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Mike's top 25 college football teams heading into Week 3 of the 2025 season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State State, LSU, and more.
Week 3 College Football Power Rankings
A few more top 25 teams took a dive this week, further proving the pointlessness of ranking teams this early in the season. Just because it’s pointless won’t stop us from doing it! However, expect my rankings to be a little bit different from most polls. I’m going only by what has happened on the field. That’s why Penn State and Georgia are lower in my rankings.
They will move up as they beat decent teams. The body of work for a team like South Florida is more impressive than anything Penn State or Georgia has done this year. The Bulls just don’t have the name brand to go with it or the massive money of ESPN driving the narrative. ESPN doesn’t pay me, so you’ll get a more unbiased look.
25. Nebraska (2-0)
Last week: NR
Result: W 68-0 vs. Akron
Nebraska wins two consecutive one-score games, then pitches a shutout. This may not signal a return to the glory days just yet, but it signifies a return to the Bo Pelini days.
24 Georgia (2-0)
Last week: 12 ⇓12
Result: W 28-6 vs. Austin Peay
First, Georgia can’t cover a Marshall team that lost to Missouri State in its second-ever FBS game, then they only score 28 on Austin Peay. This ranking may be a little harsh, but what the Bulldogs have shown on the field so far hasn’t been much.
23. Indiana (2-0)
Last week: 18 ⇓5
Result: W 56-9 vs. Kennesaw State
The Hoosiers cleaned up the sloppy play from Week 1 with a methodical beatdown of a team that pushed Wake to the brink in Week 1.
22. Penn State (2-0)
Last week: 11 ⇓11
Result: W 34-0 vs. Florida International
And people complain about Indiana’s out-of-conference schedule… At least Kennesaw State almost beat an ACC school!
21. Georgia Tech (2-0)
Last week: 14 ⇓7
Result: W 59-12 vs. Gardner-Webb
The Bees claimed the 1990 National Championship 35 years later with a win over Colorado in Week 1. That keeps them afloat for now.
20. Missouri (2-0)
Last week: NR
Result: W 42-31 vs. Kansas
Missouri takes the first meeting of the Border War in 14 years by picking up where they left off. The Indian War Drum will remain in Columbia for the foreseeable future.
19. Auburn (2-0)
Last week: NR
Result: W 42-3 vs. Ball State
I erred by not ranking Auburn last week after a win in Waco. Baylor took out SMU this week, so there’s a good chance that Auburn is better than we think.
18. Clemson (1-1)
Last week: 8 ⇓10
Result: W 27-16 vs. Troy
Clemson trailed this game 16-0 in the second quarter to a Troy team that won four games last year and isn’t any better this year. That’s not a great showing after losing the battle of Death Valley at home in Week 1.
17. Notre Dame (0-1)
Last week: 15 ⇓2
Result: BYE
The Irish stay ranked after a loss to a good Miami team on the road in Week 1.
16. Texas A&M (2-0)
Last week: 10 ⇓6
Result: W 44-22 vs. Utah State
The Aggies beat another bowl-bound Group of 5 team, but once again, didn’t look that great doing it. We’ll find out if they’re for real soon enough. A date with Notre Dame looms.
15. Tennessee (2-0)
Last week: 9 ⇓6
Result: W 72-17 vs. East Tennessee State
Well, at least no one got hurt. Joey Aguilar has quickly become a fan favorite in Knoxville, and with good reason. Nico who?
14. Texas (1-1)
Last week: 7 ⇓7
Result: W 38-7 vs. San Jose State
The Spartans lost at home to Central Michigan last week, so forgive me if I’m not that high on Texas again just yet. Arch Manning looked the part for the Longhorns in this one, throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Texas will be fine, and they will move up again, but some teams had more convincing wins this week. It’s nothing personal.
13. Oregon (2-0)
Last week: 18 ⇑5
Result: W 69-3 vs. Oklahoma State
I know that Oklahoma State is just a name now, but the 69 points scored on the Cowboys by Oregon were the most scored on this team since Oklahoma dropped 75 on the Cowboys in 1904. Oklahoma wasn’t even a state yet, and the Cowboys were still called the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. So…a generational-sized win on a Power 4 team will move the Ducks in front of teams with a loss.
12. South Carolina (2-0)
Last week: 6 ⇓6
Result: W 38-10 vs. South Carolina State
Some teams feasted on cupcakes. Some acted like a cat playing with a mouse. The rankings have been adjusted accordingly. This was a game where South Carolina really needed to step on the gas. Instead, they were driving 50 in the left lane on the interstate.
11. Vanderbilt (2-0)
Last week: NR
Result: W 44-20 at Virginia Tech
If I’m giving South Carolina credit for beating the Hokies on a neutral field, it’s only fair that I rank the Commodores higher for beating on the birds in Blacksburg.
10. Mississippi (2-0)
Last week: 13 ⇑3
Result: W 30-23 at Kentucky
Ole Miss once again played a game on the sloppy side, but they avenged a loss to the team that kept them out of the College Football Playoff. It was also a road win inside the conference. Those are weighted more heavily early in the season with so many teams still feasting on cupcakes.
9. Illinois (2-0)
Last week: 23 ⇑14
Result: W 45-19 at Duke
This was a statement win for Illinois, especially since this was a trendy upset pick in Week 2. I didn’t fall for that, but I did fall for a couple of others. Illinois jumps a few teams because it’s a road win, and some teams won’t leave their home state for another month. It was also against a Power 4 team. Add in the fact that dozens of pundits were picking the Illini to lose, and you have a statement win, my friends.
8. Iowa State (3-0)
Last week: 5 ⇓3
Result: W 16-13 vs. Iowa
Here we have the back-to-back ¡El Assico! champs, and the game lived up to the name. Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy was the MVP of the game, and Iowa State beat Iowa in Ames for the first time since 2011.
That really doesn’t answer how good the Cyclones are. K-State nearly lost to North Dakota (not the good one) and lost to Army. Iowa’s quarterback didn’t break 100 passing yards on the SEASON until the fourth quarter of this game. Some of it is the Iowa State defense, but how much?
7. Mississippi State (2-0)
Last week: NR
Result: W 24-20 vs. Arizona State
I didn’t rank the Sun Devils after their Week 1 scuffle with Northern Arizona. I was more right than I realized. The offense lost something great in Cam Skattebo, and no amount of continuity across the other units could replace him. We saw that with Boise in Week 1.
I’m not taking anything away from this win for the Bulldogs. This team suffered through a 2-10 season last year. They already have as many wins as in 2024, and Jeff Lebby has this team looking like a bowl-bound team. The Bulldogs play six more ranked teams. They will have plenty of chances to stay this high in the rankings.
6. Oklahoma (2-0)
Last week: 21 ⇑15
Result: W 24-13 vs. (17) Michigan
Oklahoma beat a top-five FCS team and a ranked Big Ten (18) team to start the season. This isn’t homerism. They belong up here for now. It’s been a minute (or a decade) since I’ve been excited about an Oklahoma defense. The impact Brent Venables has had on this team is starting to show, and John Mateer was the most significant signing from the transfer portal for any team.
5. South Florida (2-0)
Last week: 20 ⇑15
Result: W 18-16 at (22) Florida
Winning in the Swamp is never easy, even when Florida isn’t good. Florida is still a very good team, but they made costly mistake after costly mistake against the Bulls. USF’s defensive front played another excellent game, and they have a kicker named Gramatica. That’s kicking royalty. This is not your run-of-the-mill Group of 5 team.
4. Florida State (2-0)
Last week: 4 ⇔
Result: W 77-3 vs. East Texas A&M
Florida State set a school record with 11 touchdowns scored in this game. The Seminoles already have as many wins as they had in the entire 2024 season.
3. Miami (FL) (2-0)
Last week: 3 ⇔
Result: W 45-3 vs. Bethune-Cookman
The top teams weren’t tested this week, but there weren’t as many teams with chances for big wins this week. The big winners from Week 1 held their slots this week.
2. LSU (2-0)
Last week: 2 ⇔
Result: W 23-7 vs. Louisiana Tech
Clemson struggling with Troy could hurt LSU’s ranking at some point, but for now, no one else has a better road win than the Bayou Bengals.
1. Ohio State (2-0)
Last week: 1 ⇔
Result: W 70-0 vs. Grambling
The Buckeyes are still at the top for beating the unanimous preseason No. 1 team. This revenue-driven practice game here doesn’t change anything. The big win keeps the Buckeyes at the top.
