Week 2 saw seven ranked teams lose, with three losses coming from top-10 teams and four losses coming to unranked opponents. There were bound to be a myriad of changes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Let’s break down Week 3’s movement in the latest poll.
Here's the complete AP Top 25 poll (first-place votes in parentheses).
Week 3 AP Top 25 Poll
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (53) | 1,561 | 2 | 2-0 |
| 2 | Alabama (9) | 1,496 | 1 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Ohio State (1) | 1,475 | 3 | 2-0 |
| 4 | Michigan | 1,359 | 4 | 2-0 |
| 5 | Clemson | 1,285 | 5 | 2-0 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 1,209 | 7 | 2-0 |
| 7 | Southern California | 1,139 | 10 | 2-0 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | 1,004 | 11 | 2-0 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 992 | 20 | 2-0 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 938 | 16 | 2-0 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 902 | 14 | 2-0 |
| 12 | BYU | 880 | 21 | 2-0 |
| 13 | Miami (FL.) | 772 | 15 | 2-0 |
| 14 | Utah | 673 | 13 | 1-1 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 658 | 24 | 2-0 |
| 16 | NC State | 623 | 18 | 2-0 |
| 17 | Baylor | 562 | 9 | 1-1 |
| 18 | Florida | 484 | 12 | 1-1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 449 | 23 | 2-0 |
| 20 | Ole Miss | 411 | 22 | 2-0 |
| 21 | Texas | 276 | NR | 1-1 |
| 22 | Penn State | 271 | NR | 2-0 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh | 160 | 17 | 1-1 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 145 | 6 | 1-1 |
| 25 | Oregon | 89 | NR | 1-1 |
What to know
Georgia is the new No. 1
Georgia’s rise in the polls continued as the Bulldogs took the top spot for the first time this season. Led by a dominant defense that has only allowed three points all season and pitched a shutout in Week 2, Georgia overtook conference rival Alabama at No. 1. The move comes after the Crimson Tide narrowly defeated then-unranked Texas, despite the Longhorns being without their starting quarterback for most of the game.
Georgia now leads Alabama in first-place votes by 44. Count that as another victory for the Bulldogs, which now sit atop the poll as they defend their 2021 national championship.
MORE: No. 1 Alabama escapes upset, defeats Texas 20-19
Three new teams join the top 10
No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 10 Arkansas all joined the top 10 of this week’s AP Poll. The Cowboys, Wildcats and Razorbacks rise three, 11 and six spots, respectively, in this week’s top 25, replacing Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Baylor in the top 10.
👀 WEEK 1 RECAP: No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 8 Notre Dame fall and more from Week 2
SEC teams surge after big wins
No. 9 Kentucky and No. 15 Tennessee rose 11 and nine spots respectively after picking up ranked wins in Week 2. The Wildcats picked up a historic win, defeating Florida in back-to-back years for the first time since 1976-77. The Volunteers squeaked out a close overtime win on the road against Pittsburgh, avenging last season’s loss. Both wins have Kentucky and Tennessee trending upward, bolstering their division.
While those two SEC East teams rose, No. 18 Florida fell six spots as a result of its divisional loss.
Across the conference in the SEC West, No. 10 Arkansas joins the top 10. The Razorbacks already hold a top-25 win from Week 1 and sit at 2-0 entering Week 3.
🏆: College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams in 2026, maybe sooner
Biggest movers
Kentucky made the largest jump in Week 3, gaining 11 spots in this week's AP Poll. No. 12 BYU and No. 15 Tennessee moved up nine spots as both are now top-20 teams. This week’s new entrants are No. 21 Texas, No. 22 Penn State and No. 25 Oregon, with the Longhorns and Nittany Lions joining the top 25 for the first time this year.
The biggest faller of the week was No. 24 Texas A&M, dropping 18 spots. No. 17 Baylor fell eight spots after losing in overtime to BYU. No. 18 Florida and No. 23 Pittsburgh each fell six spots, the third-biggest drop in this week's poll.
Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Houston all fell out of the poll. The Fighting Irish dropped out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 17, 2017, snapping the fourth-longest streak in the nation, lasting 80 straight poll appearances.
Week 3 ranked matchups to watch
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon | 3:30 p.m. ET | Fox
No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN
There are two ranked vs. ranked matchups in Week 3 of FBS football. The first matchup of the day comes when BYU takes on Oregon. The Ducks rejoin the top 25 for the first time since the preseason. The last time we saw Oregon play a ranked team, the Ducks got dominated by now No. 1 Georgia. Meanwhile, the Cougars just knocked off a top-10 team last week. Another ranked win will help BYU make its case that it’s among the nation’s best teams, while a win for Oregon will show it is better than its disappointing showing when we last saw the Ducks on a national stage.
The second ranked vs. ranked matchup comes when Miami heads to Texas A&M. It’ll be the biggest game — so far — of new Hurricane head coach Mario Cristobal’s career and it’ll be the first SEC test for standout quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. On the other sideline, Texas A&M will look to bounce back from a shocking home loss to Appalachian State.
🗓SCHEDULE: Click or tap here for game times, TV channels and scores from every game
Here are other games involving ranked teams that are worth highlighting:
No. 1 Georgia at South Carolina | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN
No. 6 Oklahoma at Nebraska | 12 p.m. ET | Fox
No. 22 Penn State at Auburn | 3:30 p.m. ET | CBS
The last time we saw Georgia take on a highly-touted turned transfer quarterback, the Bulldogs only allowed three points. South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler will be the latest of said quarterbacks to be put to the test when the Gamecocks host Georgia in a Week 3 clash.
Oklahoma plays Nebraska as the former conference rivals reunite for an early kickoff. The two programs are heading in opposite directions entering Week 3, with Sooners entering the top five for the first time this season and the Cornhuskers firing their head coach after a loss to a Sun Belt opponent and starting the season 1-2.
Newly-ranked Penn State heads to SEC country to face Auburn in Week 3. The Nittany Lions will be led by long-time quarterback Sean Clifford who’s already accounted for seven touchdowns in two games. Auburn enters the game after narrowly escaping a Week 2 matchup with San Jose State.
