4 Most Overrated College Football Teams In AP Top 25 Poll After Week 3

Who needs to be knocked down a peg this weekend?

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman looks on during the second half of a NCAA football game against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Green Bay, WI. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

College football is the gift that keeps on giving, and the 2026 season has delivered some surprises so far.

During Week 3, five ranked teams went down. Among the shockers was unranked Kentucky going into College Station and dominating Texas A&M, along with West Virginia making work of Virginia over the final three quarters for a double-digit road victory.

Miami, BYU, and USC were among the programs who were tested despite being heavy favorites.

Who are the most overrated teams as the calendar quickly moves towards late September?

No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during a NCAA football game against Rice at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Notre Dame is out to a 3-0 start after being snubbed from the College Football Playoff, though the program hasn't faced the stiffest competition so far.

Saturday's victory over Michigan State was a little wacky. The Fighting Irish dominated the time of possession (37:02-22:58) and more than doubled the Spartans in total yards (395-167). However, Notre Dame only won 27-10 despite being favored by over four touchdowns.

Notre Dame's defense has only allowed 23 points in three games, but the offense is struggling to run the ball, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and failing to produce a run longer than 17 yards.

I'm fine with Notre Dame being in the top-10, but Ole Miss should probably be ahead of them right now.

Three of the Fighting Irish's next four games are on the road, but they probably won't face a true scare until they travel to BYU in October.

No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide

Sep 19, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) runs against Florida State Seminoles defensive back Ma'Khi Jones (14) to score a touchdown during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How in the world did Alabama move up two spots after beating Florida State 50-36? The Seminoles are a mess, and the Crimson Tide looked elite on defense in their first two games. Whether it was the weather delay, or something in the water, things got strange in Tuscaloosa.

Florida State got out to a 21-6 lead. However, the game got delayed again, and Alabama came out firing on all cylinders. The Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns in just over 3 minutes to take the lead into halftime, and never looked back.

Regardless, the Seminoles put up a season-high 36 points and 471 yards. Ashton Daniels threw for 377 yards after not eclipsing that mark in FSU's first two games combined.

The offense looks exhilarating, but the defense needs to go back to the drawing board with a tough stretch coming up that includes five straight games against ranked opponents.

No. 12 USC Trojans

Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the field during warm ups before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Welcome back, USC. I was already feeling skeptical about the Trojans last week after they beat Louisiana 49-30.

The panic meter is only continuing to grow after USC struggled against one of the worst teams in the country. Rutgers has been nothing short of disappointing, but the Scarlet Knights competed with the Trojans for four quarters, ultimately falling 42-35.

Rutgers cut the deficit to within 7 points three times in the second half, including with less than 5 minutes left in the game.

To put it in perspective, the Scarlet Knights only scored 21 points in losses to UMass and Boston College, falling by 16 points at home to the Minutemen.

USC's defense has plenty of questions to answer after giving up 460 total yards. The easy part of the schedule is over as the Trojans face four ranked opponents in their next six games, starting off with a home game against No. 20 Oregon.

No. 19 Missouri Tigers

Sep 19, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) throws a pass against the Troy Trojans during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maybe Missouri was looking ahead, but its 27-17 win over Troy wasn't very comfortable. The Trojans jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening frame. However, the Tigers took advantage of mistakes in the second quarter, returning a punt for a score, and turning a pair of Troy turnovers into quick touchdowns.

All three of Missouri's touchdowns in the game came in the second quarter. Outside of that, the Tigers only accumulated 3 total points in the other 3 quarters.

Missouri ended up punting 7 times, after combining for 6 punts in its first two games. The offense compiled a measly 230 yards, went 2/11 on third-down, and committed 9 penalties. Troy won the time-of-possession battle by a wide margin; 37:23-22:37

Quarterback Austin Simmons was held to a season-low 10/19 passing for 91 yards. He threw for at least 250 yards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Kansas.

6 of Missouri's next 7 games will be against ranked opponents, including the next 4 contests. The Tigers are on upset alert when they travel to Mississippi State on Saturday night.

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