Penn State running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs the ball against Nevada during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Jared Freed)

In the first AP Top 25 college football poll rankings of the regular season, the Ohio State Buckeyes took the lead, followed by Penn State at No. 2 and LSU at No. 3.

The Buckeyes slid into position to dominate this week’s rankings with 55 first-place votes after besting the preseason poll’s No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

Here’s a list of questions on the minds of college football fans.

Next up?

No. 15 Michigan’s trip to No. 18 Oklahoma is the only ranked vs. ranked game on the slate, and it carries some Big Ten and SEC implications.

Can Arch Manning find his footing as No. 7 Texas hosts San Jose State? Can South Florida pull off another upset, this time vs. No. 13 Florida in the Swamp?

Will Iowa trip up old rival Iowa State? Can Kansas improve to 3-0 with a road trip to bitter foe Missouri?

Will Bill Belichick get his first college coaching win when North Carolina visits Charlotte?

Tell me why

Why keep Notre Dame in the top 10 after their loss to Miami?

Notre Dame went into a tough environment with an inexperienced quarterback and still nearly beat a talented and motivated opponent.

I lay a lot of the blame on some game-planning issues I’m confident Marcus Freeman will work to address. We’ll find out soon when the No. 9 Irish play Texas A&M on Sept. 13 in South Bend.

And its season is far from shot — we saw that last year after the Northern Illinois loss. But the Irish have no wiggle room going forward. I can’t see a two-loss Notre Dame making the College Football Playoff over a two-loss SEC or Big 10 squad (or even maybe one with three losses).

Aguilar shines

Saturday offered a first look at Tennessee’s new offense under Joey Aguilar, a transfer quarterback who briefly stopped at UCLA after a stint at Appalachian State.

Aguilar rose to the occasion, completing 16 of 28 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Braylon Staley led the Volunteers with 95 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Star Thomas spearheaded the running game.

Aguilar connected with Miles Kitselman for a 2-yard touchdown with 3:57 left, solidifying a 45-26 victory against a formidable opponent in Syracuse.

Tennessee moved up two spots as a result, coming in at No. 22.

Two out, two in

Teams out: Preseason No. 17 Kansas State, which went 1-1 in the early going, and preseason No. 25 Boise State, which lost to unranked South Florida last week.

Teams in: No. 14 Florida State, which had the weekend’s biggest upset in knocking off No. 8 Alabama, and No. 25 Utah, which looked very impressive in hammering UCLA 43-10 on the road.

The poll got a major shake-up, and not just in the top 10 teams

Only three teams — No. 2 Penn State, No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 19 Texas A&M — are in the same spots they were in the preseason poll.

Sentimental win

It was no ordinary win for South Carolina coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks on Sunday.

The 24-11 win over Virginia Tech held special meaning — Beamer’s dad, Frank, was the winningest coach in Hokies’ history. With the elder Beamer in attendance and sporting a Gamecocks zip-up jacket, South Carolina came out on top of a close one.

The Gamecocks pulled it together in the fourth quarter with an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown by Vicari Swain, followed by a 64-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers to Nyck Harbor.

South Carolina showed promise in all three phases, and it was enough to catch voters’ eyes and break into the top 10 for the first time since 2014.

Changing it up

The coaches’ poll and AP poll agreed that BYU and Utah are teetering on the line of the Top 25.

So which team makes the cut? That’s the difference.

The coaches’ poll put BYU at No. 25 after a 69-0 win in the season opener against Portland State. AP voters placed Utah at No. 25 after surpassing UCLA.

In the AP poll, BYU received the most votes for an unranked team for the second time this season. Utah, meanwhile, finished 125 votes ahead of BYU.

The long-standing rivals will settle the debate on Oct. 18, when they go head-to-head at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Maura Carey is writing about college football for the Associated Press for the 2025 season.