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Danny Kanell's No. 1 College Football Team After Week 1 Isn't Ohio State

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The defending champions, No. 3 Ohio State, held their ground against No. 1 Texas to spoil Arch Manning's official debut as a full-time starter. It was a dismal performance from Manning with all eyes set on him, and, as expected, it led to plenty of overreaction.

However, that big win wasn't enough for Ohio State to jump to the first spot in the rankings. At least, that's the case if you were to ask CFB analyst Danny Kannell. Following the first week of the slate, he shared his updated power rankings, with LSU at the top of the list.

Danny Kannell Lists LSU as His No. 1 Team

Kannell took to X to share his updated ranking, and the list goes as follows:

LSU
Ohio State
Miami
FSU
Auburn
South Carolina
Ga Tech
Tennessee
Iowa State
USF
Nebraska
Utah

Week 1 is in the books. Here is my resume based #DKtop12

1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Miami
4. FSU
5. Auburn
6. South Carolina
7. Ga Tech
8. Tennessee
9. Iowa State
10. USF
11. Nebraska
12. Utah
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) September 2, 2025

Of course, that's quite the leap for a team that entered the season as the No. 9 team in the nation. However, after watching them take care of business on the road against another powerhouse like Clemson, Kannell might be onto something here.

Garrett Nussmeier turned heads in the opener, completing 28-of-38 passes for 230 yards and one score. Running back Cade Durham logged 74 yards and one rushing touchdown on 17 carries, paving the way for a hard-fought 17-10 win at Memorial Stadium.

On defense, linebacker Harold Perkins dominated with five tackles, two hurries, and one sack, but cornerback Mansoor Delane stole the headlines with two pass breakups and a huge interception.

The official AP Rankings have yet to be published, and it'll be interesting to see where Manning and the Longhorns fall after such a disappointing performance. As for LSU, their next chance to show whether they're one of the top-three teams in college football will come on Saturday when they host Louisiana Tech at Death Valley for their home opener.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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