Joel Klatt ranks top 10 teams in college football after Week 3
Week 3 of the college football season was filled with drama and competitive games, including No. 1 Georgia being taken to the wire by Kentucky. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt took in all of the action this weekend and has updated his rankings accordingly.
Klatt had Georgia tied for the top spot in his rankings heading into Week 3, but after a less-than-stellar performance against the Wildcats, he dropped the Bulldogs multiple spots.
Klatt now has Texas as the undisputed No. 1 team after they were previously tied with Georgia and Ohio State atop his rankings. Here is a look at the full updated top 10 from Joel Klatt, which he posted on Twitter:
1. Texas Longhorns (3-0)
Texas was impressive against UTSA on Saturday, pounding the Roadrunners 56-7. Star quarterback Quinn Ewers was banged up during the game but it didn’t matter as Arch Manning came in and played great, passing for 223 yards and four touchdowns.
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Texas is 3-0 on the season and has blown out the teams it was expected to, while also dominating Michigan in Ann Arbor. It’s no surprise Joel Klatt has the Longhorns at No. 1 with the way they are playing on both sides of the ball.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)
The Buckeyes have looked really good so far this season, too. But the competition hasn’t been great. OSU hosted Akron and Western Michigan ahead of its first bye and now gets Marshall at home this weekend.
Even if the Buckeyes continue to blow teams out, it’s hard to know too much about them yet. The first real test for Ohio State comes in a few weeks when Ryan Day’s team faces Oregon in Eugene on Oct. 12.
3. Miami Hurricanes (3-0)
Miami hasn’t played the toughest schedule yet either, but the Hurricanes have taken care of business in every game. They opened the season by blowing out Florida, before handling Florida A&M and Ball State in back-to-back weeks.
This weekend’s game is a tricky one as the Hurricanes are playing at USF. The Bulls are 2-1 on the season, with the only loss being against Alabama. It’s easy to understand why Joel Klatt is a big believer in the Hurricanes thus far, but like some other teams, we will learn a lot more about them as the schedule gets tougher.
4. Tennessee Volunteers (3-0)
The Tennessee Vols continue to move up Klatt’s rankings after putting together another dominant performance on Saturday. Tennessee led Kent State 65-0 at halftime this past week and is averaging nearly 64 points per game.
The competition gets tougher this weekend as Tennessee begins SEC play at Oklahoma. The Sooners have been somewhat disappointing early on this season, but Norman is a tough place to play.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)
Kentucky nearly pulled off a stunning upset of Georgia on Saturday as the Bulldogs had to survive in Lexington to earn a 13-12 win. Joel Klatt moved Georgia down in his rankings following the ugly performance.
The Bulldogs particularly struggled on offense, mustering only 262 total yards against Kentucky. Georgia now has a bye week to try and get back on track before playing at Alabama on Sept. 28.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)
Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Klatt has Alabama just outside the top 5 at No. 6 in his rankings. Kalen DeBoer’s club looked really, really good on the road at Wisconsin on Saturday. The Badgers lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke early on in the game, so it’s not surprising Alabama shut down Wisconsin’s offense.
However, what was a little bit surprising is how easily Alabama moved the ball on offense. Alabama scored 42 points and had 407 yards of offense against the Badgers.
7. USC Trojans (2-0)
Joel Klatt is clearly a believer in the Trojans, who got a huge win in Week 1 against LSU, before pounding Utah State 48-0 in Week 2. Lincoln Riley’s team had a bye week this past week, before Big Ten play gets underway.
USC has an opportunity for another statement win on Saturday at Michigan in their Big Ten opener. No, the Wolverines aren’t as talented as in years past, but this would still be a huge victory on the road for USC in its first ever Big Ten game.
8. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0)
Ole Miss faced an ACC team on the road in Wake Forest this past weekend and handled the Demon Deacons 40-6. Yes, it was a nice win against an ACC team, but Wake Forest is expected to finish near the bottom of the league this year.
Ole Miss has looked excellent thus far, but the schedule has also been really easy. It will likely be another week at least before we know just how good the Rebels are as an overmatched Georgia Southern team is coming to town on Saturday.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0)
Another team that had a bye this past weekend is Penn State. The Nittany Lions opened the season with an impressive victory at West Virginia, before nearly being upset by Bowling Green in Week 2.
Penn State had this past week off to refocus and look to get back on track. James Franklin’s club hosts Kent State this weekend, before beginning Big Ten play against Illinois on Sept. 28.
10. Oregon Ducks (3-0)
Joel Klatt closed out his top 10 with Oregon. The Ducks got off to a slow start to the year, despite being undefeated, as they had close calls with Idaho and Boise State to open the season.
Oregon did bounce back in impressive fashion, blasting Oregon State 49-14 in a rivalry game this past weekend. The Ducks now get a week off before beginning Big Ten play on Sept. 28 against UCLA.
It’s clear that Klatt has factored in margin of victory and strength of schedule in his rankings thus far. It will be interesting to see how games continue to unfold throughout the 2024 college football season.