Week 3 AP Top 25 risers and fallers: Miami takes advantage before the SEC returns

The college football rankings still don’t include the Big Ten teams, but the AP Top 25 for Week 3 has Clemson and Alabama still at the top.

It does not feel like we’ve had three weeks of college football. Sure we missed an opening weekend. But we have gotten to watch Clemson beat the brakes off of a team they shouldn’t be playing. Oklahoma has another unbelievable quarterback. We’ve seen Notre Dame win easily but somehow not look all that impressive. The U is back again, so far.

We all miss Pac-12 After Dark. We miss Ohio State and the Big Ten Backup Singers. We miss the MACtion. But their absence has given us an overdue appreciation of the incredible, undeniable excitement of the Fun Belt, which currently owns the Big 12.

It’s only the Week 3 AP Poll Top 25, but we already have a looming crisis on our hands. There are teams currently ranked who will be jumped by at least three Big Ten teams and two Pac-12 squads if the preseason polls are any indication. How will the voters reward performance relative to expectations?

This was the last week for teams like Louisiana and Appalachian State to impress the voters and make a case cementing their place in the Top 25. It was also a chance to try to make up the distance between mid-major darling Central Florida before the Saturday dance cards fill up.

Teams like BYU and Louisiana are sure to be losers when the Big Ten (and maybe Pac 12) games start, even if they don’t lose. In BYU’s case because they don’t have enough games. For Louisiana, it will be because they plan in the Sun Belt and App State just lost. It won’t be long before we see a Big Ten or SEC team with one or two losses ranked ahead of undefeated BYU and Louisiana.

You can’t really help but wonder if Central Florida and Memphis will be able to hold pat when the other Power 5 conferences kick off their seasons too.

As an aside, is Memphis a better job than Florida State right now? Florida State has a historical cache, but that can go away really quickly. Just ask Texas (they’re back!) how getting dominated in the Big 12 year after year has worked out for them. Florida State will probably bounce back eventually, but still. Memphis will almost certainly go to a better bowl than the team in Tallahassee this year.

Big Ten teams will bejoin the AP Top 25 beginning next week but for now here’s how the college football rankings shake out after three weeks.

AP Top 25 Winners and Losers

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. LSU
7. Notre Dame
8. Texas
9. Auburn
10. Texas A&M
11. North Carolina
12. Miami
13. UCF
14. Cincinnati
15. Oklahoma State
16. Tennessee
17. Memphis
18. BYU
19. Louisiana
20. Virginia Tech
21. Pittsburgh
22. Army
23. Kentucky
24. Louisville
25. Marshall

AP Top 25 fallers

Appalachian State (previously tied No. 23)

This isn’t just bad news for the Mountaineers. It’s bad news for the rest of the Sun Belt Conference. App State was the favorite to win the conference this year, and while Louisiana was a close second, when the champ of a Group of 5 conference drops a game to a good-not-great Group of 5 team it hurts the whole conference. Especially when that conference was looking at a punchers chance at a top-tier bowl game. If those happen, that is.

This is one the Mountaineers probably want back. They were Vegas favorites coming into the game, but sloppy play cost them. And like that, their shot at the top is gone. But there is still the Sun Belt title up for grabs, and if anyone takes this team lightly, they will get rolled.

No. 24 Louisville (previously No. 18)

It isn’t entirely Louisville’s fault that they find themselves here. They wouldn’t even be here, if not for a lack of a pool for voters to draw from. They pulled off a win in week one against a now 0-2 Western Kentucky, only to give the turnover chain a workout on Saturday.

The Cardinals outgained the ‘Canes on the ground, but as it so often does, the game came down to passing, where Miami was more effective in expectation. Louisville also gave up far too many explosive plays to the Hurricanes. Maybe without the turnovers or a few less explosive plays and this is a different game.

The Louisville offense looked impressive at times, and the defense managed to keep D’Eriq King out of the endzone on the ground. But if they can’t find a way to shut down the explosive plays, the Cardinals are in a lot of trouble, even in the weak ACC.

No. 15 Oklahoma State (Previously No. 11)

If you can’t get Chuba Hubbard going against Tulsa. If you can’t throw for more yards than Tulsa when they only manage to pass for 166 yards. If you can’t score more than one touchdown in Mike Gundy‘s offense, should you even be in the top 20? Is the Big 12 just failing to adapt to new conditions, or is it going to be a colossal mess in 2020?

It looks like the conference will be, at best, a two-team race between Oklahoma and their shadow. (Just kidding because Texas is back, clearly). Maybe the Cowboys will kick off the rust, but it’s certainly noteworthy that a lot of the other Top 25 teams don’t struggle to score against lesser teams.

AP Top 25 riers

No. 18 BYU (previously No. 21)

The Cougars beat up the bye week so badly, it’s shocking that they aren’t ranked even higher.

This is a tough one to explain, since neither of the teams they leaped lost, and Louisiana managed to win a thriller in Atlanta against Georgia State. BYU was scheduled to play No. 22 Army, which if the way they handled fellow triple-option service academy Navy is any indication, BYU would have probably handled that game just fine.

Sadly, this is setting up BYU for disappointment later in the season when their 7-0 record is held up against teams with 8 and 10 game seasons. For now, though, let’s celebrate one of two religious powerhouses in the Top 25 (where you at Liberty?)

No. 12 Miami (Previously No. 17)

Let’s do this as often as we can until Miami plays someone real: THE U IS BACK BABY! Sure, they’ll take a hit next week when Ohio State and Penn State jump them, but D’Eriq King is the real deal. It was odd last year when he opted to redshirt after Houston started 1-3, but now that he is playing in Miami it all makes sense. All due respect to Sam Howell. A little bit of respect to Ian “I’ll believe it when I see it” Book. King is the second-best quarterback in the ACC. King has been there before. We know he can get it done.

Go ahead and circle Oct. 10. That’s the day we’ll find out just how back the ‘Canes are. They might not be able to beat Clemson (not many teams will be able to), but let’s all hope they make the Tigers sweat. Football is always more fun when Miami is The U and not just the Hurricanes.

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