Table of Contents
There are 10 winless teams left in the FBS.
This is not so surprising three weeks into the year.
What’s surprising: One of them is Florida State, the reigning ACC champion, which went from a 12-0 regular season last year to 0-3 this year after losing at home to Memphis.
Things aren’t great in Tallahassee. Things are probably even worse in Gainesville, where Florida coach Bill Napier heard a steady chorus of boos as Texas A&M, with a first-year coach and a first-year starting quarterback, crushed the Gators in the Swamp. If you’re curious about Napier’s severance package, it’s somewhere around $25 million to $27 million. It depends on when (maybe not “if” anymore) Florida decides to end his tenure with the school, a three-year run that has produced a 12-16 record.
Now, the good stuff. How about the Group of Five? Not only did Memphis get the win over FSU, but Toledo thrashed Mississippi State in Starkville and UNLV beat Kansas on Friday night. Those three G5 programs keep hope alive of earning that new automatic berth in the expanded College Football Playoff. Not only that, but they continue to prove (like Northern Illinois last week) that NIL money doesn’t always lead to wins on the field. These little guys can still play! That also goes for Washington State, which pulled off the upset at Lumen Field, beating the rival Huskies (we’ll get to that later).
Meanwhile, Alabama, Oregon and Notre Dame rebounded from Week 2 woes against South Florida, Boise State and Northern Illinois, respectively, with convincing road wins (at Wisconsin by 32, at Oregon State by 35, at Purdue by 59).
Pat Narduzzi and Pitt claimed college football’s championship again, rallying for the second straight time in the second half. The Panthers trailed by 10 points with about four minutes left before beating rival West Virginia after rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat Cincinnati last week.
Indiana routed UCLA in its Big Ten debut at the Rose Bowl; Vanderbilt lost to Georgia State and fell out of the Top 10 (it didn’t take long!); and Georgia barely survived a tight road game at Kentucky.
Okay, time for the rankings, which, we remind you, do not take into account any preseason polls or any results from previous seasons. What happened in the past, well, is in the past. What matters is who you beat and how you beat them this year!
So don’t expect to see Ohio State in our rankings, as it has played teams like Western Michigan and Akron.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: beat Kentucky 13-12
Next week: goodbye
Sure, the Bulldogs had enough issues to make us doubt leaving them at No. 1, but they have two major conference wins (Clemson and Kentucky) and neither came at home. Mark Stoops and the Wildcats exposed some offensive issues under Kirby Smart and company. They have the bye week to figure things out before a trip to Alabama for a top-10 showdown.
2. USC Trojans
This week: Goodbye
Next week: in Michigan
The Trojans at No. 2? What am I thinking? I think they got the best win, perhaps, in the entire country so far: a neutral-field win over LSU. What better win than that? A lot of teams saw their only quality win in a power conference take a hit on Saturday. For example, Miami’s win at Florida doesn’t look so good now, does it? West Virginia, Penn State’s best win, blew a lead at Pitt. Michigan, Texas’ big win, didn’t look so good in limping to a 28-18 win over Arkansas State. Iowa State (a win at Iowa) and Northern Illinois (a win at Notre Dame) actually have arguments to be the best wins of the year.
3. Texas Longhorns
This week: beat UTSA 56-7
Next week: vs. UL-Monroe
The Longhorns showed off their backup quarterback. Heard of him? Arch Manning? Sound familiar? Quinn Ewers left the game in the first half with an abdominal strain (it doesn’t appear serious) and Manning got the most playing time of his career in his second year at Texas. All he did was throw for four touchdowns and run for another.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: beat Ball State 62-0
Next week: in South Florida
Watch out. Next week in Tampa, the Hurricanes have a trap game. Second-year coach Alex Golesh has had the Bulls playing well. They gave Alabama a scare last week and crushed Southern Miss this week. Cam Ward and the Canes appear to have a chance to make the playoffs, but that could be quickly derailed by a stumble against a Group of Five opponent.
5. Iowa State Cyclones
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Arkansas State
Not only are the Cyclones still in the top 10, they’re moving up despite not playing this Saturday. They have an argument for the best win of the season so far: the 20-19 win at Iowa last week. Nobody walks into Kinnick Stadium, trails by two points late in the game, and faces Kirk Ferentz’s defense!
6. Alabama Red Tide
This week: beat Wisconsin 42-10
Next week: goodbye
We talk a lot about Alabama’s offensive weapons: quarterback Jalen Milroe, skilled receivers and speedy running backs. But the Tide’s defense is stifling. They’ve allowed three touchdowns in three games. On Saturday in Madison, the unit forced four fumbles (recovering two) and held Wisconsin to less than 300 yards and three third-down conversions.
7. Washington State Cougars
This week: beat Washington 24-19
Next week: vs. San Jose State
The Cougars, like Georgia, have two major conference wins, a rarity this early in the season. Not only that, but one of them came against an archrival on a neutral field on Saturday. An excited coach Jake Dickert walked into his press conference after the win with a cigar and jokingly asked the media if anyone had a lighter. Smoke it if you have one! A well-deserved win for the Pac-12 (or Pac-2…or Pac-6), which now has a combined record of 5-1 on the year.
8. Tennessee Volunteers
This week: beat Kent State 71-0
Next week: in Oklahoma
Next week sees the Josh Heupel Bowl in Norman, the SEC opener for both teams and Heupel’s return to a place where he played and coached. The Vols have outscored their first three opponents 191-13. Of course, those opponents are Chattanooga, NC State on a neutral field and Kent State. But still, sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava should have plenty of confidence heading into the game against the Sooners.
9. Northern Illinois Huskies
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Buffalo
Don’t be surprised. The Huskies have their own case for the best win of the season so far. Their victory at Notre Dame looks even better after coach Marcus Freeman’s team crushed Purdue 66-7. The big question is: Can NIU hold on to its top-10 spot, remain undefeated and keep its chance for a G5 playoff berth alive?
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Kent State
Let’s stop for a moment and talk about Penn State’s next opponent: Kent State. The same Kent State that lost 71-0 to Tennessee. Also, the same Kent State that started the year with a 31-point loss to Pitt. What will the Nittany Lions do to them? We’ll see. Remember, the last time we saw Penn State, they were having trouble with Bowling Green.
Dropped out: North Carolina (7), Vanderbilt (10)
