College Football Power Rankings - Week 1
Week:
It was an eventful Week 1 of the college football season. How did the results affect the power rankings?
Florida and Texas kept the top two spots thanks to convincing victories on opening weekend -- albeit in glorified scrimmages.
The Gators picked up all 15 first-place votes from our experts, while USC, Alabama and Oklahoma State round out the top five.
Be sure to check back every Monday as the 2009 power rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Overall | Voters 1-5 | Voters 6-10 | Voters 11-15| College Football Power Rankings - Week 1 | |||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | PTS | COMMENT | |
 | 1 (1) | Florida (15) | 1-0 | 375 | Florida's charitable offering to Charleston Southern -- in which the Bucs graciously offered the Gators a 62-3 tuneup -- offered few new insights into the top-ranked team as UF strolled to its 20th straight season-opening win. |
 | 2 (2) | Texas | 1-0 | 357 | Like Florida, Texas enjoyed a glorified scrimmage in its season opener -- a 59-20 win against Louisiana-Monroe. WR-turned-RB D.J. Monroe rushed for 64 yards and scored on an 89-yard kickoff return. |
 | 3 (4) | USC | 1-0 | 345 | Turns out the frosh QB had some bite ... against San Jose State, at least. Matt Barkley threw for 233 yards and a TD in the Trojans' 56-3 win. Freshman orientation is over, however, with a trip to Columbus looming. |
 | 4 (5) | Alabama | 1-0 | 332 | It wasn't pretty at times but Alabama made the plays it needed to against Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome, as Mark Ingram gave the Tide the spark they needed in the fourth quarter with two TDs. |
 | 5 (11) | Oklahoma State | 1-0 | 302 | Georgia's opening scoring drive aside, OSU dispelled some of the criticism leveled at Big 12 defenses with an impressive victory over the Bulldogs in Stillwater. Dez Bryant wasn't too bad on the offensive side as well. |
 | 6 (9) | Penn State | 1-0 | 290 | Joe Pa returning to the sidelines might have been the most compelling story line in PSU's dominating win over Akron. Though a combined 13 receptions for 203 yards from a couple of sophomore WRs -- Chaz Powell and Derek Moye -- was a welcome sight for PSU. |
 | 7 (12) | California | 1-0 | 262 | Last season against Maryland, Jahvid Best scattered pieces of his breakfast, lunch and perhaps the previous night's dinner on the field. This season he left helpless Terps defenders scattered in his wake, rushing for 137 yards and two TDs. |
 | 8 (23) | Brigham Young | 1-0 | 243 | The image many will take from BYU's win over OU is that of the defending Heisman winner crumpled on the Cowboys Stadium turf. But Sam Bradford's shoulder injury won't take away from what was one of the most important victories in BYU's history. |
 | 9 (8) | Mississippi | 1-0 | 241 | Jevan Snead didn't look like the player expected to make Ole Miss a challenger in the SEC West in the first half. Second-half Jevan Snead sure did, though, as he drove the Rebels past Memphis with two fourth-quarter TDs, overcoming a shaky start. |
 | 9 (6) | Ohio State | 1-0 | 241 | Navy made OSU regret extending it an invitation to the Horseshoe, especially after coming within a 2-point conversion of tying the game late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes will have to be sharper with USC in town this weekend. |
 | 11 (10) | LSU | 1-0 | 225 | LSU will be pleased to return from its longest-ever road trip with a win against Washington. The Tigers will be less pleased with the fact that going round trip from Baton Rouge to Seattle seemed easier than getting their defense off the field against UW. |
 | 12 (15) | Boise State | 1-0 | 214 | The season opener will be remembered more for the postgame punch that ended LeGarrette Blount's career, but it shouldn't be forgotten that the Broncos cleared the most imposing hurdle between them and an undefeated season with a 19-8 win over the Ducks. |
 | 13 (3) | Oklahoma | 0-1 | 189 | Uh oh. Oklahoma's bite from the injury bug went from bad (Jermaine Gresham) to catastrophic. With Sam Bradford's shoulder injury keeping him out 2-4 weeks, it remains to be seen how the Sooners will cope in his absence. |
 | 14 (16) | Georgia Tech | 1-0 | 172 | Sloppiness aside, Georgia Tech really needed only a few moments of brilliance from Josh Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer to brush aside Jacksonville State. The Yellow Jackets know they'll need to sharpen up soon with a visit from Clemson on Thursday night. |
 | 15 (7) | Virginia Tech | 0-1 | 162 | The ACC favorite was hailed as a possible title contender. There's no reason to think the former is no longer true, but the chances for the latter coming to fruition took a serious blow in a loss to Alabama. |
 | 16 (18) | Notre Dame | 1-0 | 148 | Notre Dame versus Michigan at the Big House probably didn't need any extra window dressing. But just in case the casual fan forgot about the rivalry, Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd provided some with their passing exhibition in a win over Nevada. |
 | 17 (24) | Miami (FL) | 1-0 | 129 | Jacory Harris was calm, cool and collected on the field (and on the sidelines) as the Canes passed their first test. But the four-week gauntlet continues as Georgia Tech visits on Sept. 17, followed by a trip to Virginia Tech on Sept. 26. |
 | 18 (17) | TCU | 0-0 | 127 | The Horned Frogs get things started with a visit to Virginia on Saturday (ESPNU, 3:30 ET). Yes, that's the same Cavs team which lost to William & Mary. |
 | 19 (19) | Nebraska | 1-0 | 83 | QB Zac Lee was solid, but it was RB Roy Helu who stole the show (152 yards, 3 TDs) against Florida Atlantic as the Huskers won their nation-best 24th straight season opener. |
 | 20 (14) | Georgia | 0-1 | 69 | The disappointment of giving up an early lead against OSU was made worse by the news that Georgia will lose OT Trinton Sturdivant for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. |
 | 21 (35) | Cincinnati | 1-0 | 67 | The team to beat in the Big East? Tough to argue now. There were those who slept on Cincy this year, but not after an impressive opening performance by the Bearcats who, led by Tony Pike, were too much for Rutgers. |
 | 22 (26) | Utah | 1-0 | 65 | Lost in the din of BYU sidelining a Heisman winner and Boise State's postgame fisticuffs was Utah -- the nation's reigning BCS buster -- extending the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games with a win over Utah State. |
 | 23 (22) | North Carolina | 1-0 | 58 | Sure, it was against The Citadel, but North Carolina can smile about its 260 yards rushing in its season-opening win, including Shaun Draughn's 118 yards. |
 | 24 (20) | Florida State | 0-1 | 53 | It was a tough way to start the season, but the Noles should rebound and pick up their first win against Jacksonville State this weekend before visiting BYU on Sept. 19. |
 | 25 (25) | Kansas | 1-0 | 32 | No surprise. The Jayhawks made it look easy against Northern Colorado. A trip to UTEP on Saturday to face an explosive offense should provide a stiffer test for Todd Reesing & Co. |
| Others receiving votes: Missouri (28), Oregon (14), Oregon State (11), Clemson (11), Iowa (9), Michigan State (5), UCLA (5), Arkansas (4), Michigan (3), Baylor (2), South Carolina (2) | |||||
