College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25, Week 3

SMU’s big test of the season, their annual rivalry game against TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet, was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Horned Frogs. Originally scheduled to play in Fort Worth on Friday night, it remains to be seen whether the rivalry game will be rescheduled this season.

If the Mustangs do lose their chance to topple a Power Five opponent, it could seriously hamper their chances of making serious noise in the Group of Five race. Still, Sonny Dykes’s squad already has a win on their record after toppling Texas State in Week 1. That could be enough to vault the Mustangs into the AP Top 25 this week after receiving three points in the preseason rankings.

Avoiding UCF in American Athletic Conference play bolsters SMU’s chance of making noise in the conference race this year, and the Mustangs also have the benefit of playing both Memphis and Cincinnati at home. They need Shane Buechele to have another monster season after the former Longhorns quarterback turbocharged the passing game last year in Dallas.