5 biggest losers & winners of Week 3 AP Poll top 25 rankings ft. Julian Sayin's Ohio State

The Week 3 AP poll of Top 25 schools was dropped on Sunday. As early-season storylines develop, voters are showing little patience for underperforming programs while rewarding programs that continue to build momentum.

The latest results delivered major swings for several programs, as some schools capitalized on big statement wins to climb the ranking, while others suffered devastating setbacks that dropped them out of the rankings entirely.

Losers

5. Florida

Critics questioned Florida’s inclusion in last week’s poll following a 18-16 loss to USF on Sept. 6. Now, the Gators’ 20-10 loss against LSU on Saturday erased all 70 of their Week 2 points, knocking them out of the Top 25 entirely.

4. South Florida

After a strong 2-0 start and a No. 18 ranking, USF’s momentum collapsed in a 49-12 blowout loss to Miami in Week 3. The result dropped them out of the poll.

3. Clemson

Georgia Tech stunned Clemson with a 55-yard field goal at the buzzer to win 24-21. The loss sent Dabo Swinney's program tumbling out of the Top 25.

2. Notre Dame

Notre Dame entered the season ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls but has now tumbled out of the top 10. Following the one-point loss against Texas A&M on Saturday, the Irish dropped 16 spots from No. 8 to No. 24.

Marcus Freeman's program stands in the Week 3's poll as the only two-loss school still ranked in the poll. The last school to start a season 0-2 and remain ranked was Michigan in 1988.

1. South Carolina

South Carolina went 2-0 with a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 and the 38-10 win over SC State in Week 2. However, the Gamecocks had to digest an embarrassing 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday, which saw them fall from No. 11 to out of the AP poll.

Winners

5.Alabama

Alabama bounced back from the season opener 31-17 loss at Florida State on Aug. 30 by beating ULM 70-0 in Week 2. The Crimson Tide kept up the streak by beating Wisconsin 38-14 on Saturday.

With this win, Kalen DeBoer's program climbed five places to No. 15 in the AP Poll top 25 rankings.

4. Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is 3-0 with its 24-21 win over Clemson on Saturday and has been ranked No. 18. The school has been ranked in the AP Poll only once in the last decade, when it reached No. 23 in Week 2 of 2024.

3. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt's 31-7 win against South Carolina marks its first win against the Gamecocks in 16 years. With this win, the school started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2017.

Diego Pavia's Vandy is now ranked No. 20, its highest ranking in the poll since 2008.

2. Texas A&M

The biggest jump in the Week 3 poll belonged to Texas A&M, which stunned Notre Dame in South Bend with a 41-40 win. Mike Elko's program rose six spots to No. 10, marking the Aggies’ best ranking since sitting at No. 10 last November.

1.Ohio State

Julian Sayin's Ohio State entered the season at No. 2, but the defending champion has quickly grabbed the No. 1 spot with a 14-7 win over Arch Manning's Texas in Week 1.

The Buckeyes are now 3-0 with their latest 37-9 win over Ohio on Saturday. With the unbeaten record, Ryan Day's squad secured the majority of first-place votes for the third straight week.