Last Word on College Football
Top 25 Week 3
College Football never disappoints. What was supposed to be the first quiet weekend of the 2017 campaign turned into another heart-stopping act in the gridiron soap opera that is college football.
There was a shootout in Memphis. Memphis had key interceptions against Josh Rosen and Riley Ferguson threw six touchdowns. Was it enough to get into the Last Word on College Football Top 25? There was a last second 63-yard touchdown in Gainesville. That finished a game that saw nine total points in the first three quarters and 35 points in the last quarter. Clemson exerted its dominance over the ACC in Louisville. It was a complete 180-degree experience for the Cardinals after their thrashing of FSU on the same stage last season. Can they stay in our poll? And the eyes of Texas were on the Coliseum last night as young Sam Ehlinger led the Longhorns against the Trojans in a stunning overtime game. How much did the near-defeat experience cost USC?
Let’s take a look at the Last Word on College Football Top 25 for Week 2.
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 WEEK 3
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
Previous
|
|
1. |
|
444 | 1 | |
| Alabama continued to take care of the business portion of its schedule. The machine keeps moving in T-Town. But people aren’t as confident after seeing Clemson’s performance. Clemson took four of the Tide’s first place votes from last week.
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2. |
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427 | 3 | |
| Clemson blew out Louisville 47-21. Lamar Jackson struggled against Tigers defense. Kelly Bryant was able to make his reads and execute efficiently. Next week Boston College travels to Death Valley.
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3. |
|
423 | 2 | |
| Oklahoma shook off a sluggish early start pull away from Tulane in the second half 56-14. The Sooners shut out the Green Wave 42-0 over the final three quarters. Big 12 action begins next week as the Sooners travel to Waco to take on the 0-3 Baylor Bears.
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4. |
|
382 | 5 | |
| The Nittany Lion defense notched a shutout against Georgia State on Saturday night. Trace McSorley passed for over 300 yards in the 56-0 victory. A trip to undefeated Iowa looms next.
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5. |
|
378 | 4 | |
| The Trojans did not win so much as they survived with a 27-24 double OT win against Texas. USC needed a 43-yard field goal by freshman Chase McGrath to clinch the win, following a fumble by Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger at the USC goal line. The Trojans play at undefeated Cal next week.
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6. |
|
346 | 7 | |
| Mason Rudolph throws for five touchdowns in one half and nearly 500 yards for the game. Three of those scores go to Jalen McCleskey. Justice Hill runs two in on the ground. Suffice to say the Pokes Offensive is rolling. The competition picks up fast with a game against ranked TCU next week.
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7. |
|
336 | 6 | |
| Michigan’s offense is still far from impressive, but the defense is one of the best in the nation. Big Ten play starts next week against the suddenly-competitive Purdue.
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8. |
|
321 | 8 | |
| The Huskies blasted Fresno State in Week 3. Next up is the first real challenge of the 2017 season with a trip to undefeated Colorado to open conference play.
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9. |
|
302 | 9 | |
| The Buckeyes rebounded from a devastating lost to Oklahoma by steamrolling an inferior Army team 38-7. After enduring a week’s worth of criticism, QB J.T. Barrett went 25-of-33 for 270 yards and two TDs. Freshman RB J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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10. |
|
297 | 10 | |
| With Nebraska losing to Northern Illinois and Iowa looking less than impressive, Wisconsin is a virtual lock for the Big Ten West division title. There’s no division in football where the distance between #1 and everyone else is larger.
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11. |
|
267 | 13 | |
| The Bulldogs avoided a letdown following their big win at Notre Dame by defeating Samford 42-14. Nick Chubb ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns while Jake Fromm passed for three more. Kirby Smart‘s squad hosts Mississippi State next Saturday night to open SEC play.
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12. |
|
263 | 11 | |
| After a two week hiatus due to Hurricane Irma, Florida State will finally suit up again on Saturday. The Seminoles will debut true freshman quarterback, James Blackman, in their home opener against North Carolina State.
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13. |
|
230 | 14 | |
| Kamryn Pettway had 34 carries for 128 yards and three TDs to lead Auburn over Mercer. Jarrett Stidham also had seven rushes for 23 yards. Next weekend, Auburn will face a struggling Missouri team in SEC play. Auburn’s defense should be able hold the opposing Tigers.
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14. |
|
205 | 17 | |
| The Hokies traveled to Greenville on Saturday to face East Carolina and Cam Phillips did not disappoint. In Tech’s 64-17 dismantling of East Carolina, he set the program record for receptions in a single game. Three of the 14 catches went for TDs.
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15. |
|
193 | 16 | |
| After a brief hiatus due to hurricane Irma, Miami eases back into their schedule with a match up against Toledo.
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16. |
|
153 | 20 | |
| TCU had to play catch up as SMU came out swinging. The Ponies ran out of gas in the 2nd quarter, and TCU took advantage. Beating them 56-36. Next week they travel to Oklahoma State.
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17. |
|
133 | 21 | |
| The Cougars continue to score points in bunches. If Mike Leach’s team wants to compete in the Pac-12 North against Washington, Oregon, and Stanford, they must step up on defense, however.
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18. |
|
122 | 24 | |
| Florida needed a 63-yard touchdown pass as time expired to survive the annual bizarro-fest that is Florida-Tennessee. If the Gators don’t find an answer on offense, their stay in the Top 25 won’t last long.
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19. |
|
110 | 22 | |
| The Bulls continue with their slow starts. Irma aside, slow starts and undisciplined football has become this team’s M.O. this season. The potential to become a CFP bracket buster is there, but Charlie Strong needs to get his team ready to go as conference play starts against Temple.
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20. |
|
96 | 15 | |
| The cardinals took a beating at home against defending National Champion, Clemson. The tigers were able to force Lamar Jackson to throw a critical pick six that broke the game open in the third quarter.
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21. |
|
85 | NR | |
| The quarterback whisperer is working his magic again. Dan Mullen, who coached Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, and Dak Prescott, has Nick Fitzgerald red hot. The Bulldogs humbled LSU in Starkville and travel to Athens this weekend.
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22. |
|
52 | NR | |
| The Utes moved to 3-0 on the season with a 54-16 drubbing of San Jose State. Quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, with three of them going to Darren Carrington. The Utes will travel to Tucson for their Pac 12 opener Friday night against Arizona.
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23. |
|
46 | NR | |
| Willie Taggart’s Ducks have lit up the scoreboard this season, against suspect competition. Next week, they travel to the desert to take on a struggling Arizona State team.
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24. |
|
36 | NR | |
| Dana Holgorsen and Will Grier have the Mountaineers offense clicking. Can they keep up with the high-octane Big 12 offenses of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU? And don’t look now, but they’ll have to battle Texas as well.
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25. |
|
31 | 12 | |
| The Tigers played poorly against Mississippi State to open SEC play. Even with Arden Key back, the defense gave up 37 points and could get nothing going on offense. Next up for LSU is Syracuse in Baton Rouge Saturday. | ||||
MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-0)
WEST VIRGINIA (2-1)
LSU (2-1)Others Receiving Votes: Colorado (30), Vanderbilt (29), Stanford (22), San Diego State (21), Maryland (14), Notre Dame (12), Kansas State (11), Memphis (11), , Boise State (3), Tennessee (2), California (2), Duke (1).
Looking Ahead
Week 3 provided us the first big re-shuffle of the year for the Last Word on College Football Top 25. We have four new teams in the poll, two of those from Pac-12. Colorado came in 26th as well. Upstarts Mississippi State and Vanderbilt get their chances to make definitive statements next week as well.
If we’ve learned one thing from this week, though, it’s that there are no quiet weeks in college football. It’s always high drama on Saturdays in the fall.
About the Poll: Eighteen LWOCFB writers rank the Top 25 teams across the nation weekly to determine the best teams from around the country.
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