College Football Power Rankings
By Michael Luciano
Week 3 of the 2019 college football season is officially in the books, and their has been some movement within the upper echelon of programs that are vying for conference titles and a push for the CFP. It's time to take stock of the best teams in college football and see where they lie in the rankings.
10. Florida
Following Feleipe Franks' horrorific injury, Dan Mullen opted for Kyle Trask, a giant pocket passer, over the smaller, more elusive runner in Emory Jones. Trask led the Gators to a shocking comeback win against Kentucky, and is heading into conference play with supreme confidence. The loss of Franks will take some recalibrating on offense, but Florida should remain a Top 10 team.
9. Utah
Following losses by Oregon, Washington, and Stanford early this year, Tyler Huntley and the Utes are now the favorites in the Pac-12. As they prepare to face Kedon Slovis and USC next week, Zack Moss and the ground game come into the game after plowing over three straight opponents, and they are the West Coast team most likely to sneak into the College Football Playoff.
8. Notre Dame
Louisville and New Mexico were not expected to give the Irish much trouble, and they didn't. While the Irish look like a finely tuned offensive machine based on their first two games, we'll get a more accurate sense of how good they are when they play Georgia next week on the road. If they win that, lock up a playoff spot for them.
7. Auburn
Bo Nix and the Tigers have not faced a team close to the caliber of Oregon in Tulane and Kent State, but he's done his part in decimating those two schools to give Auburn a perfect 3-0 start to the season.
6. Ohio State
Justin Fields has fit Ryan Day's offense like a glove, and has racked up 13 touchdowns in his first three games, including four in a dominant win over Big Ten rival Indiana. The Buckeyes' first big test will be against Michigan State in primetime, so Day will have to settle for beating up on a few creampuffs before they can gear up for the best of the best in the conference.
5. Oklahoma
This can't be the same Jalen Hurts that we saw at Alabama, right? Hurts is looking like a strong candidate to win the Heisman this year, which would give Lincoln Riley three consecutive Heisman winners. Big 12 play, especially considering how open this conference is this year, could be problematic for Riley and the Sooners, but it looks like they will continue to be one of the historically efficient offenses of all time.
4. LSU
Joe Burrow has apparently morphed into Joe Montana in the offseason, and his surgical precision has propelled LSU to both a win over Texas and a Top 4 ranking. While the matchup against Alabama looms large, the Tigers have proven themselves to be one of the of the four most talented teams in the country and worthy of a spot in the playoff.
3. Georgia
Georgia has played two creampuffs after beating conference foe Vanderbilt early in the season. Due to the fact, and the corresponding fact that Jake Fromm and D'Andre Swift haven't played many meaningful minutes. We'll know more about Georgia prospects for the SEC East, the SEC, and the playoff after their matchup against Notre Dame at Sanford Stadium.
2. Alabama
Duke and New Mexico State were wins before a ball was ever snapped, but Alabama proved that they can be just as dangerous in SEC competition following an impressive win against Ryan Hilinski and South Carolina. Tua Tagovailoa and that stable of receivers once again look extremely impressive, and the Tide should coast to a playoff spot if they are able to beat LSU.
1. Clemson
Trevor Lawrence hasn't been as mercurial as he was last year, but he's been good enough to lead the Tigers to three wins, one of which came against a ranked Texas A&M team that served as their biggest regular season challenge. Now that they and Syracuse are in the rear-view mirror, Clemson can feast on a down ACC Atlantic for the rest of the regular season.