Joel Klatt reveals new college football top-10 after week 3

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes are 3-0 with a 121-16 scoring margin after a 37-9 win over Ohio on Saturday, a 70-0 rout of Grambling State in Week 2 and a 14-7 victory over then-No. 1 Texas in the opener. Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the Ohio win, while the defense has allowed one touchdown or fewer in all three games. Although, it was closer in the third quarter than Ohio State fans would have liked.

2. LSU

LSU sits at No. 2 behind a top-10 road win and a defensive clinic. The Tigers opened with a 17-10 win at Clemson on Aug. 30, then picked off Florida quarterback DJ Lagway five times in a 20-10 victory in Week 3. Garrett Nussmeier’s late touchdown pass beat Clemson and the takeaways saved a sputtering offense against the Gators. Clemson didn't do LSU any favors by losing to Georgia Tech, but the Tigers still look like one of the best teams in the country.

Garrett Nussmeier has 705 passing yards on 65.4% completion percentage, RB Caden Durham leads with 196 rushing yards and WR Aaron Anderson has 247 receiving yards.

3. Oregon

Oregon at No. 3 keeps rising with a 34-14 Big Ten road win at Northwestern. Quarterback Dante Moore managed the game, and the defense limited explosive plays. Klatt is very high on the Ducks as earlier in the week, he said that Oregon was the "best team on film so far."

Through three games, the Ducks are posting 465.3 yards per game (223.7 rushing) and 34 points per game, while allowing just 5.7 points per game.

4. Penn State

Penn State at No. 4 routed Villanova 52-6 and has allowed 16 total points the past two weeks. Drew Allar threw for 209 yards and RB Nicholas Singleton ran for two scores as the Nittany Lions moved to 3-0. Their schedule will improve in the coming weeks and the nation will learn more about them soon.

5. Georgia

Georgia at No. 5 survived its stiffest test to date, beating Tennessee 44-41 in overtime. It is the Bulldogs' ninth straight victory in the series. Kicker Peyton Woodring hit three field goals, and the Bulldogs closed it in OT after a 21-yard Nate Frazier run set up the winning score. "We're not going to go down without a fight," coach Kirby Smart said.

6. Miami

Miami at No. 6 paired its Week 1 upset of Notre Dame with a 49-12 dismantling of South Florida on Saturday. Transfer quarterback Carson Beck led a 576-yard night and the defense held USF to 40 rushing yards. The Hurricanes are averaging 433.5 yards per game (274.5 passing, 159.0 rushing) and have turned some heads with two ranked wins.

7. Oklahoma

Oklahoma climbed to No. 7 after a 42-3 road win at Temple in which John Mateer accounted for 332 total yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run. Last week, the Sooners took care of Michigan, 24-13. Oklahoma is putting up 35.7 points per game this season while allowing only 6.3 points against per game.

8. Texas

Texas fell to No. 8 but handled UTEP 27-10 despite a shaky passing day from Arch Manning and an in-game injury to starting running back CJ Baxter. The Longhorns allowed just 141 yards so the defense is checking the boxes. But, boos rained down on Arch Manning and the offense after a rough first half, so that is the main concern for the Longhorns at this point in the year.

9. Florida State

Florida State at No. 9 owns a marquee win in the season opener — a 31-17 win over Alabama. In that game they had 230 rushing yards and handled their tune-ups in the following weeks. They were off this week but as Alabama has played well against some lower-level teams, the win FSU has looks stronger.

10. Utah

Utah entered at No. 10 after a 31-6 win at Wyoming, scoring four second-half touchdowns behind quarterback Devon Dampier. That, coupled with Notre Dame’s loss to Texas A&M, nudged the Utes into Klatt’s top tier after he listed them "almost" a week ago.

Honorable mentions

Klatt’s “almost” group is full of teams that are rising and falling. Texas A&M’s 41-40 comeback at Notre Dame has helped them rise. Tennessee pushed Georgia to OT and led for most of the game. Illinois and Alabama each posted comfortable wins; one of them has loss while the other draws Indiana in their next game. Notre Dame, who was No. 9 in Klatt’s Week 2 list, dropped out after the loss to Texas A&M.