Expectations were high for Week 3 of the college football season, and we may have underrated what was on the horizon.Louisville shook up the top of our Power Rankings with a blowout win against Florida State. Ohio State held serve in a tough shootout at Oklahoma. And Houston pulled away from Cincinnati in a serious road test.Heres how things shook out in this weeks top 25.Power Rankings voters: Edward Aschoff, Butch Davis, Heather Dinich, Brad Edwards, Chris Fallica, Rod Gilmore, Danny Kanell, Chris Low, Ivan Maisel, Ryan McGee, Adam Rittenberg, Mark Schlabach | How they votedPrevious rankings: Week 1?|?Week 21. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)Trending:Week 2 ranking: 1 Week 3 result: Defeated Ole Miss 48-43The Ole Miss spell has been broken, and Alabama knows it can rely on its young offensive backfield to make plays in crunch time. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts and sophomore running back Damien Harris emerged to complement a sometimes-leaky, playmaking defense as the Tide beat Ole Miss for the first time since 2013. After an awful start, Alabama grew up a bit, which bodes well for the future.2.?Ohio State Buckeyes?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking: 3 Week 3 result:?Defeated Oklahoma 45-24Stick to the basics, Austin Kendall. And dont poke the Buckeyes defense, especially when youre not even playing. Ohio State took out its aggression on Baker Mayfield, twice intercepting the Sooners quarterback and returning one for a touchdown. While Mayfields Heisman stock dropped, J.T. Barretts soared, as the quarterback led Ohio State to its 19th consecutive road win under Urban Meyer. Age is just a number. These young Buckeyes are for real.3.?Louisville Cardinals?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?10 Week 3 result:?Defeated Florida State 63-20ACC sleeper? Try national title contender. Louisville is much more than Lamar Jackson highlights, although the transcendent quarterback provided a bunch more against a bewildered Florida State defense. The Cardinals are an experienced, talented, complete football team. They have put themselves right in the middle of the playoff conversation. Just dont slip up this week at Marshall.4.?Houston Cougars?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?4 Week 3 result:?Defeated Cincinnati 40-16Houston trailed Cincinnati in the fourth quarter as an unripe offensive line struggled to protect Greg Ward Jr., who was still not 100 percent because of a shoulder injury. But Ward came alive in the fourth quarter, and so did the Cougars defense with two pick-sixes. If Houston runs the table and reaches the playoff, its innovative defense, coordinated by Todd Orlando, could be the biggest reason.5.?Clemson Tigers?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?5 Week 3 result:?Defeated South Carolina State 59-0Thats a little more like it, Clemson. Crushing South Carolina State might not help?Deshaun Watson?solve his existential crisis, but at least Clemson held on to the football and recorded a stress-free win. Louisvilles performance will and should get Clemsons attention, but the Tigers first face a much-improved Georgia Tech team on Thursday before hosting Lamar Jackson & Co. on Oct. 1.6.?Stanford Cardinal?(2-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?7 Week 3 result:?Defeated USC 27-10At least one preseason Heisman favorite is matching the hype. Christian McCaffrey piled up 260 all-purpose yards, logging 30 carries, as Stanford kept USC at a comfortable distance in Saturdays win. Coach David Shaw expected an improved defense and has seen the results, as Stanford has surrendered only 23 points in two games. Much bigger tests await the next two weeks at UCLA and at Washington.7.?Michigan Wolverines?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?6 Week 3 result:?Defeated Colorado 45-28It was just too easy for Michigan in the first two weeks. We were never really punched in the face, tight end Jake Butt said. Colorado landed a few shots Saturday, and Michigan survived a rough first quarter to pull away. Jabrill Peppers provided lifts in all three phases in a breakout performance. The Wolverines defense should be tested again this week against Penn State in the Big Ten opener.8.?Michigan State Spartans?(2-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?13 Week 3 result:?Defeated Notre Dame 36-28Some coaches bristle when their teams are listed as underdogs. Mark Dantonio beams. Michigan State won for the seventh time in its past 10 games as an underdog and recorded its third consecutive road win (Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame) as a road underdog. As great as Ohio State and Michigan have looked, the road to a Big Ten title still goes through East Lansing, where Wisconsin will be this week.9.?Washington Huskies?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?8 Week 3 result:?Defeated Portland State 41-3The Huskies completed an easy, un-Pac-12-like nonconference schedule without any stress. Jake Browning threw three of his first four touchdown passes in the first 16 minutes as Washington stomped Portland State. Maybe Arizona provides Washington a challenge this week in Tucson, but we may not learn much about these Huskies until a Sept. 30 home showdown with Stanford.10.?Texas A&M Aggies?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?14 Week 3 result:?Defeated Auburn 29-16The Aggies are 3-0 for the third straight season, and the coming weeks, beginning with a showdown against Arkansas, will show whether Kevin Sumlins team can avoid slippage. There were some promising signs Saturday at Auburn: a ferocious pass rush (four sacks) and some big-time throws from Trevor Knight. Texas A&M still has areas to improve, like its third-down conversion rate (2-of-15 at Auburn).11.?Wisconsin Badgers?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?9 Week 3 result:?Defeated Georgia State 23-17The Badgers brutal stretch was supposed to begin this coming week at Michigan State, but they had to erase a fourth-quarter deficit Saturday against a Georgia State team that came to Madison allowing nearly 400 rush yards per game. Corey Clements injury loomed large, but Wisconsin will have to be much better as it begins its Big Ten grind with consecutive trips to the state of Michigan followed by Ohio State (home) and Iowa (road).12.?Florida State Seminoles?(2-1)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?2 Week 3 result:?Lost to Louisville 63-20What now? After a historic comeback in Week 1, the Seminoles absorbed a historic defeat Saturday at Louisville. Florida States defensive problems went beyond the absence of do-it-all safety?Derwin James. Not even?Dalvin Cook?could get anything going against a superior Louisville team. Florida State could still have a say in the ACC race, but its hard to envision the Seminoles being a playoff contender anymore.13.?Tennessee Volunteers?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?12 Week 3 result:?Defeated Ohio 28-19It feels like nothing will come easily this season for the Vols. Tennessee never built a double-digit lead against Ohio, not one of the MACs best teams, before surviving 28-19. The offensive line remains a concern, and the injuries on defense are piling up with?Cam Sutton?and Jalen Reeves-Maybin the latest to go down. Florida has tormented the Vols for more than a decade, and you get the sense Tennessees season will hinge on this coming weeks result in a College GameDay matchup.14.?Arkansas Razorbacks?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?23 Week 3 result:?Defeated Texas State 42-3Forget the slow start this year. After a dramatic win at TCU, Arkansas made quick work of Texas State on Saturday. Quarterback Austin Allen (241 pass yards, 2 TDs) is gaining confidence each week, and the defense stifled a Texas State team that scored 56 in its opener. The Hogs now return to the Metroplex for a key showdown against Texas A&M, another potential sleeper in the SEC West.15.?Georgia Bulldogs?(2-1)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?18 Week 3 result:?Defeated Missouri 28-27Kirby Smart is still undefeated at his alma mater despite another scare. Quarterback Jacob Eason had his first signature moment as a Bulldog, as his fourth-and-10 completion led to the winning touchdown at Missouri. The defense had mixed results -- five takeaways but 376 pass yards allowed. Georgia cant keep expecting to escape, especially against a desperate Ole Miss team this coming week in Oxford.16. Miami Hurricanes (3-0)Trending:Week 2 ranking: NR Week 3 result: Defeated Appalachian State 45-10This was significant. Yes, Miami should beat Appalachian State. But a trip to Boone, North Carolina, for the biggest home game in Appalachian State history had danger written all over it. Instead, Miami recorded its most lopsided road win since 2003. Brad Kaaya and Mark Walton lit up the scoreboard and, more significantly, Miamis young defense held Appalachian State to 10 points. Miami now enters ACC play with great confidence.17.?LSU Tigers?(2-1)Trending:?Week 2 ranking: 20 Week 3 result:?Defeated Mississippi State 23-20The struggle is real for Les Miles and LSU. The Tigers built a 23-3 lead against Mississippi State thanks to solid play from new quarterback Danny Etling (215 pass yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs) and standard contributions from Leonard Fournette (147 rush yards, 2 TDs). But a sloppy finish made things very interesting at Tiger Stadium. LSU now visits an Auburn team, which has its backs -- and its coachs back -- against the wall.18.?Florida Gators?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?24 Week 3 result:?Defeated North Texas 32-0Tennessee isnt the only team dealing with significant injuries for this weeks rivalry reunion at Neyland Stadium. Florida lost starting quarterback Luke Del Rio to a knee injury in Saturdays 32-0 win against North Texas. Del Rio is unlikely to play at Tennessee, meaning Purdue transfer Austin Appleby will get the nod. Florida will lean on a defense that allowed only 53 yards, a team record, in the North Texas win.19. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0)Trending:Week 2 ranking: NR Week 3 result: Defeated Oregon 35-32Mike Riley recorded his first signature win as Huskers coach, against Oregon, no less, and Nebraska could be turning a corner after a strong start. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong (200 pass yards, 95 rush yards, 4 total TDs) showed down the stretch Saturday why he can be one of the Big Tens best. If Good Tommy continues to show up, Nebraska will challenge for the Big Ten West division.20.?Baylor Bears?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?22 Week 3 result:?Defeated Rice 38-10Although the Bears started slowly at Rice, they pulled away behind the rushing attack and completed a standard soft nonconference schedule with a standard lopsided win. Penalties and breakdowns once again surfaced against Rice, and Baylor will need to tidy up its play for the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State.21.?Texas Longhorns?(2-1)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?11 Week 3 result:?Lost to Cal 50-43Charlie Strong has fixed the offense, but the defense, his specialty, let Texas down in its first loss of the season. The Longhorns had no answers for Cals?Davis Webb?(397 pass yards, 4 TDs) or?Chad Hansen?(12 catches, 196 yards, 2 TDs) and fell despite rushing for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Texas has an extra week to recover before opening Big 12 play Oct. 1 at Oklahoma State.22.?UCLA Bruins?(2-1)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?25 Week 3 result:?Defeated BYU 17-14The Bruins survived a tricky trip to BYU thanks to their defense, which stifled Taysom Hill and held the Cougars to 23 rush yards on 25 carries. Linebacker Jayon Brown sparked a defense that, after some hiccups early, could be hitting its stride in time for this coming weeks showdown against Christian McCaffrey and Stanford. The Pac-12 South is wide open, and UCLA remains the divisions most talented squad.23.?Ole Miss Rebels?(1-2)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?19 Week 3 result:?Lost to Alabama 48-43Once again, Ole Miss built a big lead behind a hot quarterback and an active defense only to see it vanish in short order. The Rebels can play with anyone in the country, but they cant put together a complete game. Turnovers and defensive breakdowns prevented Ole Miss from a landmark third consecutive win against Alabama. If the Rebels want to contend in the SEC, they must beat Georgia at home this week.24. San Diego State Aztecs?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking: ?NR Week 3 result:?Defeated Northern Illinois 42-28It may take Ron Burgundy doing live reports from practice to get the nation to start noticing San Diego State, which won its 13th consecutive game Saturday at Northern Illinois. Star running back Donnel Pumphrey ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns as the Aztecs held off NIU. San Diego State has a week off before completing nonconference play Oct. 1 at South Alabama.25.?Utah Utes?(3-0)Trending:?Week 2 ranking:?NR Week 3 result:?Defeated San Jose State 34-17Is Utah the team to beat in the Pac-12 South? You could make the case after the Utes improved to 3-0 after a 10-sack performance at San Jose State. Utahs offense is not often pretty, but quarterback Troy Williams displayed good accuracy (20-of-28) against the Spartans. The Utes open Pac-12 play with a critical division home contest Friday against slumping USC.Fell out of the rankings: Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Iowa, OregonOthers receiving votes: Oklahoma State, TCU, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Boise State, Notre Dame, California, North Dakota State, Iowa Ashley Williams Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Joe Ledley Jersey . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/aaron-ramsey-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Custom Wales Soccer Jerseys . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Gareth Bale Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. A sashay down the pitch, a free swing of the arms, and KL Rahul had gone from 96 to 102. It was his third Test hundred, and he had taken 182 balls to get there.At the other end, Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 28 off 106 balls. His strike rate was 26.41. Rahuls was 56.04.If you had just arrived at the ground, or had just switched on your televisions, it might have seemed like two top-order batsmen adopting contrasting methods against the same bowling attack, in the same conditions. That wasnt quite the case.At the start of day two, Rahul had been batting on 75 off 114 balls, and Pujara on 18 off 57. When he reached his hundred, Rahul had added 27 to his overnight score in 68 balls, and Pujara, in that time had made 10 off 49. India had scored 45 in 19 overs, at a run rate of 2.36.On a pitch still offering bounce and seam movement, West Indies quicks had bowled with discipline, holding a fifth-stump line, trying to draw the batsmen into indiscretion. Neither batsman had obliged. Of the 84 balls that Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder and Miguel Cummins had sent down in the morning, till that point, Rahul and Pujara had left 38 and defended 29.Against the fast bowlers, Rahul had been just as watchful as Pujara. Ten of the 27 runs he had scored had come off two strokes; the six that brought up his hundred and a swept four, both off the offspinner Roston Chase. Take out those two shots, and Rahuls strike rate for the day was 25.00, hardly different to Pujaras 20.41.Both batsmen were playing exactly as the situation demanded. It was hard-nosed Test cricket.West Indies had been shot out for 196, and had ended day one with India one down and 70 behind. They had bowled poorly on the first afternoon, the fast bowlers sending down half-volleys and the spinners, particularly Devendra Bishoo, routinely dropping short. Rahul had taken full toll, with languid drives, deft clips off his toes and dismissive pulls, and scored his runs at a strike rate of just over 65.West Indies must have resolved to bowl with far more discipline on the second morning, use whatever help the pitch still gave them, and hoped they could get a wicket or two early to put India under some sort of pressure. Given the quality of bowlers at their disposal, they perhaps did not feel confident enough to bowl a more attacking line. And so the fifth-stump line, and the hope of inducing errors.India were determined not to make those errors. Followers of Indian cricket may have become used to self-denial from Pujara, the refusal to be drawn into looseness outside off stump. Rahul they knew less about. This was only his sixth Test. He had scored freely on the first day, but had been allowed to do so to a large extent. Now the bowling was better, and he was showing he could handle that as well.The day began with Holder bowling to Rahul and Gabriel to Pujara. Holder bowled three successive maidens as Pujara played the second line expertly. When the line was wide outside off stump, he could leave comfortably, but when it was closer, he waited until the last possible moment, eyes locked on the balls trajectory, before deciding whether to leave or defend. It took him until the last ball of the first hour, in the first over of spin, to score his first runs of the morning.Gabriel, quicker and more aggressive, posed a more direct threat, getting some balls to straighten off the pitch and others to climb awkwardly. Rahul weaved away nimbly from the short ones, got on top of the bounce when he could, and by and large left comfortably outside off stump.He had a couple of edgy moments, playing and missing when he tried to cut one too close to his body, and then again while defending a legcutter off the front foot. But he made sure his hands didnt jab at the ball, and ensured it kept a safe distance from his edge.Cummins, the debutant, came on after the drinks break, and tested Pujara, beating both his edges with seam movement and getting a shortish ball to rear at him and hit his glove. Pujara handled this as well as he posssibly could, his top hand snug against his chest at the point of impact and his bottom hand off the handle, and the ball fell harmlessly by his side.dddddddddddd.There was still life in the pitch, but there was nothing to show for it on the scorecard. West Indies had bowled poorly on the first day and taken just one wicket; they had bowled much better now and taken no wickets.As the partnership moved towards lunch and then past it, the runs flowed a little easier. Pujara drove Cummins and Gabriel to the straight boundary, and in between slapped Cummins through cover point. Rahul stepped out to Bishoo and lofted him over extra-cover, achieving a full, fluid extension of his arms.Then, a boundary short of a half-century, Pujara made a fatal misjudgment. A shortish ball at his hips, tucked into the leg side. Perhaps the ball came on slower than expected, and went squarer than he intended, reducing the distance Chase had to cover to his right from midwicket. Chase ran, picked up, spun around, and threw down the stumps at the bowlers end. A beautiful moment of athletic poise. Pujara, sprawled flat on the ground, knew he was out. He picked himself up, his shirt streaked with dirt, and trudged back.He had made 21, 31, 14, 28, 16 and 46 in his last six Test innings.Shrugging off a brief attack of cramps, Rahul moved to a career-best 158 before he fell in the fifth over after tea. This was some effort. Five of his six Tests had come because of injury to one of Indias settled openers. He had scored three hundreds in those six Tests. With this latest performance, he had made himself extremely hard to leave out.When Vijay, one of Indias most consistent Test performers in the last two-and-a-half years, recovers from the thumb injury that has kept him out of this game, India will have a hard decision to make. Rahul has just scored a hundred. Shikhar Dhawan made 84 important runs in Antigua. Pujaras recent scores do not leap off the page. Since scoring an unbeaten 145 against Sri Lanka last year and starting the home series against South Africa with 77 in a low-scoring Test in Mohali, he has made a string of in-between scores.In Antigua, he steered India past the early loss of Vijay, saw off a testing spell from Gabriel, and took India to lunch with no further loss of wickets, but had only made 16 when he got himself out to a miscued pull. Now, again, he had got himself out after doing the hard work.If theres one single, unified cause for Pujaras recent run, its hard to identify. But something isnt quite right. Rahul has three hundreds and no fifties in six Tests. Pujara once had a similar record. After the first Test of Indias 2013-14 tour of South Africa, he had scored seven hundreds and only two fifties, in 16 Tests.Since then, he has made one hundred, four fifties, and 15 scores between 20 and 49. His failure rate is still quite low - he has only been out 11 times for single-digit scores in 58 Test innings - but has not been converting his starts for a while. Something has changed, and it has been a while since Pujara last looked like the big-hundred machine he was in his first few seasons.If India leave out Pujara when Vijay returns and play Rahul at No. 3, they will not quite get a like-for-like replacement. Rahul has shown a great ability to convert his starts, but he has also shown he can be vulnerable early on, and has been out six times for single-digit scores in just eleven Test innings. Rahul brims with talent, but still has to show he isnt a hundred-or-nothing batsman.How will India line up when Vijay returns to full fitness? Will they back Pujara to find a solution for his curious malaise? Will they play Rahul, perhaps out of position, and back him to show he has tightened his early-innings game? Or will they leave out Dhawan or even, unlikely as it seems, Vijay? No matter which way they go, they will have made a difficult decision. ' ' '