ESPN updates college football power rankings for Week 3

Sorting out the updated ESPN college football power rankings heading into Week 3 and following another Saturday that produced some change in the middle of the polls.

Who belongs where in the ESPN college football power rankings as we look ahead to the Week 3 games. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where things stand in the updated ESPN top 25 college football power rankings as we look ahead to the Week 3 action this coming Saturday.

There wasn’t too much dramatic change at the top of the newly updated college football rankings this week, as most of the better-placed teams dominated against overmatched competition, but there was still some notable movement in ESPN’s power rankings.

One beneficiary of that movement was LSU, a budding contender for the SEC title, Oregon coming off a historic beatdown against a Power Four opponent, and Florida State, which did its part to prove its season-opener against Alabama wasn’t a fluke.

ESPN college football power rankings for Week 3

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

College football's risers, fallers in Week 3

— Georgia, down to 6 from 4 last week, lost some confidence from ESPN’s pollsters after two big-enough wins against Marshall and Austin Peay, but its offensive output has left something to be desired.

— Oklahoma was predictably a big mover this week, jumping from 23 to 11, following a signature win at home against ranked Michigan, showing off new quarterback John Mateer and what looks like another muscular defense under Brent Venables’ personal direction.

— Clemson took a tumble, from 9 to 16, after a listless offensive showing against Troy, which built a 16-0 lead at Death Valley before Cade Klubnik and company woke up to finish out with a close win, but the Tigers quarterback was held to just 99 yards.

— USF wasn’t ranked by ESPN last week, but after pulling off a shocker at Florida, and following its season-opening victory over Boise State, the Bulls became college football’s only team to beat two ranked opponents and suddenly look like the class of the Group of Five and its favorite playoff hopeful.

— Michigan plummeted from 14 to 21 after its offense failed to gel against the Sooners’ front line. Bryce Underwood, the top overall recruit making his first road start, was held to just 9 completions, while Justice Haynes accounted for UM’s only touchdown.

— Missouri made ESPN’s rankings this week after pulling off a major comeback against rival Kansas in the Border War. After falling behind 21-6 at home, the Tigers pulled out a 42-31 victory and appear to have a budding star in Beau Pribula, a 79 percent passer in two games.

— South Carolina is 2-0, but fell from 10 to 14 in these power rankings after a lackluster offensive showing against South Carolina State, although Vicari Swain helped the side by returning two punts for touchdowns.

— Florida State jumped four spots, from 13 to 9, after obliterating East Texas A&M by a 77-3 count, scoring on its first 10 possessions, and building on the big upset over Alabama, but there are still key games against Miami, at Clemson, and at Florida.

— LSU moved up a spot, from 3 to 2, despite something of a sleepy effort from the offense in a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech, but the Tigers’ key opening victory at Clemson is still enough to keep this team within striking distance near the top of the rankings.

— ESPN’s pollsters dropped Penn State from 2 to 3 in favor of LSU amid some concern around the Nittany Lions’ offense, which has failed to get into gear in gimmes against Nevada and FIU thus far.

— Oregon went up two spots from 6 to 4 after pounding Oklahoma State by a 69-3 count with one week to go before a major test on the road against Penn State.

(ESPN)

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