College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 3
As the dust settles around the latest slate of games on Saturday, let's look ahead to the next AP top 25 college football rankings
Note: this isn't our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll on Sunday
College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 3
25. Iowa. A good enough win in the Cy-Hawk game, combined with Tulane's loss might be enough to put the Hawkeyes back in the rankings.
24. UCLA. Hovering just outside the polls so far, a 2-0 Bruins team off an impressive 35-10 win over San Diego State could benefit from losses by the lower-ranked teams.
23. Clemson. Yes, the Tigers trailed Charleston Southern early on, which should never happen, but they mounted a furious comeback in a 66-17 result, which, combined with Tulane and A&M losing is probably enough to get a slight boost this week.
22. Duke. After the landmark upset of Clemson, the Blue Devils took care of business against Lafayette but could still lose a spot thanks to Miami's showcase outing.
21. Miami. Tyler Van Dyke went over 300 yards with 5 touchdown passes against A&M and the Canes became the 4th non-conference team to score 48 points and score that many times against an SEC opponent in the last decade. The U is here.
20. Colorado. Some sluggish offense to start, but the Buffs came to life after Nebraska's turnovers and scored on 7 of their next 8 drives. Prime is 2-0 and his son is a 78% passer with 903 yards and six touchdowns with Colorado State up next. And Oregon and USC after that.
19. Ole Miss. A gutsy fourth down pass from Jaxson Dart that went for a TD pulled the Rebels away from an upset-minded Tulane team that didn't have Michael Pratt on the field.
18. Oklahoma. Dillon Gabriel had four touchdowns in a win over SMU and now the Sooners take it on the road for 2 weeks, against Tulsa and then Cincinnati.
17. North Carolina. It was much closer than expected and the Tar Heels needed two overtimes, but pulled out the win over App State at home behind a ground attack that racked up 319 yards. Drake Maye was an efficient 21 of 30 but didn't throw a TD pass.
16. Oregon State. Two weeks and 97 points later and the Beavers are looking good with DJ Uiagalelei, who has been highly effective at quarterback.
15. Kansas State. Will Howard accounted for five total touchdowns in a big win over Troy and look ahead to a road game against Missouri coming up.
14. LSU. Brian Kelly's offense put up more than 70 points in a nice rout over Grambling moving the Tigers to 1-1 after the Florida State loss in the opener.
13. Oregon. Bo Nix led a 20-3 scoring run in the fourth quarter after trailing at Texas Tech and a dramatic pick-six by the Ducks put the game out of reach for good.
12. Utah. The Utes didn't have much going early until two fourth quarter touchdown drives and the defense held firm against Baylor's last-second effort, moving to 2-0 without Cameron Rising on the field.
11. Tennessee. A win is a win, but the Vols looked sleepy at times against Austin Peay and were tied 6-6 late in the first half but Joe Milton had two TD passes. A trip to Florida is next, where UT hasn't won since 2003.
10. Notre Dame. A big lead for the Irish early before NC State led a comeback, but two Brennan Armstrong INTs and a turnover on downs helped ND score three more times and stay out in front. Audric Estime hit over 100 yards rushing and scored twice.
9. Washington. Michael Penix put up over 400 yards passing in a win over Tulsa with a trip to Michigan State coming up next weekend, but might get pushed down after the Texas win.
8. Alabama. Working behind some sketchy protection, Jalen Milroe had a mixed showing in the loss to the Longhorns, with some long TD passes but also some puzzling turnovers, maybe enough to stay in the top 10.
7. Penn State. Nick Singleton ran for 3 TDs while Drew Allar posted 200 yards and a rushing score in a 63-7 rout over Delaware with the Big Ten opener at Illinois up next.
6. USC. A romp over Stanford as Caleb Williams hit over 300 yards in a half and the Trojans should stay put.
5. Ohio State. A little better showing from the Buckeyes offense as Kyle McCord scored three times, including two for Marvin Harrison, Jr., who had 160 yards receiving against Youngstown State.
4. Texas. Quinn Ewers got behind the Tide for over 350 yards and 3 TD passes and the Longhorns made a huge statement on the road a year before joining the SEC. Back? For this week at least, yes.
3. Florida State. Trey Benson ran for 3 TDs in a 66-13 win over Southern Miss and could move up after Alabama's loss.
2. Michigan. J.J. McCarthy was 22 of 25 for over 300 yards and Blake Corum ran for three touchdowns as the Wolverines took down UNLV with one more game to go without Jim Harbaugh on the sideline.
1. Georgia. Another cupcake, another dub for the Bulldogs, this time over Ball State with South Carolina coming to town in the SEC opener.
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