Week 3 of the college football season is in the books and there were plenty of shocking results and finishes that will change the landscape going forward. Let’s predict the new top 10 in the college football rankings going forward following Saturday’s chaos.
College football rankings
(Predictions)
1.) Alabama (3-0)
The Crimson Tide edged out Florida in The Swamp on Saturday afternoon after the Gators made a late push in the second half.
It took a stuffed two-point conversion late for Nick Saban's squad to leave Gainesville with the win.
The offense looked really strong for Alabama, particularly the passing game, led by Bryce Young. The first-year starter finished with 240 yards through the air and three touchdowns. It was the Alabama defense that had lapses in giving up 20 points in the second half to Florida. Despite that, Alabama still stays atop the college football rankings after a tough, SEC road win.
2.) Georgia (3-0)
Georgia just keeps going about their business without catching much attention outside of their Week 1 win over Clemson.
JT Daniels returned for Georgia on Saturday and he was impressive against a leaky South Carolina defense.
The Bulldogs had no issues in this one and the defense continued to play incredibly. South Carolina's lone touchdown, which came in the 4th quarter, was the first touchdown the Georgia defense had yielded all season long. They will continue to lean on that group as they stay at No. 2 in the college football rankings.
3.) Oklahoma (3-0)
Sliding Oklahoma down a spot was a possibility, and the Sooners have been a weird team to figure out this year.
They almost lost to Tulane in Week 1, and had to sweat out Nebraska on Saturday in what was supposed to be a fairly one-sided game.
The Sooners entered as 22.5 point favorites and escaped with a 23-16 win over the Cornhuskers. There are plenty of questions that remain with this Oklahoma team but for now, they stay put at No. 3 in our college football rankings.
4.) Oregon (3-0)
Oregon had no problem with Stony Brook in a 48-7 victory. Nothing about this result was surprising and the game went pretty much according to plan for the Ducks. They remain the lone hope for the Pac 12 getting a playoff team into the party especially after UCLA's loss to Fresno State.
The Ducks continue to roll along and they will continue to have that win at Ohio State to lean on throughout the year. As long as they keep winning, Oregon will be firmly in the playoff picture and near the top of the college football rankings.
5.) Iowa (3-0)
Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes had a fairly easy time with Kent State in Week 3 but they were tested early on.
Iowa's defense continued to harass the opposing offense as they held Kent State to just 7 points.
Questions remain about the offense and specifically the quarterback Spencer Petras. He turned in another very average performance against a defense that he should've feasted against. Iowa will have a big test coming up in a couple of weeks against Penn State.
6.) Penn State (3-0)
Speaking of those Nittany Lions, they make a big jump up to No. 6 in our college football rankings predictions.
Penn State held off Auburn in their 28-20 win in Happy Valley and they now have victories over Wisconsin and Auburn on the year.
James Franklin has turned in a wonderful season so far. Is Penn State a legitimate playoff contender? That's yet to be determined. What can't be debated is that they have two of the better wins in college football this year and are comfortably inside the college football top 10 rankings.
7.) Cincinnati (3-0)
Cincinnati chalked up a solid road win at Indiana in a wild contest in Week 3. It was a back and forth game throughout before Cincinnati was able to pull away late.
The Bearcats now head into a bye week before they play their most important game of the year. Cincinnati will have to run the table this season to get any playoff consideration. After their bye they play Notre Dame. A win against the Fighting Irish could go a long way at the end of the season. For now Cincinnati sits at No. 7 in our college football rankings.
8.) Texas A&M (3-0)
Led by an elite defense, the Aggies posted a 34-0 shutout against New Mexico in Week 3. The result was as expected and Texas A&M was able to do it with backup quarterback Zach Calzada leading the way for Jimbo Fisher's squad.
A&M hasn't dazzled or dominated this year yet, but they haven't needed to. A big matchup with Arkansas in Week 4 awaits the Aggies next.
9.) Clemson (2-1)
Clemson is a weird team to figure out so far this year. After losing in Week 1 to Georgia, they have bounced back with two consecutive wins but they had to sweat out Georgia Tech on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets aren't expected to do much of anything this year but they hung tight all the way with Clemson. It was an odd game as there was a lengthy weather delay so perhaps that threw things off for Clemson. Either way, the Tigers stay in the top 10 of our college football rankings.
10.) Ohio State (2-1)
The Buckeyes had a little trouble fighting off 0-3 Tulsa but a win is a win and that's what Ohio State got on Saturday. They will need to likely run the table and get some help if they want to reach the playoffs this year. It's completely possible but for now, Ohio State fills out the top 10 with that No. 10 spot in our college football rankings.
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