Top 25 College Football Rankings: Mike's Week 3 Standings

September 14, 2026

Mike's top 25 college football teams for Week 3 of the 2026 college football season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and more.

Week 1 wasn't a disappointment by any means, but it barely prepared us for what Week 2 had in store. The Ohio State-Texas game was everything it was supposed to be. ¡El Assico! always delivers, even in prime time. Oregon lost to an unranked team for the first time under Dan Lanning. Maybe John Mateer's thumb was never the issue. Maybe he's just not accurate. James Madison scored 87 freaking points.

More FBS teams fell to FCS teams. Both Montana State and Illinois State were favored (against Nevada and Northern Illinois, respectively) and won. Colgate came within three points of a win over Central Michigan.

Week 2 left us with some questions, some teams that look dominant against inferior opponents, and some teams that might be better than we think. How do we sort this all out? I base my rankings on what has happened on the field, not what might happen or how good I think a team is. This will vary from the AP Polls, but it's likely more accurate. I'm not affiliated with any conference. This is what has happened on the field only.

25. Penn State (2-0)

Previous ranking: 8 (⇓17)

Result: W 27-9 vs. Temple

The win against Marshall was dominant. Struggling with Temple for much of the game was not. Even if Temple is better than expected, a 27-9 win is not what's expected. Penn State's schedule is soft. They're going to need all of the style points they can get.

24. SMU (2-0)

Previous ranking: 22 (⇓2)

Result: W 56-10 vs. UC Davis

The Mustangs cleaned up a lot of the things that bothered them against Florida State, but this was still an FCS opponent. We'll learn more this week in Louisville.

23. Pittsburgh (2-0)

Previous ranking: 20 (⇓3)

Result: W 12-7 vs. Central Florida

This was a horrible game all around. I should have backed off of this in the rain. We can't learn too much about Pitt's offense in a deluge, but I did expect more than 12 points. It's a win over a power conference team, so Pitt still deserves to be ranked for now.

22. USC (3-0)

Previous ranking: 17 (⇓5)

Result: W 49-30 vs. Louisiana

USC has played three inferior teams. They allowed 26 points to San Jose State and 30 points to Louisiana. The offense is legit. Jayden Maiava and company are doing everything they should. The issue is the defense. This is not a championship-caliber defense right now.

21. Oklahoma State (1-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 39-31 vs. (15) Oregon

Oregon struggling with Boise wasn't a fluke. Maybe Oklahoma State losing to Tulsa wasn't either. Both things can be true. We just have no idea if they are now or not.

This game showed the best and worst of Drew Mestemaker. It also showed gaping holes in Oregon's defense and offensive line.

Drew Mestemaker is him. No idea how he didn’t start at QB in high school. Putting it all on the line for Oklahoma State against Oregon pic.twitter.com/mVKanXTK8Y

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 12, 2026

I'm still unsure what to do with the Pokes in the rankings, but I had them ranked in the preseason. I also picked them to win this game back in July. I wasn't willing to double down after they lost to Tulsa.

ESPN cutting away from this game for US Open coverage should be a hanging offense. Why wouldn't they start the tennis match on ESPN News? Why move what will be one of the biggest upsets of the season? For all of you other networks, watch what ESPN does and do the opposite.

20. Tulsa (2-0)

Previous ranking: 24 (⇑4)

Result: W 23-17 at Sam Houston

Tulsa is a really tough team to rank. They beat an Oklahoma State team that just took out Oregon. They also only beat Sam Houston by a touchdown. I know that Sam Houston is better than last year, and they are finally back in their home stadium.

Still, I was expecting more from Tulsa. They moved up because the Pokes beat Oregon. It wasn't of their own volition.

19. Iowa (2-0)

Previous ranking: 18 (⇓1)

Result: W 16-13 vs. Iowa State

Don't be alarmed by the close win in ¡El Assico! It's tradition. It always happens. Punts and copious amounts of Busch Light. ¡El Assico!, don't ever change.

Yes …. YES ……. YES!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/kE48uAoGA6

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 13, 2026

There's also a good chance that Iowa State is better than we think. Jimmy Rodgers has this team playing well, and Jaylen Raynor is the right QB for the system.

On a side note, Iowa is now in possession of all four of its rivalry trophies. The CyHawk was in Ames for the last two years. It will join the Floyd of Rosedale (Minnesota), the Heartland Trophy (Wisconsin), and the Heroes Trophy (Nebraska) in the trophy case.

18. Indiana (2-0)

Previous ranking: 11 (⇓7)

Result: W 55-0 vs. Howard

There's a chance that North Texas is better than we thought. If that's the case, look out. Josh Hoover only threw 11 passes against Howard. Four of them went for touchdowns. I'll buy stock in Hoover once he does this against a defense with a pulse.

17. Georgia (2-0)

Previous ranking: 6 (⇓11)

Result: W 70-20 vs. Western Kentucky

We haven't learned anything about Georgia, but the Dawgs don't care (nor should they). They have the youngest Power 4 roster. Games like these first two are giving them valuable game experience for when the games do get harder. Georgia will fly up the rankings again soon enough.

Georgia scored 70 points in a game for the first time since September 17, 1994, against Northeast Louisiana. It was the first time that Georgia has ever dropped 70 on an FBS opponent.

This was also the first time that Georgia has scored at least 60 points in back-to-back games in 111 years. Georgia beat Newberry 76-0 on September 25, 1915. They followed that with a 64-0 win over North Georgia on October 1.

16. Tennessee (2-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 45-24 vs. Georgia Tech

It's a road win against a "power" team. Then again, Colorado beat the Bees in Atlanta last week. Take it for what you will. It's still more impressive than allowing more points to Western Kentucky than Nevada did.

15. Utah (2-0)

Previous ranking: 13 (⇓2)

Result: W 43-10 vs. Arkansas

Don't listen to ESPN's FPI rankings. They are incredibly SEC-biased. Those rankings told you that Arkansas was better than every Big 12 team. Obviously, that's not the case.

It's not a stretch to say that Arkansas is the worst team in the SEC. It may not be close. Saying the worst team in the SEC is better than every team in another power conference is the type of crap only ESPN could come up with, and it further ruins their credibility.

14. Miami (FL) (2-0)

Previous ranking: 3 (⇓11)

Result: W 77-7 vs. Florida A&M

Of course, Miami looked good against the Rattlers. Florida A&M only won five games last year. Miami didn't "run up the score." The starters were out of the game before halftime, and it was third- and fourth-stringers in the game for much of the fourth quarter.

Miami isn't the only team that does this, and won't be the last team that does this. Miami set a school record with 856 yards. The 77 points tied a school record.

The Miami Hurricanes tonight ?

- Set a new program record for yards in a game with 856
- Tier a program record for points in a game with 77
- 0 third downs in the first half
- Scored a touchdown on their first 11 drives - first team to do so since 2012
- ACC record 41 first… https://t.co/WcVJ289vG8 pic.twitter.com/UGCnKHsiHT

— The College Sports Company (@CollegeSportsCo) September 11, 2026

What's the point of this game? Florida A&M pays for all of its athletic teams for a full calendar year (and maybe more). Miami's backups get practice playing in a game in front of a crowd.

Is it tasteless? Maybe, but it's a widely accepted practice in college football. Go clutch your pearls somewhere else. Florida A&M isn't mad. Why should you be?

13. Virginia (2-0)

Previous ranking: 9 (⇓4)

Result: W 59-3 vs. Norfolk State

I still don't know how good Virginia is, but I know that North Carolina State isn't as bad as the Virginia defense made them look. The game against West Virginia this week is going to teach us a lot about both teams.

12. Notre Dame (2-0)

Previous ranking: 5 (⇓7)

Result: W 52-0 vs. Rice

Now we're at the point of ranking teams that beat bad Power 4 teams and another far inferior team. I don't think Wisconsin is as bad as the Irish made them look. Rice is, but the Irish dominated the game.

Many teams don't dominate inferior opponents the way that Notre Dame did here. Rice only had 128 yards of offense. This was 42-0 at halftime. The Irish, like true Catholics, showed mercy on the weak.

11. Mississippi State (2-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 38-13 at Minnesota

I have no clue how good Minnesota is, but the Gophers returned most of a solid defense, and Kamario Taylor made them look like fools. This is a giant win for the Bulldogs on the road.

Kamario Taylor | 6'4" 230 LBs | QB Miss St

Kamario Taylor has a rocket for an arm, making impressive throws from multiple angles and fitting the ball into tight windows with impressive accuracy. He’s also a good athlete with a tall frame and plenty of natural talent, and the… pic.twitter.com/lBDAYg60e9

— First And Ten (@FirstAndTenYT) September 13, 2026

This game was never really in question. Remember this Mississippi State team beat Arizona State in StarkVegas last year and took Tennessee to overtime. This could be a dangerous team in 2026.

10. UCLA (2-0)

Previous ranking: 23 (⇑13)

Result: W 28-10 vs. San Diego State

We can argue about how good Cal is (or not), but the Bruins have a road win against a conference opponent and beat a San Diego State team that won 10 games in 2025. That's an impressive start for a team that struggled last year.

9. LSU (2-0)

Previous ranking: 2 (⇓7)

Result: W 45-14 vs. Louisiana Tech

The Tigers struggled against the Bulldogs in the first half, but finally pulled away. Clemson struggling mightily against Georgia Southern isn't LSU's fault, but we have few measuring sticks at this point in the season. The beatdown of Clemson is somewhat less impressive.

8. Duke (2-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 31-27 at Illinois

Duke lost Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate to Miami. They weren't supposed to be any good this year. The Blue Devils beat one of the better Group of 6 teams of the decade in Tulane and beat a middle-tier Big Ten team on the road.

I'm not going to pretend like Illinois isn't a shadow of the team that took the field last year, but this is likely still a bowl team. A road win against a Power 4 bowl team counts for a lot at this time of the year.

7. Alabama (2-0)

Previous ranking: 16 (⇑9)

Result: W 45-17 at Kentucky

The Tide, in particular young QB Keelon Russell, struggled in the first half in Lexington. We saw Russell grow up in that second half.

I'm not going to act like beating Kentucky is some big thing, especially when this is one of the most lopsided series in college football history, but the Wildcats look better than Clemson and any other Power teams that teams below them have beaten.

And, hey, it's a road conference win. Those count for more early in the season. It's the nature of the ranking beast early in the season.

6. BYU (2-0)

Previous ranking: 14 (⇑8)

Result: W 28-17 vs. Arizona

Arizona has been on the cusp of my rankings all season and was ranked at the end of spring. This offense's continuity will be a problem for many Big 12 teams.

BYU isn't flashy. What they are is solid on both sides of the ball. Bear Bachmeier had more command of this game than he did in any game last year.

5. Texas A&M (2-0)

Previous ranking: 12 (⇑7)

Result: W 48-20 vs. (21) Arizona State

The Aggies had a hard time shaking the Sun Devils, but came up with some monster plays in the fourth quarter to run away.

There's still a chance that Arizona State is a good team. We didn't learn much from them in Week 1, but they showed heart with more than 100,000 crazy Texans screaming at them for four hours.

4. Michigan (2-0)*

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 17-10 vs. (10) Oklahoma

You can hate this. Hell, I hate this. The facts are that Michigan beat a (likely shouldn't have been) top-10 team and easily the best team in the MAC.

Yes, it sucks that the Big Ten didn't follow protocol in Week 1 and didn't want Michigan to lose. There are enough videos out there to prove that the Big Ten may have been right.

In my mind, they had no reason to review it. The play should have stood and ended the game. It is also true that Michigan looked sloppy, sometimes dirty, and sometimes awful...and they were still a lot better than Oklahoma, especially on defense.

Setting feelings aside and looking at this in black and white, Michigan beat an SEC team that made the CFP last year and easily the best team in the MAC. If there were no controversy attached, this is the spot that Michigan deserves right now.

3. Mississippi (2-0)

Previous ranking: 1 (⇓2)

Result: W 41-9 vs. Charlotte

The win over Louisville is probably going to keep the Rebels afloat for a while. Beating a Charlotte team that lost to The Citadel last week in triple overtime isn't that impressive.

Oh, the Rebels didn't cover either. It was a ho-hum game for the Rebels, but there were other ranked teams that struggled with bottom-feeders. Something can be said for taking care of business.

2. Ohio State (1-1)

Previous ranking: 7 (⇑5)

Result: L 23-24 at (4) Texas

Yeah, the Buckeyes lost. It was also to a top-5 opponent on the road. That's more impressive than Miami setting records against a bad FCS school. That's more impressive than beating the back end of the top 25.

Ohio State went to one of the most hostile environments and dominated Texas for three quarters. The fourth quarter is the type of thing that gets coaches fired.

Jeremiah Smith dropping passes was uncharacteristic, but there's enough blame to go around. Why not let Texas score so you have more time on the clock? On one hand, I get it for Ryan Day.

Texas needed a touchdown. Why let them have it? Ohio State has made defensive stands inside the two-yard line before. He bet on his players. It's easy to disagree if it doesn't work.

It's also not a high rate of success stopping a team four times from a yard or two out. To me, if you're going to criticize Day, it should be more for the conservative playcalling.

Dozens of coaches do this, and most of them end up having to explain it after a loss. Vanilla didn't build you a 20-point lead. You can run a better offense without taking huge risks. There is a balance there somewhere, and most coaches fail to find it.

1. Texas (2-0)

Previous ranking: 4 (⇑3)

Result: W 24-23 vs. (7) Ohio State

Texas vaults to the top thanks to the best win of the young season so far. Texas came back from 20 points down to win a game for the first time since 2007.

I've been critical of Steve Sarkisian at times, but he played to win this game. He didn't play to not get blown out. Texas went for it on fourth down and more than five yards twice in the fourth quarter in their own territory.

The Longhorns converted both of those, extending drives that resulted in points. There's a lot of blame to go around for Ohio State, as we previously discussed, but the coaching and execution of the Texas offense can't be understated.

This was a master class in coaching. However, if Texas misses those fourth downs, this may have been a blowout. We'll never know because Arch Manning and the offense came through when it really counted.

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