College Football Power Rankings: Texas takes over the top spot
Sep 16, 2024, 10:00 AM ET
It was an eventful Week 3 filled with big wins, program records being set, an injury to an early Heisman Trophy favorite and performances that exhibited a needed improvement at quarterback.
Texas’ Quinn Ewers suffered a noncontact injury, leaving the Longhorns’ quarterback responsibilities in the hands of Arch Manning — and boy, did he put on a show under the spotlight. Meanwhile, Michigan’s quarterbacks continued their inconsistent play in a win over Arkansas State.
With Ewers likely out against UL Monroe and SEC play starting the following week, how can Manning prepare to be the potential starting quarterback going forward? What should Michigan’s quarterbacks focus on to improve in going into a big Week 4 matchup against USC?
Our college football experts give insight on each team based off Week 3 performances.
Previous ranking: 2
There’s little chance you missed the biggest story of the day: The Longhorns’ Heisman Trophy candidate, Quinn Ewers, suffered an oblique strain on a noncontact play and was replaced by Arch Manning. Texas fans had to wait just seconds to see Manning’s potential, as he threw a 19-yard TD pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. on his first play then showed his wheels with a 67-yard TD scramble on his next drive. He finished with 223 yards and four TD passes as the Longhorns crushed UTSA 56-7, showing the depth of their roster.
With UL Monroe and a struggling Mississippi State team on the schedule the next two weeks, the Longhorns have time to navigate Ewers’ injury and Manning’s future role before Texas faces Oklahoma and Georgia in the following two weeks. It won’t be boring. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 1
Nobody saw this coming, but Georgia got all it could handle against Kentucky on Saturday night in a 13-12 win on the road that exposed the Bulldogs offensively. Georgia’s only touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on Branson Robinson’s 3-yard run, and the Bulldogs’ running game was held to just 102 yards (3.4 yards per rush). They also didn’t make a lot of chunk plays against the Wildcats’ defense.
What’s more surprising is, Kentucky was able to move the ball against Georgia’s defense and churned out 23 first downs. The difference was Georgia held Kentucky to field goals and didn’t let the Wildcats into the end zone. Georgia lost starting offensive guard Tate Ratledge to an ankle/knee injury in the first half, and running back Trevor Etienne also left the game with a shoulder injury but returned. The Bulldogs get a well-timed open date next weekend before traveling to Alabama on Sept. 28. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 7
The big plays are there in bunches with Kalen DeBoer’s first Alabama team on both sides of the ball, as the Tide cruised for most of Saturday’s 42-10 win at Wisconsin. True freshman Ryan Williams continued to sizzle with a 31-yard touchdown to get Alabama on the board, and a 47-yard burst down the sideline to set up another score just before halftime.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe was productive and efficient, and Alabama averaged 7.3 yards per play with four touchdowns of 26 yards or longer and avoided a turnover in its first road game. Deontae Lawson and LT Overton led a defensive effort that resulted in four forced fumbles (two that Wisconsin lost). The forced fumbles somewhat covered up an average run defense, which will need to improve against Georgia. But Alabama played much cleaner than it did last week against South Florida. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 5
We’ve seen some MAC schools throw some haymakers early this season — NIU upset Notre Dame last week, and Toledo romped over Mississippi State on Saturday. Kent State, however, is at the other end of the conference hierarchy. And Tennessee was out to send a message.
After one quarter on Saturday night, it had outscored the Golden Flashes 37-0 and gained 283 yards to Kent State’s minus-31. It only got slightly better for the visitors from there. It was 65-0 at halftime, and the game reached a merciful end at 71-0. Nico Iamaleava went 10-for-16 for 173 yards and a touchdown in his short evening, and three different Vols backs rushed for at least 99 yards. This was, for all intents and purposes, a scrimmage. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 2
The Buckeyes were off Saturday with Marshall set to visit Ohio Stadium in Week 4. Through two games, Ohio State carries 1,087 yards of total offense, hasn’t allowed a touchdown and has outscored its opponents 108-6, looking very much like the national championship contenders the Buckeyes were supposed to be in Ryan Day’s sixth season.
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Day probably didn’t mind seeing Week 6 opponent Iowa struggle to beat winless Troy. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel-led offensive explosion only heightens the excitement around Ohio State’s Oct. 12 visit to Eugene. And the Buckeyes’ November schedule continues to look strong, even if manageable, with Ohio State’s five opponents in the regular season’s final month — Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan — owning a combined record of 9-2 through at the end of Week 3. — Eli Lederman
Cam Ward totaled five touchdowns in a 62-0 win over Ball State. Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire
Previous ranking: 6
It was another dominant effort for the Hurricanes in a 62-0 win over Ball State. In three games to open the season, Miami has outscored its opponents 159-26, and quarterback Cam Ward has been a big reason why. Against Ball State, Miami rolled up a school record 750 yards of offense.
Ward had 346 of those yards and a career high five touchdown passes in an FBS game. Ward is now the first Miami quarterback to begin a season with three straight 300-yard passing games. Up next is a trip to Tampa to play South Florida, which put a scare into Alabama over three quarters before ultimately losing. Will this be a test for Miami, or will the Canes keep rolling? — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 4
They took their eyes off the ball for a bit after a hot start, but Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels eventually found fifth gear again and cruised to a 40-6 win at Wake Forest on Saturday evening. Jaxson Dart set the school record for passes without an interception, then threw a pick on his very next pass. But he still finished with an outstanding 377 yards and two touchdowns, and Henry Parrish Jr. rushed 23 times for 148 yards and two early scores.
Wake had a chance to cut the Rebels’ lead to 10 midway through the third quarter, but the Rebels iced the game with a 96-yard touchdown drive, then scored a couple more times for good measure. They more than doubled up the Demon Deacons’ yardage (650-311), and they’ve now outscored their first three opponents by a combined 168-9. Not bad. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 8
After taking care of business by shutting out Utah State last week in their home opener, the Trojans’ early bye week has given them an extended amount of time to prepare for a marquee matchup next week against Michigan. While the first two games of the season have shown that both quarterback Miller Moss is ready for the moment and the maligned USC defense is much improved, the test that Lincoln Riley’s team will face in its first Big Ten matchup at the Big House in Ann Arbor will really show if the Trojans are ready for the spotlight.
Michigan’s offense hasn’t exactly looked stellar by any stretch, especially at quarterback, which could provide new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and his defense another opportunity to make a statement. The matchup with the Wolverines sets off a run of games for USC that also includes No. 8 Penn State, arguably its toughest test of the season. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 10
Brady Cook was 4-for-9 for 34 yards. The Mizzou defense, which had held its first two opponents scoreless, had gotten torched on a 67-yard broken-play touchdown. The Tigers, playing their first game ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP poll since the 2013 SEC championship, trailed 14-3. It was time to go to Luther.
Luther Burden III, strangely quiet through the first nine quarters of the season, caught six balls for 117 yards, and Cook completed 17 of his last 21 passes of the game. Burden scored one touchdown, Cook rushed for another and the Tigers eventually outlasted a game and physical Boston College team 27-21. The stats were kind enough to Mizzou — the Tigers outgained BC by a 440-295 margin — but broken plays and penalties held them back. But there are worse things in the world than making a lot of mistakes and still beating a ranked team. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 9
Penn State took Week 3 off, and with a Week 4 matchup against woeful Kent State, there’s still a ways to go before we get serious insight into the Nittany Lions. Still, to watch Kansas struggle on offense again in a loss to UNLV last Friday was a reminder that Andy Kotelnicki was a genuine star as an offensive playcaller, and Penn State may have gotten a steal when it lured him away from the Jayhawks this year. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 11
It has been over 60 years since Oregon and Oregon State Beavers played while not being members of the same conference, and on Saturday, the Ducks showed just what kind of gap exists between the two teams by notching their first win in the rivalry as members of the Big Ten with a 46-14 victory. The past two times Oregon has made its way up north to Corvallis, it has failed to emerge with a victory, and while this game usually takes place toward the end of the season, Dan Lanning’s team used the abnormal scheduling to its advantage as Oregon finally played a dominant game on both sides of the ball.
The Ducks gained over 500 yards of offense and were plenty efficient too. After punting seven times against the Broncos last week, Oregon scored a touchdown on six of its seven drives Saturday. The defense, meanwhile, did not allow a point in the second half. It was exactly the kind of game the Ducks needed as they head into conference play. — Uggetti
Kansas State QB Avery Johnson recorded his first 100-yard rushing performance in big win over Arizona. Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Previous ranking: 14
K-State put on a dominant performance, looking every bit the Big 12 factor it is expected to be in snapping Arizona’s nine-game win streak, the longest in the FBS. Avery Johnson dazzled against a new Big 12 opponent — despite this being a nonconference game since it was previously scheduled — ripping off his first 100-yard rushing performance in his fourth career start and throwing for 156 yards and two TDs.
The Wildcats got a 71-yard punt return from Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards, who also rushed for 41 yards on six carries, and the defense bent but never broke against Arizona’s star QB/WR duo of Noah Fifita (24 of 36, 248 yards, 1 INT) and Tetairoa McMillan (11 catches, 138 yards), earning a big win Friday night against a team that had won five straight against AP-ranked opponents. Next up: a trip to Provo against BYU in their actual Big 12 opener. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 13
If the Cowboys had to shake some dust off after last weekend’s double overtime saga with Arkansas, Tulsa was the right foil for the occasion. The Golden Hurricane entered Week 3 with a 1-22 record against AP top-15 opponents since 2000, before Oklahoma State hit the turnpike to Tulsa on Saturday afternoon and notched its largest road win since 2020.
Alan Bowman led the way in the 45-10 victory, finishing 24-of-31 for 396 yards with five passing touchdowns, the most in a game by an Oklahoma State passer since 2018. Bowman threw early and often to De’Zhaun Stribling (7 catches, 174 yards, 2 TD) while Talyn Shettron reached a career best 110 receiving yards, highlighted by his 78-yard, second-quarter touchdown.
The Cowboys continue to struggle to get reigning Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II (41 yards on 17 attempts) going on the ground. But if opposing defenses are selling out to stop Gordon, Saturday showed how Oklahoma State can attack through the air. A much bigger test lies ahead for the Cowboys in Week 4 when Utah visits Stillwater in a meeting of Big 12 College Football Playoff contenders. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 12
The Utes are 3-0 with three comfortable wins, but they still feel like a bit of an unknown with Cam Rising’s status unclear. After getting hurt last week against Baylor, he didn’t play in the 38-21 win against Utah State, and while his absence wasn’t a difficult hurdle in Logan, that won’t be the case this week with a trip to Stillwater against Oklahoma State.
True freshman Isaac Wilson was serviceable against the Aggies — he finished 20-of-33 for 239 yards with three touchdowns and an interception — but it’s hard to allow for the possibility this team can reach the heights it is capable of with Rising if Wilson is forced into much more action. In fact, the Cowboys might be the toughest game left on Utah’s schedule. It is safe to assume that everything that can be done to have Rising ready this week will be done. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 16
The Sooners remained unbeaten Saturday with a 34-19 win over Toledo, but haven’t been dominant against either of their past two opponents. They beat Houston 16-12 last week and were holding onto a 24-19 lead over Tulane in the fourth quarter before scoring 10 points in the final seven minutes of the game, including a 24-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Seeing Arnold have some success with his legs is a plus for the Sooners. He finished with 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns and also passed for 169 yards and a touchdown. The real season (and SEC season) starts next week for Oklahoma when Tennessee and its high-powered offense travel to Norman. The Sooners will need their best defensive effort of the season. — Low
Previous ranking: 15
The Wolverines had their easiest win of the young season but still came away with some significant concerns as Big Ten play looms. Starting quarterback Davis Warren had only three “incomplete” passes, but they were all intercepted, bringing his season total to six, which is more than J.J. McCarthy’s totals the past two seasons at Michigan.
Backup Alex Orji entered and threw a touchdown pass, but the Wolverines’ QB outlook seems very shaky as they prepare for USC next week. Also, star tight end Colston Loveland left the game in the second quarter with a left arm injury and did not return. The good news is Michigan finally got its running game going, as Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards combined for 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Michigan held Arkansas State out of the end zone for more than 54 minutes and allowed only 58 rushing yards. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 19
Clemson was off in Week 3, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an eventful few days for the Tigers. For one, folks around Clemson are still riding high off the Tigers’ Week 2 drubbing of Appalachian State. The 66-20 win was a long-awaited glimpse of the offensive heft Dabo Swinney has promised — but not delivered — for the past few years.
Meanwhile, Clemson’s next game on the slate comes against NC State, a contest that just a few weeks ago seemed like a harbinger of who would win the ACC. Now though? The Wolfpack have struggled badly in all three games and starting QB Grayson McCall could be out with a true freshman getting the nod instead. Given NC State’s struggles on the O-line, the combination of a freshman QB and Clemson’s dynamic defensive front could translate to another emphatic Tigers win and another chance to put the opener against Georgia in the rearview mirror. — Hale
Dylan Raiola totaled two touchdowns and completed 73.9% of his passes Saturday. Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Previous ranking: 22
The Huskers are halfway to bowl eligibility and haven’t really been challenged so far, winning their first three games by an average of 27.3 points. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola continues to impress, not just with his arm but with his decision-making, as he completed 73.9% of his passes in Saturday’s win against Northern Iowa. The exciting part is Nebraska can play better, and it will need to, beginning this week as Big Ten play opens when Illinois comes to Lincoln.
Northern Iowa converted 5 of its first 10 third-down attempts and had three drives end in Huskers territory without points. Nebraska also only ran 48 plays, as UNI held the ball for 38 minutes, 7 seconds, and Raiola threw his first interception as a Husker in the fourth quarter. But the Huskers continued to be led by a defense that held UNI scoreless after its first drive and received strong performances from safety Isaac Gifford and others. — Rittenberg
No. 19 Louisville Cardinals
Previous ranking: 18
The Cardinals have not faced much of a test in their first two games, blowout wins over Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. They had an open date to prepare for Georgia Tech, a team that gave Louisville all it could handle last year in the season opener. This game will tell us far more about the Cards than we already know, because this will be the toughest early season game.
Tyler Shough has delivered as expected at quarterback, but perhaps the most pleasant surprise has been the run game behind the freshman trio of Isaac Brown, Duke Watson and Keyjuan Brown. The three have combined for five of the team’s eight rushing touchdowns. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 21
Well, that was an emphatic statement, a week after losing to Northern Illinois. Notre Dame beat Purdue 66-7, as the Irish racked up 362 yards on the ground. Quarterback Riley Leonard had 100 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns, adding 112 yards in the air — with no interceptions.
In a stunning loss to the Huskies last week, Notre Dame struggled to run the ball consistently and Leonard had two crucial interceptions — including one that set up the winning field goal. Next up is Miami (Ohio), another team from the MAC. Chances are, the Irish will be far more prepared for this game. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 20
You can question plenty of things about this LSU team right now. You can question a defense that got hit for gains of 75, 66, 39, 31 and 27 yards by South Carolina. You can question an offense that entered the red zone seven times but scored only four touchdowns. You can question Garrett Nussmeier’s decision-making in some of those red zone failures, too. You can question its initial game plans and preparation, too, after the Tigers fell behind 17-0 to the Gamecocks (a week after leading Nicholls State only 23-21 early in the second half). But you can’t question their resilience.
They went on a 29-7 run to take a fourth-quarter lead at Williams-Brice Stadium, and after South Carolina took the lead back, they drove 55 yards for the winning score with 1:12 left. Nussmeier threw for 285 yards, freshman Caden Durham brought life to the run game and somehow the Tigers survived. — Connelly
Memphis QB Seth Henigan had a strong Saturday performance with 272 passing yards and two touchdowns. Don Juan Moore/Getty Images
Previous ranking: 24
The Tigers got everybody’s attention Saturday by going down to Tallahassee and pulling off a 20-12 upset of Florida State that coach Ryan Silverfield rightfully called “monumental” for his program. They rolled to a 20-3 lead midway through the third quarter thanks to a strong day from senior quarterback Seth Henigan (272 passing yards, 2 TDs) and a much-improved defense, then managed to hold off a late rally and drop the preseason top 10 Seminoles to 0-3.
No matter what becomes of this struggling Florida State team, Memphis pulled off the kind of victory that great Group of 5 teams have needed to be taken seriously by past College Football Playoff committees. Silverfield’s squad should be favored to win nearly every game on its AAC schedule and start conference play this week with a trip to Navy. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 23
Iowa State had an idle week following its thrilling 20-19 road win at rival Iowa. That comeback triumph gives this Cyclones squad real confidence heading into a five-game stretch that looks rather manageable: Arkansas State, at Houston, Baylor, at West Virginia and UCF. Those first four currently have a combined record of 6-6. If this team can keep improving and take care of business, it could achieve the program’s first 6-0 start since 1938. — Olson
Previous ranking: N/R
The Huskies had a week to bask in their Notre Dame win, as coach Thomas Hammock and others appeared throughout media platforms and even received the key to the city of DeKalb, Illinois, providing a massive boost to the program’s profile. The real work begins again for the Huskies, who must find a way to win a very interesting Mid-American Conference to give themselves a chance at the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Ethan Hampton ranks third nationally in raw QB (92.7), trailing only Miami’s Cam Ward and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. Defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley earned national defensive player of the week honors after recording three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble, against Notre Dame. The Huskies open MAC play by hosting Buffalo, a team they have beaten 13 of the past 14 times but fell to the last time the squads met in DeKalb. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 25
With wins over Eastern Illinois, Kansas and Central Michigan, the Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011. Credit to Bret Bielema, who already has Illinois halfway to a bowl appearance three games into his fourth season in charge.
The Illini outscored Central Michigan 17-3 after halftime in Saturday’s 30-9 win. Like any good September football game, the standout moment came courtesy of a kicker as Texas A&M transfer Ethan Moczulski set a school record with his 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. But Luke Altmyer was steady once again under center (19 of 29, 242 yards, 2 TD), finding senior pass catcher Pat Bryant on each of his scoring throws, and the Illinois defense has now gone 79:57 without allowing a touchdown dating to the third quarter against Kansas in Week 2. The Illini enter conference play unbeaten for just the third time in the past 22 campaigns with back-to-back ranked matchups with Nebraska and Penn State up next. — Lederman