AP Top 25 Poll - Week Three

Alabama remains at number one, Georgia falls a couple of spots, and UNC remains on the outside looking in. Let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

AP Top 25

1. Alabama (2-0)
2. Florida State (2-0)
3. Ohio State (2-0)
4. Michigan (2-0)
5. Clemson (2-0)
6. Houston (2-0)
7. Stanford (1-0)
8. Washington (2-0)
9. Wisconsin (2-0)
10. Louisville (2-0)
11. Texas (2-0)
12. Michigan State (1-0)
13. Iowa (2-0)
14. Oklahoma (1-1)
15. Tennessee (2-0)
16. Georgia (2-0)
17. Texas A&M (2-0)
18. Notre Dame (1-1)
19. Ole Miss (1-1)
20. LSU (1-1)
21. Baylor (2-0)
22. Oregon (2-0)
23. Florida (2-0)
24. Arkansas (2-0)
25. Miami (2-0)

• Where is UNC?

UNC is still on the outside looking in. They currently sit at number 34 in the AP poll. Even after the 48-23 win over Illinois, the team dropped three spots from the previous week. Georgia, barely escaping Nicholls State, was the probably the main cause of UNC falling three spots. Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post had the Tar Heels ranked at #22 (that was nice of him), which was the highest ranking from any of the pollsters.

• Byes already?

Stanford and Michigan State had byes this past week. I am not the brightest guy in the world (certainly the people that go to and work at Stanford are a lot smarter than I am), but why did the Cardinal and Spartans have byes in the second week of the season? I understand that each of them has a big game in week three (Stanford - USC, Michigan State - Notre Dame), but why not just play a FCS or a lower-tier FBS team, like every other top 25 program seemingly did last week?

• Biggest movers (up and down)

Up - Louisville (3 spots), Iowa (3 spots), Texas A&M (3 spots), Florida (3 spots)

Down - Georgia (7 spots), Clemson (3 spots)

Louisville and Lamar Jackson moved into the top ten, which sets up a fun top ten match-up between the Cardinals and the Seminoles. This early season game has huge implications in the ACC Atlantic Division and quite possibly the College Football Playoff.

Clemson falls a couple of spots after their offense failed to really get going for the second week in a row. Maybe this could be attributed to the defense of Troy and their defensive coordinator (former UNC defensive coordinator) Vic Koenning.

• Best Top 25 games of the week

FSU (#2) vs. Louisville (#10)

Alabama (#1) vs. Ole Miss (#19)

Michigan State (#12) vs. Notre Dame (#18)

Ohio State (#3) vs. Oklahoma (#14)

Miami (#25) vs. Appalachian State (NR)

I know that the Miami and App. State game is not a battle of ranked teams, but this should be a fun game to watch (only a 3.5 point line). A lot of credit to Miami for agreeing to play in Boone, but they might regret that decision after Saturday.

• Welcome and goodbye

Newcomers to the Top 25 - Arkansas (#24)

Dropped from the Top 25 - TCU (#26), Oklahoma State (#32)

What could be worse than losing on a last-second Hail-Mary-pass-lateral? Being told the next day that the untimed down that allowed the Hail-Mary-pass-lateral to take place should have never been allowed.

• What are they thinking?

Jon Wilner (San Jose Mercury News) - Texas at #2? Notre Dame at #6?

Andy Greder (St. Paul Pioneer Press) - LSU at #10? Louisville at #19?

• Conference Breakdown

ACC - 4 Teams

Big Ten - 5 Teams

Big 12 - 3 Teams

Pac-12 - 3 Teams

SEC - 8 Teams