College football rankings 2023: Projected Week 2 AP Top 25 after Georgia, Ohio State sleepwalk, Colorado upsets TCU
- Georgia, Ohio State and Top 10 teams sleepwalking through Week 1
- Colorado upends TCU in Coach Prime's debut for Buffs
- UNC lays down the law on the "real Carolina"
Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 1: No. 4-3
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
It’s Middle Tennessee, so we have to take this somewhat with a grain of salt… but it sure seems like Nick Saban found his starting quarterback with Jalen Milroe getting the start and performing beautifully at the helm of Tommy Rees’ offense.
Milroe was efficient, even if not explosive as a passer in this game, but his dynamic ability with his legs made a ton of difference. Whether it was on scrambles or designed runs, Milroe was dangerous on the ground, but that was especially true on his first of two touchdown rushes in the first half when he turned a botched play into a 22-yard score. That ability alone should earn him the nod against Texas next week.
With the Longhorns being slow out of the gates against Rice, Alabama has to feel confident that, if nothing else, its dominant defense can cause problems and give the Crimson Tide an opportunity for a big-time September statement in primetime next week.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
If you were concerned about the Ohio State quarterback transition from C.J. Stroud to whoever took over the starting job in Ryan Day’s offense, Saturday afternoon didn’t do anything to quell those worries.
Kyle McCord, who was the frontrunner entering the offseason, got the start and played the majority of the snaps against a bottom-dwelling Indiana team and looked pedestrian at best and subpar at worst. He went just 20-of-33 for 239 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Even the run game was inefficient overall as TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both averaged under 4.0 yards per carry, though the latter did punch it into the end zone twice.
Thankfully, Jim Knowles’ defense showed up and never allowed the Hoosiers to breathe, much less consistently gain positive yardage. But if Ohio State is going to live up to its lofty expectations, this isn’t the performance that they want their baseline set at for the remainder of the 2023 season.