USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 releases after Week 3 of college football

With Week 3 in the books, USA Today released its latest Coaches Top 25 poll for the best of the best in college football.

Some of the top teams pretty much took care of business but other powers looked a little shaky in Week 3 as we had a blend of non-conference and rivalry play throughout the weekend. Think that was nuts? Just wait until the season keeps going.

Without further ado, here are the latest top 25 rankings from the USA Today coaches poll.

1. Georgia

Georgia escaped disaster with a 24-14 win over South Carolina. The Gamecocks came to play and actually held a 14-3 lead at  halftime before the Bulldogs woke up.

Carson Beck didn’t throw a touchdown, but tossed for 269 yards and no interceptions. That’s when Daijun Edwards took over with 20 carries for 118 yards and a score. Next up, UAB at home before playing at Auburn.

2. Michigan

Another cruising victory for Michigan as the Wolverines topped Bowling Green 31-6. It was the final game without head coach Jim Harbaugh and that’s all fans pretty much cared about.

However, JJ McCarthy wasn’t his best, throwing for 143 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Gotta get that cleaned up before Big Ten play. Blake Corum is still a beast, running 12 times for 101 yards and two scores.

3. Florida State

That was close huh? The Seminoles avoided a scare up north as Boston College pushed FSU to the limit and Mike Norvell’s crew escaped with a 31-29 win. 

Jordan Travis got banged up at one point but did finish the game and played decently well all things considered. He had 212 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 38 on the ground. They’ll have to clean it up after this one though.

4. Ohio State

There’s the Ohio State we’re accustomed to early on in the season. A 63-10 win was highlighted by a 35-point second quarter from the Buckeyes and they cruised to a 3-0 start.

Kyle McCord let it fly for 318 yards and three touchdowns and the running game saw a resurgent day for TreVeyon Henderson, who ran 88 times and two touchdowns. Now, Ohio State heads to Notre Dame for an anticipated top-10 showdown in South Bend.

5. USC

USC had the week off so the Trojans could watch potential chaos unfold in front of them. All they saw were big wins by Oregon and Washington as those two schools are the closest to them in terms of the rankings in the Pac-12 race.

USC returns to action next Saturday for a road date with Arizona State, followed by a trip to Boulder for Colorado. It should be an interesting stretch coming up for Lincoln Riley’s crew.

6. Texas

The Longhorns came back down to Earth a little bit following the epic win over Alabama. However, Quinn Ewers and the offense got rolling late in the 31-10 win.

Scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter put this one away after Texas led Wyoming just 10-7 at the halftime break. Ewers finished 11-of-21 passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another score while Jonathon Brooks led the way on the ground with 21 carries for 164 yards.

7. Penn State

Penn State started a little slow against Illinois on the road, but it was no problem. The defense was immaculate, forcing four interceptions of Luke Altmyer.

Yes, all eyes are on Michigan and Ohio State, but it looks like the Nittany Lions mean business after a 30-13 win over a Big Ten foe. Next up though, is an intriguing contest in Happy Valley. Iowa comes to town for a primetime showdown.

8. Washington

Wow, the Huskies ran away with this one on the road in East Lansing. Michael Penix Jr. led a 41-7 romp of the Michigan State Spartans Saturday.

Yes, Michigan State has bigger things to worry about off the field, namely the future of Mel Tucker, but the team was completely out of this one. Penix Jr. led Washington to a 35-0 halftime lead.

9. Notre Dame (+2)

Notre Dame pulled away from Central Michigan to win 41-17 and improved to 4-0. The offense just can’t miss right now with Sam Hartman at the controls.

Of course next week is the big challenge with Ohio State coming to town. In a loaded Week 4 of college football, this is one of the highlighted contests. It’s time to put the Fighting Irish squarely in the College Football Playoff race with a win next weekend.

10. Utah (+2)

No Cam Rising? No problem, at least through three weeks. Utah took down Weber State 31-7 behind the arm and legs of Nate Johnson. He finished with 193 yards passing and a touchdown to go along with 71 yards on the ground and a score.

Is the recipe for a third straight Pac-12 title? It’s going to be tough since Rising is such a difference maker. But right now, there’s no timetable for a return of an ACL injury.

Rest of Coaches Poll Top 25

11. Oregon (+2)
12. Alabama (-2)
13. LSU (+1)
14. Oklahoma (+2)
15. Oregon State (+2)
16. Ole Miss (+3)
17. North Carolina (+1)
18. Duke (+2)
19. Colorado (+2)
20. Tennessee (-11)
21. Miami (+2)
22. Iowa (+2)
23. Clemson (-1)
24. Washington State (NR)
25. UCLA

So we saw some significant movement with the usual suspects but now that conference play is officially here, plus highly ranked matchups, Week 4 could bring more chaos and give us a good look at the best of the best through the first third of the season. Until next week folks.

Dropped out: No. 15 Kansas State

Others receiving votes: Kansas State 114; Missouri 44; Fresno State 43; Florida 41; Kentucky 28; Texas Christian 26; Maryland 19; Kansas 17; Auburn 16; Texas A&M 11; Syracuse 10; Air Force 9; Tulane 7; Central Florida 5; Wyoming 3; Ohio 3; James Madison 3; Wake Forest 2; Louisville 2; Memphis 1; Brigham Young 1; Arkansas 1.