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Rant Sports’ Week 3 College Football Rankings


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Rant Sports Week 3 Top 25 College Football Rankings

top 25
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Week two of the college football season has come to a close and week three is ready to provide some electrifying games just like the start of the season provided. Week two did not disappoint, however. Some of the top 25 teams from last week have dropped out while some teams have snuck their way in by destroying the competition and failing to be overlooked by our staff of experts.

The USC Trojans are one of those teams that will no longer be in the top 25 and it is quite obvious as to why. They ended up losing to an underrated Washington State Cougars squad and it wasn't pretty. No, they didn't get blown out of the water, they scored just seven points and losing by three points while racking up just 193 total yards -- only 54 passing yards. The quarterback situation in Southern Cal has to be one of the worst in the nation.

There are some teams who have crushed opponents and jumped drastically in our weekly rankings. Some teams lost by a large margin and dropped out completely like the Texas Longhorns. Last week, their offense was one of the top performers of the week and then this week they get blown out on the road by the BYU Cougars. It's hard to tell what kind of comeback Mack Brown's squad makes, but it surely will be closely followed.

Everyone loved to talk about Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M and Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina in week one. Well, one of them exceeded many people's expectations and one faltered a bit. Manziel led his team to a blowout win while Clowney was relatively unproductive while the Gamecocks fell to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Week two was an interesting one and the season is just unfolding. It will be interesting to see how the top games of week three play out. For now, let's check out the Rant Sports college football experts' top 25 rankings for week three.

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

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25. TCU Horned Frogs

tcu
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Following a week one loss to the LSU Tigers, the Horned Frogs needed a big win against a lesser opponent. They got that with a 21-point victory and it's starting to look like Trevone Boykin will be the quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Last Week: NR

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24. Baylor Bears

baylor
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor racked up 70 points in a week two blowout. Its offense is electric while the defense could use some work -- just like last year.

Last Week: NR

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23. Ole Miss Rebels

ole miss
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Hugh Freeze might have something special in this year's Rebels. A nice little 31-13 win over a lesser opponent won't prove much, though.

Last week: 23

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22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

notre dame
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

In one of college football's best rivalries, the Fighting Irish lost to the Michigan Wolverines in a close battle. It didn't disappoint, but the Irish defense did. Therefore, they dropped in the rankings big-time this week.

Last week: 14

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21. Nebraska Cornhuskers

nebraska
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska's offense was once again solid in week two, while the defense made up for a 34 points allowed performance against Wyoming in week one. Taylor Martinez was solid once again.

Last week: 21

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20. Florida Gators

florida
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Gators had a rough go of things in week two against in-state rival, Miami. The Hurricanes took down the Gators and Jeff Driskel looked better than usual and so did the Florida offense as a whole, but they had too many costly mistakes.

Last week: 12

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19. Wisconsin Badgers

wisconsin
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers' offense continues to roll and it's that offense that is keeping them in discussions for the top team in the Big Ten. Oh, and the defense isn't so bad, either.

Last week: 20

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18. Washington Huskies

washington
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Huskies blew out Boise State, 38-6, in week one. With a bye week in week two, they experienced little change in ranking, but with as win against a resurgent Illinois squad this week could raise them even more.

Last week: 19

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17. Northwestern Wildcats

northwestern
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern took down Syracuse at home by a pretty wide margin, 48-27. This team is one of the best young squads in the country that no one talks about.

Last week: 22

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16. UCLA Bruins

ucla
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA beat a tough Nevada squad in week one of the season, but will face a tough test in week three following a bye when they travel to Nebraska. It will undoubtedly be a shootout.

Last week: 18

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15. Miami Hurricanes

miami
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Miami took down the mighty in-state rival Gators in a week two bout. Running back Duke Johnson is the real deal.

Last week: 24

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14. Oklahoma Sooners

oklahoma
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma Sooners might be the second-best team in their own state at the moment. While many people might disagree with that statement, they scored just 16 points in a week two win.

Last week: 16

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13. Oklahoma State Cowboys

oklahoma state
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State is garnering more respect lately than its in-state rival, Oklahoma. With a 21-point road win, it's easy to see why. However, the opponent wasn't too tough and they did allow 28 fourth quarter points.

Last week: 13

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12. Michigan Wolverines

michigan
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan retired one of football's most exciting rivalries with a solid win at home, 41-30, over the Fighting Irish. Under the lights, it was one of the best games of the young season.

Last week: 15

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11. South Carolina Gamecocks

south carolina
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Losing to Georgia in week two wasn't a bad loss, but the Gamecocks' defense looked extremely poor, especially Jadeveon Clowney who was kept in check all game long.

Last week: 6

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10. Florida State Seminoles

florida state
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State was rewarded from a blowout win in week one with a bye week in the second go around of the season. Quarterback Jameis Winston looks to be one of the best young players in the nation for Florida State.

Last week: 11

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9. LSU Tigers

lsu
Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

LSU took down UAB in a laugher. It wasn't close from beginning to end and the LSU offense finally looks like they are playing up to par.

Last week: 10

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8. Louisville Cardinals

louisville
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Teddy Bridgewater extended his Heisman campaign once again by destroying lowly Eastern Kentucky in week two, 44-7. He passed for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns.

Last week: 8

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7. Georgia Bulldogs

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Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia needed a win in week two against South Carolina after a tough week one loss at Clemson. With an unbelievably tough schedule to begin the season, if the Bulldogs could come out with just one loss early, it should be considered a success -- sort of.

Last week: 9

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6. Texas A&M Aggies

texas a&m
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Football was extremely impressive in his first full game of the season. The reigning Heisman-winner passed for over 400 yards and three scores on 28-41 passing.

Last week: 7

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5. Stanford Cardinal

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Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford took down in-state foe, San Jose State, in week one. Kevin Hogan looked solid in his first game of the season and playing a tough opponent.

Last week: 5

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4. Ohio State Buckeyes

ohio state
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State lost Braxton Miller to injury early in the game but ended up rolling still. This team is so solid that they don't even need their starting quarterback to blow out opponents.

Last week: 2

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3. Clemson Tigers

clemson
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Yet another win in the Clemson Tigers pocket following a week one win against Georgia. The Tigers blew out South Carolina State, 52-13, and rolled into the top-three.

Last week: 4

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2. Oregon Ducks

oregon
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Probably one of the most explosive offenses in recent memory, the Oregon Ducks seem to always score 50 points or more against opponents. This week, they played Virginia and scored 59 -- that's no joke.

Last week: 3

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1. Alabama Crimson Tide

alabama
Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Easy week three ranking for the Tide as they had a bye week following a week one blowout of Virginia Tech. They will need to improve offensively from the ugly week one performance.

Last week: 1

Be sure to check out the Rant Sports 100 in 100 Series, a preview of the top 100 College Football Teams for the 2013 Season!



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