Coaches Poll top 25: Alabama falls as Ohio State reclaims No. 1 in college football rankings

Alabama dropped a dozen spots and reigning national champion Ohio State reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Poll on Tuesday following a chaotic Week 1. The Crimson Tide suffered their first season-opening loss since 2001 in a 31-17 setback at Florida State, which debuts at No. 19. This is the earliest Alabama has ranked outside the top 10 in the Coaches Poll since 2008.

In a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, the Buckeyes knocked off preseason favorite Texas, 14-7, showing no signs of a national title hangover. Four preseason top-10 teams went down in Week 1, with Clemson and Notre Dame both losing primetime matchups to ranked opponents in the first full opening weekend of the 2025 campaign.

College Football Playoff Rankings projection: Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Penn State in line for first-round byes

Brad Crawford

LSU broke through for its first season-opening win since 2019, while Miami and coach Mario Cristobal unveiled a defense that looked vastly improved after being a liability last year. Both climbed into the top 10 in the latest Coaches Poll and positioned themselves to build strong College Football Playoff résumés early.

Boise State fell out after being thumped at South Florida, a blow to the Broncos’ hopes of returning to the CFP as the Group of Six representative. Meanwhile, Oklahoma also jumped into the rankings ahead of its Week 2 matchup against Michigan.

Here’s a full look at the Coaches Poll top 25 after Week 1. First-place votes are listed in parentheses. 

Week 1 Coaches Poll

1. Ohio State (59)
2. Penn State (6)
3. Georgia (1)
4. LSU (1)
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. Miami (FL)
8. Clemson
9. Notre Dame
10. Arizona State
11. South Carolina
12. Illinois
13. Michigan
14. Ole Miss
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Tennessee
18. Iowa State
19. Florida State
20. Alabama
21. Indiana
22. Texas A&M
23. Texas Tech
24. Oklahoma
25. BYU

Others receiving votes: Utah (117); Louisville (95); Missouri (88); Kansas State (79); Tulane (45); USC (41); Auburn (41); TCU (33); Iowa (23); Navy (17); Georgia Tech (17); Nebraska (13); Memphis (11); South Florida (9); Duke (5); Kansas (4); Washington (3); Vanderbilt (2); FIU (1)