Updated

Updated · The Associated Press · Sep 5

College Football Opens With 1 Top-25 Clash as Eligibility Fight Clouds LSU-Clemson

Updated

Updated · The Associated Press · Sep 5

College Football Opens With 1 Top-25 Clash as Eligibility Fight Clouds LSU-Clemson

Q: With the SEC and Big Ten dominating the polls, is the era of college football parity officially dead this season?

No. The SEC and Big Ten clearly dominate the top of the sport entering this season, but that is not the same as parity being dead. The evidence for consolidation is strong. The preseason AP Top 25 has nine SEC teams and eight Big Ten teams, with Ohio State and Oregon giving the Big Ten the top two spots. The title conversation is also heavily concentrated around those leagues, with Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia and Texas setting the pace. On talent, money, recruiting reach and transfer-portal pull, those two conferences have widened the gap. But college football still has meaningful competitive uncertainty. ESPN research says 28 teams have at least a 10% chance to make the College Football Playoff, and the 12-team format guarantees access for Power 4 champions plus a top Group of 6 team. That means leagues outside the SEC and Big Ten still have real playoff paths, even if winning the national title is harder. Notre Dame, Clemson’s reset, SMU, Florida State, Louisville and Big 12 contenders all remain relevant. Week 0 also showed why declaring parity dead is premature. UMass upset Rutgers, and Colorado barely survived Georgia Tech. Those results do not erase the structural imbalance, but they do show the weekly volatility that still defines the sport. The better reading is that national-title parity is shrinking, while playoff-access parity has grown. The SEC and Big Ten own the center of gravity, but the season is not closed off to everyone else.

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Sep 5

Week 1 opens with only one AP Top 25 matchup before Sunday night—No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Mississippi—but the biggest uncertainty centers on Saturday’s Clemson-at-No. 11 LSU game.
NCAA eligibility rules have spilled into multiple courtrooms, with LSU exploring the return of fifth-year players and even preseason NFL signees, leaving late-week roster availability in doubt.
50-point spreads underscore a thin marquee slate: No. 1 Ohio State is favored by more than 50, while Indiana, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are each laying more than 40.
Early results already showed the upset potential of opening week, with UMass ending a 16-game skid by beating Rutgers 37-21 and Colorado surviving Georgia Tech 14-13 on a last-play blocked field goal.
The long opening weekend runs through Monday, adding Notre Dame-Wisconsin at Lambeau, Washington-Washington State and No. 19 SMU at Florida State before the next AP Top 25 arrives Tuesday.