The walls of college football shook this weekend, and upsets hit like Terrence Crawford’s uppercut to Canelo Álvarez. So-labelled bluebloods fumbled the lights, and a couple of so-called Heisman darlings got exposed in brutal fashion. Florida’s DJ Lagway? Five interceptions later, and he’s already carrying that “fraud” label. One could argue the same for Cade Klubnik.

Notre Dame, Clemson, and South Carolina—all got whooped by lower-ranked AP teams and non-AP poll programs. Mario Cristobal put the ice on USF’s 2-week Cinderella run. Meanwhile, Georgia and Tennessee served up a Neyland Stadium thriller, and Texas A&M shocked the world in South Bend. With chaos painting Week 3’s canvas, the AP Top 25 is about to look wild.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State stayed on top, but the ride wasn’t as smooth as the scoreline suggested. The Buckeyes trailed Ohio 13–9 midway through the third quarter, sending disbelief through Columbus. Then Julian Sayin snapped back into being a great Ohio State QB1, throwing darts for 347 yards and 3 TDs. Jeremiah Smith was the cheat code again, hauling nine grabs for 153 yards and a score—then flexing a rushing TD just for kicks. Add freshman Bo Jackson’s 109 rushing yards, including a 64-yard burst that broke the game open, and the Buckeyes slammed the door on any upset dreams with a 37–9 dub.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart’s Dawgs almost kissed their win streak goodbye. Down 21–7 early in Knoxville, Neyland was craving some entertainment, and Kirby Smart looked like Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Guess what? He made sure everyone got exactly that. Joey Aguilar shredded Georgia’s secondary for 371 yards and four TDs, with Chris Brazzell II frying them for 177 yards and 3 scores. But Gunner Stockton channeled his inner vet, throwing for 304 yards, adding a rushing TD, and never blinking when things looked cooked. London Humphreys tied it late with a 28-yard score, and in OT, Nate Frazier iced it with a dagger run before Josh McCray bulldozed in the winner. Dawgs win 44–41 in OT. Ugly? Chaotic? Absolutely. But it’s nine straight over Tennessee.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State wasn’t sweating. Villanova never stood a chance, and the Nittany Lions flexed in a 52–6 steamroll. The defense turned into a brick wall, suffocating Nova to 179 yards and flipping a pick-six thanks to Jahmir Joseph’s 49-yard house call. The run game was pure muscle, grinding out 237 yards, while Joey Schlaffer got his first career TD. Sure, some sloppy moments showed up on offense early, but James Franklin’s crew made it look like a glorified scrimmage.

4. LSU Tigers

Who needs offense when your defense looks like NFL Sunday tape, right? Garrett Nussmeier tossed for 220 yards and a TD, but the real stars wore purple and gold on defense. DJ Lagway got folded—five picks, three sacks, and a pick-six courtesy of Dashawn Spears. That’s how you send a freshman Heisman hot train flying off the rails. Florida opened with promise, even hitting on a 10-yard TD to Aidan Mizell, but the Gators weren’t hungry at all. LSU won 20–10, moved to 3–0.

5. Oregon Ducks

Oregon treated Northwestern like a Lego set. The Ducks stomped out to a 17–0 halftime lead, holding the Wildcats to just 22 total yards in the first half. Dante Moore kept it clean with 178 passing yards and a TD, while freshman Dierre Hill Jr. ripped a 66-yard score that turned the game into a track meet. The Ducks’ defense added two picks and held it down until garbage time, when Northwestern scraped together a pair of late TDs, including a long Dashun Reeder run. Final: 34–14. Oregon’s now 3–0, and Dante Moore looks like a Heisman finalist, like his predecessors.

6. Miami Hurricanes

Miami played like a team tired of the ACC slander. Carson Beck cooked USF with 342 yards and three TDs, while Mark Fletcher Jr. barreled through for 120 yards and two scores. Lightning delay? It didn’t even matter; the Canes kept rolling. Their defense suffocated USF, holding them to 40 rushing yards, snatching two picks, and keeping them out of the end zone until the stands were half-empty. USF’s Chas Nimrod put up 128 yards, but it was straight empty calories. Final score 49–12, and Miami made the ACC look like a sandbox.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois might just be the Big Ten’s sneaky bully. Against Western Michigan, they pitched a 38–0 shutout that felt like a flex session. Luke Altmyer accounted for three scores—two in the air, one on the ground—while Kaden Feagin bulldozed for 100 rushing yards and a TD. Hank Beatty and Ca’Lil Valentine joined the end-zone party, and the defense? Stone cold. First shutout of the season, no mercy shown. Brett Bielema’s crew is 3–0 and licking its chops for Indiana next week.

8. Texas Longhorns

Texas survived, but barely. UTEP had Arch Manning looking like a walk-on for stretches, forcing 10 straight incompletions and watching him sputter to just 114 passing yards and an interception. But Arch leaned on his legs, scampering for two rushing TDs to save the day. The defense? Absolute sledgehammers, holding UTEP to 141 yards and no points until late in the fourth. Final score 27–10, but Texas fans aren’t exactly breathing easy. Florida’s next opponent, the battle of overhyped QBs, is expected to be mild.

9. Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies in the big 2025? Texas A&M hadn’t beaten a top-10 team since 2014, but Mike Elko’s boys went into South Bend and stunned Notre Dame 41–40. Marcel Reed balled out with 360 passing yards and two TDs, including the game-winning dime to Nate Boerkircher with 13 ticks left. Le’Veon Moss dropped three rushing scores, and Mario Craver tormented for an 86-yard TD. Notre Dame botched an extra point and botched some third-and-long plays on defense due to penalties. The Aggies are 3–0, the Irish are tumbling out of the rankings, and South Bend’s silence said it all.

10. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma made Temple look like a JV squad. John Mateer shredded them for 282 yards and a TD through the air and added a 51-yard rushing score to spice it up. Tory Blaylock rushed for 100 yards and two TDs, and Brent Venables’ crew scored on their first 4 possessions to bury Temple early. The Sooners led 25–0 at halftime and coasted to a 42–3 smackdown. Sooners became prey to hunters within 3 weeks of football.

11. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State chilled on a bye, but its stock didn’t dip. Coming off that 77–3 obliteration of East Texas A&M and the opening dub over Alabama, Mike Norvell’s squad is sitting pretty at 3–0. The bye week let them tune up bumps and bruises—Squirrel White and James Williams got check-ups—and gave the younger guys live reps. Their next two games are make-or-break: Virginia on the road, then Miami in a rivalry that’ll decide who owns Florida.

12. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama looked fresh under Kalen DeBoer, and history’s backing him up—9–0 at Bryant-Denny to start his tenure, the best home streak since Xen Scott a century ago. Against Wisconsin, the Tide rolled 38–14 behind Ty Simpson’s clean 165 passing yards and two TDs. Ryan Williams was untouchable with 165 receiving yards and two scores, while the defense bullied Luke Fickell’s squad into mistakes.

13. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State might be undefeated, but man, it wasn’t pretty. Arkansas State made them sweat in a 24–16 grinder. Rocco Becht carried the offense with 265 passing yards, a rushing score, and a TD through the air. Carson Hansen added 116 yards on the ground, and Abu Sama pounded in the late game-sealer. But kicker Kyle Konrardy missed multiple tries and limped off injured. Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor torched the defense for 222 passing yards and 83 rushing yards. Cyclones are 4–0, but all came with battle scars.

14. Ole Miss Rebels

No Austin Simmons? No picks. Ole Miss leaned on backup QB Trinidad Chambliss, and the transfer QB delivered—353 passing yards, a TD, and two rushing scores in a wild 41–35 win over Arkansas. Kewan Lacy gashed the Hogs for 138 rushing yards, while Trey Wallace III put up 130 receiving yards. Lane Kiffin’s boys are 3–0 and 2–0 in the SEC.

15. Vanderbilt Commodores

Vandy’s cooking. The Commodores stormed into Columbia and snapped a 16-game losing streak to former No. 11-ranked South Carolina with a 31–7 stunner. Diego Pavia went 18-for-25 with 177 yards and two TDs, while Jamezell Lassiter ripped off a 44-yard score. Their defense forced 4 turnovers and shut out the Gamecocks in the second half. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina’s Heisman hopeful, got knocked out early from the game and also from the Heisman convo. Vandy’s 3–0 for the first time since 2017.

16. Utah Utes

Utah’s quietly stacking wins. A 31–6 beatdown of Wyoming pushed them to 3–0, and QB Devon Dampier threw for 230 yards while RJ Davis grabbed 91 of those. The defense was low-key locked in, suffocating Wyoming’s offense and flexing that trademark Utah toughness. Coming off an injury-riddled 2024, Kyle Whittingham’s crew looks rejuvenated.

17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech just shocked the South. Clemson rolled into Atlanta, and Haynes King straight-up bullied them, throwing for 216 yards, rushing for 103 more, and punching in a clutch TD in the fourth. Then came kicker Aidan Birr—ice in his veins, 55 yards, game-winner, longest in Tech history. Jackets win 24–21, end a nine-game Clemson skid, and start 3–0 for the first time since 2016. All credit to Brent Key.

18. Texas Tech Red Raiders 

Tech is 3–0 for the first time since 2021. The Red Raiders are balling right now. Texas Tech smacked Oregon State 45–14 even with a 2.5-hour weather delay messing with the rhythm. Behren Morton was straight cooking—442 yards and four touchdowns through the air, spreading it around like he was running 7-on-7 drills. Coy Eakin and J’Koby Williams lit up the stat sheet, and by halftime it was already a 28–0 laugher. They held Oregon State to seven rushing yards all game.

19. Tennessee Volunteers

Man, this one had Knoxville believing for real. Tennessee came out punching, jumping on Georgia with a 21–7 lead in the first quarter, and Joey Aguilar was slinging like Nico Iamaleaca never existed. Aguilar finished with 371 yards and four TDs, three of those bombs landing in Chris Brazzell II’s hands for 177 yards and a hat trick. Georgia ain’t Georgia for nothing—they clawed back, forced OT, and crushed Vol hearts with a 1-yard TD run after Tennessee had already hit a go-ahead field goal.

20. Indiana Hoosiers 

The Hoosiers turned their in-state rival into a practice squad. Indiana demolished Indiana State 73–0 behind Fernando Mendoza’s ridiculous first half: 19-of-20 for 270 yards and five TDs. Dude even ran one in. His brother Alberto came in later and tossed two more. Omar Cooper Jr. tied the school record with four receiving TDs on 10 catches for 207 yards—just unfair. Add Khobie Martin’s 109 rushing yards and two scores, and it was a straight clinic. Now 3–0, Indiana’s lining up a big-time test against Illinois next week.

21. Michigan Wolverines

Talk about a bounce-back. Michigan embarrassed Central Michigan 63–3, and freshman Bryce Underwood reminded everybody why he’s that dude. Underwood threw for 235, ran for 114 (the most by a Michigan QB since 2013), and looked unstoppable. Justice Haynes added 104 rushing yards and a score, while Jordan Marshall punched in two more. The defense forced four turnovers and smothered everything the Chips tried. With 616 total yards and all that swagger back, the Wolverines are 2–1 and eyeing Nebraska to open Big Ten play.

22. Auburn Tigers

The Tigers handled their business against South Alabama, cruising to a 31–15 dub and staying perfect at 3–0. Jackson Arnold did a little bit of everything—two rushing TDs and one passing—and Jeremiah Cobb gashed ‘em for 119 yards and a score. With Damari Alston sidelined, Cobb’s carrying that heavy load. Cam Coleman finally snagged his first TD of the season, and Eric Singleton Jr. hauled in six grabs to lead the team. Auburn’s defense was solid, too, forcing a couple of turnovers and shutting the door late. Steady climb continues.

23. Missouri Tigers

Mizzou’s looking scary. They ran Louisiana out of the building, 52–10, and it was the Ahmad Hardy show. Dude rumbled for 250 yards and three TDs, averaging over 11 yards a pop like the defense didn’t even exist. QB Beau Pribula stayed clean, tossing for 174 yards and two scores, while the D suffocated the Cajuns and forced turnovers. Missouri piled up 606 total yards, most of it coming on the ground, and made it look easy.

24. USC Trojans

The Trojans had to wait through a three-hour weather delay before finally putting away Purdue 33–17 in their first Big Ten clash. Jayden Maiava kept the offense humming with both his arm and legs, while Waymond Jordan chipped in a touchdown run. But the highlight? Big man Jamaal Jarrett taking an interception 70 yards to the house—DTs aren’t supposed to move like that. USC looked steady in the weirdest conditions, proving they can grind through adversity in their new conference home.

25. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska’s been eating well this year, and Houston Christian was just the next plate. The Huskers stomped ‘em 59–7, moving to 3–0 and racking up 113 straight points across their last three games. Dylan Raiola was sharp again, tossing for 247 and two scores, while the defense bullied Houston Christian into mistakes all game.