NCAA Top 25 (Week 3)

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) LW 2
It's easy to say now, but even if USC were to have beaten Stanford Alabama would have moved up into the #1 spot.  Even though they lost so many elite players off their team, they have dominated.  Just look at the Arkansas game.  Alabama was favored, but nobody would have guessed that they would roll to a 52-0 win.  The way that the Crimson Tide are playing they should roll into the LSU game undefeated and face a familiar situation as they did last year.

2.  LSU Tigers (3-0) LW 3
It was what it was suppose to be against Idaho.  A complete butt kicking.  Idaho never stood a chance in this one.  LSU jumped on them early and besides a 14 point 2nd quarter the Vandals didn't have much to show for it (except a check to come play there).  QB Zach Mettenberger continues to improve, completing 77% of his passes and throwing for 222 yards and 2 TDs.  As he continues to get better, the Tigers chances of getting back to the National Title game keep rising.  Their game against Auburn this weekend shouldn't be too tough, but at least tells us more of how good this team is.

3.  Oregon Ducks (3-0) LW 4
Oregon is finally done with their weak non-conference schedule which did nothing more than glorified scrimmages.  The Ducks have to hope that all these games against WAC, Sun Belt, and FCS schools where nothing more than dress rehearsals for the Pac 12 season.  All three games were blow outs with the offense putting up video game numbers.  But there has to be some concern that the defense, which is suppose to be the best Chip Kelly has had, has give up more than 20 points twice.  That could become problematic with their match up this weekend against Arizona whose offense is running on all cylinders under Rich Rod.  It could be a track meet between these two teams.

4.  Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) LW 5
To say Georgia dominated is an understatement.  Not only did Georgia win by 36, but they amassed over 700 yards of offense against FAU.  They must have felt bad for the Owls to only put up 56 points in the win.  But the game gave the Bulldogs a chance to get ready for a stretch run that will be pretty tough.  Vanderbilt is their next opponent who will give them everything they have.  That is followed up by Tennessee and South Carolina.  Georgia cannot afford a slip up, because they have a shot at a really good season.

5.  South Carolina Gamecocks (3-0) LW 6
The Gamecocks got the big win many expected by defeating UAB 49-6, however they may have been the true losers here.  Instead of sitting QB Connor Shaw against an easy win, they forced the issue and it came back to bite them.  Shaw left the game in the 2nd quarter after re injuring his shoulder.  I have no idea why they would play him in this game with the SEC starting soon.  Especially after backup Dylan Thompson played so well last weekend.  Now Shaw is likely out next week against Missouri and could be even rustier against Georgia in three weeks which could decide the SEC East.  I hope it was worth it.

6.  Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) LW 7
Oklahoma enjoyed a weekend off before their match up against #14 Kansas State.  The game against KState will be a true test to see how good both teams are.  Has Oklahoma improved from their struggles last year that had them finishing out of the top 2 spots in the conference?  Are they back to the juggernaut and regular BCS Bowl team we are use to?  What Oklahoma team are we going to see?  The team that struggled at UTEP?  Or the team that rolled over Florida A&M?  Because Kansas State is no slouch, especially if Colin Klein gets going.  We'll have to watch to find out.

7.  Clemson Tigers (3-0) LW 8
Not that Furman stood much of a chance, but the Clemson Tigers avoided a trap game in anticipation of their huge game against Florida State.  What's even better is that stud sophomore WR Sammie Watkins returned from his two game suspension and got his feet wet before facing off against the Seminole defense.  QB Tajh Boyd continued his steller play throwing for 310 yards and 2 TDs.  They'll need a big game from Boyd if they want their chance at a possible National Championship.

8.  Stanford Cardinal (3-0) LW 21
Stanford makes a huge jump here moving up 13 spots from 21 to 8.  The biggest reason is that the Cardinal had to prove that they were still the real deal after losing Andrew Luck and company.  Their narrow win over San Jose State in week 1 didn't help things out.  But they proved the doubters wrong with their big upset victory over our previous #1 USC.  Stanford's defense was especially impressive shutting down the potent Trojan offense that had so many weapons.  Stanford has the week off, which is probably a good thing after this big win.  But they still have some big games coming up and their next game, against Washington, isn't a push over.

9.  USC Trojans (2-1) LW 1
The big talk going into this season was USC possibly winning the National Title in their first year off suspension.  QB Matt Barkley was returning and the addition of Silas Redd was going to put them over the top.  However there was always questions about their run defense and that was exactly what was exposed against Stanford.  The Trojans allowed the Cardinal to rush for 202 yards which was the difference in the wni.  Add in a couple of miscues by QB Matt Barkley in the final drive and there is no wonder why they dropped the game.  But this isn't the end for the Trojans.  They still have games against 4 ranked opponents and as long as they take care of business they still have a shot to win the Pac 12 and just maybe sneak back into the National Championship picture.

10.  West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) LW 13
It hasn't necessarily been the fact that they've beaten any "big names" that has caused the Mountaineers from rising up the rankings, but more of how they've beaten the two teams they've played.  Both games so far have been complete blowouts and the Mountaineer offense is running on all cylinders.  Add in that there isn't a lot of defense played in the Big 12 and West Virginia is going to be tough to beat.  This weekend should be no different.  They play host to a poor Maryland program that has struggled under head coach Randy Edsall.  It should be another easy win for the Mountaineers.

11.  Florida State Seminoles (3-0) LW 14
There isn't a lot to say about their win over Wake Forrest.  They were suppose to blow out a bad team.  I've yet to fully trust this Florida State team.  Many voters and "experts" have proclaimed them back and have a top 5 ranking in both the Coaches Poll and AP.  However the Seminoles haven't shown me anything yet.  Yeah they've won a few games by a wide margin, but they haven't played anybody yet (Suppose to play West Virginia last week).  Remember this is still the program that lost four games last year.  We'll find out how good they really are this weekend against Clemson.  A win there would be huge because their remaining schedule isn't very daunting (Only Virginia Tech and Florida will be ranked when they play). 

12.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0) LW NR
Much like Florida Sate I'm not too quick to call Notre Dame back.  Beating Navy and Purdue are nothing to get excited about.  However their win against Michigan State was.  The Fighting Irish was able to shut down the Michigan State offense and not allow a single TD.  Everybody talks about how good of an offensive mind HC Brian Kelly is, but it's the Irish defense that is the bread and butter of this team.  If the Irish keep playing like they have, they should find their way back to a BCS game.  However they have a tough test this weekend against Michigan.  Dennard Robinson will give them fits, if they can shut him down like Alabama did, then we might be talking about the Irish in the top 10 for the first time in a while.

13.  Michigan Wolverines (2-1) LW 12
The nice thing about the non-conference games is that if you suffer a bad loss at the beginning of the season, you can get your confidence back back quickly.  That's exactly what Michigan has done this year.  This weekend they got to run up the score on UMass and get the team pumped up for a top 15 match up with the surging Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  This is exactly what the Wolverines need to show everybody that their game against Alabama was a fluke.  But they'll have to face off against a very strong Notre Dame defense that is going to pose a lot of problems for QB Dennard Robinson.

14.  Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) LW 15
You can't help but wonder if the Wildcats were looking past North Texas to their game against Oklahoma.  That could explain the dud that they put up.  If it wasn't for QB Colin Klein we could be talking about KState suffering a big time loss right before the start of conference play.  Instead we have another clutch performance from Klein that has thrust him right in the middle of the Heisman Race.  If KState wants to beat Oklahoma they are going to have to have a big game from their defense (mainly Arthur Brown) and have some offensive players not named Klein step up. 

15.  Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) LW 11
Maybe this whole transition to Urban Meyer isn't going to happen overnight after all.  Sure they're 3-0 and Braxton Miller is looking like the perfect Urban Meyer QB.  But there is still a reason for concern.  Mainly the fact that a bad Cal team took Ohio State to the wire and gave them a real scare.  The defense was suppose to be the strong suit with a ton of talent.  Instead they give up 28 points to Cal.  What's going to happen when they face off against offenses like Michigan or Nebraska?  Luckily they have time to figure that out before conference starts.  Their game against UAB should be nothing but a blowout. 

16.  Florida Gators (3-0) LW 16
The Florida Gators are starting to really hit a stride under new HC Will Muschamp.  After welcoming Texas A&M into the conference, the Gators had the task of facing off against a surging Tennessee team.  For most of the game it looked like Tennessee was going to get the win, but the Gators exploded for 24 straight points and pulled away with the win.  RB Mike Gillislee continues to be the star of the team giving the Gators a consistent runner which has done wonders to help QB Jeff Driskel become more acclimated to the offense.  With Kentucky being their opponent this weekend it should give them a easy win before the meat of the SEC comes.

17.  Michigan State Spartans (2-1) LW 9
They had their chance to really make an early impact on the season.  Sitting at #9 a win over Notre Dame would have jolted the Spartans closer to the top 5 and we may have heard some talk about them being a National Title contender.  But then they went out and layed an egg against Notre Dame.  Actually more like they got dominated by Notre Dame.  The Irish exposed QB Andrew Maxwell and the Spartans inability to throw the ball.  That lead to them stacking the box against Le'Veon Bell and taking the Spartan offense out of the game.  However on the bright side, the Spartans are still the favorites in the Big 10 and still have the best shot of getting to the Rose Bowl.

18.  Texas Longhorns (3-0) LW 17
Texas scored early and often in their 66-31 route of Mississippi.  Ole Miss isn't a good team, but this win gave the Longhorns some road experience before they start Big 12 conference play.  QB David Ash continues to shine.  Against the Rebels Ash threw for 326 yards and 4 TDS on 19/23 passing.  Now Texas can enjoy a nice weekend off before their 1st game of conference play against Oklahoma State. But they'll need to sure up their defense, because if they gave up 31 points to Mississippi Okie State will put up double that.

19.  Louisville Cardinals (3-0) LW 18
It looked like Louisville was going to cruise to an easy win over North Carolina.  At halftime it was 36-7.  However the Cardinal offense stalled and the North Carolina offense caught fire.  It took a deflected pass in the endzone to help preserve the victory and help the Cardinals stay perfect on the season.  A close call, but something the Cardinals don't want to repeat anymore.  But the good news is that Bridgewater continues to be so efficient.  Another game another solid performance.  23/28 (82%) for 279 yards and 3 TDs.  Add in 114 yards rushing from Jeremy Wright and it was a good day.  Now if the defense would have held up their end of it.  Next week the Cardinals look to avenge a loss to the FIU Panthers from last year. 

20.  TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) LW 20
Conventional wisdom would suggest that when a new team to a conference makes their debut, they would bring everything they got.  Especially when that team is coming from a lower conference and wanting to show that they are the real deal.  So when TCU drew Kansas as their 2st opponent in the Big 12 everybody was assuming we would see a blow out.  Instead we saw an uninspired performance and only a 14 point victory over a Kansas team that is flat out awful.  If TCU wants to have a good first year, they are going to need to step it up.

21.  Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) LW 10
After Pittsburgh lost to Youngstown State and Cincinnati (in blowout fashion) it seemed that the highly ranked Hokies would breeze past the Panthers.  Well the Hokies must have thought that too and Pittsburgh caught them.  Oh boy did they catch them.  Pitt got on VaTech early and never let up.  Jumping out to a 14 points lead, the Hokies who have started out slow never could catch up.  This loss ends the Hokies shot as a dark horse candidate for a National Championship and it also ruins QB Logan Thomas' shot at the Heisman.  But at least it wasn't a conference game (yet) and the Hokies still are right in the thick of things with Clemson.

22.  UCLA Bruins (3-0) LW 23
The combination of QB Brett Hundley and RB Jonathan Franklin have struck again.  Both players were dynamic in their 37-6 win over Houston.  The win avenges the Bruins loss to the Cougars last year.  Hundley was the star of the game.  The redshirt freshman QB continues to shine throwing for 320 yards and 2 TDs.  With their easy schedule the Bruins should continue to roll and will probably come close to the top 10 before their showdown with Arizona on November 3rd.  But they can't look past Oregon State who knocked off Wisconsin two weeks ago.

23.  Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) LW 25
After the debacle that was their defense against UCLA, the Huskers bounced back to take care of things against a dangerous Arkansas State team.  Even with head coach Bo Pelini being taken to the hospital (for precautionary reasons) at halftime, the Huskers made quick work and cruised to a 42-13 victory.  This was a much need victory in the sense that it got the Huskers back on the field and has the momentum going the right way.  But the Big 10 season could get long if the Huskers revert back to their poor tackling ways.

24.  Baylor Bears (2-0) LW 22
Baylor was one of the many schools who took their bye week this wee after only two weeks into the season.  Sometimes it just works that way, but you would think teams would better manage their off weeks to better utilize them, rather than just having them randomly.  But maybe they did that because the Bears face off against one of the peskiest teams in college football.  Lousiana Monroe comes to down just off of beating Arkansas and almost beating Auburn.  Baylor better be on top of things, or they could suffer the same fate as the Razorbacks.  But the thing the Bears have going for them is their explosive offense.  Something that Arkansas and Auburn don't have this year.

25.  Tennessee Volunteers (2-1) LW 19
It looked like the Volunteers were finally going to knock off their long time rival Florida and continue this great start to the year, but they just couldn't hold onto the lead and gave up 24 straight points to let the game slip through their fingers.  If Tennessee can learn from this game they still have a shot to have a great season, but if they stay too down on this game they could really go south.  Luckily they face off against Akron this weekend and can get back on track before their game against Georgia.

Dropped From the Rankings:  Arkansas Razorbacks