Three weeks into the college football season has provided time to shed some light on what to expect this season, which is looking a lot like last season when LSU and Alabama battled it out for the national championship—twice. Here are the 10 best right now.
10. Notre Dame (3-0)—The Fighting Irish, following a lackluster 20–17 win over Purdue, held Michigan State to just a single field goal in East Lansing this past Saturday. Though it’s just one win, it could be just the beginning for third-year coach Brian Kelly. This week: vs. Michigan (Saturday).
9. Stanford (3-0)—After a shaky season-opening 20–17 win over San Jose State, the Cardinal proved they were more than just Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh Saturday in upsetting Matt Barkley and the Trojans 21–14. This week: bye week.
8. South Carolina (3-0)—The Gamecocks, despite dealing with a pair of injuries to quarterback Connor Shaw, keep on rolling. Steve Spurrier’s squad has racked up 97 points the last two games though Shaw was only able to play in half of the 49–6 blowout of UAB. This week: vs. Missouri (Saturday).
7. Oklahoma (3-0)—The Sooners faced high expectations entering this season, with the return of quarterback Landry Jones and after putting up just 24 points against UTEP in their opener exploded for 69 points last week against Florida A&M. This week: vs. Kansas State (Saturday).
6. Georgia (3-0)—The Bulldogs are flying under the radar a bit with LSU and Alabama grabbing the SEC headlines, but their 41–20 win in Missouri was an eye-opener for anyone who followed the Tigers in the Big 12. This week: vs. Vanderbilt (Saturday).
5. Texas (3-0)—Three years ago, putting the Longhorns in the top 10 was a no-brainer, but after going 13-12 the last two seasons they needed to prove themselves worthy of a lofty ranking. After Saturday’s 66–31 thrashing at Ole Miss they look ready. We'll know more in two weeks when they face Oklahoma State on the road. This week: bye week.
4. Oregon (3-0)—The funnest team to watch, mainly due to their fast-paced offense, the Ducks have rolled up plenty of points this season (54 per game average) but so have their opponents (24 a game against Arkansas State, Fresno State, and Tennessee Tech). This week: vs. Arizona (Saturday).
3. LSU (3-0)—Even with the loss of dynamic playmaker Tyrann Mathieu, the Tigers keep rolling, winning by an average score of 48–10. None of their opponents thus far though (North Texas, Washington, and Idaho) pose as much of a threat as Auburn, even in a down year This week: at Auburn (Saturday).
2. Florida State (3-0)—The Seminoles look like the best bet to ruin a possible rematch of an LSU/Alabama BCS Championship game. In three games thus far, they’ve outscored their opponents (Murray State, Savannah State, and Wake Forest) by a combined score of 176–3. Yikes. This week: vs. Clemson (Saturday).
1. Alabama (3-0)—Nick Saban is the best coach in college football. He’s the first to win three BCS Championships and this year’s team certainly seems headed for a fourth, especially following a 41–14 rout of Michigan and a 52–0 demolition of Arkansas. This week: vs. Florida Atlantic (Saturday).
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