Josh’s College Football Rankings 2025–Week 3

Some very exciting games this week, which included some big losses. These losses make ranking teams difficult. Especially when you get down to 26-40. But this is the service I provide (and someday I may be able to figure out how to make an image that has all 40, and does not look too cluttered or like straight garbage).

1. Ohio State (3-0)–#1–W 37-9 Ohio. The Buckeyes had a tough time with the Bobcats for about a half, and then Ohio State became too much (I warned people that Ohio is a good team).
2. Penn State (3-0)–#2–W 52-6 Villanova. If you were watching, it felt like this game was closer than it was. Villanova came to play, and even though they were outmatched, they did not make it easy. Also, props to the Wildcatas for scoring that final touchdown, Coach Franklin did everything he could to preserve the shutout, and ‘Nova’s QB made a ridiculous final play.
3. Georgia (3-0)–#3–W 44-41 OT #17 Tennessee. The Bulldogs should have lost this one, if the Vols kicker could hit that one at the end of the game, the rankings would be much different today.
4. LSU (3-0)–#5–W 20-10 #23 Florida. I kept the Gators ranked after that loss to South Florida, and LSU handled them easily, so I bumped the Tigers up a spot.
5. Miami (3-0)–#6–W 49-12 #22 South Florida. The Hurricanes crushed the Bulls, and they look like a dominant team this year.
6. Texas (2-1)–#4–W 27-10 UTEP. The Longhorns won, but it was not a pretty game.
7. Oregon (3-0)–#7–W 34-14 Northwestern. The Ducks look tough.
8. Illinois (3-0)–#10–W 38-0 Western Michigan
9. Texas A&M (3-0)–#18–W 41-40 #9 Notre Dame. A fantastic win over the Irish. The Aggies look for real this year. Just cannot stumble against some of those mid-tier teams.
10. Oklahoma (3-0)–#12–W 42-3 Temple. How did Temple get this as a home game? Did not matter, the Sooners rolled over the Owls.
11. Ole Miss (3-0)–#14–W 41-35 #30 Arkansas. Another fun game. The Rebels hung on against a solid Arkansas team.
12. Florida State (2-0)–#13–BYE
13. Iowa State (4-0)–#15–W 24-16 Arkansas State
14. Indiana (3-0)–#16–W 73-0 Indiana State
15. Texas Tech (3-0)–#19–W 45-14 Oregon State
16. Auburn (3-0)–#20–W 31-15 South Alabama
17. Alabama (2-1)–#24–W 38-14 Wisconsin. The Tide rolled right over the Badgers. Yeah, I made that joke, I apologize.
18. Georgia Tech (3-0)–#27–W 24-21 #11 Clemson. I was not shocked by this one at all. Haynes² is such a dangerous combo. King had 211 yards passing, 103 yards rushing. Jamal had 26 rushing, but also 36 receiving.
19. Michigan (2-1)–#21–W 63-3 Central Michigan
20. Tennessee (2-1)–#17–L 44-41 OT #3 Georgia. Not going to punish the Volunteers too much after that heart-breaking loss.
21. Missouri (3-0)–#24–W 52-10 Louisiana
22. Vanderbilt (3-0)–HM–W 31-7 #8 South Carolina. The Commodores went to South Carolina and won in dominant fashion. Yes, the Gamecocks lost their QB, but Vandy was off to a strong start even before that happened.
23. South Carolina (2-1)–#8–L 31-7 Vanderbilt. How long will Sellers be out? This season could fall apart for the Cocks if he is out for a significant amount of time.
24. TCU (2-0)–#26–W 42-21 Abilene Christian
25. Utah (3-0)–#38–W 31-6 Wyoming. I guess I will buy into the Utes. They better not make me look foolish.
26. Notre Dame (0-2)–#9–L 41-40 #18 Texas A&M. I know they are winless to start the year, but it is hard to drop them out of the Top 40. I debated having them at #25.
27. Baylor (2-1)–#28–W 42-7 Samford
28. Florida (1-2)–#23–L 20-10 #5 LSU. The Gators started okay, but then DJ Lagway decided to throw 5 INTs. Can’t do that and expect to be a top tier team.
29. SMU (2-1)–#29–W 28-10 Missouri State
30. Clemson (1-2)–#11–L 24-21 #27 Georgia Tech. Another loss and I am done with this team.
31. USC (3-0)–#31–W 33-17 Purdue
32. Washington (2-0)–#32–BYE
33. Nebraska (3-0)–#33–W 59-7 Houston Christian
34. Arizona State (2-1)–#34–W 34-15 Texas State
35. Tulane (3-0)–#35–W 34-27 Duke
36. Arkansas (2-1)–#30–L 41-35 #14 Ole Miss. The Razorbacks are a solid team, they will spoil some SEC team’s season this year.
37. UNLV (3-0)–#37–BYE
38. BYU (2-0)–#38–BYE
39. Kansas (2-1)–#39–BYE
40. Iowa (2-1)–#40–W 47-7 UMass. The Hawkeyes score 40+, that is worth celebrating.

Honorable Mentions
Louisville (2-0)–HM–BYE
Mississippi State (3-0)–HM–W 63-0 Alcorn State
South Florida (2-1)–#22–L 49-12 #6 Miami
Houston (3-0)–NR–W 36-20 Colorado. The Cougars may sneak up on some teams this year. Conner Weigman looks good since coming over from TAMU.
California (3-0)–NR–W 27-14 Minnesota. Cal is a solid team. Definitely worth keeping an eye on the next few weeks.

There are a bunch of good games in week four. No marquee matchups, but plenty of games that will show us who these teams are this year. 

#15 Texas Tech at #25 Utah–If Tech wants to be considered one of the big time teams, they need to win this game.
#29 SMU at #24 TCU–The Mustangs need to get their season back on track, beating the Frogs would do that.
#16 Auburn at #10 Oklahoma–Is Auburn for real? Is Oklahoma for real? We will find out. 
#35 Tulane at #11 Ole Miss–Tulane has not won this game since 1988, could this be their year?
#19 Michigan at #33 Nebraska–The Cornhuskers would love to show the Big Ten they are ready to play with the big boys.
#23 South Carolina at #21 Missouri–If Sellers plays, we could have a matchup between potential Heisman candidates.
#28 Florida at #5 Miami–The Hurricanes lead the series 30-27, can the Gators upset them and get their season back on track?
#8 Illinois at #14 Indiana–Neither team has played anyone yet, so this is a big test for them. Illinois needs to win this one to convince people they are a top ten teams.

Tiny But Mighty
No FCS wins this week, but we did have some G5 wins. New Mexico beat UCLA (the Bruins would be in last place in the MWC). Tulane beat Duke, which is not shocking. But the big one was Old Dominion crushing Virginia Tech. In the battle of former Penn State assistant coaches, Ricky Rahne ends up defeating Brent Pry.

My little rant this week has to do with expectations when a team plays an FCS programs. I know fans get mad when there is an FCS team, and the other two or three non-conference games are G5 schools. Yes, it would be nice if Penn State would play a top-tier non-conference team every year, but there are financial aspects to consider. If PSU has an away non-conference game, that means one less home game, which has an affect on the community. Hotels and restaurants rely on those home games to make money. These are things the really big programs have to consider, not just how it will look to the playoff committee. 

But okay, if you are scheduling an FCS school, I think it helps to schedule one of the teams that is typically in the top twenty (Villanova is ranked #11 this year). Also, I think it is good to keep them somewhat local (Penn State paying money to Villanova helps another PA school, or when they used to play Youngstown State, it was a nearby school that would benefit from that money). 

Now, once the game is being played, even if it is a blowout, you should still be practicing for real scenarios that will happen. I will give Franklin credit, he always rotates in plenty of people, but he insists they play hard during those lopsided wins. He was calling timeouts at the end to switch up defensive schemes to match ‘Nova. Some people get mad about that kind of thing, but when something similar happens against a conference opponent, fans will be happy that the Nittany Lions are prepared. The only criticism I have, is that I think he should have the second string offense in to start the second half, then get the third stringers some snaps. If for some reason, the game starts getting close, you can always bring the first team back on the field (honestly though, it should not). 

Coaching Carousel
As I was writing this, Brent Pry is the first casualty of the season. Virginia Tech fired him. He was 16-24 with two losses to Old Dominion. Funny that he lost his first and last games to the Monarchs. Maybe Ricky Rahne can hire Pry to be the ODU defensive coordinator. Or maybe Rahne will be considered for the Hokies job (that would be kind of funny). Will Franklin bring Pry in as a defensive analyst?

Heisman Watch
1. Garrett Nussmeier (QB)–LSU
2. John Mateer (QB)–Oklahoma
3. Carson Beck (QB)–Miami
4. Gunner Stockton (QB)–Georgia
5. Dante Moore (QB)–Oregon