2017 College Football Week 3 Top 25

by Sam Smith · September 12, 2017

It was another crazy weekend for college football. Here’s my Top 25 going into Week 3 of the season:

Alabama – The Crimson Tide continued their stretch of dominance with a 41-10 victory over Fresno State. They should continue their reign at the top of college football for a few more weeks at least, with an easy schedule for the rest of non-conference play.
Clemson – The Tigers looked strong defensively in a 14-6 home win over Auburn. Clemson will need to keep up the strong defense as they look to shut down Lamar Jackson on the road at Louisville this weekend.
Oklahoma – The Sooners made a statement this week, upsetting the AP #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on the road, 31-16. Baker Mayfield proved that he deserved to be among the names mentioned when it comes time for Heisman voting at the end of the season.
Penn State – Saquon Barkley didn’t have the same performance against Pitt as he had the previous week against Akron, putting up only 88 yards on the ground. Look for him to bounce back this weekend Georgia State.
USC – The Trojans made a statement at home, defeating Stanford 42-24. Sam Darnold had a great game (minus the two interceptions) and the USC running game looked as strong as it has all season. This is a team trending upwards.
Michigan – The Wolverines got off to a slow start against Cincinnati, who stayed in it for most of the game, until Michigan pulled away for the 36-14 victory. It certainly wasn’t the most impressive win, but Jim Harbaugh’s team got the job done.
Ohio State – It’s tough to lose any game at home, but it’s really tough to lose one that could have proved that you belonged in the top five. Ohio State simply couldn’t get it done against Oklahoma, but watch for this team to bounce back with an easy game against Army this weekend.
Oklahoma State – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love this Oklahoma State offense. It may very well be the best in college football. This team is truly a playoff contender.
Washington – The Huskies absolutely annihilated Montana this past weekend. Look for them to do the same against Fresno State in Week 3, as they begin to wrap up a cake walk of a non-conference schedule.
Wisconsin – Wisconsin didn’t look amazing in their 31-14 win over Florida Atlantic, but they didn’t necessarily look bad either. They’ll have a lot to prove in Provo this weekend, taking on BYU in Wisconsin’s first road game of the season.
LSU – The Tigers dominated again, with a 45-10 win over Chattanooga. They’re headed to Mississippi State this weekend as they open up SEC play.
Louisville – Lamar Jackson is a beast. Not much more needs to be said. They have their biggest game of the year this weekend at home against Clemson, and it wouldn’t shock me if the Cardinals took the win.
Virginia Tech – The Hokies pitched a shutout against Delaware. Expect similar dominance at ECU this weekend.
Florida State – Unfortunately, Florida State was unable to play due to Hurricane Irma. They have this upcoming weekend off as well.
Miami (FL) – Unfortunately, Miami was unable to play due to Hurricane Irma. They have this upcoming weekend off as well.
Georgia – The Bulldogs pulled off one of the most historically difficult feats in college football: winning at Notre Dame. They’ll have an easier opponent, Samford, this weekend.
Auburn – Auburn lost the chance to prove themselves against Clemson this past week, in a game where the offense simply looked flat. They take on Mercer this weekend, which should give them the opportunity to boost their stats and get back on track.
South Florida – Unfortunately, South Florida was unable to play due to Hurricane Irma. They take on Illinois on Friday.
TCU – The Horned Frogs made a statement by taking down the Razorbacks in Arkansas this past weekend. TCU has a tough rivalry game coming up against the undefeated SMU Mustangs to close out their non-conference schedule. The Iron Skillet and bragging rights in the DFW metroplex are on the line.
Stanford – I don’t think that many people, myself included, expected Stanford to beat USC, but they didn’t look good losing, hence the biggest drop in my rankings this week.
Washington State – Wazzu pulled out a triple overtime win at home against Boise State. They’re on my hot seat this upcoming weekend as they begin Pac-12 play versus Oregon State.
Kansas State – KSU put up 55 points for the second week in a row as they continued their dominant start to the season. They’ll have a tougher challenge on the road at Vanderbilt this weekend in their final non-conference game.
Tennessee – Tennessee followed up their thrilling 2OT opening victory with an easy win over Indiana State. They face their toughest challenge yet at Florida this weekend.
Florida – Unfortunately, Florida was unable to play due to Hurricane Irma. They take on Tennessee on Saturday.
UCLA – The Bruins impressed for the second straight week in their win over Hawaii. They’ll play their first true road game at Memphis this weekend.

New to Rankings: None

Dropped from Rankings: None

Biggest Rise: TCU (+5)

Biggest Drop: Stanford (-7)

As you can see, I had no new teams in my Top 25 this week. I still feel confident in the teams that I have placed on this list, and their performances last week showed me enough to keep them there.

I’m looking forward to another exciting weekend of college football as Week 3 approaches!

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