The 2025 college football landscape was bound to be shaken up due to several high-profile Week 1 matchups, but few saw Florida State handling No. 8 Alabama so easily while No. 1 Texas struggled to move the ball against a tough No. 3 Ohio State defense. Texas entered the season at No. 1 in SportsLine college football expert Thomas Casale’s power ratings.
Casale ranks the top 20 teams every week from a betting perspective and assigns them to tiers. He then presents a hypothetical line should a team from a lower tier match up with a team in Tier 1 on a neutral field to assess how far the gap is between those schools. Find Casale in the SportsLine college football Discord channel or on X at @TheTomCasale to let him know if you agree or disagree with the rankings.
College football Week 2 power ratings
Tier 1
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
3. Georgia Bulldogs
4. Texas Longhorns
It probably comes as no surprise that the defending National Champions are No. 1. Ohio State wasn’t perfect on Saturday but the Buckeyes defense shut down Texas, the offense made just enough plays and costly penalties by the Longhorns were enough to get the win.
I mentioned all summer I took Texas +3 in that game because if you were going to get the Buckeyes, it better be early. This team will be even better in November. Ohio State will be favored in every game the rest of the season, including the Nov. 1 showdown at home against Penn State.
The Nittany Lions don’t play anyone until they host Oregon on Sept. 27. I have Penn State and Georgia rated close to even. The Bulldogs won their scrimmage over Marshall but I like what I saw out of the offense. Gunner Stockton’s ability to run gives the offense an added dimension, while USC transfer Zachariah Branch provides a big-play threat at receiver the Bulldogs lacked last season.
Texas lost a close game on the road to Ohio State partially because of a bad penalty and a failed fourth down from the one. I’d still make the Longhorns a favorite on a neutral field over almost every team in the country.
Tier 2 (+3 from Tier 1)
5. LSU Tigers
LSU moves to No. 5 after its impressive win at Clemson. I talked a lot about the Tigers leading up to the season as a team I thought had value in the futures market at +700 to win the SEC and +1700 to claim the National Championship. Those odds are now down to +600 and +1200. LSU still has a tough schedule ahead though with games against Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Tier 3 (+5 from Tier 1)
6. Clemson Tigers
7. Oregon Ducks
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
I’m not going to punish Clemson too much for losing a tough game to LSU. The Tigers are still the favorites to win the ACC and will be favored in every game the rest of the way until possibly the season finale at South Carolina. I would also make Clemson -3 over ACC counterpart Miami on a neutral field right now
Oregon rolled over Montana State and will thump three more overmatched opponents before traveling to Happy Valley. We won’t know much about the Ducks until the matchup with Penn State, so they aren’t likely to move up or down much in the rankings before then.
Like I mentioned above, these are betting power rankings, so I can’t ding Alabama for one loss. The Crimson Tide would still be favored over most teams in the country on a neutral field. I will say they are the team I am most concerned about moving forward though. Alabama got dominated on both sides of the ball coming off a 9-4 season. The Crimson Tide are just 5-5 since beating Georgia last September. Kalen DeBoer needs to figure things out in a hurry.
Tier 4 (+7 from Tier 1)
9. Miami Hurricanes
10. Texas A&M Aggies
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
I was high on Miami heading into the season and the Canes looked like a legitimate title contender in their win over Notre Dame. The good news is Miami doesn’t face Clemson until a potential ACC title game matchup. The bad news is the Canes still host Florida and travel to Florida State and SMU. They saw their National Championship odds move from +6000 to +2700 after the Notre Dame win.
I said last week if Notre Dame lost to Miami I would look to hit the Irish in the futures market. The Irish are now +1600 to win the National Championship and face Texas A&M in two weeks. If they beat the Aggies at home and I think they will, the Irish will be favored to run the table and make the College Football Playoff.
Don’t read too much into the Miami loss. The Canes are a good team and CJ Carr was making his first career start for Notre Dame. Similar to Ohio State, I expect the Irish to be much better later in the season. Now is the time to buy Notre Dame.
Tier 5 (+9 from Tier 1)
12. Ole Miss Rebels
13. Florida Gators
14. Michigan Wolverines
15. Auburn Tigers
16. South Carolina Gamecocks
17. Oklahoma Sooners
These are the most interesting teams in the rankings for me, as I can see one or two of them making a big jump if a couple of things fall their way. Of course, two of them meet this week with Oklahoma hosting Michigan.
The Sooners are -5.5 at home in that matchup. Normally, I would jump on Michigan but I haven’t yet because true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is making his first start on the road. That’s a variable I have to consider beyond just the number. Underwood was impressive in his debut at home against New Mexico, throwing for 251 yards and a score. But Oklahoma isn’t New Mexico. If I can get Michigan +6, I might bite.
Tier 6 (+13 from Tier 1)
18. Utah Utes
19. Florida State Seminoles
20. SMU Mustangs
I bet Utah to win the Big 12 this season and I was impressed how good the offense looked early in the year with new quarterback Devon Dampier. It’s clear he is a major upgrade at the position and combined with the Utes’ defense, I agree with the oddsmakers that they are the clear favorites in the Big 12. I actually think there is still some value on Utah at +470 odds to win the Big 12. The Utes were one of the most impressive teams I saw in Week 1.
Florida State debuts at No. 19 after its upset over Alabama. The Seminoles were the biggest surprise for me not just because they beat Alabama, but how they won. Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. I don’t want to overreact to one game, although it’s obvious the Seminoles are miles better than last year’s two-win team.
We will find out more about SMU on Saturday. I still believe the Ponies are a major threat in the ACC, so I’m interested to see how they handle a good Baylor squad at home. I lean SMU -3 in that matchup.
Next four: Tennessee Volunteers, USC Trojans, Iowa State Cyclones, Illinois Fighting Illini
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