Week 3 of the college football season is complete. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Alabama looked like a class of their own two weeks ago. But the field may have caught up, particularly in the SEC.
Florida was impressive and a two-point conversion away from tying the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Meanwhile, the SEC West continues to show how deep the division is. Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss seem primed to make the Crimson Tide’s road tougher to the SEC Championship.
Right behind the SEC West is the Big Ten East. The division is more impressive than ever before. Ohio State has stumbled out the gate, but the rest of the division has stepped up. Penn State appears to be a contender for the CFB Playoff. Michigan is better than expected. Mel Tucker has Michigan State back in the conversation. And don’t dismiss Rutgers and Maryland, who are both 3-0 with stylish non-conference wins.
This may be the most competitive stack of teams from the Group of Five in the CFB Playoff era. Cincinnati is a contender under head coach Luke Fickell. BYU is 3-0 against the Pac-12 and has not lost a beat with Zach WIlson in the NFL. Then there is Fresno State who upset UCLA in Los Angeles Saturday night. And Coastal Carolina is still beating up on teams.
With all of that said, here’s a look at my college football power rankings after Week 3:
1. Alabama
Record: 3-0 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 1
Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young got his first true test of the season playing on the road against Florida. While it wasn’t his best game, and he nearly gave his head coach a “heart attack,” Young responded with three touchdown tosses. The Crimson Tide held on to a 31-29 win in the Swamp.
Next Week: Southern Miss (1-2)
2. Georgia
Record: 3-0 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 2
There is no question about Kirby Smart’s defense. It was the Georgia offense that needed to show something. Against an SEC defense, JT Daniels put up 303 yards and three touchdowns through the air against South Carolina. The Bulldogs rolled to a 40-13 win.
Next Week: at Vanderbilt (1-2)
3. Oregon
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Pac-12 | Last Week Rank: 4
The Ducks followed up their huge road win at Ohio State last week with a cupcake against Stony Brook of FCS. Nothing special to report, as Oregon dug into their depth for a 48-7 win.
Next Week: Arizona (0-3)
4. Iowa
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: 5
The Hawkeyes seem to be the team to beat in the Big Ten. A stagnant offense could prevent them from a spot in the college football playoff. But when it is on, they look much like one of the four best teams in the nation.
Next Week: Colorado State (1-2)
5. Oklahoma
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Big 12 | Last Week Rank: 3
Are Spencer Rattler’s Heisman Trophy chances vanishing? Two pedestrian performances against Tulane and Nebraska have made Rattler an afterthought in the race for Heisman now. But, what’s more important is Oklahoma needs to show more than a five-point win over Tulane and seven-point win over Nebraska to be a CFB playoff contender.
Next Week: West Virginia (2-1)
6. Texas A&M
Record: 3-0 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 6
With quarterback Haynes King out indefinitely with a fractured leg, Zach Calzada will lead the Aggies for the foreseeable future. In his start against New Mexico, Calzada was up and down with 275 yards, three touchdowns and one interception passing. He’ll need to get comfortable if A&M has aspirations of the CFB playoff.
Next Week: at No. 15 Arkansas (3-0)
7. Penn State
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: 10
Penn State picked up its second big win of the season, topping Auburn 28-20 in Happy Valley. With their win at Wisconsin to start the season, the Nittany Lions have their eyes set on winning the Big Ten East, Big Ten and getting a spot in the CFB playoff.
Next Week: Villanova (3-0)
8. Cincinnati
Record: 3-0 | Conference: American | Last Week Rank: 8
If Cincinnati is to get consideration from the College Football Playoff committee, the Bearcats have to go 2-0 this season against their two Power 5 opponents. They are halfway there after dominating Indiana on the road. Now they have two weeks to get ready for their showdown against Notre Dame.
Next Week: Idle
9. Notre Dame
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Independent | Last Week Rank: 11
Notre Dame is 3-0. But the Fighting Irish hasn’t dominated an opponent for an entire game. This is all with quarterback Jack Coan playing out of his mind with 892 yards, eighth touchdowns and two interceptions. With Wisconsin and Cincinnati next in back-to-back weeks, Notre Dame will have to play much better to stay undefeated.
10. Florida
Record: 2-1 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 13
There is no such thing as a moral victory in the SEC, but the Florida Gators put the rest of the conference on notice. Georgia’s road to the SEC East title got a bit murkier. If the Gators get through the gauntlet of the SEC to get a rematch against Alabama, look out Crimson Tide!
Next Week: Tennessee (2-1)
11. Ohio State
Record: 2-1 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: 7
Ohio State falls four spots despite a 41-20 win over Tulsa. That game was closer than the final score. A pick-six by Cameron Martinez put the game away for the Buckeyes. But, reality is the top-15 is loaded and impressive wins count. There’s an argument, Ohio State has zero three weeks into the season.
Next Week: Akron (1-2)
12. Clemson
Record: 2-1 | Conference: ACC | Last Week Rank: 8
Speaking of unimpressive wins. Clemson has made it routine on a weekly basis. Beating Georgia Tech 14-8 is not up to Clemson’s standards. Especially, when the Yellow Jackets were yards away from winning the game. Clemson has scored a total of 17 points against two Power 5 opponents, Georgia and Georgia Tech. That’s not going to cut it even in a weak ACC.
Next Week: at NC State (2-1)
13. Ole Miss
Record: 3-0 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 16
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral has burst through the Heisman Trophy race and is the lead candidate. Corral has tossed nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has also added five scores with his legs. The SEC West is more than a two-horse race.
Next Week: Idle
14. Wisconsin
Record: 1-1 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: 15
It’s a common theme. Schedule Notre Dame and schedule a bye the week before. Cincinnati is doing it this week in preparation for their game on Oct. 2. Wisconsin did it last week to prepare for Saturday’s showdown with the Fighting Irish in Chicago.
Next Week: vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
15. Arkansas
Record: 3-0 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 19
To show how deep the SEC West is this season, look at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are a top-15 team in the nation. Yet, they’re arguably the fourth, if not fifth-best team in the division! Matters in the West will start to sort itself out next week in Fayetteville.
Next Week: No. 6 Texas A&M
16. BYU
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Independent | Last Week Rank: 22
Can BYU be crowned the Pac-12 champions, even if they’re not in the conference? The Cougars are 3-0 on the season. All three wins over Pac-12 teams, including two Pac-12 South powers Utah and Arizona State. Guess what? BYU has two more on their schedule. If they beat USC and Washington State, there should be a petition to get BYU in the Pac-12 Championship Game in December.
Next Week: South Florida (1-2)
17. UCLA
Record: 2-1 | Conference: Pac-12 | Last Week Rank: 12
Just when you get behind the hype train for UCLA, the Bruins lay an egg against Fresno State. And make no mistake about it, Fresno State is for real. But, UCLA had playoff aspirations after their first two wins. Now, they’ll look to regroup in conference play, starting with a tough trip at Stanford.
Next Week: at Stanford (2-1)
18. Iowa State
Record: 2-1 | Conference: Big 12 | Last Week Rank: 18
Iowa State was impressive against UNLV with a 48-3 win Saturday. The stain of losing to Iowa was wiped off. Now, the Cyclones enter conference play, with a trip to Waco to face the 300 Baylor Bears.
Next Week: at Baylor (3-0)
19. Coastal Carolina
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Sun Belt | Last Week Rank: 17
Coastal Carolina’s strength of schedule will be their biggest detriment with an eye on a New Year’s Six Bowl. Their best bet is to have Cincinnati and BYU lose. But they can only control what they can control, and that’s winning out on their schedule.
Next Week: UMASS (0-3)
20. Virginia Tech
Record: 2-1 | Conference: ACC | Last Week Rank: 14
The Hokies are looking more like pretenders now after their dud in Morgantown against West Virginia. But they have a big win over UNC. And they’ll get to regroup against FCS’s Richmond before they get a bye and play Notre Dame.
Next Week: Richmond (2-1)
21. North Carolina
Record: 2-1 | Conference: ACC | Last Week Rank: 20
After stalling in Week 1 against Va. Tech, the Tar Heels have revved up their engines and took off. Quarterback Sam Howell has bounced back in a tremendous way. Against rival Virginia, Howell threw five touchdowns and over 300 yards. He also added 112 rushing yards. Don’t pass off the Tar Heels just yet.
Next Week: at Georgia Tech (1-2)
22. Michigan State
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: NR
Mel Tucker has Michigan State back in the conversation. They laid a 38-17 dumping on Miami in Miami. The Spartans look just as physical against the Canes as Alabama did in Week 1. With Ohio State fluttering and Penn State no absolute lock, Michigan State is primed to compete in the Big Ten East.
Next Week: Nebraska (2-2)
23. Fresno State
Record: 3-1 | Conference: Mountain West | Last Week Rank: NR
Pay close attention to Fresno State. They stood tall and beat UCLA in Los Angeles. It should not have come as a surprise. The Bulldogs only loss was at Oregon by seven points with a late Anthony Brown touchdown. The race to the New Year’s Six Bowl spot from the Group of Five will be interesting.
Next Week: UNLV (3-0)
24. Michigan
Record: 3-0 | Conference: Big Ten | Last Week Rank: NR
We all were underestimating Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. The 3-0 start has been impressive. Still it’s Jim Harbaugh so it’s easy to be leery about them. With that said, Michigan has no more layups for the remainder of their schedule, starting with the upstart Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Next Week: Rutgers (3-0)
25. Auburn
Record: 2-1 | Conference: SEC | Last Week Rank: 24
Auburn played tough in Happy Valley against Penn State. While they are part of the vaunted SEC West. Bo Nix and their passing game will have to improve vastly to hang with the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Next Week: Georgia State (1-2)
