College football rankings 2023: Projected Week 3 AP Top 25 after Texas upsets Alabama, Colorado rolls again
- Texas is back, and Alabama is probably not
- UNC, Oregon, Utah and surprisngly Tennessee all held on for dear life
- Colorado rolled to another big-time win
Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 2: No. 15-11
15. Kansas State Wildcats
Troy won the Sun Belt last year on the back of its defense and Kansas State ran through the Trojans like feral hogs in rural Arkansas. Will Howard was phenomenal as he accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) and the Wildcats cruised to a 42-13 victory in Manhattan. We’ll still wait and see in conference play, but it’s looking more and more like K-State is again primed to spoil the party in the Big 12 this season.
14. LSU Tigers
Do you think Brian Kelly, Jayden Daniels and the LSU Tigers might’ve wanted to prove a point in Week 2 after the loss to Florida State a week ago? Daniels was on fire in the first half against Grambling – yes, as he should be – throwing for five touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes before he got to rest. LSU was never expected to be in trouble against Grambling, but it’s a confidence-builder to see a performance like that after a disheartening loss.
13. Oregon Ducks
Credit where it's due, Oregon’s defense came up with the biggest play of the game to pick off former Ducks QB and now Texas Tech starter Tyler Shough for a game-clinching pick-six in a tight contest in Lubbock. Having said that, the Ducks defense indeed looks like a problem. More importantly, Bo Nix was a bit inconsistent in this one, even if he made plenty of plays to help put Oregon in position to win. With the way the defense looked, though, Week 4 against Colorado is looking more and more dangerous for the Ducks.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
Not to sound like a hot take artist, but at what point does Josh Heupel start to consider moving to Nico Iamaleava at quarterback over Joe Milton? The sixth-year signal-caller who is looking to fill the shoes of Hendon Hooker had an awful first half and, while he did tighten up and end with 228 yards and three total touchdowns, he put Tennessee in a position where FCS Austin Peay was testing the Vols. That’s damning in itself, and is why they drop in the rankings from No. 9.
11. Utah Utes
What Utah did in Waco on Saturday afternoon was anything but pretty, especially when you consider that Baylor came into this game having just lost to Texas State last week. With Cam Rising still out after missing Week 1 for the Utes as well, though, it’s clear that this Utah offense is extremely limited as to what they can accomplish. That being said, it’s a testament to Kyle Whittingham’s defense and this team that they were able to persevere and still escape with a 20-13 win and move to 2-0.