Week 3 should bring plenty of movement to the rankings. LSU fell after losing to Ole Miss, while Michigan moved up after finally pulling away from UTEP. Florida also broke into the Top 25 after beating Auburn on the road. Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Indiana stayed unbeaten, while Texas A&M took one of the weekend’s biggest drops.

AP Top 25 predictions after Week 3

1. Texas Longhorns (3-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Result: 30-6 win vs. UTSA

Texas never let UTSA turn this into a game, even if the offense took a while to settle. Rasheem Biles picked off Owen McCown on the opening play, and Arch Manning needed only one play after that to find Cam Coleman for a 24-yard touchdown.

The rest of the afternoon was less spectacular. Manning finished 16-of-32 for 161 yards and two touchdowns while taking plenty of pressure. The defense made sure none of it mattered, holding UTSA to 143 total yards and no touchdowns.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)

Previous ranking: 2

Result: 45-17 win at Arkansas

Georgia handled Arkansas without much drama. Chauncey Bowens scored three rushing touchdowns on just 11 carries, while Gunner Stockton completed 10 of 13 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 97 yards, including a 62-yard burst.

The defense was even more impressive. Arkansas managed only 17 rushing yards. The Razorbacks scored twice late, but by then Georgia had already done the damage to dominate their SEC opener. 

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)

Previous ranking: 3

Result: 27-10 win vs. Michigan State

Notre Dame held Michigan State to 44 rushing yards and 123 passing yards while forcing two interceptions. CJ Carr did not throw a touchdown, but he completed 18 of 24 passes for 234 yards.

Nolan James Jr. carried the offense on the ground with 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts. The victory also gave Notre Dame 13 straight double-digit wins, breaking a school record that had stood since Knute Rockne’s teams in 1921-22.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)

Previous ranking: 4

Result: 38-0 win vs. Western Kentucky

For nearly a half, Indiana looked oddly ordinary. Then the defending national champions flipped the switch. Josh Hoover threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns, while Turbo Richard rushed for 149 yards and a score. 

Charlie Becker’s 79-yard touchdown run helped blow the game apart in the third quarter. Indiana has now posted consecutive shutouts and owns a 19-game winning streak, the longest active run in the FBS.

5. Miami Hurricanes (3-0)

Previous ranking: 5

Result: 33-20 win at Wake Forest

Miami looked ready to bury Wake Forest after racing to a 31-7 lead. Then injuries hit the Hurricanes’ offense, and they managed only 13 yards in the fourth quarter. 

Wake Forest climbed back to 31-20 before Miami’s defense finally slammed the door with a safety, fourth-down stops, and a late interception. Darian Mensah had another strong outing, but the late wobble keeps this from feeling like a completely clean road win.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1)

Previous ranking: 6

Result: 59-3 win vs. Kent State

Ohio State needed a response after losing to Texas. Kent State bore the brunt of it. The Buckeyes jumped ahead 35-0 by halftime, with Julian Sayin throwing for 241 yards and two touchdowns. His 49-yard Hail Mary to Brandon Inniss on the final play of the first half was the exclamation point.

Jeremiah Smith caught five passes for 85 yards and became Ohio State’s career leader in receiving yardage. After the Texas loss, this was exactly the sort of afternoon Ohio State needed.

7. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0)

Previous ranking: 8

Result: 32-24 win vs. LSU

Ole Miss did not need a Hollywood script for Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford. It wrote a stranger one. The Rebels led LSU 24-7 at halftime, watched the Tigers erase the entire deficit, and then found another answer when the game was tied at 24.

Trinidad Chambliss supplied it by throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns, then running for the go-ahead score on a 14-yard keeper with 6:19 remaining. LSU still had one last chance. The Tigers reached the Ole Miss 6-yard line, but Sam Leavitt’s fourth-down pass was tipped and intercepted by Jaylon Braxton in the end zone. That changed the top 10.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)

Previous ranking: 10

Result: 50-36 win vs. Florida State

Alabama had to wait through multiple weather delays and a fast Florida State start before taking control. Keelon Russell eventually settled in, throwing three touchdown passes and adding another score with his legs.

The bigger development may have been Alabama’s rushing attack. The Tide piled up 247 yards on the ground and scored three rushing touchdowns.

9. BYU Cougars (3-0)

Previous ranking: 11

Result: 41-23 win at Colorado State

BYU controlled most of this one before Colorado State made the score look closer late. LJ Martin was the difference, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns.

The passing game was less convincing, with BYU QBs throwing two interceptions and failing to produce a passing touchdown. Still, the Cougars are unbeaten and moving upward.

10. USC Trojans (3-0)

Previous ranking: 12

Result: 42-35 win at Rutgers

USC can score. Jayden Maiava and the Trojans’ offense put up enough points to survive a dangerous trip to Rutgers. But the defense remains the problem.

A 99-yard pick-six prevented Rutgers from potentially taking the lead, and USC eventually had to hold on after allowing 35 points. The Trojans are unbeaten, but the next stretch will reveal plenty.

11. LSU Tigers (2-1)

Previous ranking: 7 

Result: 32-24 loss at Ole Miss

LSU took a hard fall after blowing an early 24-7 hole wide open, then nearly pulling off the comeback. Sam Leavitt led 17 unanswered points to tie the game, but Ole Miss answered with a late touchdown drive before Jaylon Braxton intercepted Leavitt in the end zone to seal it.

12. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0)

Previous ranking: 13 

Result: 28-26 win vs. Houston

Texas Tech stayed unbeaten but needed a late defensive stand to survive Houston. The Cougars had a chance to tie with a two-point conversion in the final minute, only for the Red Raiders to stop it and escape another close game.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)

Previous ranking: 14 

Result: 55-13 win vs. Buffalo

Penn State had little trouble with Buffalo, jumping to a 34-6 halftime lead before cruising home. The Nittany Lions finished with 269 passing yards and 304 rushing yards, with Quinton Martin Jr. topping the ground game at 100 yards.

14. Tennessee Volunteers (3-0)

Previous ranking: 15 

Result: 42-9 win vs. Kennesaw State

Tennessee handled Kennesaw State comfortably despite a somewhat uneven first half. Faizon Brandon threw for 178 yards and a touchdown while adding 47 rushing yards and another score as the Volunteers moved to 3-0.

15. Utah Utes (3-0)

Previous ranking: 17 

Result: 33-0 win vs. Utah State

Utah took a little time to pull away but eventually buried Utah State with another shutout. Daniel Bray’s 63-yard touchdown run helped open things up after halftime, and the Utes remained unbeaten while climbing two spots.

16. Louisville Cardinals (2-1)

Previous ranking: 23 

Result: 41-31 win vs. SMU

Louisville made one of the bigger jumps after beating SMU in a back-and-forth game. Lincoln Kienholz kept the offense moving while Keyjuan Brown and Isaac Brown helped power the Cardinals past 250 rushing yards.

17. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0)

Previous ranking: 18 

Result: 55-0 win vs. Northern Iowa

Iowa wasted no time putting Northern Iowa away, building a huge lead before halftime. The Hawkeyes combined for 217 rushing yards in the first half, while their quarterbacks went 17-of-18 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

18. Michigan Wolverines (3-0)

Previous ranking: 19 

Result: 52-17 win vs. UTEP

Michigan had another shaky opening but finally delivered the kind of second half its fans wanted to see. After fumbling twice and trailing twice early, the Wolverines scored 38 straight points, including 28 in the third quarter, to turn the game into a rout.

19. Missouri Tigers (3-0)

Previous ranking: 20 

Result: 27-17 win vs. Troy

Missouri stayed unbeaten but had to work for it against Troy. The Tigers managed only 91 passing yards, making Jamal Roberts’ 128 rushing yards and touchdown especially important in securing the victory.

20. SMU Mustangs (2-1)

Previous ranking: 16 

Result: 41-31 loss at Louisville

SMU drops after Louisville pulled away late in a game that stayed competitive for most of the afternoon. Kevin Jennings threw for 214 yards and a touchdown, but an interception hurt, while Kendrick Raphael’s strong rushing performance was not enough to save the Mustangs.

21. Oregon Ducks (2-1)

Previous ranking: 21

Result: 84-0 win vs. Portland State

Oregon absolutely overwhelmed Portland State, racing to a 49-0 halftime lead and finishing with 84 points. The bigger question now is health, with WR Jeremiah McClellan and TE Jamari Johnson both missing the game.

22. Texas A&M Aggies (2-1)

Previous ranking: 9 

Result: 31-21 loss vs. Kentucky

Texas A&M suffered one of the weekend’s biggest ranking drops after Kentucky dominated the third quarter 21-0. Marcel Reed struggled with two interceptions and missed opportunities in the passing game, leaving the Aggies with plenty to fix after falling out of the top 20.

23. Florida Gators (3-0)

Previous ranking: Unranked 

Result: 44-39 win at Auburn

Florida forced its way into the rankings by surviving Auburn on the road. Jadan Baugh carried the offense with 162 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard fourth-and-1 score, while Aaron Philo added 202 passing yards and a touchdown.

24. Washington Huskies (3-0)

Previous ranking: Unranked

Result: 48-16 win vs. Eastern Washington

Washington enters the rankings unbeaten after opening the season 3-0. The Huskies have done enough through three weeks to earn national attention, although tougher opponents should provide a clearer test of where this team belongs.

25. Oklahoma Sooners (2-1)

Previous ranking: 24 

Result: 14-6 win vs. UTEP

Oklahoma survived UTEP but did little to inspire confidence. John Mateer completed 19 of 25 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, though his two interceptions kept the Sooners in a game that should have been much easier. With Georgia and Texas waiting next, Oklahoma has very little time to find its footing.