Most Underrated College Football Teams in Week 3 AP Poll

Another week of college football yields a new poll, but a few teams are still getting raw deals.

Ohio State and Ryan Day won 59-3 in Week 3... and fell down a spot in the AP poll. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In theory, college football rankings are pretty clear-- win and move up, lose and move down. But the college football polls aren't always consistent. Somtimes, wins aren't fairly credited or losses are too harshly punished. But with the Week 3 AP poll out, here are some teams who are being underrated by the AP poll voters-- and why they aren't getting their due respect.

Ohio State (down a spot to 7th)

Yes, they lost to Texas-- on the road, by a point. Is there anyone who actually thinks Ohio State is the 7th best team in college football? That Indiana or Miami teams that struggled for a while with Western Kentucky or Wake Forest are better? Ohio State had a taking care of business win in Week 3 and will climb back toward the top of the college football heap. But seeing them drop felt a bit strange.

LSU (down three spots to 10th)

Sure, LSU lost... on the road to the now-No. 4 Rebels. But as with Ohio State, the overall effect of the loss is a little drastic. For instance, BYU at 3-0 is a spot above LSU. How much would LSU be favored over BYU by on a neutral field? A touchdown? Maybe a little more? The Tigers may have issues that will put them out of the SEC race, but that's not really the takeaway from Week 3.

Washington (not in top 25)

Washington had a taking care of business week with an easy win over Eastern Washington. The criticism of the Huskies is that they've taken care of business in an ugly way-- they're an underwhelming 3-0. But the poll is ranking Texas A&M, SMU, and Houston in the bottom five of the top 25 despite each failing to take care of business in Week 3. The Huskies could easily have belonged in the poll, instead of in the top spot outside of the top 25.

Kentucky (not in top 25)

Kentucky and new coach Will Stein got a big Week 3 win, but is still outside the AP top 25. (Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kentucky took down a No. 9 ranked Texas A&M team on the road. The 2-1 Wildcats aren't in the top 25 because the final score of their Week 2 game with Alabama looked bad (45-17). But Kentucky led that game until late in the third quarter and certainly has a bigger win than SMU, Houston, or the A&M team it just thumped. The Wildcats are second in receiving votes, but had a good argument at the top 25.