College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 3
Week 3 of the college football season is fast approaching, and now it's time to make our predictions for what the next AP top 25 rankings will look like
Note: This isn't our projected top 25, but our prediction of how the voters will rank teams
25. Texas. Don't say the "B" word, but the Longhorns played the consensus College Football Playoff favorites to 1 point, even without their starting quarterback most of the day. This is a physical defensive group and good times could be ahead once Quinn Ewers and his big play ability get back healthy. Playing the Tide that close can convince a lot of top 25 voters.
24. Pittsburgh. The defending ACC champs will drop, but perhaps not out of the top 25 rankings altogether after a hard-fought, close loss to Tennessee.
23. Texas Tech. Donovan Smith looks more than capable of replacing Tyler Shough after leading a brilliant OT comeback after a slow second half, knocking off a ranked, future Big 12 opponent.
22. Penn State. A nice win over Ohio U in the home opener putting up over 230 yards rushing and backup QB Drew Allar passed for 2 scores in a glimpse of the future.
21. Wake Forest. Sam Hartman's return looked about as expected as the QB went for 300 yards and 4 TDs in a 20-point win at Vanderbilt.
20. Ole Miss. Still no decision on the Rebels' starting quarterback, though Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer both had 2 TDs in a rout over Central Arkansas.
19. Texas A&M. A loss at home to App State was not in the cards for the Aggies, who had designs on making the College Football Playoff this year. It's still possible, but there's no room for error now.
18. Florida. The offense sputtered in Anthony Richardson's second time out as the Gators badly need a deep threat to take some pressure off this QB.
17. Baylor. A crushing road loss on the last play of the game in two overtimes despite Blake Shapen's game-tying TD for Ben Sims and the Bears' Big 12 title defense takes a minor hit.
16. BYU. The Cougars used last year's loss to Baylor as motivation and came out the better team in a gutsy, emotional win despite missing their top two receivers. A statement win ahead of a tough schedule.
15. Tennessee. The Vols should get a good boost after an OT win at ranked Pittsburgh, rebounding from a sluggish second half behind Hendon Hooker's TD play in the overtime to seal it.
14. NC State. As expected in a rout against Charleston Southern, good enough for a slight jump with all the other movement in the rankings.
13. Miami. A very slow start against Southern Miss, but the Hurricanes rebounded ahead of a statement trip to A&M next weekend.
12. Michigan State. An expected jump after a 52-0 rout over Akron and some teams ahead of it taking the L. A solid power game from Jalen Berger, who eclipsed 100 yards rushing and scored 3 times.
11. Utah. A major comeback after the loss at Florida, piling on 9 offensive scored and a 10th on defense in the 73-7 rout over Southern Utah. But that Week 1 loss will hurt the College Football Playoff bid if Florida continues to lose.
10. Kentucky. Despite not having Chris Rodriguez and tripping through special teams mistakes, the Wildcats made a statement at Florida with 2 INTs, including a pick-6 and holding the Gators off the board after halftime.
9. Arkansas. Another hardcore rushing effort by the Hogs, who had almost 300 yards on the ground, led by Raheim Sanders' 156 yards and 2 scores and a D that held the pesky Gamecocks to just 1.4 ypc.
8. Oklahoma State. A good outing for Spencer Sanders, who put up 268 yards in a 17-point win over Arizona State, while Dominic Richardson carried for 131 yards and a score. Two losers in the top 10 help the Cowboys this week.
7. USC. A good thrashing for the Trojans' new-look offense, which piled up 505 yards with no turnovers as Williams hit Addison for 2 more TDs.
6. Oklahoma. Expect a jump for the Sooners after A&M and Notre Dame both lost, but keep an eye on the OU offense, which didn't do much in the first half, trailing Kent State before adding a TD before the break.
5. Clemson. DJ Uiagalelei did enough in a 35-12 win over Furman, but you still get the feeling this offense is stuck in second gear. Will Shipley tacked on 2 scores on the ground off 10 touches.
4. Michigan. No expected change for the Wolverines after handling Hawaii and it looks like J.J. McCarthy may have taken the QB job away from Cade McNamara, who helped lead UM to the College Football Playoff a year ago, after a very efficient passing night.
3. Ohio State. No JSN, no problem this week for the Buckeyes, whose quarterback CJ Stroud hit Marvin Harrison, Jr. for 3 TD passes and Emeka Egbuka for a third while TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 2.
2. Georgia. College football's defending national champs went on autopilot this week in a 33-0 rout over Samford and should stay put at 2.
1. Alabama. Playing a 1-point game on the road to an unranked team isn't the kind of thing that impresses top 25 voters, but Texas does look much better, and it's hard to dislodge a No. 1 team when it wins.