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College Football Rankings 2022: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 3

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 10, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to throw a pass against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to throw a pass against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) reacts after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in overtime at Acrisure Stadium. Tennessee won 34-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) reacts after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in overtime at Acrisure Stadium. Tennessee won 34-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Tennessee is going to get a ton of love from AP voters this week after going on the road to beat the No. 17 Pitt Panthers in overtime. Hendon Hooker led the Volunteers to a massive road win and Tennessee is going to be considered an SEC contender until further notice. Maybe this team is better than we all expected, after all.

Although the defense gave up almost 400 passing yards to Spencer Rattler, Arkansas was in control of the game throughout and coasted to a two-touchdown win over an up-and-coming South Carolina team. Raheim Sanders rushed for over 150 yards and two touchdowns and the Razorbacks are now 2-0 on the year and probably much more deserving of a top-15 ranking than a number of teams.

Michigan State was hoping to look a little more convincing in its win over a MAC opponent this week than it did a week ago and the Spartans did a good job of that. They smacked Akron around for 60 minutes and came away with a 52-0 win. Payton Thorne still looked shaky under center which is an issue but the run game was impressive behind Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard. And hey, the Spartans played good defense.

Although we are still waiting for a final from Provo, I’m going with the assumption that BYU is able to hold on and beat the Bears and if that’s the case, I don’t see them dropping too far. The Cougars are a good team and losing a road game in Provo is nothing to be ashamed of. Dave Aranda still has a Big 12 title-caliber squad.

I’m only going to assume BYU holds on to beat Baylor here. If the Cougars do hold on to beat the Bears (they’re up at halftime), I think they’ll jump all the way to No. 11, squeezing in just one spot ahead of Baylor. Jaren Hall is just an impressive passer and did some great things without his top two receivers against the No. 9 team in the nation.

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