First impressions of the Top 25 following Week 1
First impressions of the Top 25 following Week 1. Ohio State Buckeyes7hKyle Bonagura and Mark SchlabachCollege football Power Rankings: First impressions of the Top 25 following Week 1Ohio State Buckeyes7hESPNNews or noise?
What happened
Skip to main content Skip to navigation Bowl projections: Which teams could we see in the postseason following Week 1 results? Intel’s PC CPUs may get more expensive in a few weeks, with Digitimes reporting that Intel has a 10 percent price hike planned, following similar increases earlier this year. After an entertaining Week 1, which teams did our college football experts vote into the Top 25? How the CFP and Heisman markets are taking shape after Week 1Ohio State Buckeyes7hPamela MaldonadoWeek 1 overreactions: LSU is back!
LSU Tigers1dBill ConnellyProjecting the CFP top 12 after Week 1: Marathon opening slate sets up massive Week 2Ohio State Buckeyes2dHeather DinichSMU-FSU played with limited power: 'Old school'Florida State Seminoles18hAndrea AdelsonCan Pete Golding get Ole Miss out from Lane Kiffin's shadow? Ole Miss Rebels2dDavid Hale'I've never seen it like this': Welcome to the Lane Kiffin ShowLSU Tigers3dDavid Hale'Shipwrecked': Alabama's East Carolina jab leads Week 1 college football trollsSan José State Spartans2dESPN Staff'I Will Always Love You': Tennessee holds multiple tributes for Dolly PartonTennessee Volunteers3dKalan HooksNever too early for a hot seat: Which coaches could be in line for big job openingsMinnesota Golden Gophers8dAdam RittenbergAt Virginia Tech, what does success look like for James Franklin?
Virginia Tech Hokies4dAndrea AdelsonLet's predict the NFL draft — eight months early: Kiper's 10 big preseason takesTexas Longhorns4dMel Kiper Jr. playFinebaum: 'LSU is now a national championship contender' (0:55)Kyle Bonagura and Mark SchlabachMultiple AuthorsSep 8, 2026, 07:00 AM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWeek 1 has come and gone, and although we saw only one top-25 matchup played, there were plenty of outcomes that affected this week's bowl and playoff projections.
The wider picture
To start the five-day slate of games, UMass snapped its 16-game losing streak last Thursday with a big 37-21 victory over Rutgers to land the Minutemen a spot in this week's list. In LSU's first game in the Lane Kiffin era, it gained a massive 51-10 win against Clemson, finding itself going to the playoff quarterfinals in this week's projections. ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will project all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set Sunday, Dec.
New to the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will get automatic bids to the CFP, along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team regardless of whether it is a league champ. The remaining slots in the 12-team field will go to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field if it is among the top 12 teams. The four highest-ranked teams (not necessarily conference champions) will be awarded first-round byes. The other eight teams will meet in first-round games at the campus sites of seeds 5 through 8.
What has been reported
The festivities of bowl season kick off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 12, and wrap up with the CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday, Jan. All times EasternJump to: First-round games | Quarterfinals Semis, title game | Bowl seasonCollege Football PlayoffFirst-round games (at campus sites)Friday, Dec. 19 Noon, ABC/ESPN 3:30 p. m. , TNT 7:30 p. m. , TNTBonagura: No. 30 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) 7:30 p. m. , TNT Bonagura: No.
1Time slots for quarterfinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to be determined on Selection Day (Dec. 3 Notre DameQuarterfinals Game 3 4 p. m. , ABC/ESPN Bonagura: No. 2 GeorgiaQuarterfinals Game 4 8 p. m. , ESPN Bonagura: No.
What happens next
1 Ohio StateCFP semifinals, national championship gameThursday, Jan. 14 Capital One Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) 7:30 p. m. , TNT Bonagura: No. 15Allstate Sugar Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) 7:30 p. m. , ABC/ESPN Bonagura: No. 25CFP National Championship Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) 7:30 p. m. , ABC/ESPN Bonagura: No. 12Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) Noon, ABC Bonagura: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M Schlabach: South Carolina State vs. 15 IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) 5:30 p. m. , ESPN Bonagura: Liberty vs.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across espn.com, theverge.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.