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AL.com Top 25: The SEC is hot, the ACC is…Bless their hearts

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It’s never easy to start out the college football season in this current climate.

You want to make sure that players you’ve acquired in the transfer portal make an impact, and not meeting months of expectations can lead to fans having anxiety after a quarter or two.

Or, in the case of teams not named Miami–the ACC.

Over the summer, as the Power 5 became 4, it appeared that the ACC could regain some footing in the “Battle of the Conference Stars”. Florida State was looking to justify months and months…and months of complaining about not getting in the College Football Playoff. Clemson and Virginia Tech could view an expanded playoff to regain past postseason glory.

Following two weeks (yes, we count week zero) and four losses on two continents, the ACC looks like a complete mess…again.

Virginia Tech fell to an improved Vanderbilt team, and while the Commodores are improved, they’re still most likely going to be fighting to get out of the SEC basement. On Monday, FSU continued their nightmare season with a loss to Boston College and former Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien blasted the Noles 28-13.

Then, you have Clemson who entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium and was reminded that Georgia is still upset about not getting in the playoff and displayed that anger in an impressive second-half effort.

The ACC isn’t completely out of the CFP hunt, but Miami is their only hope, and we’re two days into September.

As for the season-opening AL.com Top 25? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

  1. Georgia–The Bulldogs did what needed to be done in the season opener vs. Clemson.
  2. Ohio State–We can just fast forward to October 12 vs. Oregon. Everything else is just a warmup to this game.
  3. Oregon–Their season-opening victory over Idaho was a little too close for comfort. Luckily, they’ll have another school from Idah-ohhhh man, it’s Boise State.
  4. Texas–It’s always good when Arch Manning can get in the game right?
  5. Alabama–The more thing change, the more they stay the same.
  6. Penn State–Surviving brutal weather and a tough road environment at West Virginia? Color me impressed.
  7. Notre Dame–One of the best wins, and perhaps most impactful for the Irish to open the season.
  8. Ole Miss–The Rebels should be in good shape for the month of September. Only a game at Wake Forest offers some intrigue.
  9. Utah–Utah hosts Baylor in its inaugural Big 12 game this week. Yup, still weird to type.
  10. Michigan–The last time Michigan came into a season the defending national champion, they had a pretty rocky start. Hosting Texas this week might bring back nightmares of 1998.
  11. Miami–Is Florida really, really bad? Or is Miami starting to turn a corner? We’ll see.
  12. Oklahoma–First game as an SEC team and they’re already beating the crap out of a G5 school. These guys just might be SEC material, after all.
  13. Missouri–That Boston College-Missouri game on Sept. 14 just became a bit more fascinating.
  14. Iowa–Yeah, Iowa hasn’t changed one bit. For better or worse.
  15. Oklahoma State–The Cowboys have an intriguing game this week against Arkansas. If OSU wants to make sure the Big 12 knows they’re serious, they need to take it to Arkansas.
  16. Boise State–Perhaps the G5 team to beat a week into the season, can nearly take a few more steps towards sealing a playoff spot with a win at Oregon.
  17. Tennessee–If Tennessee wants to make the playoff, you’ve gotta win out-of-conference games like they have this week vs. NC State in Charlotte.
  18. Kansas State–Tulane on the road this week could be very, very tricky.
  19. SMU–If the ACC is as much of a tire fire as I assume, SMU playing in the ACC title game shouldn’t shock you.
  20. Kansas–They aren’t going to play any games on the KU campus this season, and it might not matter if they reach a Big 12 title game.
  21. Arizona–If Arizona’s win vs. New Mexico is any indication, their first season in the Big 12 is going to be a wild one.
  22. Nebraska–It’s a low baseline, but Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola might be the best passing QB in school history.
  23. USC–I’m a bit cautious in saying this, but USC might be pretty good? Maybe?
  24. Colorado–It’s a new year, but not much has changed. We will find out more after Colorado goes to Nebraska.
  25. Vanderbilt–Look, this may be the only time we can rank Vanderbilt at any point this season. Let’s take advantage of it.

If the season ended today, what does a 12-team playoff look like? There’s always a good time for bracketology, right?

(No. 5 vs. No. 12)–Alabama vs. Boise State

(No. 6 vs. No. 11)–Penn State vs. Miami

(No. 7 vs. No. 10)–Notre Dame vs. Michigan

(No. 8 vs. No. 9)–Ole Miss vs. Utah

  1. Georgia vs. 8 vs. 9 winner.
  2. Ohio State vs. 7 vs. 10 winner.
  3. Oregon vs. 6 vs. 11 winner.
  4. Texas vs. 5 vs. 12 winner.