Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt released his top 10 teams after an intense Week 3. With conference play starting and a few teams losing in upset fashion, Klatt once again had to change his list from last week.
The Georgia Bulldogs were one of the teams that stayed the same in his rankings. This is despite playing arguably the best game offensively the Bulldogs have had since 2023. The Bulldogs won 44-41 in an overtime shootout vs. the Tennessee Volunteers. Georgia was down 21-7 by the end of the first quarter, but the Bulldogs rallied all the way back to take a 24-21 lead in the third.
The Volunteers took another lead, this time 38-30, with 6:40 left to go at the end of the fourth quarter, but Gunner Stockton connected on a deep ball to London Humphreys and on a two-point conversion to Zachariah Branch tie it. Sure, the Bulldogs needed some bad luck to go Tennessee’s way, but Georgia went all out to win that game.
However, Georgia still finds themselves fifth in Klatt’s rankings. Georgia is ranked behind three Big Ten teams and LSU in the SEC. The LSU Tigers didn’t win against Florida in the prettiest of ways, but the LSU secondary forced five interceptions from Florida quarterback DJ Lagway.
There are a few changes behind Georgia, though. The Texas Longhorns slide down from No. 6 to No. 8. They also won ugly against the UTEP Miners, with Arch Manning racking up 114 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception on 25 attempts.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, however, are the biggest losers of the week, losing to the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies to fall out of Joel Klatt’s top 10. The Fighting Irish scored on a Jeremiyah Love touchdown run to go up 40-34 with 2:53 left, but they failed on the two point conversion.
That gave the Aggies plenty of time to drive down the field, and they scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left on an 11-yard Marcel Reed touchdown pass to Nate Boerkicher. Texas A&M Kicker Randy Bond converted the extra point, and Texas A&M won the contest 41-40.
The Utah Utes out of the Big 12 end up replacing Notre Dame, making them the only team out of the Big 12 in Joel Klatt’s rankings. Overall, the SEC once again has the most teams in the rankings, with four (Georgia, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma), while the Big Ten has just three (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State). The ACC makes up the final two teams (Miami, FSU).
Joel Klatt’s Week 3 top 10 rankings:
Just Missed: Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, Illinois Fighting Illini, Alabama Crimson Tide
No. 10: Utah Utes (3-0)
Result: Win at Wyoming Cowboys 31-6
Next Week: vs. No. 17 Texas Tech Red Raiders
No. 9: Florida State Seminoles (2-0)
Result: Bye
Next Week: vs. Kent State Golden Flashes
No. 8: Texas Longhorns (2-1)
Result: Win vs. UTEP Miners 27-10
Next Week: vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats
No. 7: Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)
Result: Win at Temple Owls 42-3
Next Week: vs. No. 22 Auburn Tigers
No. 6: Miami Hurricanes (3-0)
Result: Win vs. South Florida Bulls 49-12
Next Week: vs. Florida Gators
No. 5: Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)
Result: Win at No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers 44-41 (overtime0
Next Week: Bye; Georgia plays Alabama at home in Week 5
No. 4: Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)
Result: Win vs. Villanova Wildcats 52-6
Next Week: Bye ahead of Week 5 game versus the Oregon Ducks
No. 3: Oregon Ducks (3-0)
Result: Win at Northwestern Wildcats 34-14
Next Week: vs. Oregon State Beavers
No. 2: LSU Tigers (3-0)
Result: Win vs. Florida Gators 20-10
Next Week: vs. Southeastern Louisiana Lions
No. 1: Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)
Result: Win vs. Ohio Bobcats 37-9
Next Week: at Washington Huskies