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The 2024 season is moving right along now that Week 3 is behind us. With some of the AP Poll's Top 25 teams having a bye week, there wasn't a lot of movement or upsets. However, there were certainly a few scares that will affect our college football post-Week 3 power rankings.
Week 3 featured just two Top 25 matchups: No. 24 Boston College versus No. 6 Missouri and No. 20 Arizona against No. 14 Kansas State. The higher-ranked teams walked away with victories in both matchups. However, Georgia, the No. 1 team in the country, struggled in its first SEC road game of the season, narrowly beating Kentucky 13-12 in Lexington.
Should Bulldogs fans be concerned, or was Saturday night against the Wildcats just a fluke? Let's see how the Bulldogs and others fared in our power rankings after Week 3.
1. Texas Longhorns (previous 2)
Facing UTSA, Texas football didn't exactly have the most intimidating opponent on Saturday. However, losing their Heisman Trophy hopeful starting quarterback Quinn Ewers early in the second quarter and still dominating can't be overlooked. It certainly helps that the Longhorns have one of the best backup quarterbacks in the country in Arch Manning, who led Texas to a 56-7 win. Manning stepping in for Ewers only further highlights how deep and talented this year's Texas team is.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (previous 3)
Ohio State football was idle in Week 3, but they still move up in our post-Week 3 college football power rankings—fairly or not—largely due to the struggles of last week's No. 1 team, the Georgia Bulldogs.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (previous 1)
Whether it's an overreaction or not, there's no denying that Georgia football struggled mightily against Kentucky on the road in Week 3. The Bulldogs didn’t score their first touchdown until the fourth quarter, and Carson Beck threw for under 200 yards without a touchdown pass.
4. Ole Miss Rebels (previous 4)
Ole Miss kept rolling after finally facing a Power 4 opponent. Jaxson Dart remains the SEC's passing leader, throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Will Kentucky give Ole Miss the same challenge they did Georgia next week?
5. Miami Hurricanes (previous 5)
Cam Ward threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns, keeping his name high in the Heisman Trophy race as Miami thumped Ball State. Miami will get its next big test next weekend when they travel to Tampa to face USF on the road.
6. Tennessee Volunteers (previous 6)
Tennessee football scored 50-plus points for their third consecutive game, while also allowing none to Kent State. The Vols put up 65 points in the first half alone, the most by an FBS team in over two decades. Now, can Tennessee head into Oklahoma, their new SEC foes, and continue their dominance?
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (previous 9)
In an unusual setting for the Crimson Tide, Alabama traveled up north to face Wisconsin over the weekend—and did typical Alabama things. The Tide went into Camp Randall, one of the toughest places to play in the country, and walked out with a 42-10 victory. Alabama looked much improved in Week 3, addressing the penalties and turnovers that plagued them last week, which is why they get a bump in the power rankings.
8. Oregon Ducks (previous 8)
Maybe it took Oregon a couple of weeks to work out all the kinks and cobwebs. The Ducks looked much better in Week 3 when they defeated their in-state rival, Oregon State, 49-14, scoring double-digit points from the second quarter onward. Dillon Gabriel was downright surgical, completing 20 of 24 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (previous 7)
If it’s fair for one team to move up in our college football power rankings, it’s just as fair for another to drop. The Nittany Lions were idle in Week 3, but the last time we saw them, they struggled to secure a 34-27 win over Bowling Green.
10. Missouri Tigers (previous 10)
Missouri hadn’t allowed a single point this season before their Week 3 matchup with No. 24 Boston College on Saturday. Bill O’Brien’s group pushed the Tigers to their limit, but Missouri managed to escape with a narrow 27-21 win. The Tigers avoid a scare and remain in the Top 10 of our college football power rankings.
College football power rankings post-Week 3 teams 11-25
Outside of Arizona, which lost to Kansas State, there wasn't much movement in the 11-25 range of our post-Week 3 college football rankings, with most teams just receiving slight bumps. The Wildcats were dropped from the rankings after their loss, making room for Illinois, now 3-0, with a win over a then-No. 19 Kansas team on their resume.
