Week 3 college football power rankings: The best 10 teams in the NCAA right now

What a weekend. It feels nearly impossible to rank a top-10 after the sheer chaos that college football has gone through in the past two weeks — Texas coming oh-so-close to dethroning Alabama, Notre Dame starting 0-2, Appalachian State upsetting A&M — but we’re going to try anyways.

Here are the 10 best teams in the NCAA right now.

1: Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs are looking more and more like the most dominant team in the country. They had an easy matchup against Samford on Saturday, and Alabama’s undisciplined near loss propelled the Bulldogs to the top of the AP Poll this week. They remain at No. 1 in our power rankings.

Next opponent: South Carolina, Saturday 12:00 p.m. ET

2: Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban can’t be happy after the Crimson Tide came oh-so-close to dropping the Texas game in what would have been just his third loss to an unranked team. The squad that was supposed to have all of last year’s issues ironed out doesn’t even look like the same team as last year. Of course, it’s still Alabama.

Next opponent: Louisiana-Monroe, Saturday 4:00 p.m. ET

3: Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes rolled to an easy win over Arkansas State on Saturday, putting up 538 yards of offense despite missing two starting receivers. I haven’t seen anything worrying enough to drop them significantly yet, although that win over Notre Dame is becoming less valuable by the week.

Next opponent: Toledo, Saturday 7:00 p.m. ET

4: USC Trojans

Well, they finally got their big stage, and they made the most of it. The all-new Trojans, led by Oklahoma transfers Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams, showed out against Stanford. They’re going to be a real threat this year if they can fix the issues on their defense, and on their pass rush in particular.

Next opponent: Fresno State, Saturday 10:30 p.m. ET

5: Michigan Wolverines

The only reason they’re not ranked higher is because they have yet to play a real competitor this year. They looked great against Colorado State and Hawai’i, but that’s because it’s Colorado State and Hawai’i. But their offensive production continues to stay high, and for now, we withhold further judgment until they play an in-conference game.

Next opponent: UConn, Saturday 12:00 p.m. ET

6: Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables’ Sooners have an unsurprisingly strong defense, and their offense was able to find a groove this weekend after a clumsy first half.

Next opponent: Nebraska, sans Scott Frost, Saturday 12:00 p.m. ET

7: Arkansas Razorbacks

This Arkansas team has had one of the more challenging first two weeks in the sport, and just continue to prove themselves after a strong 2021. With hard-fought wins over Cincinnati and South Carolina, they may just be the new biggest threat to Alabama’s SEC West dominance.

Next opponent: Missouri State, Saturday 7:00 p.m. ET

8: Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky? A football school? You better believe it. A decisive win against a good Florida team that included keeping the Gators scoreless in the second half this week catapulted them up the rankings.

Next opponent: Youngstown State, Saturday 12:00 p.m. ET

9: BYU Cougars

This is shaping up to be a very good BYU team. A major victory against Baylor now under their belt, they’ll have to travel to Eugene to prove themselves for the second week in a row against a top-25 team, but they can hang with the big dogs.

Next opponent: Oregon, Saturday 3:30 p.m ET

10: Texas Longhorns

Is it crazy to have them here? Some would argue that Clemson deserves the spot, but I don’t think Clemson plays like that against Alabama, to be honest. As a longtime Texas-is-back denier, I’m willing to admit that they just might be right this year. Even with Quinn Ewers out for the first part of the season after leaving with an injury on Saturday, the Longhorns defense looked remarkable against a Heisman trophy winner, and the offense will get the job done.

Next opponent: UTSA, Saturday 8:00 p.m. ET