The Texas Longhorns may have had a disappointing first weekend on the gridiron and at college football betting sites against Ohio State, but their social media once again showed out following their Week 2 win over San Jose State.
Texas saw its social media followers increase by more than 32% from the previous week to again take the top spot in RotoWire's Social Media Power Rankings.
Top-rated mobile sports betting apps have begun ramping things up when it comes to unique NCAAF-themed bonuses, boosts and sportsbook promos.
Social Media Power Rankings
RotoWire.com used follower counts from Instagram and X to create a social media hype power ranking system for college football teams' official accounts. We ranked teams based on percentage growth week-over-week on the platforms, following their previous game.
Rank | Team | Social Media Growth |
1 |
| 32.66% |
2 |
| 16.67% |
3 |
| 4.17% |
4 |
| 3.64% |
5 |
| 2.02% |
6 |
| 1.87% |
7 |
| 1.80% |
8 |
| 1.62% |
T9 |
| 1.58% |
T9 |
| 1.58% |
11 |
| 1.54% |
12 |
| 1.53% |
13 |
| 1.51% |
14 |
| 1.38% |
15 |
| 1.31% |
Texas Longhorns (-)
Alabama Crimson Tide (↑ 60)
LSU Tigers (↑ 59)
Florida State Seminoles (↓ 2)
South Carolina Gamecocks (↑ 1)
Arizona State Sun Devils (↓ 3)
Cincinnati Bearcats (↓ 2)
Indiana Hoosiers (↓ 1)
Florida Gators (-)
California Golden Bears (↑ 5)
Minnesota Golden Gophers (↓ 7)
Miami Hurricanes (↓ 4)
BYU Cougars (↓ 3)
Texas A&M Aggies (↑ 5)
Auburn Tigers (↓ 3)The Longhorns still are among the favorites to take the SEC title and compete for a national title. Oddsmakers at Caesars list the Horns at +750 on their College Football Playoff champions futures board.
Another reason for the interest in Texas is their quarterback Arch Manning. The grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of both Peyton and Eli Manning was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. While his rough Week 1 game knocked him from that spot, Arch Manning remains among the top choices after throwing 4 touchdowns and 295 yards Saturday. DraftKings gives third-generation signal caller odds of +1300 to take home the prestigious award in December.
Alabama Makes A Move
At No. 2 this week with a massive jump is the Alabama Crimson Tide, who throttled UL Monroe after a tough Week 1 loss to the Seminoles. The social growth can only be seen as a good sign for second-year coach Kalen DeBoer, whose "hot seat" narrative got some actual traction on college football platforms after the FSU loss.
Nick Saban he is not, but DeBoer had his team more than ready after a tough loss, and the fanbase is following closely, as always, on social.
Seminoles Surge in Social Media Rankings
No school fell harder than Florida State last season. After going 13-1 in 2023 and getting snubbed for one of the four College Football Playoff berths that season, the Seminoles suffered through a 2-10 campaign in Tallahassee. It was their worst season in 50 years.
Through only two games this season, coach Mike Norvell's team looks more than ready for a bounce-back year. FSU in Week 1 beat Alabama 31-17 with new quarterback Tommy Castellanos backing up the words he said about the Crimson Tide over the summer to lead the 13.5-point underdogs to the outright victory. The Seminoles then predictably handled East Texas A&M in Week 2.
After beating Bama, Florida State saw its football social media account followers grow by 6.6%, good enough to take second place that week. That trajectory continued in Week 2, growing by 3.64%.
Not everything has changed just yet for FSU. In April, BetMGM gave the Seminoles odds of +10000 to win the national title. After starting 2-0, FSU's odds are +7500.
RotoWire will be keeping score and keeping you informed this college football season.
Q&A:
Q1: Which college football team dominated social media growth this week?
The Texas Longhorns took the top spot a second week in a row with an impressive 32.66% follower growth across Instagram and X following their win against the San Jose State Spartans. Their comeback after their Week 1 loss against the Buckeyes caused a buzz online.
Q2: Were there any surprising teams in the Top 5?
Despite their win, the Texas Longhorns are showing impressive growth week over week compared to the other programs, pulling in measurably higher growth rates. Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers made huge waves this week, with huge 60 and 59 spot jumps in the RotoWire rankings.
Q3: What does this ranking reveal about the connection between the field and social media?
The numbers highlight how closely game-day results fuel online hype. Teams that score big wins or deliver poor performances often see a direct spike in engagement online. Social media is becoming a real-time scoreboard of fan enthusiasm—one where both traditional powerhouses and rising programs can grab the spotlight.
