My 2010 College Football Top 25 Rankings for Week 3

1. Alabama – Completely dominant over a very good Penn State team, even without Marcell Dareus and Mark Ingram. Dethroning these guys is going to be tough.

2. Ohio State – Terrelle Pryor didn’t do anything to hurt his Heisman chances with 346 total yards and two touchdowns against Miami; the defense made Jacory Harris’s day miserable with four interceptions.

3. Boise State – Virginia Tech dropping to James Madison at home hurt A LOT. But the story hasn’t changed; win out, hope for help.

4. TCU – Win over Oregon State was impressive, and this is a talented and physical team on both sides of the ball. One more chance for a statement at Utah in Week 10.

5. Oregon – Video-game offense had a bad first half in Tennessee, but found its wheels in the second half. An aggressive and athletic defense doesn’t hurt either.

6. Iowa – Still one of the premier defenses in the nation. With Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State all at home this season, Iowa could put together a special season.

7. Oklahoma – Week 1 concerns washed away with a dominant win over Florida State. Next three games (Air Force, at Cincinnati, Texas) will give us a better idea of where the Sooners really stand.

8. Texas – Would have liked to have seen a little more comfort against squads like Rice and Wyoming, but at Texas Tech should serve as a nice wake-up call.

9. Nebraska – The talent is there on both sides of the ball; they’ll just need to avoid their annual let-down games this season.

10. Florida – Florida bounced back nicely from a horrible opener last week, and the defense looks good. The Gators will have to take it to the next level over the next few games if they want to have a chance in Alabama in three weeks.

11. Arkansas – Untested so far, but that’s about to change. At Georgia and Alabama will give us a good barometer of how strong this team really is.

12. South Carolina – The defense is as good as usual, but the offense actually has the ability to put points on the board this season. Serious contender to win the SEC East.

13. Utah – Wins over a good Pitt team and a pesky UNLV team extended the Utes’ home winning streak to 19 games. It should sit at 21 when TCU rolls into town.

14. Wisconsin – Not off to the cleanest start in less-than-stellar wins over UNLV and San Jose State, but they have time to work out the cobwebs before hosting Ohio State in Week 7.

15. Auburn – Road games in the SEC are never easy, but Auburn was up to the task at Mississippi State. Clemson and South Carolina at home will both be tests.

16. Stanford – Quarterback Andrew Luck is deserving of all of the hype. UCLA isn’t a strong team, but dominating in all elements of the game on the road was still impressive.

17. LSU – Still can’t get the bad taste out of my mouth from that UNC second half, but the defense has been stellar otherwise. Still not sure about this offense.

18. Michigan – Denard Robinson’s 502 total yard, three TD performance over Notre Dame has me looking for spots on the bandwagon. Surprisingly enough, the Wolverines have a great shot to enter their Week 6 game against rival Michigan State at 5-0.

19. Arizona – My dark horse pick for the Pac-10 Title is looking darker with the way Oregon and Stanford are playing, but the Wildcats have looked extremely sharp against soft competition. This week’s matchup against Iowa will tell us a lot.

20. Miami – Had a chance to make a statement that “The U is back”, but failed to do so against Ohio State. Tough three game stretch at Pittsburgh, at Clemson, and Florida State will require Miami to put the OSU game in the past immediately.

21. USC – The team looks the worst it has in years, but that hasn’t prevented the Trojans from starting off 2-0. They won’t need their best at Minnesota or at Washington State, but eventually they need to figure it out.

22. West Virginia – It took a Marshall meltdown, but West Virginia still deserves credit for their resiliency in coming back to win. At LSU in two weeks will be the Mountaineers’ first real test.

23. Houston – Concerns about Keenum’s “concussion symptoms” could put a damper on the record-chasing season.

24. Penn State – Won’t be the first or last team to look hopeless against Alabama. Breathers against Kent State and Temple up next.

25. California – Might have Colorado reconsidering joining the Pac-10 with their 52-7 blowout win over the Buffaloes. Outscoring opponents 104-10 early.

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