With Week 0 in the books, the 2025 college football season is off and running. Week 1 features a jam-packed slate of games, and Josh Pate revealed the updated JP Poll Tuesday night. The top of the power ratings remained the same, which means The Model still has Saturday’s Texas vs. Ohio State game as […]
With Week 0 in the books, the 2025 college football season is off and running. Week 1 features a jam-packed slate of games, and Josh Pate revealed the updated JP Poll Tuesday night.
The top of the power ratings remained the same, which means The Model still has Saturday’s Texas vs. Ohio State game as a Top-2 matchup. A College Football Playoff rematch is sure to draw plenty of attention, and the JP Poll remains high on both teams.
As for the rest of the power ratings, there were a few changes. Here is the full JP Poll ahead of Week 1 as released on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.
1. Texas
The No. 1 team in the Debut JP Poll stayed put. Texas remained atop the power ratings, according to The Model, amid high expectations in Austin in 2025.
Arch Manning officially has the keys to the offense and will look to make his mark, starting with Saturday’s game at the Horseshoe. But Texas also has a strong running back room and is sure to have a stout defense once again, which is why they stayed atop the JP Poll ahead of Week 1.
2. Ohio State
The defending champions officially have their quarterback. Julian Sayin will be under center for Ohio State, and he’ll have quite the debut against Texas on the big stage in Week 1.
Although there are plenty of new faces in Columbus this year, the Buckeyes still have some star power returning in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. As a result, Ohio State is still a Top-2 team in the JP Poll ahead of Week 1.
3. Penn State
Penn State moved up one spot in the Week 1 JP Poll after debuting at No. 4 during the preseason. The Nittany Lions are seen as a likely contender in the Big Ten thanks to some continuity from last year’s national semifinal appearance.
Drew Allar headlines the group of returners on offense, along with the two-headed running back monster of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Josh Pate picked the Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten with a combination of returning talent as well as some notable newcomers in Happy Valley.
4. Georgia
Down one spot to No. 4 in the Week 1 JP Poll, Georgia is looking to continue wreaking havoc on the SEC. The Bulldogs notably have a new quarterback in Gunner Stockton, but have a running back likely to be led by Nate Frazier after a solid freshman year in 2024.
UGA will once again look to use a strong defensive attack in 2025 as it tries to not only win another SEC title, but also return to the College Football Playoff. Georgia will kick things off this week against Marshall.
5. Alabama
Alabama stayed put at No. 5 in the Week 1 JP Poll ahead of a high-profile season opener on Saturday. The Crimson Tide will kick things off against Florida State and begin Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era.
Ty Simpson has been running the offense as the – official – starting quarterback for the last two weeks, and the final sprint is on before Saturday’s matchup. The running game will still be important to an offense that still has Ryan Williams at wide receiver, and the defense will also look to take a leap forward.
6. Oregon
There was more movement in the JP Poll in the second half of the Top 10. Oregon is now at No. 6, up one spot from the debut power ratings.
The Ducks still have not officially named a quarterback with the opener against Montana State approaching. While the offense might not be as high-scoring as years past, Josh Pate said it could still be effective as he predicted the Ducks to once again return to the Big Ten Championship this year.
7. Notre Dame
Notre Dame fell one spot from the Debut JP Poll, now sitting at No. 7 ahead of Week 1. The Fighting Irish will open the year against Miami on Sunday – and they also now have a starting quarterback.
CJ Carr will be under center for Notre Dame in the primetime matchup, and he’ll have a high-powered rushing attack behind him, led by Jeremiyah Love. It will be a tall task for the redshirt freshman in a standalone Sunday night showdown, but the Irish still sit in the Top 10 of the JP Poll.
8. Florida
With Week 1 approaching, Florida is also moving up a spot in the JP Poll. The Gators now sit at No. 8, and their quarterback is fully healthy.
Billy Napier said DJ Lagway is back to full strength, meaning he will be under center for Saturday’s season opener against Long Island. Florida will also look to continue its upward trajectory after a strong finish to 2024 – when they were 6-1 with Lagway as the starter.
9. Clemson
The rest of the Top 10 stayed the same from the Debut JP Poll. Clemson is still at No. 9 ahead of a highly anticipated season opener this week.
The Tigers will kick things off against LSU at Death Valley, highlighting the primetime slate during Week 1. Clemson has the most returning production in the country, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, and is seen as the favorite to win the ACC once again in 2025.
10. Oklahoma
Rounding out the Top 10, Oklahoma stayed put. The Sooners have been the talk of the offseason after making some major moves, notably adding quarterback John Mateer.
It’s an important year for Brent Venables after OU struggled through its first season in the SEC in 2024. But with Mateer at quarterback, Jaydn Ott at running back and a new coordinator in Ben Arbuckle, the Sooners will try to bounce back on offense while Venables takes the controls on defense.
Week 1 JP Poll: 11-20
11. Miami
12. LSU
13. Texas A&M
14. Ole Miss
15. USC
16. Michigan
17. South Carolina
18. Tennessee
19. Nebraska
20. Georgia Tech
Week 1 of the 2025 college football season officially gets underway Thursday night, giving fans five straight days of games. It’s quite the way to kick things off, and it’s shaping up to be an interesting year.
Category: General Sports
