Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and the SEC had a roller coaster start to the 2025 season.
The biggest storyline from the SEC in the opening weekend was Alabama’s dismal 31-17 performance against Florida State, which resulted in the Crimson Tide’s first Week 1 loss since the 2001 season. No. 1 Texas was similarly disappointing in a “Game of the Century” road meeting vs. No. 2 Ohio State, falling 14-7 to the defending-champion Buckeyes.
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It wasn’t all bad for the SEC, however. No. 9 LSU proved to be a saving grace for the SEC, as Garrett Nussmeier out-dueled Clemson’s Cade Klubnik to lead the Tigers to a 17-10 road win over No. 6 Clemson, giving Brian Kelly his first Week 1 win ever in Baton Rouge.
REQUIRED READING: LSU’s defeat of Clemson might have saved Tigers, SEC with College Football Playoff
Elsewhere, South Carolina had a defense-dominant 24-11 win over Virginia Tech in the Aflac Kickoff Game. The Gamecocks got two big fourth-quarter touchdowns — an 80-yard punt return touchdown from Vicari Swain and a 64-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers — to break the game open against the Hokies.
Elsewhere, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee all handled their businesses against Marshall, Long Island University and Syracuse. John Mateer shined in his debut at Oklahoma vs. Illinois State, throwing for 392 yards and scoring four combined touchdowns while finishing with just seven incomplete passes.
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Here’s a look at how those games are reflected in the Week 2 US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings:
College football rankings for Week 2
This section will be updated when the US LBM Coaches Poll is released
AP Top 25
This section will be updated when the US LBM Coaches Poll is released
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: College football rankings: SEC in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25
