We got a little taste of college football in Week 0, but this Saturday features the first full slate of games headlined by No. 1 Texas traveling to No. 3 Ohio State and No. 9 LSU battling No. 4 Clemson. Each week during the year, I’ll be releasing my Top 20 power rankings for betting purposes. Here is how I see things heading into Week 1 with Texas and Penn State atop my rankings to kick off the regular season.
I’ll break down the rankings by tiers so bettors can see where I cut off each group. During the year, we’ll move teams based on results and discuss changes in the betting market. I will also set the point spread from Tier 1 compared to the rest of the tiers.
College football Week 1 power rankings
Tier 1
1. Texas Longhorns
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
Texas and Penn State are my top two teams entering the season. I’d make the Longhorns a 2-point favorite on a neutral field. If I had to pick the game right now I would lean Texas, assuming Arch Manning lives up to the hype.
I don’t expect either team to fall far over the first month, assuming the Longhorns don’t get blown out at Ohio State. Texas has one of the toughest college football openers in recent memory, so the Horns won’t get dinged much for a close loss on the road against the defending national champions.
Penn State has an experienced roster, a veteran quarterback and one of the best schedules of any title contender. The Nittany Lions will be huge favorites in their first three games before Oregon comes calling on Sept. 27 in Happy Valley. I make Penn State a 6-point home favorite right now in that game.
Tier 2 (+3 from Tier 1)
3. Georgia Bulldogs
4. Clemson Tigers
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. LSU Tigers
The teams in Tier 2 I have rated really close, and there isn’t much…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-week-1-power-ratings-10-sec-schools-featured-in-proven-experts-top-20/
Author : Thomas Casale
Publish date : 2025-08-25 15:50:00
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