1. Florida State (3-0)
Even though they struggled vs Boston College in Chestnut Hill, I don’t have a doubt in my mind that the Seminoles are the best team in the country. A 21 point win in week one vs the team I picked to win the SEC still resinates strongly in my mind and is why I slot them at number one.
2. Texas (3-0)
Let’s throw those horns up. Texas went into Tuscaloosa and won in dominant fashion vs Alabama in Week Two and returned to Austin this past weekend and picked up a nice win vs Wyoming. They’re firing on all cylinders going into BIG 12 play and only have one tough game remaining on the schedule against Oklahoma.
3. Notre Dame (4-0)
Call it my fandom bias, but there’s no reason the Irish shouldn’t be this high. They’ve won their four games this season by an average margin of 34.5 points and their defense is allowing only 15.6 points per game. I know they aren’t playing super stiff competition, but they are absolutely dominating. They’ll have their first real test of the year when Ohio State comes to South Bend.
4. Michigan (3-0)
Michigan’s schedule hasn’t exactly packed a huge punch thus far, but they’re handling the teams in front of them. Their three wins have an average margin of victory of 26.6 points and heading into BIG 10 play, they look ready to play a good Rutgers team at home. Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy are playing great football right now and are looking to take the BIG 10 for the second year in a row.
5. Georgia (3-0)
What has Georgia done to warrant the number one spot? Yeah, they’re undefeated, but so are 23 of the other teams I have in this top 25. They beat up on UT Martin and Ball State, as they should, but when they faced an SEC opponent, one who is 1-2, they were taken deep and won by 10. I’m not feeling a three-peat in Athens this year.
6. Washington (3-0)
The Michael Penix Jr. experience is proving to be fruitful for Washington in his second year. With how loaded the PAC-12 is, I think the Huskies currently look the best, but the big question is, can they sustain this high level of play against teams like Oregon, Oregon State, and Utah?
7. Penn State (3-0)
Is Drew Allar elite? After watching him last week, I’d say probably not. But that’s not a problem, at least right now, because Penn State’s roster is loaded with immense talent that can pick up the slack for a down player. They’re squaring off with Iowa this week and should dominate the Hawkeyes, they just need Allar to play better than last week.
8. USC (3-0)
The Trojans are doing Trojan things and Caleb Williams is doing what he does. For the next few weeks, they don’t really play anybody which is good because the second half of their schedule consists of Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and UCLA. If Alex Grinch can make drastic tweaks to their defense then they’ll be in business.
9. Oregon (3-0)
Do I trust Bo Nix? No, not really. But me not trusting him hasn’t hindered him from balling out thus far. Texas Tech may have taken them deep two weeks ago, but Nix and the Ducks turned it back up and slaughtered Hawaii. A matchup with Colorado should spike their nerves a bit, but no Travis Hunter makes this game a little less stressful.
10. Ohio State (3-0)
I get that Ohio State is 3-0, but I can’t put them higher because I don’t believe in Kyle McCord. He hasn’t looked great and isn’t maximizing the talent of his weapons in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. They’re playing Notre Dame this weekend and if McCord doesn’t step up, then the Buckeyes will fall to 3-1 and struggle in BIG 10 play.
11. Ole Miss (3-0)
I have a lot of faith in Coach Kiffin and the Rebels this year and they have their first huge test of the season at Alabama. If they pull this win off this weekend, then there’s no reason they won’t win the SEC West and challenge Georgia for the crown.
12. LSU (2-1)
At the start of the season, I picked LSU to win the conference, but an embarrassing loss to FSU in Week Zero has made me lose some faith in them. They bounced back against Mississippi State and could start to roll with matchups against Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Missouri on the rise.
13. Utah (3-0)
The Utes have survived the first three games of the year without Cam Rising, but they’re going to need him to play if they want to have repeated success in the PAC-12. In the next five games, they have four difficult opponents in UCLA, Oregon State, USC, and Oregon.
14. Miami (3-0)
I hate to see Miami being good as a Notre Dame fan, but it’s difficult to neglect the Hurricanes success. They’ve scored over 35 points in all three of their games this season and dropped 48 on a solid Texas A&M team. Mario Cristobal is making a serious culture shift at Miami and it’s for the better.
15. Duke (3-0)
Who would’ve thought that the Duke Blue Devils would be 3-0 with a win over Clemson? Not me. But here they are pushing to take the ACC for the first time ever. Riley Leonard is playing like a high-level quarterback that took a massive step from 2022.
16. Oregon State (3-0)
The transfer of DJU has only made Oregon State a scarier foe in the PAC-12. While they haven’t really played any stiff competition, they’ve been dominating teams with elite offensive line play and stout defense. Their matchup with Washington State this week will shape the way the PAC-12 looks the remainder of the year.
17. Oklahoma (3-0)
I won’t lie, I’m pretty shocked with how good Oklahoma is playing this season. After a down year in 2022, it seems like Brent Venables is turning the tide is Norman as his Sooners are 3-0 and are averaging 55.7 points per game. Heading into BIG 12 play, Oklahoma really only has one or two tough games left with Texas and BYU on the slate.
18. Washington State (3-0)
There’s a lot to be said about Cam Ward’s play this season, but the simplest way to put it is that he’s been balling. He’s leading a Cougars offense that’s averaging 48.3 points per game and doesn’t appear to slow down after hanging 31 on Wisconsin and 50 on Colorado State.
19. Rutgers (3-0)
Rutgers has adopted the “why not us” attitude this season and it’s working perfectly. It hurts that they’re in the BIG 10 East with Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, but there are some scenarios where the Scarlet Knights play spoiler to one of those squads this season.
20. UCLA (3-0)
With convincing wins against Coastal Carolina and San Diego State, I think the post-DTR era Bruins can make some noise in the PAC-12 and take down the conference favorites like Utah and USC. They look balanced on both sides of the ball and are quietly coming for the conference title.
21. James Madison (3-0)
I picked the Dukes to win the Sun Belt this year. Now, that’s not actually possible, but they just knocked off one of the top Sun Belt teams in Troy this past weekend. They’re playing like a top 25 team, so why not reward them with getting them in the top 25?
22. Colorado (3-0)
While I may not agree with their field storming tactics and I’m not high on Deion Sanders, I have to acknowledge that the Buffaloes have a very talented squad. Their schedule hasn’t been packed with super talented teams, but Shedur Sanders is looking like the nation’s best quarterback. What really hurts them is that Travis Hunter is most likely out for three weeks going into PAC-12 play.
23. Alabama (2-1)
With the product that Coach Saban has put on the field this season, I can’t justify having them higher. Yes, the loss vs Texas, who I have at two, hurts, but what’s even worse is a 17-3 win vs USF — a team that’s currently 1-2 and went 1-11 last year.
24. Iowa (3-0)
What we saw this past weekend wasn’t a typical rendition of Hawkeye football. They looked explosive on offense, which is out of character for them, and stout on defense, which is a typical spectacle for Iowa. They’ll be the team that challenges whoever comes out of the BIG 10 East this year, whether it’s Michigan, Penn State, or Ohio State.
25. Missouri (3-0)
The SEC East is down this year, but one team will really give Georgia a tough time this year and make a run for the conference. That’d be the Missouri Tigers. They picked up a huge win against Kansas State this past weekend, a team who was previously in the top 25, and they appeared to be a completed and well-rounded squad.
