College Football Rankings 2014: Official Week 3 Polls and Playoff Projections

Another exhilarating weekend of college football gave way to several more moves in the rankings. Week 1 shook up the the standings, but Week 2 saw one contender suffer a brutal loss that dropped it out of the Top 10.

Oregon dealt a crushing blow to Michigan State with a massive second-half comeback to earn a 19-point victory. While that was good enough to put the Ducks at No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, Alabama and Oklahoma are ahead of them in the Amway poll.

One team that climbed in both polls was an ACC team in the Virginia Tech Hokies, who trounced The Ohio State in the prime-time matchup. As a result, the two teams are headed in different directions in both rankings.

Before this week's slate of games gets underway, here's a look at the latest polls and playoff projections.

Pos.	Associated Press	Amway (Coaches)
1	Florida State (38)	Florida State (51)
2	Oregon (16)	Alabama (1)
3	Alabama (1)	Oklahoma (3)
4	Oklahoma (2)	Oregon (6)
5	Auburn	Auburn
6	Georgia (1)	Georgia (1)
7	Texas A&M (2)	Baylor
8	Baylor	Texas A&M
9	Southern California	LSU
10	LSU	USC
11	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
12	UCLA	UCLA
13	Michigan State	Michigan State
14	Mississippi	Arizona State
15	Stanford	Ole Miss
16	Arizona State	Stanford
17	Virginia Tech	Wisconsin
18	Wisconsin	Ohio State
19	Kansas State	Virginia Tech
20	Missouri	Kansas State
21	Louisville	Nebraska
22	Ohio State	Missouri
23	Clemson	South Carolina
24	South Carolina	Clemson
25	BYU	North Carolina

Team	Current Record
Florida State	2-0
Alabama	2-0
Oregon	2-0
Georgia	1-0

Playoff Projections Breakdown

If the playoff projections look a little dissimilar to the overall rankings, that's because Georgia started too low in both polls.

The Bulldogs had the week off but made a big enough statement in Week 1 that they actually moved up to No. 6 in the rankings. Sure, losses by two Big Ten schools hurt, but the supremacy of the SEC is clearly continuing thus far through Alabama and Georgia.

Much of their success and hype is due to Todd Gurley, who is currently one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. As for his dominance on the field, Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton compared him to one of the best running backs in NFL history, per Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"I've never seen a running back dominate like he did," Tarkenton said. "I played against a guy named Jim Brown, the greatest running back that ever lived. There is no doubt about it. Todd Gurley can be as good as Jim Brown."

While a Heisman might be in his future, that's clearly not the limit for Gurley. But he's not the only weapon in the SEC that has people buzzing.

'Bama might have been overtaken by Oregon in the AP poll, but Amari Cooper is primed for a huge season with the Crimson Tide. He's already setting records through just two games, as ESPN College Football notes:

Meanwhile, the Ducks maintained their position in the College Football Playoff with a massive win over the Spartans. With Michigan State viewed as having an outside shot at making the playoff, it's clear that Oregon is for real.

Just like the Dawgs and Tide, the Ducks have a dynamic player in Marcus Mariota who is leading the way. But as Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports points out, the Ducks' success can also be contributed to second-year coach Mark Helfrich:

Last but not least, the Seminoles are still the clear front-runners as they remain the No. 1 team in both polls. Despite the rough opener against Oklahoma State, FSU has a week off after obliterating Citadel.

Thanks to an ACC schedule that has few true tests like Clemson, Notre Dame and Louisville, the 'Noles have a clear-cut path back to the national championship. But with the Irish and Cardinals looking strong early on, that road might not be as simple as once perceived.

Opinions will likely change as the season continues with some teams rising and falling in the rankings. After just two weeks of football, there's no way of telling exactly what will happen—but it promises to be packed with intrigue all season.

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