College Football Rankings Week 3: CFN Top 25 Shaken Up After All the Stunners

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How could you not have fun as a college football fan this weekend? From Texas pulling off an all-timer of a comeback – or Ohio State’s collapse, if you’re on the other side of the epic showdown – to Michigan stepping up large and shutting down Oklahoma.

From the bizarre performance by Oregon, to Texas Tech and Washington underwhelming, to near-perfection from Notre Dame, Georgia, and LSU, there’s a lot to mess around with in our shaken-up Week 3 CFN Top 25.

CFN Week 3 Top 25 Teams: Where Do We Put Ohio State, Michigan, and Oklahoma?

25. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 15 
Week 2: Texas Tech 35, Oregon State 24 
Up Next: Houston
We blew off the blah 33-10 win over Abilene Christian to start the season, and even though it was a road game, it took way too much to put Oregon State away – the game was far tighter than the 35-24 final score. We’re waiting to see the 2025 dominance.

24. UCLA Bruins

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 30 
Week 2: UCLA 28, San Diego State 10 
Up Next: Purdue
It took a while to get warmed up against San Diego State, but the pattern has been established under head coach Bob Chesney. Get physical, wear the other side down, and the running game will take over in the fourth quarter.

23. Missouri Tigers

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 29 
Week 2: Missouri 38, Kansas 21 
Up Next: Troy
After an occasionally ugly week when it came to the rivalry game rhetoric – from the other side – leading up to the Border War at Kansas, but Missouri took care of business. The Jayhawks brought the fire and the energy, and the Tigers did their job in a strong test.

22. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 45 
Week 2: Mississippi State 38, Minnesota 23 
Up Next: at South Carolina
WOAH. Minnesota is far, far better than it played on Saturday, and Mississippi State had everything to do with that. It wasn’t just star quarterback Kamario Taylor. The Bulldogs bullied the Big Ten team in its own house.

21. Louisville Cardinals

Record: (1-1) 
Last Week Rank: 24 
Week 2: Louisville 59, Villanova 13 
Up Next: SMU
It was only a blowout win over an FCS team, but combined with a strong showing in the Week 1 loss to Ole Miss, the Cardinals are looking dangerous.

20. South Carolina Gamecocks

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 18 
Week 2: South Carolina 45, Towson 9 
Up Next: Mississippi State
We loved the Gamecocks in the preseason, so don’t get hung up on the slight drop in our rankings. This is a placeholder spot after blowing out Kent State and Towson. Now it’s on with Mississippi State and Alabama up next.

19. Florida Gators

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 23 
Week 2: Florida 52, Campbell 3 
Up Next: at Auburn
The 66-21 win over Florida Atlantic didn’t seem like anything special at the time, and then the Owls came out and handled Navy this week with a great game. Everything is working pretty close to perfectly so far under Jon Sumrall.

18. Penn State Nittany Lions

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 19 
Week 2: Penn State 27, Temple 9 
Up Next: Buffalo
Don’t read anything into only beating Temple by 18. This was a well-coached and under-the-radar Owl squad the Nittany Lions just pushed past.

17. Oklahoma Sooners

Record: (1-1) 
Last Week Rank: 7 
Week 2: Michigan 17, Oklahoma 10 
Up Next: New Mexico
It became fashionable on Saturday to honk at Oklahoma for being overrated, with plenty of unkind words for quarterback John Mateer. That’s not fair. It was a tough game with both sides pitching defensive gems.

16. Michigan Wolverines

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 25 
Week 2: Michigan 17, Oklahoma 10 
Up Next: UTEP
2-0 doesn’t care where 2-0 came from. For all the controversy and concern over the strange way the Western Michigan game ended, Michigan needed to come out and show that it’s for real. It just beat an Oklahoma team that’s better than the College Football Playoff version of last year.

15. BYU Cougars

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 13 
Week 2: BYU 28, Arizona 17 
Up Next: at Colorado State
Arizona is no joke. That was a dogfight the Cougars were involved in, and it was just the sort of tough Big 12 opener that will help them as the season goes on. They’re battle-tested now.

14. Utah Utes

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 22 
Week 2: Utah 43, Arkansas 10 
Up Next: Utah State
It was a late-night game likely watched by dozens, and those who did see it were able to go to bed early. Utah ripped through an SEC team like it was standing in mud. The Utes are playing at Big 12 Championship level early on.

13. Ole Miss Rebels

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 21 
Week 2: Ole Miss 41, Charlotte 9 
Up Next: LSU
The Rebels didn’t turn it loose against a painfully overmatched Charlotte team. They can be forgiven if they just wanted to get through this and move on to what’s next: LSU and Lane Kiffin.

12. Tennessee Volunteers

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 14 
Week 2: Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24 
Up Next: Kennesaw State
Oooooooh, Georgia Tech had a meeting with the whole team and all the coaches. They discussed things, came out fired up, and … Tennessee took all of that, balled it up, threw it away, and won by three touchdowns on the road. It’s playing well.

11. Kansas State Wildcats

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 20 
Week 2: Kansas State 34, Washington State 7 
Up Next: Tulane
Get in on the hot stock early. This is a different-looking Kansas State team under Collin Klein. It’s early, but so far it’s ruthlessly efficient, and it’s getting the job done with a running game that’s ripping off yards in bunches so far.

10. Texas A&M Aggies

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 11 
Week 2: Texas A&M 48, Arizona State 20 
Up Next: Kentucky
Arizona State gave the Aggies a fight, and it was still a 28-point win. It was a big moment for the A&M program that flew under the radar with all the other important games of the day, but this mattered. It was a terrific all-around game against a solid team.

9. Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 12 
Week 2: Alabama 45, Kentucky 17 
Up Next: Florida State
Alabama hasn’t put together a full game yet, and it’s not time to crown anyone based on wins over East Carolina and Kentucky, but Kalen DeBoer has put together a team that’s really young, really fast, and seemingly on the verge of something special.

8. Miami Hurricanes

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 10 
Week 2: Miami 77, Florida A&M 7 
Up Next: at Wake Forest
Seriously, America, don’t get caught looking at the shiny object. Of course Miami has fun playmakers, and the pyrotechnics from the offense have been amazing. The team beat Stanford and Florida A&M – let’s not go crowning anyone quite yet.

7. USC Trojans

Record: (3-0) 
Last Week Rank: 9 
Week 2: USC 48, Louisiana 30 
Up Next: at Rutgers
USC was ultra-intense in the shutout win over Fresno State in Week 1, and it let down its guard a bit against Louisiana. Don’t worry about the final score; the defensive fire will be there for the Big Ten opener at Rutgers next.

6. Georgia Bulldogs

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 5 
Week 2: Georgia 70, Western Kentucky 20 
Up Next: at Arkansas
In case you haven’t noticed — and why would you, considering Georgia played Tennessee State and an oddly mediocre Western Kentucky — this might be the most tuned-up team in the country, and it’s not messing around. It won its first two games by a combined score of 133-23.

5. Indiana Hoosiers

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 4 
Week 2: Indiana 55, Howard 0 
Up Next: Western Kentucky
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Curt Cignetti will make up something that didn’t go quite right and pretend there’s a big problem somewhere. After two exhibition games, everything is clicking just fine.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 3 
Week 2: Notre Dame 52, Rice 0 
Up Next: Michigan State
Don’t blow off a win over Rice. Yeah, Notre Dame was supposed to win in a blowout, but the Owls have a funky running style that’s hard to prepare for. One 52-0 Irish win later, and it’s on to the Michigan State game.

3. LSU Tigers

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 2 
Week 2: LSU 45, Louisiana Tech 14 
Up Next: at Ole Miss
LSU appeared bored by Louisiana Tech, and why wouldn’t it? It was the ultimate sandwich game between the hype of the Clemson opener and the trip to Ole Miss next week. When it was time to step on the gas, the Tigers floored it.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Record: (1-1) 
Last Week Rank: 1 
Week 2: Texas 24, Ohio State 23 
Up Next: Kent State
That field goal attempt with four minutes to play goes straight, and we’re talking about the unquestioned No. 1 Buckeyes and having a very different discussion about the future of Texas football under Steve Sarkisian. The defense just got its wake-up call – it’s not good enough … yet.

1. Texas Longhorns

Record: (2-0) 
Last Week Rank: 6 
Week 2: Texas 24, Ohio State 23 
Up Next: UTSA
Yeah, we’ll give it up for now. It took an all-time comeback, a legendary fourth quarter, and Ohio State getting tired and screwing up for Texas to pull it off, but let’s put it this way. You know how many teams scored more than 16 points on Ohio State last year before the loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff? Zero.

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