College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 3

Arizona State followed up a wild Week 2 contest against Texas Tech where Kalen Ballage tied the single-game NCAA record with eight touchdowns by nearly dropping their next contest to UT-San Antonio in the Alamodome. Ballage’s stats were far less gaudy this outing, as he finished with 103 yards on 19 touches, but it was the one touchdown on his stat line that proved crucial. UTSA took a 28-15 lead midway through the third quarter on QB Dalton Sturm’s third touchdown pass of the night, but the Sun Devils chipped away at the deficit until Ballage scored the deciding points with 3:15 remaining.

The Pac-12 schedule is both a blessing and a curse for Arizona State. The Sun Devils drew a relatively easy schedule this year, avoiding both Washington and Stanford in cross-division play, but that also means their next Top 25 opponent probably won’t come until ASU faces either Utah or Washington in November. That could put an artificial ceiling on how high the Devils can climb.