SID Sports Week 3 Top 25

Breaking down my Week 3 CFDawgs Ballot

Georgia running back finds open room in a game against LSU. Credit: Tammy Anthony Baker on Flickr.

Once again, it’s poll time! As a reminder, as a contributor for College Football Dawgs, I get a weekly vote in their Top 25 and Player of the Year polls. You can learn more about that in the Preseason Edition of this column.

1. Georgia (Last Week: 1)

   Georgia is yet to play a strong opponent, but their steamrolling of Ball State last week proves they’re still the top dogs in the nation. Until something gives, or something major happens outside of Athens, the Dawgs will keep the top spot.

2. Michigan (Last Week: 2)
   The Wolverines once again took care of business against a much weaker opponent, this time with a 35-7 win over UNLV. Yes, Michigan’s results are not the most impressive, but them playing as well as they have without Jim Harbaugh helps hold off some of the upstarts just below them.

3. Texas (Last Week: 14)
   In the words of Longhorn legend Vince Young: We’re baaack! That’s right, Texas is back folks, and a hard-fought 34-24 win over Nick Saban’s Alabama announced that in force. Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy are a scary duo, and the Big 12 has to figure this Texas team out.

4. Florida State (Last Week: 4)
   While Texas took the limelight in Week 2, Florida State is still very much a good team. The ‘Noles annihilated Southern Miss 66-13 and kept rolling. Let’s see how far they can roll.

5. USC (Last Week: 5)
   USC notched a conference win, but it was against Stanford, so does that really count? Either way, USC won handedly 56-10. Caleb Williams is still very much the Heisman front runner.

6. Washington (Last Week: 7)
   Caleb Williams has some competition in-conference, though, as Michael Penix Jr. continues to light up the scoreboards in Seattle. Another 400 yard game with three touchdowns is starting to make that the expectation for Penix and the high-flying Husky offence. The defense played well, but it was against Tulsa, so we’ll see how it holds out.

7. Utah (Last Week: 6)
   The Utes get jumped not because Washington played particularly well, but because they struggled against a Baylor team starting their backup quarterback a week after they lost to Texas State. Cam Rising is still sidelined, so I’m not docking them too much, though. Utah’s defense still looks incredibly strong, and Rising’s return should help the Utes compete in a very full PAC-12.

8. Ohio State (Last Week: 8)
   The good news? Marvin Harrison Jr. finally got going with a 160 yard, two touchdown performance. The bad news? Ohio State only scored 35 points in the Tressell Bowl against FCS Youngstown State. Ryan Day and Kyle McCord have a lot to figure out before the Bucks go any further in the rankings.

9. Penn State (Last Week: 9)
   Delaware might want to reconsider a jump to the FBS after getting boat raced 63-7 in Happy Valley. Drew Allar was incredibly efficient with only four incompletions on the day, and the Nittany Lions two-headed beast of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for 150 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

10. Notre Dame (Last Week: 11)
    Despite a lengthy weather delay, Notre Dame continues to take care of business. Sam Hartman threw for another four touchdowns as he shows he can survive and thrive outside of the Wake Forest slow-mesh scheme and running back Audric Estime had some of the most physical running I’ve seen with 134 yards and two scores on 14 carries. Let’s also not sleep on the Fighting Irish secondary, who snagged three picks off of NC State’s Brennan Armstrong.

11. Oregon (Last Week: 10)
    Oregon struggled in Lubbock against a Texas Tech team that lost to Wyoming a week ago, but were able to seal the win in the end. Bo Nix took over, with 395 yards and two scores passing while also logging 46 yards on nine carries on the ground. I am concerned after Tyler Shough threw for three touchdowns and 282 yards while adding 101 yards and a score on the ground, but three timely interceptions made sure the Ducks came out ahead.

12. Kansas State (Last Week: 16)
    I don’t think there’s a more under-the-radar good team than Kansas State. The Wildcats notched a 42-13 win over a very good G5 program in Troy. Will Howard continues to show that he is talented enough to lead K-State to the promised land.

13. Tennessee (Last Week: 13)
    Tennessee continues to hang onto the 13 spot, but I was worried when they were only up 13-6 over FCS Austin Peay at the half. Have no fear, though, the Vols prevailed in the end. Joe Milton got hot in the second half and tailback Jaylen Wright topped 100 yards.

14. Oregon State (Last Week: 15)
    D.J. Uiagalelei continues to play like the heir apparent to Trevor Lawrence he was early in his Clemson career. Even though it was against FCS UC-Davis, the Beavers rolled early to put their backups in for the second half. Turns out the leftovers of the PAC-2 might be worth a P5 invite.

15. North Carolina (Last Week: 12)
    I’m astounded that top-tier programs continue to schedule Appalachian State, especially after App State and UNC have gone into overtime each of the past two seasons. Drake Maye wasn’t world-beating, and I’m a little worried about the Tar Heels’ defense. But, they pulled it out in the end and that counts for something, right?

16. Ole Miss (Last Week: 24)
    The Rebels get a big jump after knocking off my No. 20 ranked Tulane. Granted, the Green Wave were without quarterback Michael Pratt, but Ole Miss looked really good in the second half. I’m surprised that tailback Quinshon Judkins hasn’t had a bigger role this season, but he was crucial to putting Tulane away.

17. Oklahoma (Last Week: 17)
    The Sooners didn’t look the best, but SMU might be a solid G5 team. Either way, Oklahoma carried a balanced attack to victory. Dillon Gabriel didn’t have his best day, but Tawee Walker picked up the slack for him. Plus, it helps when a Brent Venables defense plays like they should and leaves SMU with only two offensive scores.

18. Colorado (Last Week: 19)
    Deion keeps winning. Granted, it was against an equally rebuilding Nebraska. Shedeur Sanders continues to torch opposing defenses, and the Buffs secondary held Jeff Simms to only 106 yards passing and one pick. That’s impressive, until you notice the 222 yards on the ground. Travis Hunter is still very good, with 73 yards on offense and four tackles as a corner.

19. Duke (Last Week: 18)
    Duke only falls because Colorado notched a P5 win while the Blue Devils toppled an FCS opponent, but they’ll take 42-7. Riley Leonard was perfect through the air, but Jordan Waters’ 112 yards and two scores was the main catalyst for the offense. Don’t look now, but Duke’s secondary notched another two interceptions. They might have a top-notch secondary.

20. Alabama (Last Week: 3)
    Fun fact: Nick Saban is .500 against out of conference P5 opponents in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Either way, Jalen Milroe couldn’t keep up with the Texas offense in the second half and his two interceptions are troubling. What I’m worried most about is the Alabama defense, though. They got torched deep and had no answer for Ewers all day. The Tide aren’t dead yet, but they need help if they want to avoid another awkward season.

21. LSU (Last Week: 23)
    A 72-10 beatdown of FCS Grambling State is one way to turn the ship around after their big loss to Florida State. Jayden Daniels did what he was supposed to with 269 yards and five passing scores. The defense suffocated Grambing’s offense. Let’s see how LSU builds off this in their SEC opener against Mississippi State.

22. Iowa (Last Week: 25)
    The Cyhawk heads to Kinnick, but the Hawkeyes’ offense is still very much a problem. Of their 20 points, six were from a pick six. Cade McNamara was meh, with 123 yards and one pick while completing 55 percent of his passes. This is very much the same old Iowa so far, but they at least have room for improvement if McNamara can pull it together.

23. Washington State (Last Week: UR)
    Hey look, it’s the other PAC-2 member. Cameron Ward and the Wildcats threw Wisconsin fans into panic-fueled pining for Jim Leonhard, which is not ideal when Wisconsin is paying so much to Luke Fickell. The Wazzu defense had answers for everything Wisconsin threw at them. Look out PAC-12, we’ve got another revenge tour on our hands.

24. UCLA (Last Week: Next Five Out)
    I wanted to see a little more from the Bruins before ranking them, and I got that on Saturday when UCLA trounced San Diego State 35-10. Five-star true freshman Dante Moore had no problem picking apart the Aztec defense with 290 yards and three scores in his first start. UCLA also posted 254 rushing yards behind T.J. Harden and Carson Steele. Chip Kelly has another scary offense.

25. Cincinnati (Last Week: UR)

    The Bearcats are a surprise for me, especially as Emory Jones continues to shine in Scott Satterfield’s offense. The senior signal caller already has 470 yards and seven scores to one pick which registers as a 81.9 QBR by ESPN, ranking 17th in the nation. The real story of their 27-21 win over Pitt was the secondary, which held Panthers quarterback Phil Jurkovec to a 10-32 completion line. This might be a competent Big 12 team.

Next five out: Clemson, Miami (FL), TCU, Tulane, Wisconsin

Dropped out: Tulane (No. 20), Wisconsin (No. 21), Texas A&M (No. 22)

Clemson rebounded with a 66-17 win over FCS Charleston Southern, but needs to build off of that against an FBS opponent. Miami saw a Tyler Van Dyke resurgence in their 48-33 win over No. 22 Texas A&M that could prove the Canes are back. I want to see more from them first. TCU marched through FCS Nicholls State, 41-6, as they should. Tulane played Ole Miss hard, but without their star quarterback Michael Pratt. Once Pratt is back, don’t be surprised to see Tulane get back to dominating the American. Finally, Wisconsin has showed offensive competency, which is saying a lot in the Big 10 West. They’re all getting acclimated to a new scheme, which takes time.

Watch tonight’s College Football Dawgs Pawdcast live to find out the composite Top 25 rankings.

---

And, just like before, here’s the Player of the Year ballot I submitted. Now, this isn’t a running Player of the Year ballot for me, per se. Instead, I’m voting on who had the best days that particular week. At the end of the season, we’ll evaluate who my Player of the Year was based on these ballots, with point values assigned similarly to the Top 25 (i.e. three points for a first place vote, two points for second place, and one point for third).

1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC

   Williams continues to show why he’s college football’s premier player. His latest feat? Throwing more touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two) in a Power Five conference game. Plus, his line included 281 yards passing and a 21 yard rushing score.

2. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
   It’s not often that someone gets a Heisman-like game this early in the season, but Ewers’s dismantling of the Alabama defense might just be that. 349 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover is incredibly impressive, even more so when it’s in Bryant-Denny Stadium in primetime. His deep ball is a thing of beauty and opposing defenses are going to be hard pressed to stop this Texas passing attack.

3. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
   Penix continues to shine. While he did throw his first pick of the year against Tulsa, the super senior carries a 91.7 QBR on the season, behind only J.J McCarthy, who hasn’t played much of anybody, D.J. Uiagalelei, who has half as many attempts, and Caleb Williams. He’s also thrown eight touchdowns in only two games.

There you have it, my ballot explainer for Week 3. How did I do? Do I hate your team? Love them? Let me know on social media or in the comments!