ESPN ranks Top 39 remaining undefeated teams after College Football Week 3

Of 136 teams in the FBS, 39 remain undefeated coming out of Week 3. Now, ESPN has ranked all of those remaining unbeaten programs from 1 through 39.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly released that rating in an article on Sunday evening. He posted the annual practice with almost a quarter of the season having been played in college football, with one team at 4-0, six teams at 2-0, and the remaining programs sitting at 3-0 coming out of Week 3.

Here’s how Connelly rated those undefeated teams to this point of the season:

1. Oregon Ducks (3-0)

Oregon played a bit of a sleepy game, set in between a 66-point blowout over Oklahoma State and their matchup against Oregon State in the Civil War, in a 34-14 win over Northwestern on Saturday. Regardless, the Ducks have continued to impress, having won 17 of their past 18 with the only loss coming in last year’s playoff game against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

“It took Dan Lanning’s Ducks a little while to put Northwestern away early Saturday, primarily because their opponents were embarking on a series of lengthy (and eventually scoreless) drives. But they were never in danger, and they’ve spent most of three games in kick-butt-and-take-names mode,” wrote Connelly.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)

Speaking of, Ohio State has now won seven straight, four going back to last year’s national title win in the playoff and now three this season. They also played a sleepy game this past week, a 37-9 win over Ohio, ahead of their bye before opening conference play the following weekend in Seattle, but, nonetheless, the Buckeyes got out of the non-conference unscathed, namely with their opening win over Texas.

“Ohio is good enough that I expected the Bobcats to force the Buckeyes to put in a shift, but I can’t say I expected “one-score game with 22 minutes left.” Ohio State hit the gas and put this one to bed, but this team clearly hasn’t reached its final form yet,” Connelly wrote.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)

The top-three on this list are in similar circumstances out of the Big Ten, but with Penn State having done so against little to no opposition with their victories coming by an average of 39 points against Nevada, FIU, and Villanova. Now, though, one of those top-three won’t make this list after Week 5, with the Nittany Lions’ next matchup after their bye being against Oregon in the whiteout from University Park.

“Penn State pulled a Penn State on Saturday, starting slowly against a lesser opponent before eventually steamrolling them,” wrote Connelly. “The Nittany Lions have yet to face a team ranked better than 112th in SP+, but that changes very soon: After a Week 4 bye, they’ll host Oregon in a loaded Week 5.”

4. Texas A&M Aggies (3-0)

Texas A&M is at 3-0 after their first ranked win on the road in over a decade by beating Notre Dame, who’s now the opposite of undefeated, in South Bend. That validated much of the belief for Connelly in the Aggies, as they’ll now enter conference play undefeated after their bye this weekend.

“Even as someone who leans heavily on stats, I’m allowed to listen to my gut sometimes, and my gut has been telling me A&M is for real since the preseason,” wrote Connelly. “If I believed that before the Aggies’ late rally in South Bend on Saturday night, I’m certainly going to keep believing it afterward.”

5. Miami Hurricanes (3-0)

Miami could’ve found itself in an upset spot this weekend after the opening of the season for USF. Instead, with a win over Notre Dame as well, the Hurricanes are at 3-0 after fully handling their business with a 37-point win against the Bulls, with two more in-state games coming up the next three weeks for The ‘U.

“Miami treated upstart USF as an elite team is supposed to. The Hurricanes’ defense was a bit more bend-don’t-break than I would like to see, but a ruthless offense rolled up 576 yards and didn’t allow the Bulls to ever feel as though they had a foot in the game,” wrote Connelly.

6. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)

After wins to start over Marshall and Austin Peay, Georgia announced themselves this season by winning 44-41 in overtime over Tennessee in Knoxville. The Bulldogs might not be as dominant as they’ve been in recent memory, but UGA still has plenty of that in them based on what they showed this past weekend on Rocky Top to go into their bye at 3-0.

“In their past three wins against power-conference opponents, Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have had to go to overtime each time. Is that sustainable? No. Has Georgia shown signs of slippage over the past two seasons? Absolutely,” Connelly wrote. “Do I ever feel particularly good picking against them? Absolutely not.”

7. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0)

Ole Miss isn’t just 3-0 overall but is 2-0 in conference play with a 30-23 win at Kentucky and a 41-35 win this past weekend over Arkansas. That’s a very solid start for the Rebels, with two more games coming up against quality competition in The ‘Sip in September.

“Forced to face a prolific Arkansas team without their starting quarterback, the Rebels laced up their track shoes and won a wild one all the same. Trinidad Chambliss enjoyed an epic star turn, and after three tight losses kept Ole Miss out of the CFP last season, they’ve nabbed a pair of tight wins early in 2025,” wrote Connelly.

8. USC Trojans (3-0)

Considering their usual profile out in Los Angeles, USC may have one the quieter starts at 3-0 in the country, with the Trojans winning by an average of 38.3 per game after a 33-17 win at Purdue on Saturday. They’ll now return back to Southern California with a chance to add to their undefeated start in the Big Ten.

“The poll voters have been slow to trust USC this season. The computers? Not so much,” wrote Connelly. “The Trojans blew out two cupcakes to start the season, then survived a tricky, storm-delayed test at Purdue with defensive playmaking. That’s right! I said defensive playmaking! USC!”

9. LSU Tigers (3-0)

This might seem very low for LSU, ranked at No. 3 in the AP Poll with a road win at Clemson and a conference win over Florida. That said, that resumé doesn’t look as strong now considering the 1-2 starts respectively for the Tigers and Gators, as well as the Tigers’ own struggles, regardless of what Brian Kelly thinks, to score on offense.

“On one hand, they’re 3-0, and they’ve already beaten two teams ranked 31st or higher in SP+ (Clemson and Florida). On the other hand, the offense has been a painful disappointment, and the Tigers needed five interceptions to put away a 20-10 win over the Gators,” wrote Connelly. “Surviving and advancing is what’s important, but that will get harder if LSU can’t top 24 points.”

10. Florida State Seminoles (2-0)

The most impressive of the 2-0s is Florida State, with an upset over Alabama in their opener before blowing out East Texas A&M by 74 before their bye. Again, though, two of these teams in the top-ten won’t make it unblemished past the first weekend of October with the Seminoles set to host the Hurricanes on October 4th.

“Metrics are programmed to avoid overreacting to small samples as much as possible, so last year’s 2-10 campaign is still pretty large in the rearview mirror for SP+ and FPI. The eyeballs, however, think the Noles are just dandy,” Connelly wrote. “That Week 6 matchup with Miami looks awfully intriguing, doesn’t it?”

11. Missouri Tigers (3-0)
12. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0)
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0)
15. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)
16. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-0)
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-0)
18. Utah Utes (3-0)
19. Louisville Cardinals (2-0)
20. Iowa State Cyclones (4-0)
21. TCU Horned Frogs (2-0)
22. Auburn Tigers (3-0)
23. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0)
24. Tulane Green Wave (3-0)
25. Washington Huskies (2-0)
26. BYU Cougars (2-0)
27. Memphis Tigers (3-0)
28. Arizona Wildcats (3-0)
29. Maryland Terrapins (3-0)
30. Houston Cougars (3-0)
31. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-0)
32. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-0)
33. California Golden Bears (3-0)
34. Navy Midshipmen (3-0)
35. NC State Wolfpack (3-0)
36. UCF Knights (2-0)
37. North Texas Mean Green (3-0)
38. UNLV Rebels (3-0)
39. Michigan State Spartans (3-0)