College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down in Week 3

These teams are on the rise, and on the decline, as we look ahead to the updated AP top 25 college football rankings going live ahead of Week 3 action.

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As we look back on another dramatic week of action across the country, let’s take a turn predicting what teams will emerge as the biggest movers in the AP top 25 college football rankings as we look ahead to the Week 3 games.

It’s always those weeks where you don’t think anything will happen when something does, and Week 2 of the young college football season proved to be just that.

Most of the big-timers were in action against overmatched opponents, so there won’t be too much change at the top of the rankings, but one unforeseen upset, and some listless football from ostensible contenders will give some AP top voters pause in constructing their ballots this week.

Ohio State predictably will remain intact as the No. 1 team in college football after a win over Grambling so lopsided that most sportsbooks didn’t bother taking bets on it.

What teams will be on the move in the AP top 25 college football rankings this week? Let’s take a shot at predicting who is moving up, and down, in the Week 3 polls.

College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down in Week 3

Rankings reflect AP top 25 poll

Moving up: Oklahoma

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Last week’s ranking: No. 18

What a difference an offseason makes, as the Sooners took full advantage of the transfer portal to resurrect a disastrous offense, and so far the returns look very promising.

John Mateer bedeviled the Michigan defense, passing for 270 yards and a touchdown and running for 2 additional touchdowns while leading OU with 74 rushing yards.

One area of concern for Oklahoma was the quality of its offensive protection in front of Mateer after ranking last nationally in sacks allowed a year ago, but on Saturday the line had the answer, keeping Mateer clean and paving the way for the ground game against a physical Wolverines front seven.

Defensively, once again this front seven executed a confident, well-coordinated game plan as head coach Brent Venables took personal control of the unit, holding Michigan to just 3 of 14 on third down.

Oklahoma should jump Michigan in this week’s rankings and inch closer into the top 15 after losses by SMU, Arizona State, and Florida further up in the poll.

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Moving down: Michigan

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Last week’s ranking: No. 15

Bryce Underwood made his first career road start and showed some promise in the face of a tough Oklahoma defense, despite finishing just 9 of 24 passing with 142 yards and no touchdowns.

Working behind an offensive line that failed to adjust properly to the Sooners’ pressure, Underwood was able to buy some time and extend plays with his mobility, but he didn’t have any designed runs as Michigan called a more conservative game for him.

Justice Haynes was the one bright spot on the offense, tacking on 125 rushing yards and the Wolverines’ sole touchdown of the night.

Michigan will fall out of the top 15 of the rankings this week and is danger of falling below the top 20 as other lower-ranked teams won their games on Saturday.

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Moving down: Florida

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Last week’s ranking: No. 13

Florida has failed to get remotely close to the College Football Playoff for a decade, and after a stunning two-point loss at home to unranked USF, that remains the case.

And as usual, the coaching stylings of Billy Napier have come under enormous scrutiny, including why the Gators were unable to score many points, those special teams gaffes, avoidable penalties, and overall situational errors.

Napier’s days in the Swamp are clearly numbered, especially looking ahead to Florida’s punishing schedule going forward, with just two games coming up against teams that are currently unranked.

We project AP top 25 voters will feel betrayed by putting so much faith in the Gators and will drop them out of the rankings entirely this week.

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Moving up: Florida State

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Last week’s ranking: No. 14

In two games, the Seminoles have already matched last season’s win total in what must feel like a very cathartic moment for head coach Mike Norvell.

Florida State scored on 10 straight drives and Tommy Castellanos passed for 237 yards as part of a staggering 729-yard effort in a 77-3 thrashing of East Texas A&M.

Taken together with a signature two-touchdown upset of No. 8 Alabama in the opener, things have gone as well as the Seminoles could have possibly hoped, and the reward should be another modest improvement in their place in this week’s rankings.

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Moving down: SMU

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Last week’s ranking: No. 17

SMU led for every second it played against Baylor, except for the very last play.

That was despite leading Baylor by two touchdowns late in the game, but the Mustangs’ defense didn’t have enough to stop its Big 12 counterpart in offense in double overtime.

Sawyer Robertson put on a show against SMU’s defense, amassing 440 yards in the air while throwing 4 touchdowns on 50 attempts.

With the loss as a ranked team against an unranked Baylor squad that lost to Auburn at home in the opener, SMU already has a black eye on its resume before ACC play even opens up, and its College Football Playoff hopes may already be in peril.

SMU needs to hope Baylor, which has won 14 straight in this series, becomes a ranked team down the road to impress the selectors in December.

As for this week, the Mustangs could drop out of the AP poll this week after the home loss to an unranked opponent in order to make room for more deserving teams like USF and Auburn, which we project will make the rankings in Week 3.

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Moving up: Illinois

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Last week’s ranking: No. 12

Coming into this week, the Illini were facing a critical road test in ACC country that would either prove they could be a force in the Big Ten, or that they were overrated.

After dominating Duke by a 45-19 count, Illinois went a good distance in proving the first statement to be true in a key early prove-it moment.

This was just a 1-point game in Illinois’ favor going into halftime, but it went on a 28-7 scoring run to finish out as Luke Altmyer had 296 yards passing with 3 touchdowns.

But there are some concerns about the Illini secondary, play on both lines, and the ground game as Duke actually outgained Illinois in total yards despite the loss.

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Who else could move?

-- USF should crack this week’s rankings after a remarkable 2-0 start that included a dominant win over playoff team Boise State in the opener and following that up with a stunning 2-point victory in the Swamp against the Gators.

-- Likewise, we should see Auburn make the poll after placing 27th in total votes last week, and now on the right side of a win on the road against a Baylor team that just beat a ranked SMU on the road.

-- Defending Big 12 champion Arizona State is due for a fall in the rankings after getting upset on the road against presumptive SEC bottom-feeder Mississippi State, as the Sun Devils’ defense evaporated in the face of a 58-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left.

-- Missouri earned 42 votes in last week’s rankings, and should get some more after an impressive 42-31 victory over Kansas in which the Tigers outrushed their rivals 249-3.

-- No. 6 Oregon could jump No. 5 Miami on some ballots after smashing Oklahoma State in a 69-3 rout, but most pollsters will likely keep the Hurricanes in place with their win against ranked Notre Dame.

-- Already unranked, Kansas State will lose the 7 remaining votes it had in the AP tally last week after a stunning loss at home to an Army team that lost to Tarleton State.

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