D Poll: Week 2
Ohio State is the new number one, Florida State makes a big climb, and several teams tumble down the poll.
There’s no sugarcoating it—the preseason D Poll is in shambles.
Six of the poll’s inaugural members for 2025 lost, including four in the top seven. No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Clemson, and No. 7 Alabama were all defeated in Week 1, burning the poll to the ground on their way out. It was an embarrassing week for the vibes and feelings, that’s for sure.
With the new information gathered from the first batch of games, it’s time to recalibrate the D Poll. Lessons were learned, and those lessons will be implemented moving forward. For one, returning production from last season is overrated, and the D Poll took that into account too much. Clemson returned 80% of its roster from a team that made the College Football Playoff a year ago. How much did that help against LSU on Saturday night? Not much.
Secondly, the cream of the crop in the SEC might look a little different than initially thought. Texas’ loss to Ohio State was understandable and not super surprising on its face, but with Arch Manning and the offense’s overall struggles, the ceiling for the Longhorns might be a bit lower than the preseason consensus. Then there’s Alabama. The Crimson Tide crapped all over themselves against Florida State, and it’s not inconceivable to think they might just be pretty bad. Of course, it’s just one game and drawing definitive conclusions is for fools, but it’s hard not to see the lack of physicality and believe Alabama can bounce back automatically. If Week 1’s results are to be believed, then the top of the SEC belongs to Georgia and LSU. We’ll see if that holds as the season progresses. There’s obviously a lot of football to be played.
Finally, Ohio State’s doubters (me) were probably wrong. Ranking the reigning national champions sixth, behind schools that lost like Texas, Notre Dame, and Clemson, didn’t age all that well. While I can’t ask for your forgiveness, I do ask that you accept my apology.
Let’s get into this week’s D Poll. For those unfamiliar, this poll values vibes, feelings, and most of all, winning, more than anything else. Other factors are considered as well, such as the eye test and underlying numbers and statistics, but it’s the vibes, feelings, and winning that matter the most. I hope that’s self-explanatory enough.
This poll is a fluid entity. Unlike some other college football rankings and ratings, I am unafraid to add and remove teams as I please, given the criteria mentioned above. Instead of moving teams up and down my rankings, I start every week with a new slate, ranking my top 25 teams from scratch while ignoring the previous poll. I believe this produces the most accurate results.
Polls are subjective, and the D Poll is no different. Vibes and feelings are some of the most subjective criteria to ever exist. What I categorize as “bad vibes” might be different from you, and that’s OK. This is just a silly poll—the stakes aren’t that serious. Also, and this is important, just because I have your favorite team ranked below your rival doesn’t mean I hate your favorite team. Well, maybe I do. That’s up to interpretation depending on the circumstance.
Enough beating around the bush. Here’s the D Poll for Week 2.
Note: Not every team is going to get a little blurb. That’s just the way life goes sometimes. Maybe next week?
25. Indiana (-2)
Week 1 result: 27-14 win vs. Old Dominion
24. Tennessee (NR)
Week 1 result: 45-26 win vs. Syracuse
It was just against Syracuse, but a lot of my doubts about Joey Aguilar’s ability to sling the football around the yard were quelled on Saturday. He appeared to fit right into Josh Heupel’s scheme perfectly, and that resulted in Tennessee drubbing the Orange 45-26.
Whether that production can be sustained against tougher opponents down the line is still a question. For now, though, Tennessee looks the part of a top-25 team, and it has been rewarded accordingly.
23. Texas Tech (+1)
Week 1 result: 67-7 win vs. UAPB
22. Michigan (NM)
Week 1 result: 34-17 win vs. New Mexico
21. Iowa State (NR)
Week 1 result: 55-7 win vs. South Dakota
Shame on me for ever doubting the operation Matt Campbell has up there in Ames. From the second Iowa State beat Kansas State in Ireland, I knew I’d made a mistake omitting the Cyclones from the inaugural D Poll of 2025.
Ranking them at 21 could be a mistake too. From what Rocco Becht and that offense have shown through two games, it could be argued Iowa State deserves to be in the top 20, at least. Beating a solid Big 12 opponent and then drubbing an FCS school with legitimate national championship aspirations in South Dakota might warrant more, but I’ll just have to see. I’ve already been proven wrong about Iowa State once—don’t be surprised if it happens again.
20. Texas A&M (-2)
Week 1 result: 42-24 win vs. UTSA
19. Oklahoma (NR)
Week 1 result: 35-3 win vs. Illinois State
18. Alabama (-11)
Week 1 result: 31-17 loss at Florida State
Not many results would’ve dragged the Crimson Tide this low this soon in the season—except losing 31-17 to Florida State in a game that was a beatdown from start to finish.
After opening the game with a 17-play, 75-yard scoring drive, Alabama turned back into a pumpkin while the Seminoles promptly stole their lunch and ran away. It was embarrassing.
What struck me most was the lack of physicality, a sentence that would’ve never been written while Nick Saban was the head coach. Alabama looked unprepared and was promptly bullied for it on the football field. Florida State, a team that went 2-10 a year ago, was stronger, faster, and played with more heart and passion than the Tide. If you’re Alabama, that’s unacceptable.
As head coach in Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer has coached 14 games and lost four to unranked opponents. It took Saban 235 games to reach that number. If that’s not a telling statistic, then I don’t know what is.
17. SMU (-5)
Week 1 result: 42-13 win vs. East Texas A&M
16. USC (NM)
Week 1 result: 73-13 win vs. Missouri State
15. Utah (+2)
Week 1 result: 43-10 win at UCLA
The AP Poll does not respect the Utes. Twenty-seven ballots left Utah off entirely as it slid in at No. 25 in the latest edition of the ranking. Not in the D Poll. I watched Utah dominate UCLA 43-10 late Saturday night and am well aware of just how improved the whole team looked from a year ago.
New quarterback Devon Dampier appears to be an immediate difference-maker. It helps that he plays behind an offensive line that’s easily the best in the Big 12 and might be one of the best in the country. Pair all that with a head coach like Kyle Whittingham, and there’s no way Utah isn’t a top-15 team in America. Anything lower feels like complete disrespect.
Utah’s used to the negative noise, though. Everybody seems to forget how consistently the Utes have won over the years, and it’s no surprise to me that it’s happening again in 2025.
14. Florida State (NR)
Week 1 result: 31-17 win vs. Alabama
The biggest surprise of the weekend was Florida State’s upset victory over Alabama. Nobody saw it coming, least of all fans of the Seminoles.
FSU has been through hell over the past two seasons. From being snubbed out of an appearance in the 2023 College Football Playoff to going 2-10 in 2024, that fanbase deserved a little bit of levity. And boy, did they get it on Saturday in Tallahassee. 31-17 was the final score, and it felt a whole lot more dominant than that.
Alabama drove right down the field on the opening possession to take a 7-0 lead, yet Florida State didn’t budge. It responded with three consecutive scoring drives—two touchdowns and a field goal—to take a 17-7 lead into halftime. Once the Seminoles went up 24-7 midway through the third quarter, it was over.
Thomas Castellanos and the offense, led by new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, were the stars, with Castellanos throwing for 152 yards and rushing for 78 more. He was electric and was able to back up all the trash talk he’d been spitting for months about the Crimson Tide.
Whether Florida State is just a one-hit wonder or an actual contender for the ACC remains to be seen. As with all my questions about this football season, I’m certain an answer will arrive in due time.
13. Florida (+2)
Week 1 result: 55-0 win vs. Long Island
12. Clemson (-8)
Week 1 result: 17-10 loss vs. LSU
Clemson’s season is not finished by any means—it can still win the ACC—but it’s clear the preseason national championship hype might’ve been misplaced. Let me be clear: I said Clemson was going to win the title, and I think I was wrong.
Just because the Tigers returned four-fifths of last year’s production doesn’t mean significant improvements were guaranteed. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was fine but not a difference-maker, and the running game was awful. The defense, particularly the front seven, was fantastic, though it still wasn’t enough to buoy the team to victory.
Clemson has a ton of awesome players who are surely going to feast on ACC-level opponents. But beating the top teams in the country might be a stretch too far for the Tigers. It’s not just the game against LSU that tells me that—it’s the countless letdowns against higher-level opponents going back to last season that lead me to believe the ceiling for Clemson is an ACC title and maybe a trip to the CFP quarterfinals. Anything more than that would shock me.
11. South Carolina (NM)
Week 1 result: 24-11 win vs. Virginia Tech
10. Notre Dame (-7)
Week 1 result: 27-24 loss at Miami
If not for the third criterion of the D Poll—winning—Notre Dame wouldn’t have fallen all that far given its performance against Miami. For the most part, there was a lot to like. CJ Carr struggled at the onset, but once he settled in, he almost willed the Irish to a comeback win. That defense should be one of the best in the country—it was just unfortunate it had to go up against a Miami offense that looks pretty good in 2025. Marcus Freeman is a heck of a coach, and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll use the loss to motivate the team moving forward.
Jeremiyah Love’s lack of production was a bit startling, particularly in the first half when he had only four carries. He finished with 10 carries for 33 yards. Not enough. Feed that man the ball—he’s really good!
Given Notre Dame’s schedule, the path to the CFP is still wide open. Win 10 games, and you’re going to the postseason, no sweat.
9. Oregon (+1)
Week 1 result: 59-13 win vs. Montana State
8. Arizona State (+1)
Week 1 result: 38-19 win vs. Northern Arizona
7. Illinois (+1)
Week 1 result: 52-3 win vs. Western Illinois
6. Texas (-5)
Week 1 result: 14-7 loss at Ohio State
At its peak, Texas is better than almost every team ranked ahead of it. If Arch Manning had come out firing on all cylinders, the receivers proved they hadn’t missed a beat from last year, and the defense showed out and made a ton of plays, there’s no way the Longhorns wouldn’t be No. 1 right now. Well, only the defense did its part, and Texas has taken a tumble as a result.
The offense was concerning, but luckily it has three games to figure things out before going on the road to face Florida on October 4. Once SEC play begins, the growing pains this team experienced in Columbus need to be fully worked out. That, of course, starts with Arch Manning. He needs to be better for this team to succeed. Whether that’s Heisman-level play is neither here nor there—he just needs to deliver serviceable performances week after week. He’s fully capable of it; he was a five-star recruit for a reason.
If the offense can’t do its part, then throw everything you thought about Texas out the window. The Longhorns have the best roster on paper, at least in my opinion, in the country. They can win the national championship if they play to the best of their abilities. All they’ve got to do is win against some of the toughest competition this sport has to offer.
5. Miami (+9)
Week 1 result: 27-24 win vs. Notre Dame
I disrespected the Hurricanes in the preseason D Poll, and I apologize. Mario Cristobal, Carson Beck, Shannon Dawson, Malachi Toney, CJ Daniels, and so many other Miami players and coaches performed tremendously against Notre Dame and proved me wrong.
Miami is the new top dog in the ACC now that Clemson appears to be falling back into bad habits. The roster is dynamite, and if Cristobal and his staff avoid shooting themselves in the foot like they did at the end of last season, then a trip to the CFP should be a guarantee.
The talent has always been there at Miami with Cristobal at the helm. The question has always been whether he could properly tap into it. If early returns are to be believed, that’s exactly what’s happening in 2025.
4. LSU (+9)
Week 1 result: 17-10 win at Clemson
Speaking of proving me wrong, here’s LSU.
If you’d told me LSU’s defense would be suffocating against Clemson, all my preseason doubts would’ve gone away immediately. Second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker has transformed that unit from a liability into a strength in just a short time, and if that level of play is sustained for an entire season, LSU will win the SEC and could probably win the national title. Maybe that’s an overreaction, but that’s what Week 1 is for anyway.
Everything else about the team was fairly impressive as well. Garrett Nussmeier’s experience at quarterback paid dividends in what was a challenging and loud environment, and while the offense only scored 17 points, it did just enough against a tough Clemson defense. Beating Clemson on the road is always a tall task, and the fact LSU did it fairly comfortably speaks to its wealth of ability.
Now, imagine if this team had Jayden Daniels and a true difference-maker at wide receiver like so many LSU teams of the past? They’d be the number one team automatically. Alas, that’s not the case, and I’m sure the Tigers will end up making do regardless.
3. Georgia (+2)
Week 1 result: 45-7 win vs. Marshall
2. Penn State (NM)
Week 1 result: 46-11 win vs. Nevada
1. Ohio State (+5)
Week 1 result: 14-7 win vs. Texas
All hail the new number one team in the land. The Ohio State Buckeyes are back.
After just one week of games, the defending national champions have reclaimed their spot at the top. While the win against Texas wasn’t the prettiest—the Buckeyes only scored 14 points and new QB Julian Sayin was pedestrian at best—it still got the job done. The defense played spectacularly under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, with stars Arvell Reese, Lorenzo Styles, Payton Pierce, and Jaylen McClain making massive impacts. It was impressive, to say the least.
Ryan Day has been much maligned by his own fanbase and by external sources for years. And yes, he hasn’t beaten Michigan in four years, and that’s not great, but he just won a national championship and coached his team to a win over the preseason No. 1 team in the first game of the season. He’s one of the best coaches in college football, and the fact his name was on the chopping block as early as December of last season is still insane to me. Props to him for ignoring the doubters.
If Ohio State works out some kinks on offense and the defense continues to play to the level it did against Texas, watch out. I don’t think anybody’s stopping the Buckeyes if that’s the case.