Michigan State claims No. 1 in college football Power Rankings after Week 3
Week 3 was equal parts wonderful and perplexing. Ohio State nearly lost to Northern Illinois? Alabama did lose to Ole Miss? Stanford beat USC? These were all incredibly exciting games to watch, but they provided little clarity for how the rest of the season will play out. As Andy Staples noted in Punt, Pass & Pork, we may actually know less now about this year’s College Football Playoff race than we thought we did before the season began.
But as the season currently stands, one thing seems clear: the Buckeyes have not validated their status as the top team in country. No team seemed particularly keen on claiming the top spot Saturday—the Crimson Tide certainly would have moved to No. 1 had they beaten the Rebels—but three weeks in, it’s hard to make an argument that Ohio State has outplayed its Big Ten rivals, Michigan State. So congratulations, Sparty, don’t blow it.
1. Michigan State Spartans
PREVIOUS: 3
RECORD: 3-0
Next week: Saturday vs. Central Michigan
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
PREVIOUS: 1
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Northern Illinois 20–13 Next week: Saturday vs. Western Michigan
3. UCLA Bruins
PREVIOUS: 4
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat BYU 24–23 Next week: Saturday vs. Arizona
4. Ole Miss Rebels
PREVIOUS: 8
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Alabama 43–37 Next week: Saturday vs. Vanderbilt
5. Baylor Bears
PREVIOUS: 5
RECORD: 2-0
Last week: Bye week Next week: Saturday vs. Rice • BECHT: Biggest takeaways from Week 3
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
PREVIOUS: 11
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Georgia Tech 30–22 Next week: Saturday vs. UMass
7. TCU Horned Frogs
PREVIOUS: 6
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat SMU 56–37 Next week: Saturday at Texas Tech
8. LSU Tigers
PREVIOUS: 16
RECORD: 2-0
Last week: Beat Auburn 45–21 Next week: Saturday at Syracuse
9. Georgia Bulldogs
PREVIOUS: 14
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat South Carolina 52–20 Next week: Saturday vs. Southern
10. Florida State Seminoles
PREVIOUS: 10
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Boston College 14–0 Next week: Bye week • STAPLES: What do we know after Week 3?
11. Oklahoma Sooners
PREVIOUS: 13
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Tulsa 52–38 Next week: Bye week
12. Clemson Tigers
PREVIOUS: 9
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Louisville 20–17 Next week: Bye week
13. Alabama Crimson Tide
PREVIOUS: 2
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Lost to Ole Miss 43–37 Next week: Saturday vs. Louisiana-Monroe
14. Oregon Ducks
PREVIOUS: 15
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Beat Georgia State 61–28 Next week: Saturday vs. Utah
15. Texas A&M Aggies
PREVIOUS: 18
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Nevada 44–27 Next week: Saturday vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, Texas) • GLICKSMAN: Mayhem reigns in SEC West
16. Arizona Wildcats
PREVIOUS: 21
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Northern Arizona 77–13 Next week: Saturday vs. UCLA
17. Northwestern Wildcats
PREVIOUS: 22
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Duke 19–10 Next week: Saturday vs. Ball State
18. Utah Utes
PREVIOUS: 20
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat Fresno State 45–24 Next week: Saturday at Oregon
19. Wisconsin Badgers
PREVIOUS: 25
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Beat Troy 28–3 Next week: Saturday vs. Hawaii
20. Stanford Cardinal
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Beat USC 41–31 Next week: Friday at Oregon State • JOHNSON: Hogan shines in upset of USC
21. USC Trojans
PREVIOUS: 7
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Lost to Stanford 41–31 Next week: Saturday at Arizona State
22. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
PREVIOUS: 12
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Lost to Notre Dame 30–22 Next week: Saturday at Duke
23. Oklahoma State Cowboys
PREVIOUS: 23
RECORD: 3-0
Last week: Beat UTSA 69–14 Next week: Saturday at Texas
24. BYU Cougars
PREVIOUS: 17
RECORD: 2-1
Last week: Lost to UCLA 24–23 Next week: Saturday at Michigan
25. West Virginia Mountaineers
RECORD: 2-0
Last week: Bye week Next week: Saturday vs. Maryland
Dropped out: Auburn, Missouri
Next five: Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, Cal, Houston
