College Football Rankings 2019: Week 3 Polls, Schedule and Standings Predictions

Of the top four college football teams in the country, half of them now own a quality victory over a ranked opponent.

This past weekend, No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 LSU picked up two of the best wins of the young season. Clemson defeated Texas A&M, which is now ranked No. 16, at home, while LSU went on the road and beat Texas, which is now ranked No. 12.

Clemson has won 17 straight games after it went 15-0 and won the national championship last season. It remains top of the AP Top 25 poll after its 24-10 win over the Aggies, which may be its most challenging game this season.

LSU climbed two spots to No. 4 with its impressive 45-38 win over Texas, which was ranked No. 9 heading into the matchup. LSU's offense is its strength, with quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 471 yards and four touchdowns in the victory over the Longhorns.

Here's a look at the updated Top 25 poll and the schedule for Week 3, along with predictions for each game featuring a ranked team.

Week 3 AP Top 25

1. Clemson (2-0)

2. Alabama (2-0)

3. Georgia (2-0)

4. LSU (2-0)

5. Oklahoma (2-0)

6. Ohio State (2-0)

7. Notre Dame (1-0)

8. Auburn (2-0)

9. Florida (2-0)

10. Michigan (2-0)

11. Utah (2-0)

12. Texas (1-1)

13. Penn State (2-0)

14. Wisconsin (2-0)

15. Oregon (1-1)

16. Texas A&M (1-1)

17. UCF (2-0)

18. Michigan State (2-0)

19. Iowa (2-0)

20. Washington State (2-0)

21. Maryland (2-0)

22. Boise State (2-0)

23. Washington (1-1)

24. USC (2-0)

25. Virginia (2-0)

Week 3 Schedule and Predictions

All Times ET.

Predicted winners in bold.

Friday, Sept. 13

Houston at No. 20 Washington State (9:15 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, Sept. 14

Arkansas State at No. 3 Georgia (noon, ESPN2)

No. 6 Ohio State at Indiana (noon, Fox)

Pittsburgh at No. 13 Penn State (noon, ABC)

No. 21 Maryland at Temple (noon, CBS Sports Network)

New Mexico at No. 7 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., NBC)

No. 2 Alabama at South Carolina (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Stanford at No. 17 UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

No. 24 USC at BYU (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Arizona State at No. 18 Michigan State (4 p.m., Fox)

No. 19 Iowa at Iowa State (4 p.m., FS1)

Idaho State at No. 11 Utah (4:15 p.m.)

Kent State at No. 8 Auburn (7 p.m., ESPN2)

No. 9 Florida at Kentucky (7 p.m., ESPN)

Lamar at No. 16 Texas A&M (7 p.m., ESPNU)

No. 1 Clemson at Syracuse (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Northwestern State at No. 4 LSU (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)

Hawaii at No. 23 Washington (7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

Florida State at No. 25 Virginia (7:30 p.m., ACC Network)

No. 5 Oklahoma at UCLA (8 p.m., Fox)

No. 12 Texas at Rice (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network)

Portland State at No. 22 Boise State (10:15 p.m., ESPN2)

Montana at No. 15 Oregon (10:45 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

Week 3 Preview

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Unlike last week, there are no matchups featuring two ranked teams this upcoming weekend. So, it wouldn't be surprising to see most of the Top 25 teams secure a victory.

One interesting game to watch on Saturday is No. 24 USC and BYU, each of which is coming off an impressive victory.

The Trojans moved into the AP Top 25 poll with a 45-20 win over Stanford that featured a record-breaking performance by quarterback Kedon Slovis. The true freshman passed for 377 yards, the most by a USC freshman in his first career start, and three touchdowns.

"I don't think it shows how good I am," Slovis said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "But it shows how good the team is around me."

BYU bounced back from a season-opening loss to Utah with a double-overtime 29-26 road victory over Tennessee. The Cougars avoided their first 0-2 start since 1995, which was key with matchups against tough Pac-12 opponents USC and Washington the next two weeks.

"Oh, this is huge," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "We obviously looked at the schedule and we know games that we want to win and want to perform well. I don't think our guys are proud of what they did last week, but we talk about getting over that feeling, and the best way to do it is play the next week and prepare for it."

With BYU hosting USC on Saturday, it could be a competitive game between two teams coming off strong victories.

Although No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Alabama, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Ohio State are all going on the road, all four should continue their strong starts with wins, and it would be a shocking upset if any of them lost.

No. 12 Texas and No. 16 Texas A&M will look to bounce back from their first losses of the season, and both should do so with wins. The Longhorns travel to play Rice, while the Aggies host Lamar.