College Football Rankings: Bleacher Report's Week 3 Top 25
Just as it's not wise to judge a book by its cover, college football fans shouldn't rate the quality of a week solely by the top matchups on the schedule. The top of the slate only featured a few notable games, and some of the least heralded matchups produced the most shocking results.
As a result, we have some significant movement in our Bleacher Report Top 25 following Week 2 of the 2015 season.
Nineteen members of our college football staff voted on the Top 25: writers Ben Axelrod, Greg Couch, Ed Feng, Justin Ferguson, Bryan Fischer, David Kenyon, Ben Kercheval, Adam Kramer, Brian Pedersen, David Regimbal, Barrett Sallee, Brad Shepard, Greg Wallace and Christopher Walsh; video experts Michael Felder and Sean McManus; and editors Eric Bowman, Hunter Mandel and Eric Yates.
First-place votes were worth 25 points, with each subsequent rank worth one fewer point, all the way down to one for 25th place. The 25 highest vote-getters made our list, with the rest falling into the "others receiving votes" category.
Check out our Top 25 and give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Others Receiving Votes
1 of 26
Houston picked up a big 34-31 road win at Louisville, but it wasn't enough to get the Cougars into our rankings.
Here are all the teams that earned votes but didn't have enough to finish among the Top 25. Maybe next week?
- Arizona State (26)
- Tennessee (26)
- Temple (22)
- Houston (19)
- Arkansas (17)
- Oklahoma State (10)
- North Carolina State (9)
- Stanford (9)
- California (8)
- Mississippi State (7)
- Boise State (6)
- Kentucky (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Virginia Tech (2)
- Kansas State (1)
- Memphis (1)
- Western Kentucky (1)
No. 25 Northwestern Wildcats
2 of 26
Poll points: 28
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 2 result: Won 41-0 vs. Eastern Illinois
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at Duke
The Wildcats (2-0) showed no letdown from their big win a week ago against Stanford, posting a shutout and making it two straight games without allowing a touchdown.
Northwestern ran for 344 yards and three touchdowns, with Justin Jackson and Warren Long combining for 150 yards and two scores. Defensively, the Wildcats held Eastern Illinois to 138 yards and got two interceptions from Matthew Harris, one of which he returned for a TD.
No. 24 West Virginia Mountaineers
3 of 26
Poll points: 35
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 2 result: Won 41-17 vs. Liberty
Week 3 matchup: Bye
The Mountaineers (2-0) saw their shutout streak to start the season end in the third quarter, but they still came up with another dominant home victory.
Skyler Howard threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-26 passing, while Wendell Smallwood ran for 88 yards and two scores.
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No. 23 Missouri Tigers
4 of 26
Poll points: 54
Last week's ranking: 24th
Week 2 result: Won 27-20 at Arkansas State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Connecticut
The Tigers (2-0) won their 11th consecutive road game, rallying from a seven-point halftime hole behind embattled quarterback Maty Mauk.
Mauk threw a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, finishing the game with 148 yards and three TDs but also two interceptions on 16-of-36 passing. He also ran for 75 yards, as leading rusher Russell Hansbrough was limited to just five carries because of an ankle injury.
Missouri held the Red Wolves (0-2) to 217 yards and forced three turnovers.
No. 22 BYU Cougars
5 of 26
Poll points: 57
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 2 result: Won 35-24 vs. Boise State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at UCLA
It wasn't a Hail Mary this time, but the Cougars pulled off another comeback win thanks to a long last-minute touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum to knock off visiting Boise State.
Mangum's 35-yard TD pass to Mitchell Juergens with 45 seconds left gave BYU (2-0) a 28-24 lead, then Kai Nacua sealed the win 15 seconds later with a 50-yard score on an interception return.
Mangum threw for 309 yards and two TDs in his first career start. Last week, he came on for an injured Taysom Hill and threw a Hail Mary TD pass as time expired for BYU to win at Nebraska.
No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers
6 of 26
Poll points: 62
Last week's ranking: 25th
Week 2 result: Won 58-0 vs. Miami (Ohio)
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Troy
Wisconsin (1-1) rebounded from its season-opening loss to Alabama with a dominant performance at home, holding the Miami Redhawks (1-1) to 157 yards of total offense, including minus-three rushing yards.
Joel Stave threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns (two to Robert Wheelwright), while Dare Ogunbowale ran for 112 yards and a TD and Taiwan Deal added two rushing scores for the Badgers. Wisconsin was without starting tailback Corey Clement, who was nursing a groin injury.
Wisconsin forced four turnovers, posting its first shutout since blanking Rutgers last November.
No. 20 Utah Utes
7 of 26
Poll points: 96
Last week's ranking: 23rd
Week 2 result: Won 24-14 vs. Utah State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at Fresno State
The Utah Utes triumphed in the Battle of the Brothers on Friday night, but in the process, they might have lost quarterback Travis Wilson to an injury for some time.
Wilson injured his shoulder after getting tackled on a 38-yard run late in the first half. One play later, he left the game and did not return. In his place, Kendal Thompson threw for 56 yards and added a rushing touchdown.
Devontae Booker was again the Utes' offensive workhorse, carrying it 31 times for 120 yards and a TD.
No. 19 Arizona Wildcats
8 of 26
Poll points: 133
Last week's ranking: 20th
Week 2 result: Won 44-20 at Nevada
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Northern Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats (2-0) scored on their first two possessions to take early control of a road win, improving to 11-0 in nonconference games under coach Rich Rodriguez.
Nick Wilson ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns, while Anu Solomon threw for 264 yards and two TDs on 24-of-33 passing. Cayleb Jones had 103 receiving yards on six catches, and the Wildcats finished with 570 total yards, including 301 on the ground.
Arizona won despite converting only two of 13 third downs.
No. 18 Auburn Tigers
9 of 26
Poll points: 172
Last week's ranking: 7th
Week 2 result: Won 27-20 (in OT) vs. Jacksonville State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at LSU
Auburn (2-0) avoided what would have been a monumental upset at home to an FCS team, forcing overtime with 39 seconds left and then scoring quickly in the extra period. Even with the comeback, though, Auburn took a tumble in our rankings.
The Tigers trailed 10-6 at halftime and were down 20-13 late in the fourth quarter, when Roc Thomas lost a fumble in the red zone. They forced Jacksonville State (1-1) into a bad punt, then tied the game on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jeremy Johnson to Melvin Ray in the final minute.
Peyton Barber then scored on a four-yard run in OT, and Auburn's defense held on to preserve the victory.
Barber ran for 125 yards on 23 carries, while Johnson threw for 236 yards and two TDs, but he was intercepted twice, giving him a total of five picks this season.
No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners
10 of 26
Poll points: 195
Last week's ranking: 19th
Week 2 result: Won 31-24 (in 2 OT) at Tennessee
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Tulsa
The Sooners (2-0) rallied from a 17-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter to pull out a huge road win in a battle of power-conference teams, with Baker Mayfield accounting for four touchdowns down the stretch.
Mayfield threw three TD passes and ran in a fourth, reversing a horrible start that saw him complete eight of 25 passes for 84 yards and two interceptions before Oklahoma's final four possessions over the last 8:20 of regulation and the extra periods.
"Mayfield was Tebowesque," ESPN's Skip Bayless tweeted. "So inaccurate and out of sync for three quarters. So fired-up hot when it mattered most."
He hit Sterling Shepard for a five-yard TD with 40 seconds left to force overtime, then he ran one in from a yard out to send the game into a second OT.
Mayfield then found Shepard for an 18-yard TD pass, and three plays later, Zack Sanchez intercepted Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs to end the game.
Oklahoma held Tennessee (1-1) to 254 yards of total offense.
No. 16 LSU Tigers
11 of 26
Poll points: 201
Last week's ranking: 18th
Week 2 result: Won 21-19 at Mississippi State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Auburn
The Tigers held on for dear life after building leads of 14-0 and 21-6, only winning their SEC and season opener after host Mississippi State missed a 52-yard field goal at the buzzer.
Leonard Fournette provided all of LSU's scoring, rushing for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries, keeping Brandon Harris from having to do much at quarterback. Harris threw for only 71 yards on 9-of-14 passing, adding 48 rushing yards.
LSU led 14-0 in the first quarter and 21-6 early in the fourth before MSU made its comeback. The Tigers held the Bulldogs to just 43 rushing yards, with Dak Prescott tagged with minus-19 rushing yards to go with 335 through the air.
No. 15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
12 of 26
Poll points: 236
Last week's ranking: 15th
Week 2 result: Won 65-10 vs. Tulane
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at Notre Dame
Georgia Tech's offense continued on the pace it set in its season-opening 69-6 win, again piling up yards on the ground via the triple option for another explosive performance.
The Yellow Jackets (2-0) rushed for 439 yards and six touchdowns, and in two games, they have run for 915 yards with 15 scores. Six different players had scoring runs, including quarterback Justin Thomas, who had 71 yards and a TD to go with 97 yards and two scores on 7-of-9 passing.
Georgia Tech also held Tulane (0-2) to 248 yards and forced two turnovers.
No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies
13 of 26
Poll points: 244
Last week's ranking: 17th
Week 2 result: Won 56-23 vs. Ball State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Nevada
The Aggies (2-0) scored a defensive touchdown to go along with 503 yards on offense for a successful debut of renovated and expanded Kyle Field.
De'Vante Harris returned an interception 40 yards late in the first quarter to give Texas A&M a 28-3 lead.
Kyle Allen threw three TD passes, Kyler Murray threw a scoring pass and four different players had TD receptions.
No. 13 Florida State Seminoles
14 of 26
Poll points: 263
Last week's ranking: 13th
Week 2 result: Won 34-14 vs. South Florida
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 18 at Boston College
Florida State (2-0) shook off a sleepy first half—possibly because of the 11:30 a.m. kickoff—and then turned it up after halftime to run past South Florida.
The Seminoles and Bulls were tied 7-7 after 30 minutes, with FSU's only score coming on a 74-yard touchdown run from Dalvin Cook. Cook was his team's best weapon all day, finishing with 266 yards and three TDs on 30 carries.
Everett Golson struggled in his second start with FSU, completing 14 of 26 passes for 163 yards and a TD pass to Bobo Wilson.
No. 12 Oregon Ducks
15 of 26
Poll points: 274
Last week's ranking: 6th
Week 2 result: Lost 31-28 at Michigan State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Georgia State
Oregon (1-1) wasn't able to pick up a second win against the Spartans, playing from behind most of the night before coming up short in the final minutes.
The Ducks, who rallied to beat MSU at home in 2014, never led after going up 7-0 in the first quarter, and they twice faced 10-point deficits in the second half. A 15-yard touchdown pass from Vernon Adams to Byron Marshall pulled Oregon within three with 3:25 left, but after getting the ball back, Adams took a sack near midfield that knocked his team out of field-goal range.
Adams threw for 309 yards and had two total TDs, but he managed just six yards on 14 carries because of sack yardage. Royce Freeman added 92 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter TD.
The Ducks outgained MSU 432-389, but they allowed the Spartans to gain over 5.3 yards per rush.
No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels
16 of 26
Poll points: 277
Last week's ranking: 14th
Week 2 result: Won 73-21 vs. Fresno State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 at Alabama
Ole Miss continued its assault on opposing defenses—and its own record book—with a second consecutive output of 70-plus points.
A week after a 76-3 drubbing of FCS Tennessee-Martin, the Rebels racked up 607 yards and eight offensive touchdowns on just 72 plays. According to Ashok Moore of ESPN, Ole Miss is the first FBS team since 1968 to have consecutive 70-point outputs.
"The sky's the limit," quarterback Chad Kelly told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "If we keep playing the way we're doing, it's going to be a special season."
Kelly threw for 346 yards and four TDs on 20-of-25 passing and scored a rushing TD. The Rebels also had four rushing scores, one of which came from defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, and Quincy Adeboyejo had three of the TD receptions along with 120 yards on five receptions.
No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs
17 of 26
Poll points: 278
Last week's ranking: 10th
Week 2 result: Won 31-14 at Vanderbilt
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. South Carolina
Georgia rode its defense, special teams and run game to a relatively effortless road win to open SEC play, leading from the opening minutes.
The Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 SEC) got 189 rushing yards from Nick Chubb, who has topped the century mark in 10 straight games, while Sony Michel added 56 yards and a score. Georgia ran for 284 yards and scored twice on the ground, once by quarterback Greyson Lambert, who also had 116 passing yards.
Georgia allowed 295 passing yards but also intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary three times, with Dominick Sanders going 88 yards for a TD on a pick late in the fourth quarter.
Punt returner Isaiah McKenzie got the scoring going for the Bulldogs with a 77-yard score in the first quarter.
No. 9 UCLA Bruins
18 of 26
Poll points: 286
Last week's ranking: 12th
Week 2 result: Won 37-3 at UNLV
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. BYU
The Bruins (2-0) looked just as crisp in their first road game as they did a week earlier at home, as did true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.
Rosen threw for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception, though it was UCLA's run game and defense that gave it the true advantage at UNLV. Paul Perkins ran for 151 yards and two TDs, part of a 273-yard ground effort for the Bruins.
UCLA also got a 23-yard interception-return TD from Kenny Young.
No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
19 of 26
Poll points: 300
Last week's ranking: 8th
Week 2 result: Won 34-27 at Virginia
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Georgia Tech
Notre Dame (2-0) picked up a thrilling last-second road victory, but it came at a high cost.
Backup quarterback DeShone Kizer tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller with 12 seconds left, stepping in after Malik Zaire was hurt late in the third quarter. Zaire had thrown for 115 yards and a TD and rushed for 87 yards before getting hurt. After the game, it was announced Zaire was out for the season with a fractured ankle, per Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated.
Kizer threw for 92 yards and two TDs on 8-of-12 passing.
C.J. Prosise, taking over at running back for the injured Tarean Folston, ran for 155 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Fuller had five catches for 124 yards and two TDs.
No. 7 Clemson Tigers
20 of 26
Poll points: 303
Last week's ranking: 11th
Week 2 result: Won 41-10 vs. Appalachian State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 17 at Louisville
Clemson (2-0) jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead and cruised to an easy win over the Mountaineers.
Deshaun Watson threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-26 passing, connecting twice with Charone Peake for scoring strikes. Wayne Gallman added 79 rushing yards and a TD for the Tigers, who outgained Appalachian State 392-298.
Clemson held Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb to 95 yards on 9-of-28 passing, intercepting him three times. Carlos Watkins returned one of those picks 15 yards for a TD.
No. 6 USC Trojans
21 of 26
Poll points: 355
Last week's ranking: 9th
Week 2 result: Won 59-9 vs. Idaho
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Stanford
The Trojans (2-0) won their second straight game at home against a Sun Belt opponent, this performance just as dominant as the 55-6 win last week against Arkansas State.
Cody Kessler threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-31 passing, with two of those TDs going to JuJu Smith-Schuster among his 10 catches for 192 yards. Justin Davis, Ronald Jones II and Tre Madden combined for five rushing scores, part of 284 yards on the ground for USC.
USC held Idaho to 71 rushing yards.
No. 5 Baylor Bears
22 of 26
Poll points: 389
Last week's ranking: 4th
Week 2 result: Won 66-31 vs. Lamar
Week 3 matchup: Bye
The Bears (2-0) followed a similar script to their season-opening win at SMU, letting their opponent hang around for most of the first half before switching gears and going into overdrive for a 35-point win.
Baylor trailed 14-13 early in the second quarter and was tied at 21 later in the period before scoring 21 points in less than five minutes to start the rout.
Seth Russell threw for 342 yards with four touchdowns—all to Corey Coleman, who had six catches for 182 yards—but he was also intercepted three times. Baylor gained 785 yards, 412 of that coming on the ground, with three players topping 100 yards rushing.
Shock Linwood had 130 yards and three TDs, Johnny Jefferson had 121 yards and a score and Terence Williams added 121 yards on the ground.
No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs
23 of 26
Poll points: 418
Last week's ranking: 3rd
Week 2 result: Won 70-7 vs. Stephen F. Austin
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. SMU
Even though its defensive depth continues to get tested by injuries, TCU (2-0) hasn't let it affect its ability to stop opponents. A week after holding Minnesota to 17 points, the Horned Frogs allowed one fourth-quarter touchdown and held Stephen F. Austin to 167 total yards.
TCU gained 627 yards, with quarterback Trevone Boykin throwing for 285 yards and four TDs on 18-of-27 passing. The Frogs also ran for 224 yards and four TDs, two by Aaron Green.
Kolby Listenbee had six catches for 142 yards, which included a 60-yard TD catch that gave TCU a 21-0 lead late in the first quarter.
No. 3 Michigan State Spartans
24 of 26
Poll points: 420 (one first-place vote)
Last week's ranking: 5th
Week 2 result: Won 31-28 vs. Oregon
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Air Force
The Spartans (2-0) won the biggest matchup of Week 2, avenging last season's loss at Oregon and making an early statement of their worthiness for playoff consideration.
Michigan State never trailed after going down 7-0 early, building a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter before withstanding a late push by the Ducks. MSU forced a turnover on downs with less than a minute left to clinch the victory, one play after sacking Oregon's Vernon Adams to knock the Ducks out of field-goal range.
MSU was outgained 432-389, but it made the most of its yardage, especially when handing off to freshman running back LJ Scott. He had 76 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns, the last giving the Spartans a 31-21 lead with 10:51 left.
Connor Cook threw for 192 yards with two TDs and an interception, while Aaron Burbridge had eight catches for 101 yards and a score.
No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
25 of 26
Poll points: 445
Last week's ranking: 2nd
Week 2 result: Won 37-10 vs. Middle Tennessee
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Ole Miss
Alabama (2-0) had little trouble with Middle Tennessee in an easy home opener that saw the Crimson Tide pile up 532 yards.
Derrick Henry ran for 96 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, part of a 220-yard rushing performance by the Tide. Henry has six rushing TDs on 31 carries this season.
Jake Coker threw for 214 yards with a TD and an interception on 15-of-26 passing, with Cooper Bateman throwing for 98 yards on 11-of-17 passing with a score and a pick.
Alabama held Middle Tennessee, which scored 70 points the week before, to 275 yards while forcing four turnovers.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes
26 of 26
Poll points: 471 (18 first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 1st
Week 2 result: Won 38-0 vs. Hawaii
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Northern Illinois
In what may go down as the most uninspiring blowout win in college football history, defending national champion Ohio State won its 16th straight game but showed plenty of hangover from its big season-opening win Monday at Virginia Tech.
The Buckeyes (2-0) only led 14-0 at the half and 17-0 after three quarters before scoring three late touchdowns. A game after averaging more than 10 yards per play, OSU had 363 yards on 82 offensive snaps.
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 101 yards and three TDs, but the OSU passing game didn't click. Cardale Jones threw for 111 yards on 12-of-18 passing, while J.T. Barrett was 8-of-15 for 70 yards.
OSU's defense showed no ill effects from the short week, though, holding Hawaii (1-1) to 165 yards and forcing four turnovers.
All stats from CFBStats.com.
All slides written by Brian J. Pedersen. Follow the author on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
