College football rankings: Tailgater top 25, week 3

September 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Stanford made it four in a row over USC, shaking up the top 10 for a second straight week (Reuters/Galbraith)

Tailgater Top 25 Rankings, Week 3

Another week, another rash of upsets.  Michigan State couldn’t survive Notre Dame as it had Boise State, and USC found its nemesis was still ready and waiting in NorCal.  Louisiana Monroe did its level best to knock off consecutive SEC teams, but in the end Auburn had enough trick plays and Hail Mary luck to eke out a victory.  And a couple of Pennsylvania teams came back from the brink of football death as Pitt and Penn State earned their first victories of the season.  Of course, each has a hell of a lot of work left to if it wants to crack the polls before season’s end.

Here are our updated rankings for week 3.

Zach Bigalke John Mitchell Matt Strobl
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. LSU
4. Clemson
5. West Virginia
6. Louisville
7. Stanford
8. Georgia
9. Kansas State
10. TCU
11. Florida State
12. Baylor
13. Ohio
14. Ohio State
15. Notre Dame
16. South Carolina
17. USC
18. UCLA
19. Texas
20. BYU
21. Michigan State
22. Oklahoma
23. Virginia Tech
24. Louisiana Tech
25. Arizona
 1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Florida State
5. West Virginia
6. Georgia
7. Stanford
8. Oklahoma
9. Clemson
10. Notre Dame
11. South Carolina
12. Ohio State
13. Texas
14. Florida
15. UCLA
16. USC
17. Kansas State
18. TCU
19. Michigan
20. Michigan State
21. Arizona
22. Northwestern
23. Baylor
24. Nebraska
25. Ohio		 1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. LSU
4. Oregon
5. West Virginia
6.South Carolina
7. Clemson
8. Georgia
9. Texas
10. Oklahoma
11. Stanford
12. Louisville
13. Notre Dame
14. Kansas State
15. Florida
16. Ohio State
17. UCLA
18. Arizona
19. Ohio
20. Oregon State
21. TCU
22. Northwestern
23. USC
24. Michigan State
25. Baylor

Bigalke:
1-10: Unless they slip down the road, Bama continued merely to pad their credentials at the top of the rankings with a rout of once-considered-formidable Arkansas. Oregon continues to dish out doses of speed and sizzle against overmatched foes. LSU beat up the walking dead from Moscow. Below them is a clear delineation. The most notable absence? Four of last week’s top 10 teams fell on Saturday. Gone are USC, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and BYU; in are Stanford, Georgia, Kansas State and TCU as the list shifted again this week.

 
11-20: Florida State exorcised the demons (Demon Deacons, nonetheless) with a blowout of Wake Forest. Baylor survived an early scare from FCS Sam Houston State, the Bobcats survived a scare against Marshall and the Buckeyes survived a scare against Cal. Notre Dame continued its quest for a return to relevance with a dominating performance at Michigan State. The Gamecocks did what Southern Miss couldn’t last year, keep undefeated dreams alive against UAB. At #17, USC is the highest-ranked team with a loss, joined by BYU at #20. In between, UCLA and Texas continue their surge in 2012.
 
21-25: Dantonio had no magic this time against the Golden Domers. Oklahoma still looks like just the fifth- or sixth-best team in the Big XII… which means they’d win at least six other FBS conferences outright. Virginia Tech learned what future ACC tilts against Pitt might feel like. Another Tech, Louisiana Tech, is just one of two BCS Busters still alive in the quest to be the next Cinderella story in college football. And rounding out the list is Rich Rod’s new crew, who we’ll learn more about next week on their first road trip of the season to face Oregon in Eugene.
 
Mitchell:
1-10: Alabama continues to show it deserves to be #1 until proven otherwise as they went to Fayetteville and thumped Arkansas 52-0. LSU and Oregon remain #2 and #3 after wins over cupcake opponents. Florida State leaps West Virginia to #4 after looking extremely impressive in their beatdown of Wake Forest. Stanford is the big mover this week, moving to #7 after their home win over USC. I didn’t even have the Cardinal ranked through two weeks after their near miss against San Jose State in the opener. Oklahoma and Clemson remain steady, and Notre Dame jumps into the Top 10 after going to East Lansing and dismantling Michigan State.
 
11-20: The Gamecocks are on the fringe of the Top 10 as they seem to keep getting better each week. Ohio State survived a serious scare against Cal at home, while Texas moves up a bit after putting up 66 points on Ole Miss in Oxford. Florida also gets a nice bump after an impressive victory on the road against Tennessee. The Gators are 2-0 in the SEC with both wins coming on the road. That has to count for something. UCLA keeps looking good, and USC checks in at #16 following their loss to Stanford where they showed some glaring deficiencies. Still don’t know what to make of either Kansas State or TCU. Michigan edges Michigan State because of quality of loss.
 

21-25: Arizona had no problems with cupcake South Carolina State, and now gear up for Oregon next week in what looks like a really intriguing matchup. Northwestern gets rewarded this week for being the only team in the country with three wins over BCS opponents. Baylor moves into the poll thanks to others losing, while Nebraska clings to a spot. Ohio stays at #25 because why not?

Strobl:
1-10: Alabama continues to separate itself from the horde.  The Tide laid a ridiculous beatdown on an Arkansas team that, not very long ago, was considered top 1o.  Florida State did the same to Wake Forest, though dismantling the Deacons isn’t quite as impressive.  LSU and Oregon continue to roll.  The rest of top 10 has some heir apparents to the top 5, should any of the elite stumble.  Naturally, USC is gone after its upset loss in Palo Alto, and the Spartans tumbled following their defeat against Notre Dame.
 
11-20: Stanford and Florida made significant strides with monster week 3 wins.  Are the Cardinal really this good, or did USC just have a bad day?  Notre Dame, K-State, and UCLA continue their climbs while the Buckeyes backslide after an uninspiring win over Cal.  Arizona is making some noise in the desert; are we seeing the reemergence of Rich Rodriguez as a relevant coaching power?
 
21-25: Northwestern is 3-0, including a nice win over Vanderbilt.  The Trojans and Spartans hang on, though both now have something to prove if they want to get back in the race.
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About Matt Strobl

Matt is a lifelong sports fan with a passion for writing and analysis. He has written for and edited a variety of printed and online publications, covering a range of sports but focusing on baseball, football, and basketball. Born in Cincinnati, Matt still pulls for his "native" teams including the Buckeyes, Reds, Musketeers, and Bearcats. Nearly two decades in New England got him irrevocably hooked on the Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins as well. He enjoys following the statistical aspects of sports and is an admitted sabermetric junkie. You can follow him on Twitter @mmstrobl and circle him at Google+

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