Joe Montana on whether CJ Carr can challenge Arch Manning for the Heisman
Joe Montana shares his thoughts on CJ Carr’s Heisman chances against Texas’ Arch Manning.
- Notre Dame and Ohio State hold the top two spots in the latest NCAA Re-Rank.
- LSU jumped 10 spots to No. 8 after a dominant win against Clemson.
- Major shifts in the rankings reflect the growing unpredictability of early-season college football.
Notre Dame and Ohio State remain atop the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-138 but there are dramatic changes almost across the board in our first update of the 2026 season, including notable moves from LSU, North Carolina, Clemson and Colorado.
LSU leaps 10 spots to No. 8 after a 51-10 obliteration of Clemson, forcing small drops for No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Alabama, No. 11 Southern California and No. 13 Texas Tech.
Clemson is one of the big fallers in this week’s re-rank, going from No. 25 in our preseason 1-138 to No. 57, one spot behind Bill Belichick and North Carolina. The Tar Heels beat TCU 15-10 in a Week 0 matchup held in Ireland.
That’s a 38-spot leap for UNC after a dreadful four-win debut and tumultuous offseason that seemed to point to a quick and painful end to Belichick’s tenure. Also on the move: Colorado newfound physicality earned a 14-13 win against Georgia Tech and a 45-spot move to No. 59.
Overall, a topsy-turvy re-rank reflects the growing unpredictability of college football’s early season amid skyrocketing levels of player movement and coaching turnover.
Other teams rising or plummeting in the new re-rank include No. 98 Massachusetts, which finally escaped last place with an impressive rout of Rutgers; No. 82 Western Kentucky, down 48 after getting blown out by Nevada; No, 68 Michigan State, up 23 spots after pulling away late against Toledo; and No. 97 Oklahoma State, which was embarrassed by Tulsa in Eric Morris’ debut.