Two coaches facing pressure this season saw opposite results in Week 2 of the college football season, and their teams moved in opposite directions in the Week 3 AP Top 25 poll. Brent Venables led Oklahoma to one of the biggest wins of his tenure with a defensive masterclass against Michigan, but elsewhere in the SEC, Billy Napier is back under the microscope after Florida’s unforeseen failure against USF.
The Sooners (No. 13) jumped ahead of the Wolverines (No. 23) in the rankings with their head-to-head result and in turn shook up the pecking order in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth. The Gators slipped all the way out of the top 25 while the undefeated Bulls made their 2025 rankings debut at No. 18. USF now has the inside track to the Group of Six’s automatic CFP berth.
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Those were not the only key results of Week 2, though, even on a slate that lacked ranked matchups. Clemson fell out of favor with some voters after falling behind early to Troy and needing a comeback to notch an uninspiring 27-16 win. The Tigers are down four spots to No. 12 following the close call. In contrast, Iowa State moved in the upwards direction on the heels of a rivalry win over Iowa. The Cyclones are up two spots to No. 14 with the Cy-Hawk Trophy in hand.
Iowa State rose, but it was not a great week for the Big 12. Once the darling of the conference, Arizona State suddenly must play catch-up in the playoff hunt. The Sun Devils tumbled out of the poll after falling victim to Mississippi State and its cowbells in another one of Week 2’s most surprising results.
In other Big 12-SEC action, Missouri (No. 25) enjoyed the return of a storied rivalry series with its 42-31 triumph over Kansas and hopped into the top 25. Beau Pribula guided the Tigers to a comeback win over the Jayhawks after the home team fell into a massive early hole.
Below is the full AP Top 25 poll for Week 3. First-place votes are in parentheses.
Week 3 AP Top 25 poll
1. Ohio State (57)
2. Penn State (5)
3. LSU (2)
4. Oregon (1)
5. Miami
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. Notre Dame
9. Illinois
10. Florida State
11. South Carolina
12. Clemson
13. Oklahoma
14. Iowa State
15. Tennessee
16. Texas A&M
17. Ole Miss
18. USF
19. Alabama
20. Utah
21. Texas Tech
22. Indiana
23. Michigan
24. Auburn
25. Missouri
Others receiving votes: Arizona State (94), BYU (92), Georgia Tech (78), Florida (70), USC (64), TCU (58), Mississippi State (52), Louisville (49), SMU (26), Nebraska (10), Tulane (9), Baylor (7), UNLV (5), Pittsburgh (3), Navy (2), Memphis (1), Vanderbilt (1)
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