If you were told that Duke, Kentucky and Kansas were all 3–0, you might assume it’s mid-November and basketballs are flying in hoops.
Oh, but no! The Blue Devils, Wildcats and Jayhawks are a combined 9–0 in the sport of football. Indiana is also 3–0, and so are Syracuse, Maryland, Tulane and Rutgers! It’s a smorgasbord of not-so-football schools that play well in football, and it’s a great thing for the sport. In fact, two of these teams meet next week, when the Dukes travel to Lawrence, Kansas.
Meanwhile, the super conference that is the Big Ten took it on the chin in a few nonconference bouts. The Orange beat Purdue, Washington drubbed Michigan State, Oklahoma pounded Nebraska and FCS Southern Illinois shocked Northwestern, and the Hoosiers needed overtime to beat Western Kentucky. The Salukis became the first FCS team to get a win over the Power 5 this year, and they also walked away with a $550,000 guarantee check.
Speaking of underdogs, the Green Wave went 3–0 with a win at Kansas State, and the Pac-12 got two wins over top-25 teams on the same day for the first time since… 2013! That’s a state to celebrate and marvel at if you’re out West (talk about conference disappointments for a decade in sports).
The Jayhawks were an early surprise of the season with a score of 3–0.
Marcus Freeman finally got his first win as Notre Dame coach (on attempt No. 4), Hugh Freeze’s go-ahead run on a two-point conversion failed (Liberty dropped the first game) and Bryan Harsin’s tenure in the Plains took a turn for the worse (Penn State rolled the Tigers).
But enough, let’s get to our Top 10. After the advantage of colleague Pat Forde, we are rewarding those teams that played the best against the best competition for three weeks. If your team hasn’t “played anyone”, then your team probably isn’t making our Top 10.
1. Georgia (3–0)
Last game: Beat South Carolina 48–7 Next game: Kent State (Saturday) On the same subject : The Video Game Console That Queen Elizabeth II Most Enjoyed.
Georgia appears to be turning in the program that resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Not only do the Bulldogs have a juggernaut defense, but they now appear to have an equally efficient and explosive offense. In their two Power 5 games this year, the Dawgs scored 49 and 48 points. Against South Carolina, they didn’t have a rusher finish with more than 40 yards, but they had four rushers finish with at least 32 yards. And quarterback Stetson Bennett failed on only seven passes, throwing for two TDs and 284 yards. UGA has outscored its first three opponents 130–10.
2. Ohio State (3–0)
Last game: Beat Toledo 77–21 Next game: Wisconsin (Saturday) Read also : Global video game revenue is expected to reach more than $320bn.
There are better resumes in college football, yes. But the Buckeyes took a key win over Notre Dame and have been dominant in the last two weeks over Group 5 foes. QB CJ Stroud had the same amount of incompletions (five) on Saturday as he threw touchdown passes. Three Ohio State receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark, too.
3. USC (3–0)
Last game: Beat Fresno State 45–17 Next game: at Oregon State (Saturday) On the same subject : Italian politics: Draghi leaves his mark even as the coalition collapses.
The Transfer Portal Trojans haven’t missed much of a beat this season. And although they did not play any real quality competition, they are steamrolling them: Rice, Stanford and Fresno. Behind QB Caleb Williams, the offense is humming. They scored 66 points, 41 points and 45 points. The new faces in LA—quarterback, coach, running back, receiver—seem to fit in pretty well.
4. Penn State (3–0)
Last game: Beat Auburn 41–12 Next game: Central Michigan (Saturday)
Through three weeks, the Nittany Lions have two Power 5 road wins, which is better than most. Penn State won at Purdue to open the season on Thursday night and then took on Auburn on the Plains. Sean Clifford is solid and coach James Franklin’s defense has been salty. Ten of Auburn’s 12 drives ended on downs, a turnover or a punt.
Penn State went on the road and passed Auburn.
5. Alabama (3–0)
Last game: Beat UL-Monroe 63–7 Next game: Vanderbilt (Saturday)
Nick Saban entered the locker room after last week’s victory over Texas with a message for his team: practice hard and the game is easy. Whether the practice was tough or not, the game was definitely easy. The Tide walloped the same program that beat Saban in his first season in Tuscaloosa in 2007. QB Bryce Young threw two picks but also tossed three touchdowns.
6. Arkansas (3–0)
Last game: Beat Missouri State 38–27 Next game: Texas A&M at Arlington (Saturday)
We know, we know. The Hogs struggled against former coach Bobby Petrino and his Bears. Missouri State opened with a 17–0 lead and then led 27–17 before Arkansas stormed back with a 21-point fourth quarter. Arkansas remains in our Top 10 largely because of its solid win over Cincinnati. We’ll know a lot more about Sam Pittman’s team after next weekend’s game against the Aggies.
7. Oklahoma (3–0)
Last game: Beat Nebraska 49–14 Next game: Kansas State (Saturday)
The Sooners enter our rankings after beating the Huskers on the road, their first game against a Power 5 opponent this season. Although Nebraska does not qualify as a quality win, Oklahoma’s dominance is enough. QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 230 yards and ran for 55 and Brent Venables’ defense stifled Nebraska in the first game since Scott Frost’s firing. OU forced a turnover or punt on 11 straight Nebraska possessions.
8. Kentucky (3–0)
Last game: Beat Youngstown State 31–0 Next game: North Illinois (Saturday)
Mark Stoops and his football school knocked off the FCS Penguins and got a nice day from QB Will Levis (377 yards and two TDs). Youngstown had nine first downs, was 0-for-10 on third down and didn’t break the 200-yard mark. Are ‘Cats’ for real? We’ll find out pretty soon. They travel to Ole Miss on October 1st, a game that is shaping up to be a meeting of undefeated top 15 squads.
9. Tennessee (3–0)
Last game: Beat Akron 63–6 Next game: Florida (Saturday)
Are the Vols back? It could be. They are definitely playing better than they have in years. Their road win at Pitt is enough to get them into our Top 10, but the real tests come over the next three weeks: Florida, at LSU and Alabama. Imagine what a Bama-Tennessee clash will be like in Knoxville if the Vols can manage to beat LSU and the Gators? It’s been a long time since a Vols-Tide game had any relevance.
10. Kansas (3–0)
Last game: Beat Houston 48–30 Next game: Duke (Saturday)
Gasp! The Jayhawks in the Top 10? Did we have too much to drink? Did we wake up in 2007? Three weeks into the season, Kansas won road games over a Power 5 team (West Virginia) and a soon-to-be Power 5 team (Houston). Coach Lance Leipold has now won the same amount of road games this season (two) as the last five KU head coaches combined to win in their tenure at the school.
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