College Football Power Rankings: Week 3 Shake-Ups in the Top 25

Among the many things that likely swirled through Lane Kiffin's mind as he walked off the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium late Saturday was a sobering lesson -- the team he left is better than the one he now coaches.

Kiffin also learned (if he didn't know already) that the quarterback he used to coach, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss , is the nation's best. Fueled by Chambliss, Ole Miss delivered the biggest win of Week 3, outlasting LSU 32-24 in the Kiffin revenge/reunion game in Oxford. Saturday night showed the Rebels are a national title contender, Chambliss is the early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy and coach Pete Golding continues to thrive in the biggest games.

Week 3 brought other lessons. NC State learned that you can lose a game in which all you have to do is fall down or step out of the end zone. The SEC learned that first-year coaches in Florida' s Jon Sumrall and Kentucky' s Will Stein will have an immediate impact. The ACC learned that Louisville could challenge Miami and possibly become a second CFP contender from the conference, but don't forget about defending league champion Duke , which is off to an impressive 3-0 start. The Big 12 learned its race could be more wide open than ever, as BYU and Utah look strong, Texas Tech continues to win and West Virginia might be a surprise contender. USC is relieved to be undefeated after Week 3, and teams like Texas A&M and SMU aren't so fortunate.

The pecking order in conferences is ever changing, and the same goes for the power rankings. Here's our latest version. -- Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 1

The Longhorns' defense dominated UTSA , giving up only 142 yards, but warning signs flashed on offense with an inconsistent performance by Arch Manning (17-of-33, 164 yards, 2 TDs). Coach Steve Sarkisian said none of Manning's nine carries for 50 yards were called runs and said Manning "fell in love with his legs" and didn't want him having to shoulder that load as much. On the upside, five Texas running backs ran for a combined 178 yards, on 4.6 yards per carry. With a road game against Tennessee this week, Manning said he'll have to play better for the offense to have a good game. -- Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 9

After watching Chambliss work his magic in the Rebels' 32-24 victory against LSU on Saturday, Kiffin might have wondered if a better legal strategy could have helped his team. Instead of trying to get two former NFL players on its roster, LSU might have been better off trying to overturn Chambliss' court injunction that allowed him to play a sixth season of college football. The one-time Division II star completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a 14-yard touchdown with 6:14 to play, which ended up being the winner. He's clearly among the early Heisman Trophy favorites. -- Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 2

CJ Carr was ordinary (234 yards, no TDs) and the ground game again was more quantity than quality, though Nolan James Jr . did rack up 121 yards rushing. Instead, it was the defense that really shined for the Irish in a 27-10 win over Michigan State . Notre Dame held the Spartans to 167 yards -- making it the first time the Irish have held back-to-back opponents to less than 200 total yards since the first two games of the 2023 season. Notre Dame had four sacks and two interceptions, and utterly swallowed Michigan State's ground game. If it wasn't exactly a dominant win, it was yet another reminder that the Irish can beat teams in a lot of ways, and they don't need to always rely on Carr to be exceptional to come away with an easy victory. -- David Hale

Previous ranking: 4

After Georgia opened the season against overmatched Tennessee State and Western Kentucky , we still didn't seem to know much about the Bulldogs. That's probably still the case after they ran past Arkansas 45-17 in their SEC opener on Saturday. Georgia led 38-3 when coach Kirby Smart eased up. The Bulldogs ran for 254 yards and four touchdowns and averaged six yards a carry. Quarterback Gunner Stockton ran for a career-high 97 yards on seven attempts, with 62 coming on one play. One concern was tailback Nate Frazier leaving the game in the second half, but Smart said he was only dinged up and could have returned. Georgia probably will need him for this week's home game against Oklahoma . -- Schlabach

Previous ranking: 3

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The Hurricanes had to show resilience in the fourth quarter of a 33-20 win at Wake Forest . After Darian Mensah started the game with an ACC record 24 straight completions to help Miami build a 33-7 lead, the offense started to sputter. Wake Forest took advantage of a depleted Miami secondary and started hitting big plays down the field. Suddenly, the Demon Deacons had made it a game. The Miami defense came through in the clutch with a safety, two fourth-down stops and then an interception near the goal line to seal the win. The bigger concern are the injuries that Miami is dealing with. Both running backs Mark Fletcher Jr . and Marty Brown left the game, and receiver Malachi Toney was working through an upper-body injury as well. -- Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 6

Star wideout Jeremiah Smith broke the Buckeyes' career receiving record, passing Michael Jenkins' mark of 2,898 yards on a 23-yard reception in the first half of a 59-3 victory over Kent State . Smith now has 2,958 receiving yards just three games into his third season. He is also closing in on Emeka Egbuka 's school receptions record (205) and Chris Olave 's touchdown receptions mark (35). The NFL is filled with star receivers who played for Day at Ohio State. Asked where Smith ranks among those Buckeyes greats, Day answered: "It's hard to put anybody above him." Smith just keeps adding to his legacy. -- Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 7

After scoring 34 first-quarter points in the first two games, the Hoosiers failed to record a point against Western Kentucky until 10 minutes remained in the first half. Then, IU recaptured its standard rhythm on offense, while shutting out consecutive opponents at home for the first time since recording three straight in 1958 and 1959. The Hoosiers really clamped down against the run, giving up only 2.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Josh Hoover had another efficient performance, completing 18 of 24 passes, and Boston College transfer Turbo Richard had 149 rushing yards on only 15 carries. Rolijah Hardy led the defensive effort. -- Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 11

Slow starts might eventually catch up to the Crimson Tide. But it didn't at Kentucky a week ago and it didn't at home against Florida State on Saturday. It took a while for the offense to settle in, but once it did, you saw the whole package. First-year starting quarterback Keelon Russell -- who had multiple "wow" throws when he pushed the ball downfield and a 57-yard touchdown run on which he scrambled, found daylight and shot past the defense showing off sprinter's speed. If he can build on that, Alabama might have something special. -- Alex Scarborough

Previous ranking: 5

Well, at least it's out of the way now. Losing at Ole Miss might have come as a shock to the exuberant LSU fan base, but the Rebels had a lot of advantages in the matchup -- from being at home, to having a quarterback who has been running that offense for more than a year now at an incredibly high clip. Plus, of course, Pete Golding knows Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. better than anyone. And despite all that -- and an early 17-point deficit -- the Tigers still had a shot to win in the red zone late in the fourth quarter. It's not an ideal outcome, but it should probably be more reassuring than deflating. The playoff is still a realistic goal in Year 1 of a long-term play for Kiffin. -- Hale

Previous ranking: 12

What stood out about the Cougars' 41-23 win against Colorado State was how explosive they were on offense. They averaged 13.4 yards per pass attempt and 8.1 yards on the ground -- both season bests. That part had been missing from the offense last season and if the trend continues, BYU should overtake Texas Tech to be the favorite in the Big 12. -- Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 10

So, about that defense. With much anticipation and fanfare about Gary Patterson's arrival at USC, the first few games showcased some promise: The Trojans' defense appeared to have size, speed and plenty of bite. Then, they traveled to Piscataway to face Rutgers and that all seemed to go out the window in a needlessly stressful 42-35 victory. The Scarlet Knights (who were 0-2 with losses to UMass and Boston College) put up 460 yards on USC's defense. If it wasn't for two turnovers USC forced (one of them being a 99-yard pick-six), this could have been the upset of the day. To be fair, it wasn't just the defense; the Trojans looked sloppy across the board in their first road game. And though they were able to sneak home with a win, it was certainly not one that inspired much confidence as Lincoln Riley's team now heads into the toughest stretch of its season. -- Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 14

The Nittany Lions have passed their first test under first-year coach Matt Campbell, rolling to three easy victories during the nonconference slate. With a 55-13 victory over Buffalo , Penn State outscored its nonconference opponents (including Marshall and Temple ) by an average of five touchdowns. But the tune-up is over, as the Nittany enter Big Ten play. An improved Wisconsin visits State College this weekend, followed by a Friday night trip to Northwestern for the Wildcats' new stadium debut. Then comes the showdown at home against USC. The next three games will reveal whether the Nittany Lions can emerge into a legitimate Big Ten title and playoff contender. -- Trotter

Previous ranking: 13

The Red Raiders found themselves in a dogfight early Friday night in Lubbock, with Houston jumping out to a 10-0 lead, after Tommy Castellanos , who made a surprise start, threw an interception on the first play of the game. Will Hammond , the full-time starter, finished 17-of-27 with 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and the running game came through to help the Red Raiders grind out a win. Cameron Dickey , J'Koby Williams and Castellanos each had rushing touchdowns as Texas Tech ran for 168 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. -- Wilson

Previous ranking: 15

In a lot of ways, the first three games on the Vols' schedule -- first Furman , then unranked Georgia Tech and finally Kennesaw State -- were a perfect way to build confidence for a program that had some pretty big questions coming out of the offseason. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was able to settle in, finishing that three-game stretch with six touchdowns and no interceptions. The defense, under new coordinator Jim Knowles, was able to work out the kinks. Average points allowed: 14. What stood out most, though, was the running game, which averaged 298.6 rushing yards. Whether the progress of the early part of the season holds up with the first major test when No. 1 Texas comes to town Saturday remains to be seen. -- Scarborough

Previous ranking: 22

The Gators' offense travels well, but the defense still has some issues to work through following a 44-39 win over Auburn . Headed into the game, running back Jadan Baugh had been the best player on offense and that continued on the road in a hostile environment, with 26 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns. In three games, Baugh has 458 yards, is averaging 8.5 yards per carry and has eight rushing touchdowns. The defense remains a work in progress, particularly the secondary. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown , who beat Florida while at South Florida last season, threw three touchdown passes -- including a 35-yard score to Chas Nimrod with 24 seconds left to give Auburn a late chance. Florida recovered the e

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49973917/2026-college-football-power-rankings-top-25-week-3)._