College Football Rankings 2018: Week 3 Polls, Schedule and Standings Predictions
Through two weeks of action on the gridiron, college football hasn't experienced a significant shift in the AP Top 25.
Of the top 20 teams in the country, only two have suffered defeats, as Washington and Michigan fell to Auburn and Notre Dame, respectively.
The complexion of the rankings could change after Week 3, as Ohio State and Auburn face ranked opposition, while teams such as TCU, Boise State and West Virginia could vault higher in the standings with marquee victories.
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Week 3's schedule has a similar makeup to the Week 2 slate, but those of us who love to see some chaos in college football are hoping Saturday holds more upsets.
Week 3 AP Top 25
1. Alabama (2-0)
2. Clemson (2-0)
3. Georgia (2-0)
4. Ohio State (2-0)
5. Oklahoma (2-0)
6. Wisconsin (2-0)
7. Auburn (2-0)
8. Notre Dame (2-0)
9. Stanford (2-0)
10. Washington (1-1)
11. Penn State (2-0)
12. LSU (2-0)
13. Virginia Tech (2-0)
14. West Virginia (2-0)
15. TCU (2-0)
16. Mississippi State (2-0)
17. Boise State (2-0)
18. UCF (2-0)
19. Michigan (1-1)
20. Oregon (2-0)
21. Miami (1-1)
22. USC (1-1)
23. Arizona State (2-0)
24. Oklahoma State (2-0)
25. Michigan State (1-1)
Week 3 Schedule and Predictions
All Times ET.
Predicted winners in bold.
No. 5 Oklahoma at Iowa State (Noon, ABC)
Kent State at No. 11 Penn State (Noon, FS1)
No. 18 UCF at North Carolina (Noon, ESPNU)
No. 21 Miami at Toledo (Noon, ESPN2)
East Carolina at No. 13 Virginia Tech (12:20 p.m., ACC Network)
UC Davis at No. 9 Stanford (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Vanderbilt at No. 8 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., NBC)
Georgia Southern at No. 2 Clemson (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
BYU at No. 6 Wisconsin (3:30 p.m., ABC)
No. 12 LSU at No. 7 Auburn (3:30 p.m., CBS)
No. 14 West Virginia at NC State (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)
No. 17 Boise State at No. 24 Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
SMU at No. 19 Michigan (3:30 p.m., BTN)
San Jose State at No. 20 Oregon (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
No. 1 Alabama at Ole Miss (7 p.m., ESPN)
Middle Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia (7:15 p.m., ESPN2)
Louisiana at No. 16 Mississippi State (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 4 Ohio State at No. 15 TCU (8 p.m., ABC)
No. 22 USC at Texas (8 p.m., Fox)
No. 10 Washington at Utah (10 p.m., ESPN)
Predictions
Road Tests Cause Significant Top 25 Shakeup
Every Top 25 team survived its Week 2 road trip with the exception of Michigan State.
While Week 2's slate was relatively tame, more chaos will come about in Week 3, as ranked programs face trickier tests.
No. 5 Oklahoma is the first of the group to take on a road challenge Saturday, as it visits Iowa State, a team that went into Norman, Oklahoma, and upset the Sooners a year ago.
No. 21 Miami has the most peculiar Week 3 road trip, as it visits Toledo, which took Week 2 off in order to prepare for the Hurricanes.
The Rockets, who went 11-3 in 2017, tested the Hurricanes in Miami in Week 4 a year ago, as the MAC program led at halftime before falling 52-30.
The clashes in the middle of Saturday's schedule are headlined by a pair of ranked matchups, but the most intriguing game is the one being played at Carter-Finley Stadium.
No. 14 West Virginia and NC State face off in a showdown between two of the top quarterbacks in the nation in Will Grier and Ryan Finley.
Grier and Finley both rank in the top 10 in the nation in passing yards, and they've combined for 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Finley-led Wolfpack went 2-2 against ranked teams a year ago, with wins over Florida State and Louisville, and they almost knocked off Clemson on the road.
No. 1 Alabama heads to Ole Miss in the night set of games, but you would be foolish to pick the Rebels given how well the Crimson Tide played in the first two weeks.
While Alabama might not succumb to an underdog on the road, No. 22 USC, No. 10 Washington and No. 23 Arizona State could all find themselves in precarious situations Saturday night.
Ohio State Survives TCU Trip
No. 4 Ohio State is one of three top 10 teams to hit the road in Week 3, but the Buckeyes don't face a true road test.
Instead of playing in Fort Worth against No. 15 TCU, the Buckeyes will take on the Horned Frogs at AT&T Stadium in front of what should be a more neutral crowd in a larger stadium.
Although the Horned Frogs will be fired up to play the No. 4 team in the nation close to home, they won't stand much of a chance against the Ohio State offense.
Ohio State's scored the second-most points of any program in the nation, as it racked up 129 against Oregon State and Rutgers.
Only Hawaii, which started the season a week earlier than the Buckeyes, has scored more points in college football entering Week 3.
In his two starts, Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins has nine touchdowns and one interception with a yards-per-attempt average of 10.3.
TCU poses more of a challenge than Oregon State or Rutgers, but Haskins and the Buckeyes are on a roll at the moment and few defenses will be able to stop them.
TCU head coach Gary Patterson has a defensive background, but the Horned Frogs limited only one of their six ranked opponents to under 20 points in 2017.
Given all the factors involved, Ohio State should cruise to its third straight win and set the foundation for its next challenge against Penn State September 29.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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