There are still 10 winless teams left in the FBS.
Three weeks into the year, this is no longer so surprising.
What’s surprising: One of them is Florida State, the reigning ACC champion, which fell from a regular season record of 12-0 last year to 0-3 this year after a home loss to Memphis.
Things aren’t going so well in Tallahassee. Things are probably worse in Gainesville, where Florida coach Bill Napier heard a constant chorus of boos when Texas A&M — with a first-year coach and quarterback — thrashed the Gators in the Swamp. If you’re curious about Napier’s severance package, it’s about $25 million to $27 million. It depends on when (perhaps no longer “if”) Florida decides to end its tenure at the school — a three-year stretch that produced a 12-16 record.
And now for the good. How about the Group of Five? Not only did Memphis pull off the win over FSU, but Toledo crushed Mississippi State in Starkville and UNLV beat Kansas on Friday night. These three G5 programs keep alive hopes of a new automatic berth in the expanded College Football Playoff. Not only that, but they continue to prove (like Northern Illinois did last week) that zero money doesn’t always lead to wins on the field. These little guys can still play! That goes for Washington State, too, which pulled off an upset at Lumen Field, beating the rival Huskies (we’ll get to that later).
Meanwhile, Alabama, Oregon and Notre Dame recovered from Week 2 difficulties against South Florida, Boise State and Northern Illinois with convincing away wins (32 at Wisconsin, 35 at Oregon State and 59 at Purdue).
Pat Narduzzi and Pitt also claimed college football’s Cardiac Kids title by fighting back in the second half for the second straight year. The Panthers trailed by 10 points with about 4 minutes left before beating rival West Virginia after overcoming a 21-point deficit to beat Cincinnati last week.
Indiana trounced UCLA in the Big Ten debut of the Rose Bowl; Vanderbilt lost to Georgia State and fell out of our top 10 (that didn’t last long!); and Georgia barely survived a close road game at Kentucky.
OK, it’s time for the rankings, which, we remind you, don’t take into account pre-season polls or past season results. What happened in the past is, well, the past. It’s about who you beat and how you beat them this year!
So don’t expect to see Ohio State in our rankings since they have played against teams like Western Michigan and Akron.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: beat Kentucky 13-12
Next week: Bye
Sure, the Bulldogs have had enough problems to caution us against leaving them at No. 1, but they have two power conference wins (Clemson and Kentucky) and neither of those were at home. Mark Stoops and the Wildcats have exposed some offensive issues with Kirby Smart and team. They have the week off to get things right before heading to Alabama for a top-10 showdown.
2. USC Trojan
This week: Bye
Next week: in Michigan
Trojans at No. 2? What am I thinking? I think they may have the best win in the country yet — a neutral-site victory over LSU. What could be a better win than that? Many teams took a hit Saturday for their only quality win in a power conference. Miami’s win at Florida, for example, doesn’t look so great now, does it? West Virginia, Penn State’s best win, blew a lead at Pitt. Michigan, Texas’ big win, didn’t look so great as it squandered Arkansas State 28-18. Iowa State (a win at Iowa) and Northern Illinois (a win at Notre Dame) actually have arguments for the best wins of the year.
3. Texas Longhorns
This week: Beat UTSA 56-7
Next week: vs. UL-Monroe
The Longhorns introduced their backup QB. You may have heard of him – Arch Manning? Does that ring a bell? Quinn Ewers left the game in the first half with a strained stomach (it doesn’t seem too bad) and Manning got the most playing time of his career in his second year at Texas, throwing just four touchdowns and running for another.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: Beat Ball State 62-0
Next week: in South Florida
Watch out. The Hurricanes are in for a good old trap game next week in Tampa. Second-year coach Alex Golesh has the Bulls well under control. They scared Alabama last week and thrashed Southern Miss this week. Cam Ward and the Canes appear to be in contention, but a misstep against a Group of Five opponent could quickly ruin that.
5. Hurricanes in the state of Iowa
This week: Bye
Next week: against Arkansas State
The Cyclones not only remain in the top 10, but they climb even though they’re not playing this Saturday. They have an argument for the best win of the season so far – the 20-19 victory at Iowa last week. Nobody just comes to Kinnick Stadium, trails by two points late in the game and storms back against Kirk Ferentz’s defense!
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
This week: 42:10 against Wisconsin
Next week: Bye
We talk a lot about Alabama’s offensive weapons — QB Jalen Milroe, the skilled receivers and the hard-running tailbacks. But the Tide’s defense is stifling. They’ve allowed two touchdowns in three games. On Saturday in Madison, the unit forced four fumbles (of which it recovered two) and held Wisconsin to fewer than 300 yards and three third-down conversions.
7. Washington State Cougars
This week: 24:19 against Washington
Next week: against San Jose State
The Cougars, like Georgia, have two power conference wins – a rarity this early in the season. Not only that, but one of them was against an archrival on a neutral site on Saturday. An emotional coach Jake Dickert came into the press conference after the win with a cigar and jokingly asked the media if anyone had a light. Smoke it if you have it! A well-deserved win for the Pac-12 (or Pac-2…or Pac-6), who are now 5-1 overall this year.
8. Volunteers from Tennessee
This week: beat Kent State 71-0
Next week: in Oklahoma
The Josh Heupel Bowl is next week in Norman – the SEC opener for both teams and Heupel’s return to a place where he played and coached. The Vols have beaten their first three opponents 191-13. Sure, those opponents are Chattanooga, NC State on a neutral field and Kent State. But even so, second-year QB Nico Iamaleava should go into the game against the Sooners with plenty of confidence.
9. Northern Illinois Huskies
This week: Bye
Next week: against Buffalo
Don’t act surprised. The Huskies have their own case for the best win of the season so far. Their win at Notre Dame looks even better after coach Marcus Freeman’s team steamrolled Purdue 66-7. The big question is, can NIU keep its spot in the top 10, stay undefeated and keep a chance at a G5 playoff spot?
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: Bye
Next week: against Kent State
Let’s pause here for a minute and talk about Penn State’s next opponent: Kent State. The same Kent State that was beaten 71-0 by Tennessee. And the same Kent State that started the year with a 31-point loss to Pitt. What will the Nittany Lions do to them? We’ll see. Remember, the last time we saw Penn State, they had trouble with Bowling Green.
Eliminated: North Carolina (7), Vanderbilt (10)
