SEC Daily: Risers and Fallers in Week 3 AP Top 25

Week 2 in the SEC brought no shortage of exciting contests and the first glimpse at intra-conference competition. Overall, 14 out of 16 teams came away with victories, with Ole Miss topping Kentucky and Florida dropping a stunner to USF.

Tennessee was the biggest riser in the AP Top 25 after its 72-point offensive onslaught against East Tennessee State, while the Gators fell completely out of the rankings. Instead, two new SEC teams made the list, bringing the total number of teams in the conference represented to 11 — with three more in the “others receiving votes category.”

Here’s how the rest of poll shook out:

Week 3 AP Top 25

1. Ohio State (-)
2. Penn State (-)
3. LSU (-)
4. Oregon (+2)
5. Miami (-)
6. Georgia (-2)
7. Texas (-)
8. Notre Dame (+1)
9. Illinois (+2)
10. Florida State (+4)
11. South Carolina (-1)
12. Clemson (-4)
13. Oklahoma (+5)
14. Iowa State (+2)
15. Tennessee (+7)
16. Texas A&M (+3)
17. Ole Miss (+3)
18. South Florida (New)
19. Alabama (+2)
20. Utah (+5)
21. Texas Tech (+3)
22. Indiana (+1)
23. Michigan (-8)
24. Auburn (New)
25. Missouri (New)

Others receiving votes:

Arizona St. 94, BYU 92, Georgia Tech 78, Florida 70, Southern Cal 64, TCU 58, Mississippi St. 52, Louisville 49, SMU 26, Nebraska 10, Tulane 9, Baylor 7, UNLV 5, Pittsburgh 3, Navy 2, Memphis 1, Vanderbilt 1.

LSU Sits atop the Conference

The LSU Tigers’ Week 1 victory over Clemson set the tone for them as conference frontrunners are going forward. Although they didn’t necessarily light up the scoreboard in Week 2 against Louisiana Tech, Garrett Nussmeier looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. LSU will host a Florida team in desperate need of a victory Saturday night looking to further cement itself as a College Football Playoff contender.

Oklahoma and Tennessee Rise

Oklahoma put itself at the center of many national conversations this weekend with a convincing 24-13 victory over the Michigan Wolverines. Quarterback John Mateer took home SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and the Sooners’ defense held up well, suffocating Bryce Underwood into just nine completions all night. Oklahoma will face Temple on Saturday.

Tennessee hasn’t missed outgoing transfer Nico Iamaleava much in its first two matchups, as the Volunteers have blown out Syracuse and East Tennessee State. Quarterback Joey Aguilar looks like the real deal, posting a 92.9 PFF grade across both games — second in the country only to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Tennessee will get its first real test of the season Saturday when it hosts the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium.

Bye-bye, Florida

The Florida Gators entered the week sitting comfortably at No. 13 in the AP Top 25, but after a shocking upset loss at home to USF, they have been eradicated from the poll. Though they still received 70 votes in the poll, Florida will need to bounce back this weekend against LSU in Death Valley, Baton Rouge. If it doesn’t, head coach Billy Napier might find himself looking for a new job sooner rather than later.

New Faces, Same Tigers

The Week 3 rankings saw Auburn and Missouri crack the top 25 for the first time this season. Auburn was one of the few teams that won decisively in Week 2, defeating Ball State 42-3 on the back of quarterback Jackson Arnold’s 251 passing yards and three touchdowns at an 86 percent completion rate. After back-to-back victories, the Tigers host South Alabama in Week 4.

The Missouri Tigers poured 42 points on the Kansas Jayhawks defense en route to an 11-point Week 3 victory on the back of quarterback Beau Pribula. Kevin Coleman Jr. racked up 10 catches and a score. Missouri currently ranks third in the conference in total offense and will aim to keep things rolling against Louisiana.