AP college football poll reaction: What's next for each Top 25 team

ByESPN staff ESPN logo
Tuesday, September 3, 2024

The new AP Top 25 college football poll is out.



The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs completely shut down the Clemson Tigers in one of the three Week 1 games featuring two ranked opponents. Carson Beck had 278 yards passing and two touchdowns while UGA's defense held Clemson to just 188 total yards. Behind UGA, the other teams in the top five cruised against overmatched opponents.



What does it mean for the new AP Top 25? Let's break down the rankings.



Stats courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information.





All times Eastern





1. Georgia Bulldogs


Previous ranking: 1



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated No. 14 Clemson 34-3



Stat to know: Georgia has won 45 straight games against teams not named Alabama. The last time the Bulldogs lost to a team other than the Crimson Tide was a 2020 loss to Florida.



What's next: Saturday vs. Tennessee Tech, 2 p.m., ESPN+





2. Ohio State Buckeyes


Previous ranking: 2



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Akron 52-6



Stat to know: Former five-star recruit Jeremiah Smith caught two touchdown passes. He is the first Buckeyes receiver with two receiving scores in his debut since Michael Wiley in 1996.



What's next: Saturday vs. Western Michigan, 7:30 p.m., BTN





3. Texas Longhorns


Previous ranking: 4



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Colorado State 52-0



Stat to know: This was Texas' second-largest margin of victory in a shutout win in the past 100 years. It's the largest since a 65-0 win over North Texas in 2004.



What's next: Saturday at Michigan, noon, Fox





4. Alabama Crimson Tide


Previous ranking: 5



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Western Kentucky 63-0



Stat to know: Quarterback Jalen Milroe accounted for three passing scores and two rushing touchdowns. It was the third such game in his career, which no player has done before in Alabama's history.



What's next: Saturday vs. South Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN





5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish


Previous ranking: 7



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated No. 20 Texas A&M 23-13



Stat to know: This was Notre Dame's first win on the road against a ranked SEC team since defeating Tennessee in 2004.



What's next: Saturday vs. Northern Illinois, 3:30 p.m., NBC





6. Ole Miss Rebels


Previous ranking: 6



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Furman 76-0



Stat to know:Jaxson Dart had 418 yards in the first half. It's the most in a half in Ole Miss history and also the most in a half of an SEC game in the past 20 years.



What's next: Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network





7. Oregon Ducks


Previous ranking: 3



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Idaho 24-14



Stat to know: Oregon is now 20-0 against FCS opponents since 1978, but Saturday's game was the second-smallest margin of victory following a 35-30 win over Montana in 1993. Before Saturday, the Ducks were beating FCS opponents by an average of 43.6 points per game.



What's next: Saturday vs. Boise State, 10 p.m., Peacock





8. Penn State Nittany Lions


Previous ranking: 8



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated West Virginia 34-12



Stat to know: Penn State had two scores of 40 or more yards against WVU. The Nittany Lions had three such scores all of last season.



What's next: Saturday vs. Bowling Green, noon, BTN





9. Missouri Tigers


Previous ranking: 11



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Murray State 51-0



Stat to know: Missouri recorded a shutout in its season opener for the first time since 1998.



What's next: Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m., ESPN+





10. Michigan Wolverines


Previous ranking: 9



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Fresno State 30-10



Stat to know: Michigan had just 89 yards of offense in the first half. It was the fewest yards for the Wolverines in a first half since 2016.



What's next: Saturday vs. Texas, noon, Fox





11. Utah Utes


Previous ranking: 12



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Southern Utah 49-0



Stat to know:Cameron Rising threw five touchdown passes in Week 1. That's a career high for him and the third most in Utah history. Rising has 51 career TD passes making him the fourth player in school history with at least 50 career TD passes.



What's next: Saturday vs. Baylor, 3:30 p.m., Fox





12. Miami Hurricanes


Previous ranking: 19



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Florida 41-17



Stat to know: Cam Ward's 385 passing yards are the most in a Miami season opener since Jacory Harris threw for 386 in 2009.



What's next: Saturday vs. Florida A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN+





13. USC Trojans


Previous ranking: 23



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated No. 13 LSU 27-20



Stat to know: Miller Moss is the first USC QB over the past 25 seasons to record at least 350 passing yards and a 75% completion percentage in a season opener.



What's next: Saturday vs. Utah State, 11 p.m., BTN





14. Tennessee Volunteers


Previous ranking: 15



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Chattanooga 69-3



Stat to know: Nico Iamaleava's 314 passing yards are the most in a half in Tennessee history, breaking Tyler Bray's record of 313 set in 2012.



What's next: Saturday at NC State (in Charlotte), 7:30 p.m., ABC





15. Oklahoma Sooners


Previous ranking: 16



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Temple 51-3



Stat to know:Jackson Arnold joins Spencer Rattler (2020) and Josh Heupel (1999) as the third OU quarterback to have four passing touchdowns in a season opener.



What's next: Saturday vs. Houston, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network





16. Oklahoma State Cowboys


Previous ranking: 17



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated South Dakota State 44-20



Stat to know: This was Oklahoma State's 15th straight game holding an FCS opponent to seven or fewer points at the half. The last time the Cowboys failed to do so was 2005 when they trailed Montana State 10-8 at halftime before winning 15-10.



What's next: Saturday vs. Arkansas, noon, ABC





17. Kansas State Wildcats


Previous ranking: 18



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated UT Martin 41-6



Stat to know: This was the Wildcats' third straight season-opening win by more than 30 points. That ties the longest streak (1997-99) for the program in the AP poll era.



What's next: Saturday at Tulane, noon, ESPN





18. LSU Tigers


Previous ranking: 13



2024 record: 0-1



Week 1 result: Lost to No. 23 USC 27-20



Stat to know: LSU has lost five straight season openers. That is tied for the longest streak in school history (1991-95). Brian Kelly has lost three consecutive openers for the first time since 2004-06 when he was at Central Michigan.



What's next: Saturday vs. Nicholls, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+





19. Kansas Jayhawks


Previous ranking: 22



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Lindenwood 48-3



Stat to know: The three points allowed are the fewest the Jayhawks have given up since September 2009.



What's next: Saturday at Illinois, 7 p.m., FS1





20. Arizona Wildcats


Previous ranking: 21



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated New Mexico 61-39



Stat to know: Tetairoa McMillan's 304 receiving yards are the most in a single game in Arizona history. He is the third player in FBS history to have 300 or more yards receiving in a team's season opener and his mark is the second most in Big 12 history. West Virginia's Terrance Williams had 314 in a 2012 game.



What's next: Saturday vs. Northern Arizona, 10 p.m., ESPN+





21. Iowa Hawkeyes


Previous ranking: 25



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Illinois State 40-0



Stat to know: Iowa's 40 points were the most it scored on offense since 2021.



What's next: Saturday vs. Iowa State, 3:30 p.m., CBS





22. Louisville Cardinals


Previous ranking: Unranked



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Austin Peay 62-0



Stat to know:Tyler Shough is the first Cardinals quarterback since Lamar Jackson in 2016 to have four passing touchdowns in a season opener.



What's next: Saturday vs. Jacksonville State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+





23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets


Previous ranking: Unranked



2024 record: 2-0



Week 1 result: Defeated No. 10 Florida State 24-21 (Week 0); defeated Georgia State 35-12



Stat to know: Against Georgia State, Haynes King recorded his eighth career game with a pass TD and rushing score, tying him for the second most over the past two seasons behind Missouri's Brady Cook(9).



What's next: Saturday at Syracuse, noon, ACC Network





24. NC State Wolfpack


Previous ranking: 24



2024 record: 1-0



Week 1 result: Defeated Western Carolina 38-21



Stat to know: With Jordan Waters (123 yards rushing, 2 TDs) and Kevin Concepcion (121 yards receiving, 3 TDs), NC State had both a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver with multiple scores in a game for the first time in the past 20 seasons.



What's next: Saturday vs. Tennessee (in Charlotte), 7:30 p.m., ABC





25. Clemson Tigers


Previous ranking: 14



2024 record: 0-1



Week 1 result: Lost to No. 1 Georgia 34-3



Stat to know: The last time Clemson failed to score a touchdown in a game was the 2021 season opener when the Tigers lost to Georgia 10-3.



What's next: Saturday vs. Appalachian State, 8 p.m., ACC Network



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