Overrated? Underrated? Week 3 edition

#1 Alabama

QB Bryce Young is exceeding expectations for the Tide, as he's thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions through three games. A two point win against Florida while giving up 245 rushing yards shows Alabama isn't invincible, but the Tide's QB situation looks better than the other heavyweights. Through three weeks, the Tide is the best of the lot. Properly rated

#2 Georgia

Georgia's offense has been rather pedestrian, as J.T. Daniels has thrown for three TD's and two picks, and neither Zamir White or Kendall Milton has emerged as a feature running back. The Bulldogs defense more than makes up for their middling offense through three weeks, as they have the best yardage and scoring defense in the country. That alone puts the Dawgs among title contenders in 2021. Properly rated

#3 Oregon

The Ducks shocked Ohio State on September 11th without Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe, arguably Oregon's two best defensive players. Oregon plays sound offense, as QB Anthony Brown hasn't thrown a pick, and the Ducks have shown they can ride with RB's C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye, as the Ducks rushed for 269 yards vs Ohio State. They're a sound team that has arguably CFB's best win. Properly rated

#4 Oklahoma

The Sooners have been a disappointment thus far. They were 31 point favorites vs Tulane and won by 5, and three touchdown favorites vs Nebraska and won by 7. Those are both the FBS opponents Oklahoma has faced. Oklahoma's resume is the most disappointing among undefeated teams, with plenty of teams below them having better resumes. Overrated

#5 Iowa

The Hawkeyes were three point favorites vs Indiana in Week 1, and won by 28. They were four point underdogs at Iowa State, and won by 10 on the road. They covered in Week 3 vs Kent State. Iowa's resume is arguably the best in college football through three weeks, and should be one spot higher. Underrated

#6 Penn State

A case could also be made for the Nittany Lions having the best resume in college football. Penn State has two wins vs currently ranked teams, and has covered in all three games. Their offensive numbers aren't impressive, as the running game led by Noah Cain is averaging just 3.9 YPC, but those are against two of CFB's best defenses. You cannot ignore the Lions resume, and they should be higher. Underrated

#7 Texas A&M

The Aggies resume isn't impressive, as they have one win vs a winning team, and just eked by Colorado winning 10-7. Texas A&M's scoring offense is 79th in the country, but their scoring defense is tied for fifth best in the country. Because of the concerns about A&M's offense, and the weak resume, 7th is a few spots too high. Overrated

#8 Cincinnati

Cincinnati is 2-1 against the spread, and is coming off a two touchdown win on the road against Indiana, which is a better resume than the team above them. I'd flip them and A&M. Underrated

#9 Clemson

The Tigers are ninth in the AP Poll, and their offense is 14th in the ACC which speaks for itself. Overrated

#10 Ohio State

The poor showing against Tulsa shows the Oregon loss was not a fluke, as the defense struggled to win the line of scrimmage, and C.J. Stroud regressed. There's six ranked and undefeated teams below Ohio State. Given OSU's problems, 10th is too high. Overrated

#11 Florida

The Gators gave Alabama a run for their money in a game they were two touchdown underdogs. The Gators have the best rushing offense in the country through three weeks, and the team has exceeded expectation. Florida looks better than the two one loss teams above them. Underrated

#12 Notre Dame

Notre Dame is undefeated, but have been underwhelming so far. They won two games in the final drive against inferior competition in Florida State and Toledo. The Irish are 40th in points a game offensively, and 67th in defensive PPG. 12th seems like the right spot, as they shouldn't be below Ohio State and Clemson at this point, but there's other teams below them that look better. Properly rated

#13 Ole Miss

Ole Miss has passed every test with flying colors, as the Rebels are 2-0-1 against the spread. Mississippi has the best scoring and yardage offense in the country. Ole Miss started the year unranked, and the only reason they're not higher is preseason (lack of) expectations. Underrated

#14 Iowa State

The Cyclones won by only six as four touchdown favorites vs Iowa State, and lost by 10 to Iowa as four point favorites. Somehow, Iowa State is still ahead of six total undefeated teams (including four power five teams). Overrated

#15 BYU

BYU is another team who has impressed, as the Cougars have two wins as outright underdogs against Utah and Arizona State, and all three wins are against PAC 12 opponents. This resume is one of the best in college football, and BYU may be the most underrated team post Week 3. Underrated

#16 Arkansas

The Razorbacks have won their first three games and have looked good doing it, going 3-0 against the spread. Arkansas has a top 20 offense and defense, and has the 11th ranked rushing attack in the country using the runningback by committee. This is another team daunted by the Curse of Low Expectations. Underrated

#17 Coastal Carolina

Group of Five teams have more to prove, as not all conferences and opponents are created equal. That being said, BYU and Cincinnati have answered the call, but Coastal hasn't been outstanding. The Chanticleers are coming off a three point win in Buffalo as two touchdown favorites, and have the nation's 51st best defense. I wouldn't put them ahead of at least a couple other Power 5 undefeated teams. Overrated

#18 Wisconsin

It's hard to assess the Badgers performance so far, largely because they've only played two games while most other teams have played three. Graham Mertz threw for two picks vs PSU in Week 1, and the run game averaged three yards a carry. Penn State isn't a bad loss at all, but the resume isn't there for Wisconsin to be ahead of other undefeated teams. Overrated

#19 Michigan

Michigan has covered the spread in all three games, and they have the third best scoring offense in the country. The Wolverines have the second best rushing attack through three weeks led by Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins. Michigan's #19 ranking seems like another instance of the Curse of Low Expectations. Underrated

#20 Michigan State

The Spartans are 3-0 and have two wins as road underdogs against Northwestern and Miami. Those two teams look to be much worse than expected which explains why the Spartans are doing well, but this start is better than anyone in East Lansing was expecting. Properly rated

#21 North Carolina

Will the real Tar Heels please stand up? UNC had 10 points in a loss at Virginia Tech, but rebounded with 59 points against Georgia State and Virginia, covering the spread in both games. I would still have the Tar Heels ranked, but maybe a couple spots lower. Overrated

#22 Fresno State

It is a leap of faith putting a one loss Group of Five team in the Top 25 just four games in, but Fresno State has shown they can hang with the better teams in the Pac 12. They had a one touchdown loss vs Oregon (which makes the Ducks resume look better) and a win at the Rose Bowl vs 10 point favorite UCLA. The Bulldogs belong in the rankings. Properly rated

#23 Auburn

Auburn covered the spread in their first two non-conference games, and gave Penn State a tough time in Happy Valley. The Tigers scoring offense is 13th in the nation. The Tigers have a better resume than other one loss teams above them. Underrated

#24 UCLA

The Bruins covered and won their first two games, including one vs then 16th ranked LSU, then lost to Fresno State which doesn't look terrible, given the Bulldogs near win vs Oregon. This is good enough to just stay in the Top 25. Properly rated

#25 Kansas State

The Wildcats have had two good showing and one rough showing.  K-State had a 17 point win as slight favorites vs Stanford, and a three touchdown win as a one point underdog vs Nevada. The only disappointment was an eight point win vs Southern Illinois. This is a classic case of having a weak schedule, but playing well enough to be ranked. Properly rated