playESPNMultiple AuthorsSep 8, 2026, 07:00 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsSometimes a team needs the full 60 minutes to make its first impression. Or, in Michigan’s case, 59:59 and the longest final second in college football history.A highly anticipated first impression can follow a week of controversy, and then blasts of lightning, like coach Lane Kiffin’s did at LSU. After the weather delay, Kiffin’s crew unleashed a storm on Clemson, surging to a 51-10 win and holding massive edges in total yards (644-145), rushing yards (309-40) and first downs (38-8).Week 1 brought a range of first impressions from notable teams. Miami’s Malachi Toney set a team record with 234 receiving yards against Stanford, but he wasn’t the only wideout to strike the Heisman pose, as Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith sparkled with 151 yards and two touchdowns in his season debut.
Indiana began its national title defense with more offensive efficiency led by transfers, while returning quarterbacks such as Texas’ Arch Manning, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin started off strong, albeit against weaker opponents.Oregon’s Dante Moore also delivered, but his team’s first impression was not one of a national title contender, as the Ducks struggled to shake free of Boise State in a 34-27 win. The group of top quarterbacks appears to be jam-packed, and includes transfers Darian Mensah of Miami and Sam Leavitt of LSU, Alabama’s first-year starter Keelon Russell and intriguing holdovers such as Pitt’s Mason Heintschel, who set an ACC single-game record with seven touchdown passes, while piling up 453 yards, against Miami (Ohio).First impressions aren’t everything, but they provide a glimpse of what could be coming, and informed ESPN’s first set of in-season Power Rankings. — Adam Rittenberg 1. Ohio State BuckeyesPreseason ranking: 1Star wide receiver Smith predictably put on a show in the first half, catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. But with Smith sitting after halftime of Ohio State’s 56-3 win over Ball State, true freshman running back Legend Bey stole the show, highlighted by a dazzling touchdown off a swing pass.
Bey weaved his way from the left side of the field to the right, evading multiple defenders without being touched. Bey has already won Ohio State’s kick-return job. He could give a loaded Buckeyes offense another dynamic playmaker. — Jake Trotter 2. Notre Dame Fighting IrishPreseason ranking: 3Notre Dame was fortunate to maintain a halftime lead on Wisconsin, but coach Marcus Freeman’s crew surged early in the second half at Lambeau Field.
The Irish put together their first sustained touchdown drive, then Colorado transfer cornerback D.J. McKinney had a pick-six off Wisconsin’s Colton Joseph to stretch the lead to 17 points. Notre Dame’s offense settled in, running backs Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. both flashed and CJ Carr established a rhythm after an erratic first half. An Irish team that has lost six August or September games under Freeman ensured there would be no letdown against an improved Wisconsin squad. — Rittenberg3.
Texas LonghornsPreseason ranking: 5Touted transfers Cam Coleman and Rasheem Biles totally lived up to the hype. Biles was one of the nation’s most disruptive linebackers at Pitt last season and brought that same energy to Will Muschamp’s defense, punching out a fumble that Graceson Littleton returned for a 59-yard touchdown as well as picking off Texas State’s Brad Jackson on a screen. Coleman, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked transfer, had three big third-down catches and turned them into 70 yards and two touchdowns in his first game with Manning. Texas cruised to a 59-7 win over a quality Group of 6 opponent and was strong in all three phases of its lone tuneup before Ohio State comes to Austin. — Max Olson 4.
Georgia BulldogsPreseason ranking: 2There isn’t much you can take away from Georgia’s 63-3 rout of Tennessee State, other than the Bulldogs did exactly what they were supposed to do against an overmatched FCS opponent. Stockton played nearly flawlessly, completing 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns in less than two quarters. Georgia piled up 660 yards of offense, while allowing the Tigers to gain only 109. The biggest news might have been the emergence of new playmakers in tight ends Jaden Reddell and Elyiss Williams and receivers Talyn Taylor, Sacovie White-Helton and Craig Dandridge.
Georgia lost its top four receivers from last season, and Stockton is searching for new reliable targets. Stockton should continue to build chemistry with them in next week’s home game against Western Kentucky. — Mark Schlabach5. Miami HurricanesPreseason ranking: 7Mensah and Toney might be the most frightening QB-WR duo in college football. They both had career nights to start the season as the Hurricanes rolled over a hapless Stanford team.
After the game, Toney revealed that he has gotten noticeably faster than last season, when he was already among the most electric players in the nation. An improved version of that — paired with a better quarterback and some additional weapons — will keep Miami among the nation’s elite following its trip to the national title game last season. — Kyle Bonagura6. Indiana HoosiersPreseason ranking: 8Indiana seemingly has nailed its key offensive transfer additions again. Quarterback Josh Hoover played almost flawlessly in his Hoosiers debut, completing his first six pass attempts, including two touchdowns, while overcoming a nasty-looking bloody nose on a North Texas facemask penalty.
Hoover’s first pass went to Nick Marsh, the coveted Michigan State transfer wide receiver, who made a one-handed catch for a 15-yard touchdown. Hoover finished with more touchdown passes (four) than incompletions (three). Running back Turbo Richard, the Boston College transfer, led Indiana with 58 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while adding a 38-yard reception. IU needed the offensive efficiency on a day when its highly touted defense struggled for stretches. — Rittenberg 7.
LSU TigersPreseason ranking: 10It’s going to take more than a few controversial headlines to disrupt what Kiffin is building at LSU. The buzz in the weeks leading up to the Tigers’ opener was all about Kiffin’s very public fight with commissioner Greg Sankey, the SEC, numerous lawmakers and, seemingly, his own best interests. But that was silly. Kiffin thrives when he’s trolling the masses, and LSU showed that no amount of public scorn would even begin to disrupt Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge, with the Tigers utterly dominating Clemson, 51-10, and handing Dabo Swinney his worst loss as a head coach.
Not bad, as Kiffin said afterward, for a team supposedly focused on other things. — David Hale 8. Oregon DucksPreseason ranking: 4The Ducks don’t exactly look like a title contender just yet. Despite having one of the tougher matchups of the week in Boise State (which should probably be ranked and is likely to make the playoff), Oregon stumbled out of the gates, going down 17-7 at one point and making several mind-boggling mistakes — be it the 10 penalties for 90 yards or the muffed punt turnover that gave the Broncos momentum. Regardless, Dan Lanning’s team still showed flashes of why it’s expected to be great.
On an off day without its best stuff, the Ducks were still able to stitch together nearly 500 yards of offense and did enough to escape Week 1 with a win they can also use to their advantage going forward. — Paolo Uggetti9. Texas Tech Red RaidersPreseason ranking: 9Will Hammond completed his first 14 passes as the Red Raiders’ new starting quarterback, but the offense still frustrated coach Joey McGuire after red zone woes that plagued Tech last year resurfaced in the first game against Abilene Christian. Hammond, who finished 26-of-33 for 298 yards and a touchdown, is recovering from a torn ACL last year and wore a knee brace, running just twice for 11 yards after averaging 7 yards per carry with five to
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