Week 3 was child’s play for some, no fun at all for others

Back Porch Sports’ Scott Hamilton is one of 69 voters in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. Here’s how his Week 3 ballot shook out:

Childhood Game Edition

Staring contest: The very top of these rankings didn’t budge. Texas followed up its Week 2 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State by  beating UT-San Antonio 30-6; Georgia stomped Arkansas 45-17. Notre Dame had Week 3 off before back-to-back road games at Purdue and Notre Dame. 

WATCH: Sunday Brunch: Week 3 recap, AP Top 25 breakdown

Leapfrog: Ole Miss and Louisville made big gains, jumping nine spots each thanks to significant wins. 

The Rebels’ 32-24 victory over LSU in the Kiffin Bowl is now in the conversation for best win so far this season and now has them (3-0, 1-0 SEC) fourth in these rankings. It also was a game in which Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ Heisman Trophy odds exploded, going from +1,300 to +300 after completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score.

Transitive thinking also helped Louisville considering its only loss this season was a neutral-site defeat to Ole Miss in Week 1. But the Cardinals (2-1, 1-0) did most of the heavy lifting themselves to move up from No. 24 to No. 15 by beating previously undefeated SMU, 41-31.

Kick the can: Indiana’s schedule is what it is. The Hoosiers (3-0) have overwhelmed the likes of North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky by a combined score of 145-16. The most recent dribbing – a 38-0 Week 3 win over the Hilltoppers – was Indiana’s second straight shutout.

It only gets marginally more interesting when the Hoosiers begins Big Ten play during Week 4. Indiana starts its conference schedule at home against Northwestern, before trips to Rutgers and Nebraska. That means its first real test won’t come for nearly a month when Ohio State plays at Indiana on Oct. 17.

Rock, paper, scissors: Alabama, BYU and Texas Tech each won and all moved up one spot in unison. That trio now occupies Nos. 8-11.

I spy: Oregon is back in these rankings after falling out following their upset loss at Oklahoma State. The Ducks (2-1) wailed on poor Portland State, 84-0, in an effort to get their mojo back. And despite it being an overmatched opponent, Oregon was able to show glimpses of an extremely talented roster. So they’re back in these rankings with a kind of probationary status at No. 24.

Red rover, red rover: Four teams are making their first appearances of 2026 in these rankings. Headlining that quartet is Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC), which helicopters in at No. 19 following a 44-39 win at Auburn.

And hello, West Virginia, which is making its debut at No. 22. The Mountaineers (3-0) beat then-No. 21 Virginia 38-27 in Charlotte behind an all-around performance from quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr. He passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 123 yards and three more scores.

Mississippi State and Virginia Tech (3-0) beat South Carolina and Maryland, respectively. The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) are 23rd; the Hokies 25th.

Sliding board: Five teams are out of these rankings, despite one of those squads actually winning in Week 3.

Oklahoma rebounded from an uninspiring one-score loss at Michigan with an equally uninspiring 14- 6 victory over New Mexico. The Sooners (2-1) committed three turnovers (including two interceptions), put up only 299 total yards and allowed the Lobos to control the clock by nearly eight more minutes. Oklahoma was already in a precarious spot at No. 25, but that flat performance against a Mountain West opponent pushed the Sooners completely out.

SMU and Houston lost to ranked opponents – Louisville and Texas Tech, respectively – and arguments could be made to keep them ranked. But there was a significant push by teams just outside of the rankings that there was little margin for error. SMU fell out from the No. 15 spot; Houston was 23rd last week.

Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC), however, seemed safe at No. 8, only to end up looking like a seriously flawed team. The Aggies fell 31-21 home loss to unranked Kentucky during which it gave up 28 unanswered points. They must fix all those issues fast, too, as Texas A&M has games with LSU, Missouri and Alabama over the next five weeks.

Toy chest: The SEC again had the most teams in these rankings with nine, one more than the Big Ten. Four teams from the Big 12 made the cut, while the ACC landed three. Notre Dame, as usual, is the lone independent. 

Hamilton’s rankings (last week): 

1. Texas (1)

2. Notre Dame (2)

3. Georgia (3)

4. Ole Miss (9)

5. Indiana (5)

6. Miami (4)

7. Ohio State (6)

8. Alabama (10)

9. BYU (11)

10. Texas Tech (12)

11. LSU (7)

12. Southern Cal (13)

13. Penn State (14)

14. Missouri (16)

15. Louisville (24)

16. Tennessee (17) 

17. Utah (18)

18. Iowa (19)

19. Florida (NR)

20. Washington (20)

21. Michigan (22)

22. West Virginia (NR) 

23. Mississippi State (NR)

24. Oregon (NR)

25. Virginia Tech (NR)

Follow Scott Hamilton on X @ScottHsports