The opening week of the 2025 college football season has come and gone, with some teams rising and others falling.
Some of these risers include Florida State, Auburn and LSU, while teams such as Alabama, Kansas State and North Carolina did not quite look as good as they were projected to be to open the season.
CBS Sports HQ‘s Danny Kanell took a stab at crafting his top-12 teams in the country following the opening weekend, with some surprising inclusions and snubs included.
For the first time since 2019, LSU opened its season with a massive 17-10 road victory over Clemson in a jam-packed Memorial Stadium. Although it was just a seven-point win, the (LSU) Tigers dominated the game. They outgained Clemson 354-261 and recorded 12 more first downs.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier solidified himself as the early season Heisman favorite, as passed for 232 yards and one touchdown in the win. Brian Kelly‘s defense however looked like it could be the best in the country, resulting in the Tigers’ first College Football Playoff push since they won in 2019.
In no-time, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has completely wiped off the stigma that he cannot deliver in big-time matchups. In the Buckeyes’ last five games (dating back to last season), Day has led Ohio State to wins over No. 7 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Texas, No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 1 Texas.
Ohio State‘s defense put Texas quarterback Arch Manning in a blender in its season opener, as the preseason Heisman candidate looked less than stellar in his first big game as Texas‘ signal caller. Quarterback Julian Sayin looked like he could be the next great Buckeye as well, passing for 126 yards and one touchdown in the win.
Miami continued to rule the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry as it held off Notre Dame 27-24 in its season opener to put its mark on the early landscape of the 2025 college football season. Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck made a strong impression in his first game as a Hurricane, passing for 205 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“Oh man, sh*t,” Beck said as tears began to well up in his eyes following the win. “The past eight months has been so hard. I’m just so blessed to be out here to have an opportunity to play again. I love these guys. I’m so proud of the way we played. We played so hard. In the face of adversity, we got it done when we needed to. I’m just so blessed and so thankful to have this opportunity to play the game I love.”
Florida State delivered the biggest statement win of college football’s opening weekend with a 31-17 victory over Alabama at home. The stigma of the Seminoles’ 2-10 season in 2024 has been completely wiped away as Mike Norvell‘s team completely dominated the Crimson Tide on both sides of the ball.
“God smiled on the Seminoles today,” Kanell wrote on Twitter/X following FSU’s win. “You honestly thought they were going to lose on the last day Lee Corso donned the headgear???”
Auburn opened the third season of the Hugh Freeze era with a bang as it thrashed Big 12 title contender Baylor 38-24 on the road. Transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold dominated on the ground, as he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. His 27-yard rushing touchdown with 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter all but solidified a Tiger win.
The Tigers will now enjoy two non-conference games before they clash with Oklahoma and Texas A&M, which will give a true sense of how good this Auburn team really is.
South Carolina‘s opening weekend matchup against Virginia Tech in Atlanta was a bit of a slog until Gamecock receiver Vicari Swain returned a punt-return touchdown 80 yards to give Carolina a fourth quarter 17-8 lead.
LaNorris Sellers‘ 64-yard passing touchdown to Nyck Harbor with 7:42 remaining in the game all but wrapped up the win and propped Sellers up as one of the early season Heisman favorites. Sellers passed for 209 yards and one touchdown along with recording a rushing touchdown as well. The Gamecocks seem poised to make a legit run at the SEC crown this season.
Georgia Tech was put in a tough position to open its 2025 campaign, as it had to go on the road and take down Colorado 27-20 in a hard-fought game. Veteran quarterback Haynes King came through in a massive way for the Yellow Jackets, as his 45-yard rushing touchdown with just 1:07 remaining propelled them to the victory.
Optimism around the program hasn’t been this high in a long time following Georgia Tech‘s season-opening win and its strong performances against Miami and Georgia last season. Head coach Brent Key has set the program up for a legit shot to make noise in the ACC and make a run to the College Football Playoff.
There may not have been any fanbase happier after college football’s opening weekend than the Tennessee Volunteers. Following the Nico Iamaleava drama this offseason, his replacement Joey Aguilar passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 45-26 win over Syracuse in Atlanta.
There were concerns about the Volunteers offense heading into the season following the departures of Nico and running back Dylan Sampson, but head coach Josh Heupel and his team put those doubts to bed.
Iowa State is one of the lone 2-0 teams in the entire country following its Dublin victory over Kansas State and a dominant 55-7 win over South Dakota in week one. Cyclone quarterback Rocco Becht has also popped up in early season Heisman boards, as he passed for 278 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Matt Campbell and his team have solidified themselves as contenders in the Big 12 and have a good shot to make their first ever run to the College Football Playoff this season.
South Florida is the highest ranked Group of Five team in Kanell’s rankings following its 34-7 drumming of Boise State in Tampa Bay. The Bulls completely dominated the Broncos on both sides of the ball and are the early-season favorites to earn the GO5 Playoff spot.
Quarterback Byrum Brown was unstoppable, as he rushed for 43 yards and two scores along with passing for 210 yards. USF notched its first top-25 victory since 2016 and look like the favorites to win the American this season.
Nebraska opened its 2025 season with a close 20-17 victory over Cincinnati, which is something the Huskers have been unable to pull off in recent seasons. Head coach Matt Rhule is famous for truly turning programs around in his third season in charge and this looks to be no different this season.
Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns, but it was defensive back Marques Buford Jr. that sealed the win with a late-game interception. The Huskers haven’t won eight games in a season since 2016, but look to change that this season.
Utah absolutely ran UCLA and the aforementioned Iamaleava off its home field this weekend, as the Utes opened their season with a dominant 43-10 win. New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier looked the part, passing for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 87 yards and another score.
Their defense completely overpowered the Bruin offensive line and recorded four sacks and five TFL, showing a toughness that wasn’t quite there last season. Utah will make some noise in the Big 12 this season after a disappointing 2024 campaign.
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