College football rankings: Projected AP Top 25 after Texas stuns Ohio State, Oregon and Oklahoma upset

College football rankings: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 3

1. No. 25-21
2. No. 20-16
3. No. 15-11
4. No. 10-9
5. No. 8-7
6. No. 6-5
7. No. 4-3
8. No. 2-1

The Ohio State Buckeyes had the Texas Longhorns dead to rights on Saturday in the Top 5 matchup between national championship contenders. And then they didn't. Arch Manning (and Ryan Day) orchestrated a Texas comeback for the ages to bring the Longhorns ahead and secure a win over the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. On a day when we also saw the Oregon Ducks get upset by Oklahoma State and Michigan bounce back from last week's debacle to upend the Oklahoma Sooners, there's a lot to sort out in the AP Top 25 college football rankings and our projections.

Oregon is going to fall, and dramatically so. Following up a one-score win over Boise State with a loss at Oklahoma State (who lost to Tulsa last week) is no good. Michigan should crack the AP Top 25 again, but Oklahoma might not drop out. Washington will drop out, though, after barely hanging on to beat Utah State. Outside of that, there's a ton of shuffling in our projections for the forthcoming AP Top 25 college football rankings.

Dropped Out of Rankings: 19 Washington Huskies

No. 25-21

25. Louisville Cardinals

• Last Rank: 24
• Result: def. Vilanova, 59-13

Considering that Villanova was only down 17-10 early in the second quarter, I was starting to get worried that Ole Miss torching Louisville’s defense was going to be the norm for the Cardinals. They then allowed three points for the rest of the game while scoring six more touchdowns. Lincoln Kienholz is far from a perfect quarterback, but he and Jeff Brohm seem to be figuring one another out at this point. Louisville is one of just a couple of teams who appear capable of at least scaring Miami in the ACC. 

24. Oregon Ducks

• Last Rank: 6
• Result: lost to Oklahoma State, 39-31

Everyone was trying to talk about the Week 1 nailbiter for Oregon not being a cause for concern because Boise State is a good team. The Broncos are, but we should definitely be concerned now. Frankly, the Ducks’ most consistent offense early on was their defense forcing turnovers. They were stop-and-go otherwise, and the defense still had its own issues as the Cowboys consistently found their way down the field. Oregon is going to drop dramatically, but not all the way out of the Top 25. Now, it’s time for some soul-searching.

23. Oklahoma Sooners

• Last Rank: 11
• Result: lost to Michigan, 17-10

Obviously, this is not the way that college football works, but the transative property would say that Western Michigan is actually better than Oklahoma. I don’t actually believe that, but the Sooners should be upset with themselves for this game. Not only did their vaunted defense show some cracks against an offense that largely looked lifeless in Week 1, but John Mateer and the offense were truly abysmal. Unfortunately, it looks like the same shortcomings of last year’s Sooners are back again.

22. Michigan Wolverines

• Last Rank: Unranked
• Result: def. Oklahoma, 17-10

Nothing about the win over Oklahoma was particularly pretty for Michigan, but you do have to tip your cap to the Wolverines after they were able to get off the mat after the one second controversy last week and get a win over a Top 15 in the Big House. Bryce Underwood using his legs more often is intriguing to potentially open up the offense further. With that being said, the win could’ve said more about Oklahoma’s offense than Michigan as a whole, but it’s worth monitoring as the Wolverines should crack the AP Top 25 once again.

21. Virginia Cavaliers

• Last Rank: 25
• Result: def. Norfolk State, 59-3

While I understand that the opposition has been a bad NC State team and now Norfolk State, don’t get caught sleeping on Virginia. Beau Pribula appears to be hitting the ground running under Tony Elliott in Charlottesville and this is one of the most experience-laden rosters in the country. When you pair that with a relatively modest schedule for the Cavaliers throughout the season — an Oct. 17 date at SMU looms large — Virginia could be looking at back-to-back trips to the ACC Championship Game.

No. 20-16

20. Missouri Tigers

• Last Rank: 23
• Result: def. Kansas, 38-21

Honestly, winning Border War by three possessions deserves some credit. This is a game that is full of plenty of emotions, most of them negative, and always seems to get crazy. Missouri didn’t play a perfect game, but Austin Simmons continues to look impressive in this offense, and the run game keeps working even with Ahmad Hardy unavailable. The Tigers still have plenty left to prove in terms of their ceiling, but they have the potential to cause some havoc and uproar in the SEC with this group.

19. Houston Cougars

• Last Rank: 22
• Result: def. Southern, 77-6

What do you want me to say? Do you want me to tell you that hanging 77 points on Southern means something? It doesn’t. However, what Oregon State showed against Texas Tech should make Houston feel quite a bit better about the rockfight they were drug into and survived last week. The Cougars still leave me with plenty of questions about how good this team is and what their ceiling/floor combination looks like. But a 2-0 start is exactly what you want.

18. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Last Rank: 21
• Result: def. Iowa State, 16-13

Everyone was ready to say that Iowa’s offense was fixed after they put 40 points on the board last week. But while this was normal for the CyHawk game, the fact that they managed only 16 points against an Iowa State team many consider to be the worst (or at least one of the worst) Power Four teams in college football is a bit concerning. The Hawkeyes still have a stout defense and elite special teams. But how far is that going to be able to take them?

17. Utah Utes (Still Playing vs. Arkansas)

• Last Rank: 20
• Result: TBD

The Utes opened play last week by completely dismantling FCS Idaho, which is one of those games that only means but so much. Arkansas might be one of the worst teams in the SEC, but they are still a Power Four opponent that will test Devon Dampier, Morgan Scalley and the like in Salt Lake City. Utah should be able to come out on the other side of this and prevail, but it is most certainly a step up in competition. 

16. Tennessee Volunteers

• Last Rank: 18
• Result: def. Georgia Tech, 45-24

It was very easy to look at last week with Tennessee routing Furman behind a phenomenal Faizon Brandon performance and write it off as the level of competition. Admittedly, that’s partially true as the Vols quarterback was wildly erratic against Georgia Tech. But it was an impressive showing from Josh Heupel’s team, especially on defense, to go on the road to Atlanta and win a game by double-digits in which the offense was a bit all over the place.

No. 15-11

15. SMU Mustangs

• Last Rank: 17
• Result: def. UC Davis, 56-10

Good news for SMU fans, there was full power in Dallas for this game, and that seemed to make a world of difference for the Mustangs. Of course, playing UC Davis is a bit different than playing even a lowly version of Florida State. But Kevin Jennings went for five touchdowns in this game while the defense almost entirely shut it down. Miami looks the part of a team capable of running away with the ACC this season, but SMU continues to look like a worthy challenger when they aren’t getting the raw end of bad turnover luck.

14. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Last Rank: 16
• Result: def. Temple, 27-9

It turns out, the Penn State dominance we saw last week might’ve had a good bit to do with Marshall. That’s not say that the Nittany Lions aren’t good, because they picked up a decisive victory over Temple in Philadelphia in this game. However, they also weren’t nearly as dominant on either side of the ball as they were against the Thundering Herd last week. It’ll be fascinating to see what Matt Campbell’s group ultimately looks like against more on-par competition, but they’re taking care of business for the time being. 

13. Texas Tech Red Raiders

• Last Rank: 13
• Result: def. Oregon State, 35-24

I'm officially concerned about Texas Tech with Will Hammond. They were pedestrian in Week 1, then went on the road to Corvallis and were in far more danger of being upset than the final score would have you believe. Credit to the Red Raiders defense for standing tall in the biggest moments of the game, but if this team doesn't get better on the offensive side of the ball, it's going to be hard to feel confident in them as the runaway Big 12 favorites.

12. BYU Cougars

• Last Rank: 15
• Result: def. Arizona, 28-17

Anyone who watched Brent Brennan and the Wildcats last year would’ve been able to tell you that Arizona was capable of putting up one heck of a fight against BYU despite the number next to the Cougars’ name. That absolutely proved to be the case as Arizona had a 17-14 lead at the half. However, a big second half from Bear Bachmeier and, perhaps more crucially, the BYU defense put the game away and kept BYU pristine to this point in the season — which feels quite relevant considering the early stumbles of Texas Tech.

11. USC Trojans (Still Playing vs. Louisiana)

• Last Rank: 14
• Result: TBD

USC has to love just about everything that’s broken their way to this point. Michigan and Oklahoma having already lost, in addition to Oregon, opens up a path for the Trojans already to the College Football Playoff. Oh, and for good measure, Lincoln Riley’s team has also been looking the part against inferior competition. The Ragin’ Cajuns are another team in that line, but the Trojans need all the tune-ups they can get for a young team before they welcome what should be a ravenously hungry Oregon to the Coliseum in two weeks.

No. 10-9

10. Alabama Crimson Tide

• Last Rank: 12
• Result: def. Kentucky, 45-17

The concerns coming into this game about Keelon Russell making his first road start in the SEC looked more than warranted in the early stages of this game in Lexington. Alabama and Kentucky were largely just trading defensive blows, while the offenses struggled to get anything of substance going — and certainly couldn’t find anything consistent in that department. However, the Crimson Tide found themselves in the second half and pulled away for the win with 32 unanswered points. 

It’s a good feather in Russell’s cap to get this game out of the way, a game in which he threw two picks and lost a fumble. Alabama is still far from a perfect team, though, even if they were able to wear down the Wildcats in this game. There is a ton of upside with this team, no question about it. But there have been enough warts showing themselves against Kentucky and East Carolina that they’ll have a close eye on them.

9. Texas A&M Aggies

• Last Rank: 10
• Result: def. Arizona State, 48-20

Early on, it seemed like Texas A&M might end up being another team in deep trouble on Saturday afternoon as Arizona State was giving the Aggies everything they could handle. They had just a one-score lead at halftime and were up by just four points entering the fourth quarter. The final score is misleading to some degree, though, as Cutter Boley threw two pick-sixes in the final 15 minutes of action go give A&M the decisive victory. 

I continue to be somewhat underwhelmed by Marcel Reed and this Aggies offense as they were actually outgained by more than 100 total yards in this game. That could be an issue against better competition, which they’re sure to see as they weather an upcoming SEC schedule. However, a win over a feisty Arizona State team isn’t something that should be belittled, especially for a team early in the season.

No. 8-7

8. Ole Miss Rebels

• Last Rank: 9
• Result: def. Charlotte, 41-9

Ole Miss survived a battle with Louisville last week, but welcoming Charlotte to Oxford had to be a welcomed sight considering that the 49ers lost to The Citadel a week ago. This looked entirely like a game in which the Rebels were content to go out there, get some reps, and then just pack it in with the comfortable victory and not really stretch it into anything beyond that. 

The Rebels probably could’ve put 70 on the board if they wanted to. They had their way with Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy throughout the night. But the goal of this game was to put another notch in the win column and stay healthy for next week’s massive showdown against Lane Kiffin and LSU. They accomplished that, and now we all get ready for the fireworks that are coming in Oxford — and maybe some mustard bottles.

7. LSU Tigers

• Last Rank: 8
• Result: def. Louisiana Tech, 45-14

Fun fact, LSU beat Clemson worse than they beat Louisiana Tech. That’ll be a fun footnote for this season no matter how things end up for Lane Kiffin and the Tigers when it’s all said and done. Ultimately, they pulled away in the second half to secure a decisive victory and never really leave the result of the game in doubt, but we did get a front-row seat to the yin and the yang that LSU, and specifically Sam Leavitt, could be this season. 

Leavitt threw three interceptions in this win and was, frankly, all over the place throughout this matchup. It was not what anyone in Baton Rouge wanted to see as a follow-up effort to last week’s statement victory. However, the name of the game is coming out unscathed and LSU has done that to this point. That being said, this team needs to avoid this wild variance moving forward if they’re going to be in the CFP picture.

No. 6-5

6. Miami Hurricanes

• Last Rank: 7
• Result: def. Florida A&M, 77-7

Is it weird to say that Miami hanging 77 points on the Rattlers might’ve actually been taking it easy on them? After all, Darian Mensah only threw 15 pass attempts — which went for 252 yards and three scores — and Mark Fletcher Jr. only had seven rushes that happened to go for 105 yards and two scores. The Hurricanes backups were even unstoppable in this matchup and we saw the backups come in. 

There’s really nothing we’re going to take away from this game other than the fact that Miami has multiple dudes who are a caliber that a program like Florida A&M just simply can’t hang with. That was clear for the starters and the backups at Miami. The simple truth, though, is that really doesn’t mean all that much for the goals that the Canes have this season.

5. Indiana Hoosiers

• Last Rank: 5
• Result: def. Howard, 55-0

Admittedly, I’m not used to seeing Curt Cignetti proverbially call off the dogs, but he absolutely did on Saturday in Bloomington with the Howard Bison coming to town. Josh Hoover threw four touchdowns despite throwing the ball just 11 times on the game, both Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh scored, and Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard both eclipsed 100 yards rushing on the day. It was a thorough beatdown, and then the Hoosiers just packed it in. 

Like several other games near the top of the rankings, there isn’t too much that we’re going to take away from this game. That’s pretty much the theme when it comes to Indiana playing in the non-conference with the way that they’ve scheduled. Thus far, however, it absolutely seems like Indiana has precisely no interest in taking a step back from last year’s national title run — or at least only taking a slight step back at most.

No. 4-3

4. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Last Rank: 1
• Result: Lost to Texas, 24-23

In essence, Ohio State is going to take Texas' spot in the rankings and drop to the No. 4 spot in the AP Top 25. Had they not blown a 20-point fourth-quarter lead, I might've actually had them ahead of Notre Dame in the No. 3 spot in the rankings. But that's the way things played out, and there's plenty to be worried about when it comes to the Buckeyes, though we also have to recognize that there were some great things on display at times.

The biggest culprit has to be Ryan Day and the coaching staff, who turtled up. Now, credit to Texas for taking advantage. But the old Day habits of puckering up and playing too conservative seemed like a massive factor that would worry me if I'm an Ohio State fan. Yes, there's no one in the country that can stop Jeremiah Smith. The defensive line flashed brilliance. And there's so much more to like. However, they did take the loss, and now they have to rebound from that.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

• Last Rank: 3
• Result: def. Rice, 52-0

It was at least mildly concerning to see Notre Dame last week go blow-for-blow with a middling Wisconsin team. However, that was not the case in a clear mismatch against the Rice Owls on Saturday in South Bend. CJ Carr had a huge day as he torched the Owls through the air for 253 yards and four touchdowns on just 20 attempts (16 completions). And the defense was completely lights-out against the unique, option-esque Rice offense. 

When it comes to games like this where there’s such a clear talent disparity, it’s always difficult to know exactly what to glean from it. I would note that the Fighting Irish’s run game still only averaged 3.7 yards per carry in this game, despite the massive talent advantage. But regardless, the Irish are taking care of business, and we can’t knock Notre Dame until they prove otherwise.

No. 2-1

2. Georgia Bulldogs

• Last Rank: 2
• Result: def Western Kentucky, 70-20

There’s not really any way to say it other than the Hilltoppers barely put up a fight in this one on Saturday in Athens. Georgia got whatever they wanted in this game, including Gunner Stockton throwing for a school-record five touchdowns in the 50-point victory. And hey, Kirby Smart even covered a massive spread against an FBS team in a severe mismatch. Everything was coming up Dawgs in this one. 

Of course, Georgia has yet to be even remotely tested. And they might have to wait a bit longer for that. Arkansas, even on the road, next week doesn’t look all that formidable. And the following weeks against Oklahoma and Vanderbilt in Athens don’t look all that cumbersome after Saturday either. But it’ll be Alabama after that. From what we’ve seen to this point, though, the Bulldogs absolutely look the part.

1. Texas Longhorns

• Last Rank: 4
• Result: def. Ohio State, 24-23

For about 35 minutes of this game, it looked as if Texas was going to get embarrassed at home in Austin by Ohio State, and once again bring about all of the negative narratives around Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian. They were getting roasted in every facet of the game. Then, the momentum completely shifted. Then, the Longhorns remembered who they are. Then, Texas completed the biggest comeback in Steve Sarkisian's career and should take the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 as a result.

After being so stop-and-go throughout the night, Arch Manning found himself. Hollywood Smothers found himself on the ground. And perhaps most importantly, the defense put the clamps on. Yes, they needed a missed field goal to be able to drive down for the game-winning score, but it was a remarkable moment in Austin. And for a team that has maybe the most talented roster in the country, that seems like a sign that things could finally be changing (or changed) for the Longhorns.

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