In the latest edition of the coaches’ poll, a wild and woolly Week 1 has shifted things significantly. Two teams jumped into the top 25 and two others fell out. Here’s a quick rundown on the winners and losers of the week that was in the latest installment of the coaches’ poll.
NEW: Week 2 College Football Coaches Poll‼️
Top 25: https://t.co/B17j9wPuFY pic.twitter.com/JjmDKoQSKs
— On3 (@On3sports) September 2, 2025
Coaches Poll Week 2, Biggest Winners and Losers
Biggest Winners
Florida State (Unranked to No. 19)
The Seminoles bested No. 8 Alabama by a 31-17 count in a game that actually wasn’t as close as the score. Transfer QB Tommy Castellanos threw for 152 yards and rushed for 78 more. FSU ran for 230 yards and managed the game well. After a 2-10 season in 2024, the Seminoles are welcome back into the polls after an impressive Week 1 of the 2025 campaign. If FSU can continue, they’ll rise even higher.
Oklahoma (Unranked to No. 24)
The Sooners were the other new team to climb into the top 25. OU dominated FCS Illinois State in a 35-3 romp. Transfer QB John Mateer passed for 392 yards and three scores and gave Brent Venables’ team a boost not equaled in recent memory. If Mateer can play that well, Oklahoma could be a sleeper to emerge in the brutal SEC. A top passer can change things in a hurry, and Mateer landed Oklahoma in the top 25.
LSU (No. 9 to No. 4)
The Tigers saw a significant rise after their Week 1 win at Clemson. Taking down Clemson 17-10 on the road demonstrates the excellence of LSU. A defense that held the Clemson ground game to 1.6 yards per carry can do some significant work in the SEC. LSU jumped enough in the voters’ estimation that the Tigers became the fourth team to get a first-place vote (joining Ohio State, Penn State and Georgia).
Biggest Drops
Alabama (No. 8 to No. 20)
Call this one forseeable. Coach Kalen DeBoer lost his third game to an unranked opponent, and the Tide looked disinterested and emotionally flat in the effort. Alabama was outrushed 230-87 in the game, and this was the first opener in which the Tide had failed to rush for 100 yards since 1975. DeBoer has to get things moving in a new direction in a hurry or ‘Bama’s next stop will be outside the top 25 altogether.
Kansas State (No. 20 to unranked)
Kansas State took a Week 0 loss to Iowa State and then limped to a 38-35 win over FCS North Dakota in Week 1. The Wildcats haven’t looked very sharp and came within a nice two-minute drive late of starting out 0-2. The Big 12 is wide open, but it’s probably not wide open enough to help a mediocre Kansas State team. Incidentally, No. 25 Boise State was the other team that fell out of the top 25.
Texas (No. 1 to No. 6)
Frankly, seeing the slide of Texas is a bit of a surprise. Yes, the Longhorns were defeated after opening up as the top-ranked team. But they held Ohio State to 203 yards of total offense and lost by one score on the road to the new No. 1 team in college football. Texas certainly deserved to drop a couple of spots, but this slide feels like a bit of an overreaction.
Coaches Poll Top 25
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
Read More:
Alabama Recruiting Overview 2026
2026 College Football Recruiting Rankings
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