College Football Rankings: Danny Kanell shakes up Top 12 with new No. 1 after Week 3

CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell once again overhauled his personal Top 12 ranking of college football’s top teams, which could double as his current projected College Football Playoff field, after a wild Week 3.

Kanell billed his personal Top 12 as “the most reliable ranking out there,” and as such, he continued to completely shake things up with a brand-new No. 1 team to replace the surprise Group of Five contender he elevated into the top spot a week ago.

With that in mind, let’s check out Danny Kanell’s latest Top 12 rankings, including more than a couple of selections that will have college football fans arguing until next week’s ranking release.

1. Miami (+3)

After surprising many by ranking South Florida as his No. 1 team last week following back-to-back Top 25 wins to open the season, it’s only fitting Kanell awarded the same destintion to the team that beat them.

Kanell moved fifth-ranked Miami into his No. 1 spot after its dominating 49-12 rout of the Bulls on Saturday behind 340 passing yards and three touchdowns from former transfer QB Carson Beck.

2. LSU (+4)

While not everyone came away impressed by the third-ranked Tigers’ white-knuckled 20-10 win over unranked Florida on Saturday, Kanell wasn’t among them, boosting LSU into his No. 2 spot.

Brian Kelly scolded a “spoiled” reporter for opening Saturday night’s postgame press conference with a question about LSU’s inefficient offense after the Tigers were outgained 366-322 at home Saturday night.

3. Georgia (NR)

One week after dropping the Bulldogs out of his Top 12, Kanell clearly came away impressed by Georgia’s 44-41 overtime victory over host No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday.

Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton broke out with 342 total yards and three combined touchdowns as Georgia outdueled Joey Aguilar and the explosive Vols attack with 502 yards of total offense.

4. Ohio State (-2)

The reigning national champion Buckeyes continued to dominate the competition on Saturday with a 37-9 victory over in-state Ohio, but it wasn’t the sort of massive blowout many expected.

Freshman QB Julian Sayin continued his strong play to begin his Ohio State career with 347 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-32 passing Saturday ahead of the start of Big Ten play next week.

5. Oregon (+6)

The fourth-ranked Ducks continue to be among college football’s most dominant teams after opening Big Ten play with a commanding 34-14 win over host Northwestern.

Sophomore QB Dante Moore kept rolling with 178 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-20 passing as Oregon outgained the Wildcats 373-313 in total offense Saturday.

6. Georgia Tech (+6)

Kanell remains particularly high on the unranked Yellow Jackets, especially after Georgia Tech edged out visiting No. 12 Clemson 24-21 on a game-winning 55-yard field goal from kicker Aidan Birr.

Tech senior QB Haynes King outdueled Tigers counterpart Cade Klubnik, a preseason Heisman Trophy front-runner, with 314 yards of total offense on Saturday, including 103 rushing yards on 25 carries.

7. Florida State (-4)

Kanell docked his idle alma mater during their first bye week of the season, but still kept the 10th-ranked Seminoles in his personal Top 12 two weeks after stunning Alabama 31-17 at home.

Florida State exploded for 77 points in their last game and is poised to once again put a lot of points again Saturday against Kent State before opening ACC play at Virginia on Sept. 26.

8. Vanderbilt (NR)

Diego Pavia and the unranked Commodores leapfrog into Kanell’s personal Top 12 after flat-out dominating 11th-ranked South Carolina with a 31-7 road win Saturday.

Pavia racked up 201 yards of total offense and two passing touchdowns against South Carolina, which lost superstar sophomore QB LaNorris Sellers to a head injury after a second-quarter targeting call.

9. Oklahoma (-)

John Mateer and the Sooners’ new-look offensive continued to open eyes and turn heads in Week 3 after blasting host Temple 42-3 on Saturday.

Mateer, a fast-rising Heisman Trophy contender, put on a show with 345 combined yards and two touchdowns as visiting Oklahoma outgain the Owls 515-105 in total offense.

10. Texas A&M (NR)

The 16th-ranked Aggies secured what might be the best win of Week 3 by edging out the host and No. 8 Notre Dame with a single extra point, 41-40, to cap an exciting back-and-forth affair Saturday.

A&M sophomore QB Marcel Reed flashed with nearly 400 yards of total offense, including 360 passing yards and two scores, while RB Le’Veon Moss added three rushing touchdowns to gut out the road win.

11. Ole Miss (-1)

In another exciting game Saturday, the host Rebels withstood the Razorbacks’ explosive offense behind a powerful 415-yard, three touchdown performance from backup QB Trinidad Chambliss.

With starting QB Austin Simmons ailing, Chambliss sparked No. 17 Ole Miss with 353 passing yards and 62 rushing yards and two scores on the ground to hold off 526 yards of offense from Arkansas.

12. Iowa State (-5)

Kanell is still a believer in the 14th-ranked Cyclones, which gutted out a fourth-straight victory to open the season with a 24-16 road win at Arkansas State on Saturday.

Iowa State once again got a strong effort from QB Rocco Becht, who threw for 265 yards and a touchdown, while the RB tandem of Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III added 185 combined rushing yards.