Kirk Herbstreit names top performing teams of Week 3

Week 3’s slate of games in college football was undoubtedly entertaining. The weekend contained high profile matchups between Alabama-Florida, Auburn-Penn State, and many more. After the weekend’s action, ESPN and College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit picked his seven top performing teams of Week 3.

Saturday’s results caused some shakeups in the latest AP Poll and bowl projections.

Herbstreit’s top performing teams

Fresno State: The Bulldogs traveled to UCLA (previously ranked No. 13) and snuck away with a 40-37 victory. Fresno State quarterback threw for 455 yards, and the team totaled 569 yards altogether. The Bulldogs find themselves inside the Top 25 at No. 22 for the first time this season, and land at the top as the most impressive team of the weekend for Herbstreit.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions had their toughest test yet on Saturday against Auburn. Penn State quarterback had just four incompletions while throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in one of the most efficient performances of his career. The Nittany Lions continue to climb in the polls after the win, and sit at No. 6 heading into Week 4.

Michigan State: Michigan State came in and rolled past Miami with relative ease on Saturday. Quarterback Payton Thorne threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Kenneth Walker rushed for 172 yards on 27 carries. Michigan State also forced four Miami turnovers in the 38-17 victory. The Spartans come in at No. 20 after the quality win, also earning the honors as one of Herbstreit’s top teams of the weekend.

Western Michigan: The Broncos bounced back from Week 1’s loss to Michigan with two consecutive wins in the previous two weeks. On Saturday, Western Michigan won a high scoring shootout, 44-41 over Pittsburgh. Quarterback Kaleb Eleby threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Western Michigan’s defense forced three turnovers despite allowing 41 points.

Cincinnati: It wasn’t a pretty game, but Cincinnati won 38-24 over Indiana to earn its third win of the season. The Bearcats had a pedestrian day on offense, but the defense was a big reason behind the victory. Indiana quarterback threw three interceptions, and Cincinnati forced another fumble. No. 8 Cincinnati continues to impress as the top College Football Playoff contender from the group of five.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers dominated in the run game in their 27-21 victory over Virginia Tech. Running back Leddie Brown had 161 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. West Virginia averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a team and held the Hokies to just 2.5 yards per rush. The defensive performance was enough to become one of Herbstreit’s top teams of the weekend.

San Diego State: San Diego State improved to 3-0 with an impressive 33-31 win in triple overtime over Utah on Saturday. Quarterback Lucas Johnson threw for just 44 yards in the game, but running back Greg Bell had 119 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. Jordan Byrd also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the first half.