NCAA 2013 Top 25 - Week 3

It wasn't a great week for the Big Ten, as several teams struggled or faltered.  Michigan was saved due to bye weeks by many of the teams below them.

Top 25 [Last week's position]
1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) [1] : Their vaulted defense had trouble containing A&M in the fourth quarter, but they were getting tired.  A little more conditioning and this team may be unbeatable

2.  Oregon Ducks (3-0) [4] : Chip who?  This team has lost little steam as they steamroll another huge victory

3.  Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) [2] : Their defense allowed Cal to score too much, and defense is their strength.  They showed that their offense can still produce without Braxton Miller.

4.  LSU Tigers (3-0) [5] : Strong on both sides of the ball, this is the only SEC team that hasn't shown vulnerabilities, and is now Alabama's chief threat.

5.  Florida State Seminoles (2-0) [8] : Holy cow, look at this offense!  The Seminoles are a beast when they hold the ball, and their defense is no slacker, either.

6.  Louisville Cardinals (3-0) [6] : It took a little while before Teddy Bridgewater got going.  He can't do that against teams with a strong defense.

7.  Michigan Wolverines (3-0) [7] : They were one goal-line stand away from losing to Akron, a team who has a total of four victories over the past three years.  Their defense has holes, and those had better be mended before they face the offenses of Northwestern, Nebraska, and even Minnesota and Indiana.

8.  Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [18] : HUGE jump for the Sooners, whose offense finally woke up and marched all over Tulsa.

9.  Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) [9] : Played a weakling FCS team.  Not much to say this week

10. Clemson Tigers (2-0) [10]

11. Georgia Bulldogs (1-1) [11]

12. UCLA Bruins (2-0) [15] : Impressive offensive performance by the Bruins.  While it is too early still, there are rumblings of Heisman for QB Brett Hundley.  Of course, they wouldn't have won if their defense didn't tighten, keeping Nebraska scoreless in the second half.

13. Texas A&M Aggies (2-1) [16] : Two interceptions proved that Johnny Football has flaws, but that offense still moved against a tough defense.  Against any other team, the Aggies would have won that game.

14. Miami Hurricanes (2-0) [14]

15. Stanford Cardinal (2-0) [17] : Army scored entirely too much against the Cardinal.  What will their defense do against powerful Pac-12 offenses like Washington, Arizona State, and (of course) Oregon?

16. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1) [12] : They may have beaten Vandy, but it was an ugly win that was more complementary to the Commodores than the Gamecocks.

17. Northwestern Wildcats (3-0) [21] : Watch out for the Wildcats.  Here was the Big Ten team with the most impressive performance this week.  Okay, that's not saying much.  Let's just say they had the easiest time against their MAC opponent than any other Big Ten team.

18. Washington Huskies (2-0) [22] : Nice win over my Alma Mater.  The Huskies have an offense.

19. Michigan State Spartans (3-0) [19]

20. Baylor Bears (2-0) [20]

21. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [24] : Close game against Penn State, but they showed spunk and power.  This team can compete against BCS big boys.

22. Arizona Wildcats (3-0) [25} : Beating up lowly UTSA isn't impressive, but how their offense rolled was impressive.

23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1) [23] : Purdue handed them everything they could handle.  The Irish have definitely lost punch from last year.

24. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0) [NR] : Our only new team to the Top 25 (a rarity in Week 3), the Rebs proved that Texas has withered and that a new power has emerged in the SEC.

25. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) [3] : Poor defense and a struggling offense, they couldn't get their strength (running game) established.  Due to field position or deficit, they were forced to pass too much.  If the defense gives them a chance, this team can still shine.

Dropped off: Nebraska Cornhuskers [#13]

On the Edge  Arkansas Razorbacks (3-0), Maryland Terrapins (3-0), Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0), Auburn Tigers (3-0), USC Trojans (2-1), Georgia Tech Yellow Jackers (2-0), Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0), Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0), Utah State Aggies (2-1), North Texas Mean Green (2-1)