What top-ranked teams that lost in Week 1 must do to reach CFP

Week 1 in college football was a ton of fun. The headliner, of course, was Lee Corso making his final headgear pick on ESPN’s “College GameDay” and all the tributes that were paid to him.

On the field, plenty of intriguing non-conference battles in the first full weekend of the 2025 college football season didn’t disappoint. Four top-10 teams fell over the weekend, although three of them lost to highly ranked opponents.

While one setback won’t eliminate the majority of power-conference squads from consideration for this season’s 12-team College Football Playoff, losing in Week 1 is far from ideal.

For the teams that fell over the weekend, the easiest way to remain in the CFP conversation is to simply win out. But that’s easier said than done.

Short of going undefeated the rest of the way, here’s what top-ranked teams that lost in Week 1 must do moving forward to be in the hunt for a CFP berth.

Texas

The No. 1 Longhorns lost to No. 3 Ohio State, 14-7, Saturday in Columbus in the most-anticipated game of the weekend. Texas quarterback Arch Manning was nothing special in Week 1, although a lot of that was due to the Buckeyes’ impressive defense. The Longhorns’ next three games should be cakewalks, and Texas won’t get dinged by the CFP selection committee for falling at Ohio State. 

What the Longhorns must do is get their offense rolling and then take care of business in early October when they have back-to-back affairs against top-20 teams Florida and Oklahoma. A mid-November road date with No. 5 Georgia will also be critical for Texas.

Clemson

In a war of the Tigers, No. 9 LSU stunned No. 4 Clemson, 17-10, Saturday on the road. That was easily the top win for any team in Week 1, given Clemson’s high ranking and that LSU prevailed away from home. However, Clemson losing in Week 1 doesn’t derail the Tigers’ hope of reaching the CFP yet again in 2025. 

Clemson hosts Troy on Sept. 6. That won’t be a problem for the Tigers. Then, in near-term Atlantic Coast Conference competition, Clemson will go to Georgia Tech, host Syracuse and then travel to both North Carolina and Boston College. The Tigers can do themselves a huge favor by sweeping those four games.

Notre Dame

The No. 6-ranked Fighting Irish, the national runner-up a season ago, played an entertaining game at No. 10 Miami on Sunday evening. The Hurricanes prevailed, 27-24. For Notre Dame, losing on the road to a top-10 team by a field goal isn’t a huge deal, although the Fighting Irish’s 2025 schedule doesn’t feature a lot of ranked teams. At least, not right now. 

Notre Dame has a bye week coming up, and then on Sept. 13, the Fighting Irish will host No. 19 Texas A&M. A victory over the Aggies would be massive for Notre Dame’s CFP resume.

Alabama

The No. 8 Crimson Tide threw up a dud in Week 1, as Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era got off to a disastrous start. Alabama went to Tallahassee on Saturday to square off with Florida State. The Seminoles, hoping to rebound after a 2-10 record in 2024, looked fantastic, handling the Crimson Tide, 31-17. ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum, among others, crushed Alabama and its head coach after this setback. 

The Crimson Tide faces five ranked foes in 2025. Later this month, Alabama will host Wisconsin and then head to No. 5 Georgia. Sweeping those games would do wonders for the Crimson Tide’s resume and help silence the naysayers.