It was a rather quiet week in the world of college football - especially when it pertained to the top 25 in particular. The top 16 teams in the rankings either won or were off this past weekend - and most of them won against overmatched opponents in lopsided blowouts. The first real change happened at #17 after Michigan State was shocked at home by Herm Edwards and Arizona State, 10-7 in a slopfest. The loss dropped the Spartans out of the rankings, but they are still in the group of "next" teams just outside of the top 25. The victory sent the Sun Devils to 3-0 on the season and into the rankings at #23 this week.
We start at the top of the rankings where everything was kosher as Alabama took care of South Carolina on the road 47-23, Clemson had a routine rout of what is proving to be a not-so-good Syracuse team in the Carrier Dome, 41-6, and Georgia pummeled a lackluster Arkansas State squad 55-0. All three remain locked into the top 3 spots.
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LSU got an easy W against NWST and #5 Florida got a big SEC road win at Kentucky - avenging last year's loss back at the Swamp to the Wildcats. The win took a brutal toll on the Gators, however, as they lost starting QB Feleipe Franks for the season to a devastating ankle injury. They still rallied from a 21-10 3rd quarter deficit to win 29-21, but how will the Gators fare going forward with Kyle Trask at the helm? They fend off a red-hot Ohio State for now and remain at 5.
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Speaking off the Buckeyes, they were impressive in a 51-10 road demolition of Indiana to open Big TEN play. They remain at 6 after an overall great start to the season. Michigan was idle, and are followed by Oklahoma - the Sooners moved up a spot to #8 after their impressive win at the Rose Bowl over UCLA. They flipped with the Irish, who destroyed New Mexico 66-14 in South Bend. UCF rounds out the top 10 once again after jumping all over Stanford & racing out to a 38-7 halftime lead in a 45-27 stomping.
Utah & Auburn rolled, Wisconsin was idle ahead of their big showdown with Michigan, and Texas bounced back to thrash Rice 45-14. Boise State cruised past Portland State, and Penn State surprisingly struggled with rival Pitt, but ultimately prevailed 17-10, rounding out #s 11-16 for the second week in a row. Oregon & Texas A&M each won in blowouts of FCS teams Montana & Lamar, respectively, and each moved up a spot to 17 & 18 - taking advantage of the Michigan State setback.
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Iowa was the big mover of the week after enduring a long weather delay and a brutal Iowa State defense in Ames. The 18-17 slugfest sent the Hawkeyes to 3-0 and gives them a quality road victory and the Cy Hawk Trophy. The victory sent them up 5 spots to #19. The Cyclones dropped out of the rankings, but it wouldn't be surprising at all to see them back in the top 25 at some point this season.
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USC had jumped into the rankings this past week at #21 after crushing Stanford, but promptly went on the road and lost a tough one to BYU in OT. The loss dropped the Trojans right back out of this week's rankings. Washington State jumped into the top 25 after winning 31-24 at Houston on Friday night to improve to 3-0. The Cougars take advantage of the above-mentioned stumbles and land at #20. Fellow Pac-12 foe Cal managed to jump out to a big 1st quarter lead against North Texas at home only to have to hang-on for a tougher-than-expected 23-16 victory. The Bears are now 3-0 and moved up a spot to #21. They are followed by the Washington Huskies - back into the rankings after a week hiatus - at 22. They join the Pac 12 party currently comprising spots 20-23 in this week's rankings.
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Virginia is the fourth and final new edition to the top 25 after getting a huge 31-24 home victory over Florida State to open ACC play. With rival Virginia Tech already looking vulnerable, the Cavaliers could have an inside track to the ACC Coastal division Title. They are followed by Army, who once again rounds out the top 25 after getting a routine road win at UTSA.
Kansas State got a big non-conference win at Mississippi State as an underdog this past Saturday and are on the verge of the rankings. For now the Wildcats find themselves in the "next" group of teams just outside of the top 25 along with fellow Big XII teams Baylor (who dropped out this past week - the Bears were idle and need a somewhat quality win at least to possibly jump back in), TCU, and Oklahoma State. Just as predicted in last week's top 25 edition - Temple not only gave Maryland a tough game but knocked off the Terps a week after the Turtles had obliterated Syracuse. The big win has the Owls just outside of the rankings as well. Without further ado, this week's college football top 25 presented by @sportsguychris:
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College Football Ultimate Top 25:
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1 ALABAMA (3-0)
2 CLEMSON (3-0)
3 GEORGIA (3-0)
4 LSU (3-0)
5 FLORIDA (3-0)
6 OHIO STATE (3-0)
7 MICHIGAN (2-0)
8 OKLAHOMA (3-0)
9 NOTRE DAME (2-0)
10 UCF (3-0)
11 UTAH (3-0)
12 AUBURN (3-0)
13 WISCONSIN (2-0)
14 TEXAS (2-1)
15 BOISE STATE (3-0)
16 PENN STATE (3-0)
17 OREGON (2-1)
18 TEXAS A&M (2-1)
19 IOWA (3-0)
20 WASHINGTON STATE (3-0)*
21 CAL (3-0)
22 WASHINGTON (2-1)*
23 ARIZONA STATE (3-0)*
24 VIRGINIA (3-0)*
25 ARMY (2-1)
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*- New to the rankings this week
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Dropped Out:
17 Michigan State, 20 Baylor, 21 USC, 23 Iowa State
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Next:
Baylor, TCU, Kansas State, Temple, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, BYU, Wyoming
Looking ahead to this weekend, we finally get some big-time mouth-watering matchups after a rather mundane first few weeks to the season. There were a few exceptions here and there, but week 4 has plenty of quality action starting right away on Friday night in the Pac-12.
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Suddenly #11 Utah is the Pac-12's best (and maybe last) chance to get a team into this year's playoff. The Utes are a legit top contender and have a big road matchup with USC at the Coliseum. The Trojans have been up-and-down to start the season with victories over Fresno State & Stanford and last week's loss at BYU. Air Force visits Boise State as well on Friday night in what should be a low-key fantastic game from the blue turf.
The two blockbuster games that stand a bit above the others this Saturday features the #9 Irish of Notre Dame heading to Athens to take on #3 Georgia & #7 Michigan opening up Big TEN play at Camp Randall Stadium against #13 Wisconsin. Both games have massive early-season playoff implications and offer great opportunities to pickup a marque victory.
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The SEC also has a big tilt this weekend with #12 Auburn visiting #18 Texas A&M in the Tigers' first real road game of the season. The Aggies could make things very difficult for Auburn's freshman QB. #10 UCF is at Pitt, #17 Oregon is at Stanford, and Oklahoma State (3-0) visits Austin to take on the #14 Longhorns in a nighttime Big XII opener. One other game to keep an eye on is how Florida's new QB looks against Tennessee, as the Vols are desperate for another win after losing to both Georgia State & BYU at home to start the season.
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It should be another awesome week of action with outcomes from this week's big games sure to shakeup the top 25, be sure to check back next week for another updated college football Ultimate Top 25. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!
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