Week 3 of the College Football season was very slim on top-level games, with no ranked teams playing against each other. The headlining game was the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes hosting their rivals Colorado State at Boulder on Saturday night. Before a stacked Week 4 slate, let's get into the new top 25.
1. Georgia (3-0)
Previous: 1
Wins: UT Martin, Ball State, South Carolina
Next up: vs. UAB on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Things looked a little shaky for the Bulldogs early on against South Carolina. They took a comeback to get the best of the Gamecocks, breaking loose for three sacks of Spencer Rattler. The SEC could end up a little tighter than we thought coming in.
2. Michigan (3-0)
Previous: 2
Wins: East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green
Next up: vs. Rutgers on Saturday, September 23 at noon.
It has been a walk in the park for the Wolverines so far, and that will continue for a while. The first currently ranked team on their schedule doesn't come until November 11, when they head to Happy Valley in a humungous matchup against Penn State. If they each take care of business the rest of the season, that could be the deciding game for the Big Ten East. Of course, you can't forget Ohio State either.
3. Texas (3-0)
Previous: 13
Wins: Rice, Alabama, Wyoming
Next up: at Baylor on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Behind the impressive play of quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas is [redacted]. Knock on wood, the Longhorns certainly have looked to be a team to beat this season, though there was room for Texas fans to be nervous last week. After they were knotted at ten against Wyoming following three-quarters of play, Texas scored 21 straight to win 31-10. It's still early, so Texas will still probably find a way to Texas it up. Even though it doesn't look as impressive now, they got the best of Nick Saban's Crimson Tide a couple of weeks ago. That merits a move up to the top four in these updated rankings. Time will only tell if they are actually worthy, and I'm not talking about stud receiver Xavier Worthy.
4. Florida State (3-0)
Previous: 4
Wins: LSU, Southern Miss, Boston College
Next up: at 25 Clemson on Saturday, September 23 at noon.
The Noles still got the win, which is all that matters at this point, but it was undoubtedly a struggle against Boston College on Saturday. Perhaps the Seminoles were looking ahead to their crucial matchup against Clemson in Week 4. Florida State hung on as they won by two, despite 13 unanswered points by the Eagles in the fourth quarter.
5. USC (3-0)
Previous: 6
Wins: San Jose State, Nevada, Stanford
Next up: at Arizona State on Saturday, September 23 at 10:30 p.m.
Coming off a bye, the Trojans will try not to look ahead to their matchup at Boulder next week. They might be able to do just that as the game goes on. USC faces an Arizona State team that was shut out by Fresno State at home last week and has only mustered one win thus far.
6. Ohio State (3-0)
Previous: 5
Wins: Indiana, Youngstown State, Western Kentucky
Next up: at 8 Notre Dame on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
The Buckeyes dismantled Western Kentucky, which comes as no surprise. They scored two defensive touchdowns for the first time since 2018. They head to Notre Dame to face the Fighting Irish in a key test for both teams. Ohio State will lean heavily on Heisman hopeful Marvin Harrison Jr., who has 14 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Notre Dame's defense hasn't faced anyone even in the same stratosphere as Harrison or the rest of the Buckeyes' offense and has struggled to get to the quarterback.
7. Penn State (3-0)
Previous: 7
Wins: West Virginia, Delaware, Illinois
Next up: vs. 19 Iowa on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
The Nittany Lions have looked pretty impressive so far, as they have blown out every opponent easily. Even though that was expected, this version of Penn State looks different than previous years. In prior years, the James Franklin-led squad would tend to let off the gas as the route was on. But so far this season, it's been all gas, no brakes for the team not led by true sophomore gunslinger Drew Allar. Behind the Ohio native, Penn State has posted scores of 38-15, 63-7, and 30-13, allowing them to cover each game's spread. Allar, however, was only 16-of-33 passing against Illinois. The first real test is this Saturday, as they face an Iowa team that always gives them a challenging game and has looked solid, especially on defense.
8. Notre Dame (4-0)
Previous: 8
Wins: Navy, Tennessee State, NC State, Central Michigan
Next up: vs. 6 Ohio State on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
The Irish have looked rather impressive thus far with a strong quarterback in Sam Hartman, a running game led by Audric Estime, and solid defense. They haven't exactly played top competition, but not many teams have at this point in the season. Let's reassess who this Notre Dame team is after they face Ohio State on Saturday evening.
9. Utah (3-0)
Previous: 9
Wins: Florida, Baylor, Weber State
Next up: vs. UCLA on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
10. Washington (3-0)
Previous: 11
Wins: Boise State, Tulsa, Michigan State
Next up: vs. Cal on Saturday, September 23 at 10:30 p.m.
11. Oregon (3-0)
Previous: 12
Wins: Portland State, Texas Tech, Hawaii
Next up: vs. 22 Colorado on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
12. LSU (2-1)
Previous: 14
Wins: Grambling State, Mississippi State; Loss: Florida State
Next up: vs. Arkansas on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m.
13. Alabama (2-1)
Previous: 3
Wins: Middle Tennessee, South Florida; Loss: Texas
Next up: vs. Ole Miss on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
First, the loss to Texas, and now the Crimson Tide have major quarterback problems. They only mustered 17 points and should have lost against South Florida, the fewest points against a Group of Five opponent for Alabama since 2009. Somehow, though, they are still favored by a touchdown against Ole Miss. And when I say somehow, I mean because everyone, including the books, is collectively sucking Nick Saban's d**k. If you're a betting man, hammer the Rebels. Saban named Jalen Milroe the starter after being benched last week, but Jaxson Dart has elite potential on the other side. We might see the end of the Alabama dynasty this weekend. Although, technically, that already ended last year.
14. Oregon State (3-0)
Previous: 18
Wins: San Jose State, UC Davis, San Diego State
Next up: at Washington State on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m.
15. Ole Miss (3-0)
Previous: 24
Wins: Mercer, Tulane, Georgia Tech
Next up: at Alabama on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
16. North Carolina (3-0)
Previous: 16
Wins: South Carolina, App State, Minnesota
Next up: at Pittsburgh on Saturday, September 2 at 8:00 p.m.
17. Oklahoma (3-0)
Previous: 17
Wins: Arkansas State, SMU, Tulsa
Next up: at Cincinnati on Saturday, September 2 at noon.
18. Duke (3-0)
Previous: 25
Wins: Clemson, Lafayette, Northwestern
Next up: at UConn on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
19. Iowa (3-0)
Previous: 23
Wins: Utah State, Iowa State, Western Michigan
Next up: at 7 Penn State on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
20. Miami (3-0)
Previous: Unranked
Wins: Miami (OH), Texas A&M, B-CU
Next up: at Temple on Saturday, September 23, at 3:30 p.m.
21. Missouri (3-0)
Previous: Unranked
Wins: South Dakota, Middle Tennessee, Kansas State
Next up: vs. Memphis on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Don't look too far ahead, Tigers fans. It has been a while since Missouri has found themselves in contention after handing around in the SEC the last few years. Coming out and beating Kansas State for the first time since 2010 behind an SEC-record 61-yard field goal from the leg of Harrison Mevis, the Tigers have arrived. Now, they just need to play things a week at a time, with a big matchup against LSU coming up on October 7.
22. Colorado (3-0)
Previous: 22
Wins: TCU, Nebraska, Colorado State
Next up: at 11 Oregon on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
23. UCLA (3-0)
Previous: Unranked
Wins: Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, NC Central
Next up: at 9 Utah on Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m.
24. Tennessee (2-1)
Previous: 10
Wins: Virginia, Austin Peay; Loss: Florida
Next up: vs. UTSA on Saturday, September 23 at 4:00 p.m.
25. Clemson (2-1)
Previous: 19
Wins: Charleston Southern, Florida Atlantic; Loss: Duke
Next up: vs. 4 Florida State on Saturday, September 23 at noon.
Dropped out: Kansas State, Wisconsin, Tulane
Main Image Credit: From Getty Images
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