College Football Rankings 2017: Week 3 Polls, Schedule and Standings Predictions
The beauty of college football isn't just the buildup for each week's games, but also how each result winds up as a brick in the championship house that all the top squads are trying to construct.
Last weekend saw Clemson, Oklahoma and USC take decisive steps into the College Football Playoff picture. Each of these seemingly perennial contenders took down a ranked opponent in Week 2, none more impressive than when the then-fifth-ranked Sooners stampeded over then-second-ranked Ohio State en route to a 31-16 win.
Week 3 might be a bit weaker on the big-picture stuff, especially with Florida State and Miami moving their matchup to Oct. 7 on account of Hurricane Irma. Even so, there won't be any shortage of excitement to distract from the distress that's been sweeping America's southern shores.
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Here's a look at the polls after Week 2, with schedule highlights and predictions to follow.
Associated Press Top 25 for Week 3
- Alabama (Last Week: 1)
- Oklahoma (Last Week: 5)
- Clemson (Last Week: 3)
- USC (Last Week: 6)
- Penn State (Last Week: 4)
- Washington (Last Week: 7)
- Michigan (Last Week: 8)
- Ohio State (Last Week: 2)
- Oklahoma State (Last Week: 11)
- Wisconsin (Last Week: 9)
- Florida State (Last Week: 10)
- LSU (Last Week: 12)
- Georgia (Last Week: 15)
- Louisville (Last Week: 17)
- Auburn (Last Week: 13)
- Virginia Tech (Last Week: 18)
- Miami (FL) (Last Week: 16)
- Kansas State (Last Week: 19)
- Stanford (Last Week: 14)
- TCU (Last Week: 23)
- Washington State (Last Week: 20)
- South Florida (Last Week: 21)
- Tennessee (Last Week: 25)
- Florida (Last Week: 22)
- UCLA (Last Week: Not ranked)
Coaches Poll Top 25 for Week 3
- Alabama (Last Week: 1)
- Clemson (Last Week: 3)
- Oklahoma (Last Week: 6)
- USC (Last Week: 5)
- Penn State (Last Week: 4)
- Washington (Last Week: 7)
- Michigan (Last Week: 8)
- Oklahoma State (Last Week: 10)
- Ohio State (Last Week: 2)
- Florida State (Last Week: 9)
- LSU (Last Week: 12)
- Wisconsin (Last Week: 11)
- Georgia (Last Week: 15)
- Louisville (Last Week: 16)
- Miami (FL) (Last Week: 17)
- Virginia Tech (Last Week: 18)
- Auburn (Last Week: 13)
- Kansas State (Last Week: 19)
- Stanford (Last Week: 14)
- TCU (Last Week: Not ranked)
- South Florida (Last Week: 20)
- Washington State (Last Week: 22)
- Tennessee (Last Week: 21)
- Utah (Last Week: 23)
- Florida (Last Week: 24)
Week 3 Notable Games
Air Force at No. 7 Michigan, 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 8/9 Oklahoma State at Pittsburgh, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 23 Tennessee at No. 24/25 Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Army at No. 8/9 Ohio State, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
No. 2/3 Clemson at No. 14 Louisville, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Texas at No. 4 USC, 8:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 3 Top 25 Predictions
A Top-3 Team Tumbles
No. 2/3 Clemson knows a thing or two about the top of the rankings. But the defending champions might not want to get too comfortable in their familiar digs this week. Not if Lamar Jackson and No. 14 Louisville have anything to say about it.
Lamar Jackson's Heisman Trophy came courtesy of an excellent body of work from start to finish last season. Among the highlights was his performance in a 42-36 loss to Clemson.
Jackson dazzled a hostile crowd in Death Valley with his arm and his legs. He was good in the passing game (27-of-44, 295 yards, one touchdown, one interception) and even better on the ground (31 rushes, 162 yards, two touchdowns)—against the eventual national champion, no less.
This year, the time appears ripe for Jackson and the Cardinals to claim not only revenge, but their first-ever win in football over Clemson in four tries.
Jackson is back in fine form for his junior year. The Pompano Beach, Florida, native has gone for at least 300 yards and rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Louisville's first two games. He also hasn't thrown a single interception in 85 pass attempts this season.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have turned over at critical positions in their offense since last season's run to the national title. Deshaun Watson, for one, is busy under center with the NFL's Houston Texans these days.
His replacement, Kelly Bryant, has been an early success under center. The junior from Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, tallied 240 total yards and both of Clemson's touchdowns against No. 15/17 Auburn in Week 2.
But that game came at Clemson. So did last year's single-score victory over Louisville.
This time around, the Cardinals will be on their home turf. The Tigers have plenty of talent among the new faces on their attack. Still, good luck keeping up with the one-man touchdown machine that Jackson has long established he can be—and is more often than not.
There Will Be One Fewer SEC Team in the Top 25
There's no telling yet where (or when) No. 23 Tennessee and No. 24/25 Florida will meet. The Volunteers are scheduled to head to Gainesville for a Saturday afternoon kickoff. The aftermath of Hurricane Irma could change that, as Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin tweeted:
If the game does happen, the ouster of one of these teams from the polls seems likely. They're both on the fringes as is.
Which one does may well depend on where this game is played. The Gators had beaten the Vols 11 times in a row before last year's Third Saturday in September with a 38-28 win in Knoxville. A return to Neyland Stadium could give head coach Butch Jones' bunch just enough of a boost to get its own streak going in this SEC rivalry.
Florida, meanwhile, will have been off for two weeks after suffering the school's first season-opening loss in 27 years. Chances are, the Gators will be champing at the bit for some bounceback and payback, especially if weather and circumstances permit them hosting.
In truth, it's no guarantee that one of them won't be replaced by another SEC squad come Week 4. By ballot count, South Carolina would be 27th in the AP Poll and 31st in the Coaches Poll, with a home game upcoming against Kentucky with which to pad its record—and, perhaps, jump into the Top 25.
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