College Football Rankings 2011: Predicting the Top 25 After Week Three

With the AP Poll released, there are a lot of teams worthy of their current spot but a few teams that aren't. As the weeks go by, the real teams will begin to prove their worth while the fake will continue to fall down the rankings.

There were very few changes in last week's poll, as the top stayed the same with only a couple of switches like Alabama and LSU. Expect a different outcome this week as there are a lot of games that will have a huge impact on the rankings.

Here is how the AP Poll top 25 will look after Week 3.

25. USC Trojans

The USC Trojans aren't exactly winning pretty but they're getting the job done. The running game needs to improve but the major weakness from last season in their secondary looks to be improved.

The Trojans move back into the rankings with a victory over Syracuse and a few other teams dropping out.

24. Texas Longhorns

Who played better last week, Colt McCoy or his brother Case? It doesn't matter, because Case's team won.

The Longhorns improve to a 3-0 start with a win over the UCLA Bruins and hang around in the top 25.

23. Michigan Wolverines

What a game Denard Robinson and the Wolverines played last week against Notre Dame. Although they just missed the top 25 this week, with a few teams losing and a victory over Eastern Michigan, they'll slip in next week.

22. TCU Horned Frogs

The Horned Frogs played better defense against Air Force but still gave up over 200 yards on the ground. A game against Louisiana-Monroe should help build this team's confidence as they win two games in a row. 

21. Arizona State Sun Devils

Don't look now, but first year starter Brock Osweiler has completed 74.1 percent of his passes. That's 14 best in the country and just behind Landry Jones.

20. South Florida Bulls

The South Florida Bulls bully Florida A&M and start the year off 3-0. Can B.J. Daniels get some love, who is off to his best season yet.

19. Auburn Tigers

Auburn may not be the same team from last year but a sign of a good team is knowing how to win the close games. Auburn has done that the last two weeks in a row.

They improve to 3-0 with a win over Clemson.

18. Baylor Bears

I'm sure Robert Griffin and the Bears could have played last week to keep the momentum going but against Stephen F. Austin they won't need it. The Bears improve to 2-0 and move up one spot in the rankings. 

17. West Virginia Mountaineers

Two up and coming teams in West Virgina and Maryland square off on Saturday. Geno Smith and company get the best of Randy Edsall's crew and move up one spot.

16. Florida Gators

The Gators are looking like one of the most underrated teams in the top 25 right now. Opening the SEC schedule should start to give them some respect as they play Tennessee this week. That two headed monster at running back with Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey is fun to watch and hard to stop.

15. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas is looking like one of the best teams in the country statistics wise. That should continue against Troy this week but we'll find out just how good this Razorbacks team is when they play Alabama next week.

14. Michigan State Spartans

Not the exactly the hype you expected surrounding the game against Notre Dame, but it should still be an interesting game. Regardless, the Spartans continue to add to the Fighting Irish misery and the victory puts coach Brian Kelly on a hotter seat.

13. Virginia Tech Hokies

What an awful performance against East Carolina last week. Hopefully things are better against Arkansas State or the Hokies are going to start dropping in the rankings for winning ugly.

12. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are happy again and that happiness should continue for quite some time with this schedule they have. The game is over by halftime against Missouri State and the Ducks hold on to the number 12 spot.  

11. South Carolina Gamecocks

Man, if Stephen Garcia doesn't get his act together quick, the Gamecocks will have some serious problems. They'll live to see another week against Navy.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Not really the defensive performance Nebraska would have liked to showcase against Fresno State but they got the win. They'll do the same against Washington and round out the top ten. 

9. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M tried to get the SEC drama over with during the week off but it didn't work. Now they get to take their frustrations out on the Idaho Vandals.

They stay in the top ten.

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Cowboys stay in the number eight spot with a victory over Tulsa.

Is there any way ESPN can put together a highlight reel of Justin Blackmon's catches after every game? He's kind of good.

7. Wisconsin Badgers

How many home games does one team get in a row? For Wisconsin it's six and they start the season off 3-0 with a victory over Northern Illinois and stay ranked number seven.  

6. Oklahoma Sooners

A week to prepare won't help the Sooners against the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee. FSU is just as talented and they have the ESPN college game crew on their side. Three times last season Kirk Herbstreit and company showed up to a number one teams stadium and they all lost.

The number one team falls to number six and needs help for the rest of the year to regain their National Championship dreams.

5. Stanford Cardinal

Andrew Luck and Stanford continue to roll over opponents with their easy schedule. They move up one spot with the victory over Arizona and the loss of Oklahoma.

4. Boise State Broncos

This Boise State vs Toledo game just got a little more interesting with the showing the Rockets put on against Ohio State. Still believe the Broncos are the better team and they cruise to victory.

Unfortunately for them, it's still not enough to move them up in the rankings.   

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

If Alabama's victory over Penn State wasn't enough to earn respect with the voters, a win over the North Texas Mean Green won't do the trick either. The Crimson Tide fall to number three and get ready for a tough match up against the Razorbacks.

2. Florida State Seminoles

Oh yes I did. The Seminoles upset the number one team in the country and jumped three spots to number two, to show that Florida State is back on the college football map.

Would this victory be enough to put quarterback EJ Manuel in the Heisman conversation?

1. LSU Tigers

With a victory over two top 25 teams in less than three weeks, the Tigers deserve the number one spot in this weeks rankings. It doesn't get much easier though, LSU has five more ranked teams on the schedule including a trip to Alabama.