Oklahoma took Florida State's best shot in Tallahassee and came away with an impressive win in a hostile environment, shoring up its No. 1 credentials.
LSU's second win away from home over a ranked opponent distinguished the Tigers at No. 2 over Alabama.
Michigan, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Illinois make an appearance in this week's ranking.
Here are this week's Power Rankings:
Overall | Voters 1-6 | Voters 7-12 | Voters 13-18 | Voters 19-25| College Football Power Rankings - Week 3 | |||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | PTS | COMMENT | |
| 1 | -- Last Week: 1 | 616 | Gut check? Check. Florida State asked questions of Oklahoma and the Sooners responded with a go-ahead TD and a defensive stand in the fourth quarter to earn a 23-13 win in a hostile environment. Missouri visits Saturday. | ||
| 2 | 1 Last Week: 3 | 603 | The Tigers earned a second win away from home over a ranked opponent after beating Mississippi State -- their 12th straight win over the Bulldogs. The road doesn't get easier this week, as LSU travels to West Virginia on Saturday. | ||
| 3 | 1 Last Week: 2 | 579 | North Texas forgot to bring the Mean for its visit to Tuscaloosa, so the Tide provided it in a 41-0 win, led by Trent Richardson's three touchdowns. SEC play begins Saturday with a visit from Arkansas. | ||
| 4 | -- Last Week: 4 | 537 | Kellen Moore set a career high in completions (32) and tied his previous best in TD passes (5) as Boise State cruised to a 40-15 win over Toledo. The Broncos play in Boise for the first time this season Saturday when Tulsa pays a visit. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | 508 | Stanford settled into a rhythm after a nervy start at Arizona, winning 37-10 to earn its first Pac-12 win. Andrew Luck's two touchdown passes gave him 53 for his career, moving him past Jim Plunkett into sole possession of third place in school history. | ||
| 6 | 1 Last Week: 7 | 497 | Wisconsin improved to 3-0 for the eighth consecutive season after another offensive clinic, this time against Northern Illinois. Russell Wilson continues to impress for the Badgers, who have one final tuneup before Big Ten play begins against Nebraska. | ||
| 7 | 1 Last Week: 8 | 458 | Mother Nature merely delayed the inevitable, as inclement weather pushed the start of Oklahoma State's game with Tulsa to after midnight. Once on the field, the Cowboys beat the Golden Hurricane (by a lot) and the sunrise (barely). | ||
| 8 | 1 Last Week: 9 | 446 | The Aggies passed their first two warmup tests. Now it's on to the big one: Oklahoma State in their Big 12 opener. Last season's matchup proved to be a classic, albeit in the Cowboys' favor. What will this year's game say about both teams? | ||
| 9 | 4 Last Week: 5 | 389 | Despite the loss of a big-play receiver and its starting QB during the game, Florida State clawed back to tie OU in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles didn't have enough in the tank to overcome the Sooners, however. ACC play begins Saturday at Clemson. | ||
| 10 | 2 Last Week: 12 | 385 | Oregon has taken the frustration of its season-opening loss to LSU out on its next two opponents to the tune of 125 points. The Ducks begin Pac-12 play Saturday with a visit to Arizona. | ||
| 11 | 1 Last Week: 10 | 373 | LSU fired the first shot in the SEC West race with its win over Mississippi State; Arkansas and Alabama are up next on Saturday, as the Razorbacks visit Tuscaloosa in the league opener for both teams. | ||
| 12 | 1 Last Week: 13 | 359 | Nebraska claimed the rubber match in its series with Washington, though it was not without its nervy moments. The Huskers saw a 44-17 fourth-quarter lead dwindle to 13 in a matter of minutes before Taylor Martinez put the finishing touches on a 51-38 win. | ||
| 13 | 2 Last Week: 11 | 348 | It's not a recipe that bodes well for the collective blood pressure of South Carolina fans, but so far it hasn't burned the Gamecocks ... yet. Marcus Lattimore saved S.C. after another slow start, this time against Navy. | ||
| 14 | -- Last Week: 14 | 321 | Virginia Tech got a little more than it bargained for against Arkansas State but avoided another crushing early-season defeat in Blacksburg. The Hokies managed a 26-7 victory and they visit Marshall on Saturday. | ||
| 15 | 2 Last Week: 17 | 289 | It was a new era for Florida and supposedly a different Tennessee team than in years past. In the end, the result was the same, as the Gators earned their seventh straight win over the Vols, 33-23. They visit Kentucky on Saturday. | ||
| 16 | 3 Last Week: 19 | 236 | West Virginia needed a career day from Geno Smith (388 yards passing) to hold off Maryland in a 37-31 win. The true test of the Mountaineers' prowess comes Saturday, when they host LSU. | ||
| 17 | 3 Last Week: 20 | 210 | B.J. Daniels passed for four touchdowns and rushed for another as South Florida cruised past Florida A&M to improve to 3-0. The Bulls have a visit from UTEP before opening Big East play at Pitt on Sept. 29. | ||
| 18 | 3 Last Week: 21 | 189 | Mother Nature had seen enough, ending Baylor's win over Stephen F. Austin in the third quarter, but that was still plenty of time for Robert Griffin III to continue his impressive start to the season (247 yards, three touchdowns). | ||
| 19 | 4 Last Week: 23 | 178 | It's been a while since Texas fans could say this, but there was a lot to like about the Longhorns' recent game. The offense showed some encouraging signs in a 49-20 win at UCLA, the team that sent UT on its downward spiral a year ago. | ||
| 20 | 6 Last Week: NR | 113 | Michigan improved to 3-0 after 31-3 a win over Eastern Michigan. It's still too early to tell if this Michigan team will stumble like teams in past years or if the Wolverines are built for the long haul. | ||
| 21 | 4 Last Week: 25 | 112 | USC gave the best indication of what it can look like when it put together four strong quarters in a convincing win over Syracuse. The Trojans resume Pac-12 play Saturday at Arizona State. | ||
| 22 | NEW Last Week: NR | 102 | Dabo Swinney couldn't think of any place better than Death Valley for Auburn's winning streak to end. He hopes Clemson's home-field advantage is similarly inhospitable when Florida State visits Saturday. | ||
| 23 | 1 Last Week: 24 | 86 | The Horned Frogs have rebounded ably after their season-opening loss to Baylor, cruising to comfortable wins over Air Force and UL-Monroe. They host Portland State on Saturday. | ||
| 24 | NEW Last Week: NR | 45 | Illinois ended a 10-game losing streak to teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll -- a streak dating back to 2007 -- when it held off Arizona State 17-14 in Champaign. | ||
| 24 | NEW Last Week: NR | 45 | A school-record 604 yards rushing was more than enough for Georgia Tech to sweep aside Kansas. The Yellow Jackets take their 3-0 record into ACC play Saturday, where they'll host North Carolina. | ||
| Others receiving votes: Miami (FL) (22), Houston (20), North Carolina (16), Michigan State (14), UCF (9), Notre Dame (6), Arizona State (6), Missouri (2), Florida International (2), Ohio State (2), Auburn (1), Tennessee (1) | |||||
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