clemson had rushed for negative 19 yards — negative 19. That means that on top of sacking Uiagalelei seven times, the Dawgs put the No. 3 team in the country in a hole.

The Tigers finished with two rushing yards and scored just three points. Those three points are the fewest by a Clemson team since the Tigers lost to Georgia Tech 13-3 on Sept. 29, 2007. To further demonstrate how long ago that was, Georgia Tech lost a $1 million payout and a game to Northern Illinois on Saturday.

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3. Ohio State (3)

Ohio State came from behind to beat Minnesota 45-31 on Thursday. I was at that game and wrote about it here.

4. Oklahoma (1)

Rattler looked great on the stat sheet, hitting 30 of 39 for 304 yards with a touchdown and an INT, but on tape, he knows he has to get better. So does everyone else in an OU jersey if they want to win a national title.

After turning a 14-7 deficit to Tulane into a 34-14 lead, only to win 40-35, Oklahoma looked sloppy and not at all like the kind of team that could topple Georgia or Ohio State, let alone Clemson.

5. Penn State (NR)

Saturday marked James Franklin’s first career road victory over a top-15 team — ever. He was 0-12 before winning at Madison. Jahan Dotson finished with 102 receiving yards, nearly half of the 254 total yards the Nittany Lions put up in a game that was scoreless until the 8:41 mark in the third quarter. 

This Jim Leonhard Wisconsin defense is legit, and it might be the best one Penn State sees all year. But Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Prye is also dialed in with LB Ellis Brooks, who had 11 tackles and sack. 

Wisconsin lost at home to the Nittany Lions despite having possession for 42 minutes, 51 seconds. Badgers QB Graham Mertz had a chance to win the game at least twice but missed on throws that could’ve resulted in TDs. 

Here's the downside for Penn State: It can’t expect to challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten East with an offense that needs the first 35 minutes of a 60-minute game to wake up. 

Penn State could give Ohio State a run for its money later this season if it can find a way to score with the Buckeyes.

6. Texas (22)

A 38-20 win against a ranked and experienced defending conference champion? Yeah, that looks good on a résumé, even if we're referring to Sun Belt co-champ Louisiana.

Longhorn QB Hudson Card looked good in his debut, completing 14 of 21 for 224 yards with two tuddees. Bijan Robinson carried the rock 20 times for 103 yards, and UT went for 170 on the ground.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s debut was outstanding, too. The Longhorns allowed just four of 13 third downs to be converted. Although Ragin' Cajuns QB Levi Lewis hit 28 of 40 for 282, the Longhorns sacked him four times.

With Iowa State narrowly escaping FCS Northern Iowa and Oklahoma narrowly escaping Tulane, Texas is back to believing it can win the Big 12 title. As sharp as the Longhorns looked, it’s difficult to argue.

7. USC (7)

8. Oregon (10)

9. Iowa (21)

Iowa got not one but two pick-sixes off Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. That means the Iowa offense scored just one more touchdown than the Iowa defense, and the Iowa defense outscored Indiana 12-3 at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa’s D might rival Wisconsin's and Penn State’s. The Hawkeyes have asserted themselves as the team to beat in the Big Ten West, with Minnesota and Wisconsin each taking L's to ranked opponents.

10. Texas A&M (12)

11. Clemson (5)

It’s not just that Clemson lost to UGA. It’s that the best teams left on Clemson's schedule are North Carolina State, Boston College, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse and Florida State. This was a CFP play-in game for Clemson, and the Tigers lost it.

12. UCLA (NR)

The Bruins are 2-0.

With a 38-27 victory over LSU, UCLA entered the chat.

And while UCLA asserted itself in the Pac-12 South on Saturday, Washington was exposed — by Montana. It's not just that FCS Montana upset Washington 13-7 in Seattle. It's also that the Huskies paid the Grizzlies $675,000 for the privilege.

It's so Pac-12 for an unranked team to beat a ranked SEC team while a ranked Pac-12 team loses to an FCS team.

13. Notre Dame (13) (plays Florida State on Sunday)

14. Utah (9)

Utah is a good football team. It played an FCS opponent (Weber State), whereas Texas A&M played an FBS one, even if it was Kent State. That's picky, but all we have to work with is what teams show and the competition they show it against.

Utah, just keep winning. The Utes' eyes need to be on being undefeated when they travel to USC in Week 6, with hope that the Trojans will be undefeated, too.

15. Iowa State (6)

A nail-biting win against an FCS opponent is never a good look for a team expected to compete for a Power 5 conference title.

16. Texas Christian (17)

17. Coastal Carolina (18)

18. Arizona State (19)

19. Cincinnati (24)

20. Virginia Tech (NR)

A 17-10 victory over a ranked North Carolina is really, really impressive for the team coached by Tulsa's own, Justin Fuente.

21. Wisconsin (11)

The Badgers could have won their game against Penn State on multiple occasions — unlike Clemson, which looked completely overmatched offensively against UGA.

22. Kansas State (NR)

This is a new entry in my Top 25, based on the Wildcats' outstanding defensive showing against Stanford at AT&T Stadium. The Wildcats held Stanford to 233 total yards and didn’t allow a score until 3:53 was left in the game.

23. North Carolina State (NR)

The Wolfpack's 45-0 blanking of South Florida was impressive. The big challenge for NC State will come Sept. 25, when it hosts Clemson.

24. Rutgers (NR)

Rutgers created five turnovers, held Temple QB D'Wan Mathis to 8-for-24 passing for 148 yards, held Temple to 2-of-12 on third down, held Temple to 261 total yards, put up 61 points and allowed just 14.

All this happened after the game was moved from Thursday to Saturday due to flooding on the East Coast. Greg Schiano and the Scarlets Knights want the smoke.

Rutgers’ performance Saturday was more impressive than:

— UCF coming back from 21-0 to beat Boise State 36-31 on the road

— Kentucky beating Louisiana-Monroe 45-10

— Auburn crushing Akron 60-10

— South Carolina crushing Eastern Illinois 46-0

— Missouri beating a Jim McElwain-less Central Michigan 34-24

— Tennessee rolling up Bowling Green 38-6

— Arkansas beating Rice 38-17

— Florida beating FAU 35-14 when UF QB Emory Jones completed 17 of 27 for 113 passing yards with a TD and two INTs

— An FBS team beating an FCS team (as I look Southern Methodist dead in the eyes)

Continue to win, and we can talk.

25. Florida State (25) (plays Notre Dame on Sunday)

That’s the Top 25, and it was a wild week. 

Just think about this: Clemson, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Miami, LSU, Indiana, Washington and Louisiana all have fewer wins than Kansas.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.

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