UK & Ireland Top 25 College Football Rankings: Week 3
By Simon Carroll
If the AP and the College Football Playoff committee can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!
Each week during the season, a panel of media members from various outlets across the UK & Ireland get together to collate their own set of College Football rankings. After an entertaining round of matchups in Week 3, here is their Top 25:
25-21
25
Fresno State
24
Rutgers
23
Iowa
22
Washington State
21
UCLA
Welcome to the rankings Fresno State and Rutgers! The Bulldogs are currently the only Group of Five school to make the top 25, thanks to knocking off TWO P5 programs in their first three games; outlasting Purdue in a thriller in Week 1, before shutting out Arizona State on Saturday. Rutgers meanwhile, are 3-0 with wins over Northwestern, Temple and Virgnia Tech; their unblemished record will be tested this weekend as they visit the Big House to take on Michigan…
Comfortable wins for Iowa, Washington State and UCLA against inferior opponents see them maintain similar positions, as conference play looms large.
20-16
20
Alabama
19
Miami
18
LSU
17
Ole Miss
16
Oregon State
It seems a 17-3 victory over USF has not impressed the UK&I committee one bit. Alabama tried buth Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson against the Bulls, and have come to the conclusion that Jalen Milroe is in fact the answer after all. Watching this game on Saturday was like pullng teeth – going back to Plan A cannot be a bad thing for the Crimson Tide.
LSUs win over MIssissippi State was pretty convincing, and the Tigers’ are slowly reclaiming some credibility after being destroyed by Florida State in Week 1. Ole Miss and Oregon State enjoyed good wins over Georgia Tech and San Diego State respectively, whilst Miami battered Bethune-Cookman. Sterner tests face this group this week, with the opportunity to climb the rankings.
15-11
15
Oklahoma
14
Duke
13
North Carolina
12
Colorado
11
Utah
A couple of wins over Power 5 schools saw North Carolina and Duke enjoy a small bump as they fight to be recognised alongside the heavyweights in the Top Ten. Oklahoma ran roughshod over a terrible Tulsa team, and Utah are digging out wins without particularly impressing; 31-7 over Weber State was both comfortable and concerning at the same time, as the Utes wait for star QB Cam Rising to return.
If there’s any question about who is going to steal the limelight each week in College Football, you only need to look to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes. The whole week was devoted to the drama between him and Jay Norvell in a rivalry game that, before 2023, nobody cared about. Surprisingly, Colorado State nearly won it with an 11-point lead late in the 4th quarter. BUt Shedeur Sanders & Co. turned it around to keep the circus alive, and CU head into a huge game in Eugene undefeated.
10-6
10
Oregon
9
Notre Dame
8
Ohio State
7
Penn State
6
USC
Speaking of Eugene; Oregon have been quietly impressive as they head into conference play with three wins. This top ten selects itself, even if there is disagreement amongst the voters about where they currently sit – schedules from here on out will make the pecking order a lot more self-explanatory.
Neither Notre Dame nor Ohio State will be in this bracket next week. They face off in South Bend, and the winner will catapult into the top five, whilst the loser will fall into the teens. It’s the fickle nature of rankings, but we cannot wait for the drama!
5-1
5
Texas
4
Washington
3
Georgia
2
Florida State
1
Michigan
Florida State enjoyed top spot for one week. But squeaking past a poor, self-imploding Boston College team won’t help you stay at the pinnacle of the rankings. The Michigan Machine rolls on, and despite not having Jim Harbaugh for their first three games have looked as ruthless as any team in the country.
Texas slip a little after struggling to overcome Wyoming – a nuisance of a team that pushed the Longhorns hard before Xavier Worthy took the 4th quarter into his own hands. Georgia had to fight back from a deficit against South Carolina before slowly throttling the Gamecocks in the second half. I still feel the committee is suffering from Bulldog fatigue, and I won’t be sleeping on UGA until I see a loss…
Washington have forced their way into a playoff spot by being the most consistently dominant. They’re averaging 47 points a game, and conceding just 12. Smashing Michigan State when the Spartans are suffering something of a crisis might not be the greatest measuring stick, but Kalen DeBoer has the Huskies rocking. PAC-12 play begins on Saturday against Cal – I see 47 more points incoming!
The week 3 Top 25 voting from the UK&I College Football Media panel results are in!
— Owain Jones (@Owain_Jones_) September 20, 2023
🔹Movement in the top 4⃣
🔹Alabama tumble↘️
🔹RUTGERS! 🟥 #Chop
Individual player awards below⬇️#Top25 #CFB #NCAAF #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/zXBoLlrorv
Players of the Week
Defensive Player of the Week for week 3 is Ohio, LB, Bryce Houston! @BryceHouston42 #OUohyeah #CollegeFootball #MACtion pic.twitter.com/EDwEOl62CY
— Owain Jones (@Owain_Jones_) September 20, 2023
