1 Word to Describe Every Top 25 Team's September

The opening month of the 2025 college football season hasn't settled what's to come, but September offered plenty of lessons.

Look through the AP Top 25, and you'll hit most notable storylines.

Marquee games? That's reflected in the highest-ranked team. Big upsets? The surprising winner is typically in the poll now. And the list goes on.

We could take a critical, extensive look at every Top 25 program, sure. Boiling that analysis down to a single word and explanation, though, is a succinct way to summarize what a team has navigated over the last five weeks.

The individual words are simply a product of my own brain—a dangerous place, usually—but factor in preseason expectations and on-field results.

25. Arizona State: Sufficient

The preseason Big 12 favorite, Arizona State dropped a game at Mississippi State and tumbled out of the Top 25. However, the Sun Devils responded with victories over Baylor and TCU to remain atop the Big 12 hierarchy. They would prefer to be unbeaten, yes, but a 2-0 league mark means ASU is still on track.

24. Virginia: Exciting

Fourth-year coach Tony Elliott began the season on a hot seat. He's not completely off, but a 4-1 record with an upset of Florida State is helping his case. Virginia brought in veteran QB Chandler Morris to spark the offense, and he's done exactly that in totaling 14 touchdowns so far.

23. BYU: Steady

The schedule has been relatively easy. Anything but 4-0 against a stretch of Portland State, Stanford, East Carolina and Colorado—in their current forms, of course—would be disappointing. However, the Cougars posted three wins of 21-plus points and clawed back in a 24-21 victory at CU. The start of Big 12 action has cranked up the pressure, but BYU took care of business in September.

22. Illinois: Adequate

Not every 4-1 record is created equally. You can't lose 63-10 and be content about what happened in September. Also, that was simply one (horrendous) game in a month otherwise full of success. Illinois dominated at Duke and clipped USC, keeping itself on the second tier of the Big Ten conversation.

21. Notre Dame: Complicated

Similarly, not every 2-2 record is the same. Notre Dame took Miami to the wire in the opener and lost to Texas A&M on a last-second touchdown. The defense was mediocre in those setbacks, plus the victory over Purdue. Simultaneously, the offense is trending up. Notre Dame has a razor-thin margin for error with two losses, yet the Fighting Irish are quite respected anyway.

20. Michigan: Respectable

The hype around true freshman QB Bryce Underwood was understandable but measured enough to not immediately crown Michigan as a premier contender. That played out in September as U-M leaned on its running game and defense to carry the team. Splitting the trips to Oklahoma (loss) and Nebraska (win) was a fair outcome for the 3-1 Wolverines.

19. Missouri: Dangerous

In a good way! Thanks to a dynamic and balanced offense, Mizzou has scored 45.2 points per game and leads the nation in gains of 10-plus yards. The schedule has been favorable, given the best victories are over Kansas and South Carolina. It's about to get much tougher, but Mizzou is a well-deserved 5-0.

18. Florida State: Fickle

During the opener, the Seminoles flat-out dominated Alabama. So long, 2-10, the 'Noles are back! Then, to close September—with a chance to lock in a Top 10 showdown against Miami—FSU proceeded to lose at Virginia. Overall, it was a fine start, but Florida State is a prime example of how quickly narratives change.

17. Georgia Tech: Promising

After winning at Colorado to kick off the campaign, Georgia Tech soared into the rankings with an upset win over Clemson. Mounting a 17-point comeback at Wake Forest in Week 5 pushed the Jackets to 5-0, who have a very favorable ACC schedule. Can they follow in the footsteps of 2024 SMU?

16. Vanderbilt: Special

By the end of October, we'll have a better understanding of Vanderbilt's true upside. However, what happens next should not diminish its first 5-0 record and back-to-back weeks in the Top 25 since 2008. The program has never held an AP ranking in five weeks in any season ever. That may change shortly.

15. Tennessee: Compelling

What would the Volunteers look like as they replaced Nico Iamaleava? Joey Aguilar answered that question in a hurry, and it's largely been positive. Yes, he tossed a pair of interceptions that stung in the loss to Georgia. He also had two picks during the win at Mississippi State. Nevertheless, the Vols again have a productive offense and should be competitive in the SEC.

14. Iowa State: Forceful

The physicality of this roster was on full display as the Cyclones ripped off a 5-0 record. Most importantly, Iowa State picked up a pair of Big 12 victories along the way. Running the ball more efficiently against good competition will be critical, but ISU's hard-nosed identity is unquestionable.

13. LSU: Unsatisfying

Perspective matters. Holding a 4-1 record, the Tigers can accomplish nearly all of their 2025 goals. That said, Brian Kelly boasted all offseason about the depth and talent of this roster. To score 23 points against Louisiana Tech, put up 20 on Florida despite five takeaways and struggle so much offensively at Ole Miss, though, is objectively not what LSU wanted to see in September.

12. Georgia: Shaky

The talent is obvious. The execution is leaving room for uncertainty. Georgia cruised past Marshall but stumbled a bit against Austin Peay, fought back to clip Tennessee and couldn't catch Alabama after falling behind early. In their best moments, the Dawgs are a force. So far, UGA hasn't sustained that level for 60 minutes.

11. Texas Tech: Encouraging

When you spend many millions in the transfer portal, you expect good results. Texas Tech can hardly argue with its performance to date, especially in a new-look defense that has yielded 11.3 points per game. Because the nonconference slate was painless, the Red Raiders still have plenty to prove in Big 12 play.

10. Alabama: Volatile

In the aftermath of the loss at Florida State, a subset of fans wanted to fire Kalen DeBoer. Saying a win over Georgia has silenced the noise is too far, but Tuscaloosa is certainly a happier place now—well, at least until Bama's next setback.

9. Texas: Disappointing

Falling to Ohio State in Columbus is not ideal, obviously, yet it's forgivable. The issue is Arch Manning and Texas followed that 14-7 result with a messy win against San Jose State and an ugly victory over UTEP. The bright side is the Longhorns' defense looks stellar. The offense, meanwhile, is a Texas-sized question mark.

8. Indiana: Convincing

Old Dominion hung around in Week 1, but then Indiana blasted Kennesaw State, Indiana State and Illinois. Needing a late touchdown to survive Iowa isn't awesome, but Kinnick Stadium is a tough venue. Five triumphs later, IU has suggested the 2024 season was a sign of things to come—not an outlier.

7. Penn State: Uninspired

Flip the result against Oregon, and of course this attitude changes. But the Nittany Lions lost, leaving a familiar, bitter feeling in their wake. The offense has scored on its opening drive in just one of four contests, and too many drives have stalled in scoring territory—especially given the easy nonconference slate. Penn State is a good team. Is it actually a great one?

6. Texas A&M: Intriguing

Perhaps you have a strong opinion about the Aggies, and I genuinely love that for you. Me? Pretty undecided. Marcel Reed and the offense propelled A&M to a dramatic win at Notre Dame, and the defense braced a low-scoring win over Auburn. While the best version of both units is excellent, the Aggies haven't yet had them overlap in the same game. That will be a necessity at some point.

5. Oklahoma: Captivating

Easily one of the most interesting stories so far, Oklahoma rocketed in the rankings with Top 25 victories over Michigan and Auburn. Transfer QB John Mateer tremendously elevated the offense, and OU's defense held all four opponents below 300 yards in September. Mateer's hand surgery has thrown a wrench into the Sooners' outlook, though his absence might end up being a strange blip on the radar if he manages to return in time to play Texas.

4. Ole Miss: Entertaining

Sitting at 5-0 overall with a 3-0 mark in SEC action, Ole Miss has positioned itself beautifully to finally make the College Football Playoff. But, whew, the Rebels have not made it easy on their supporters. Ole Miss beat Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU by seven, six and five points, respectively. Adding to the drama, backup QB Trinidad Chambliss has been one of the nation's most fun players to watch.

3. Miami: Flashy

That word is, ironically, the polar opposite of how Miami has played. Led by a physical offensive line and fierce defensive front, the Hurricanes are 4-0 with quality wins over Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida. That hot start combined with Clemson's implosion has made Miami the ACC favorite as October begins.

2. Oregon: Emphatic

Oregon won three nonconference games by 34-plus points and built a 34-0 lead before Northwestern scored twice deep into garbage time. With the stakes raised last weekend, the Ducks outlasted Penn State. Oregon has a chance to solidify itself as Ohio State's top competition when Indiana comes to town in Week 7.

1. Ohio State: Workmanlike

Armed with a rock-solid defense, OSU has calmly ascended to 4-0. The unit limited Texas to seven points, shut down Grambling and Ohio as expected and held Washington to six. More will be required of Julian Sayin in the future, but the reliability of, well, everyone else has allowed the Buckeyes to control every game.