NCAA Football Power Rankings – Week 3
There were no real changes at the top of the NCAA football food chain after Week 3 as four of my top five schools from had an easy time of it Saturday in one-sided routs. Oklahoma struggles against Air Force took the Sooners out of my top five as they were a 16 ½ point home favorite but only managed a three point 27-24 win over the Falcons.
Here is a look at my top five schools in the country along with their current odds to win the BCS title.
There have been very few surprises in Alabama’s first three wins. The Crimson Tide have outscored their opponents by an average of 38.3 points and have given up a total of 19 points. Granted, two of those wins came against San Jose and Duke, but they do have a dominating 24-3 win over Penn State to their credit. Saturday’s 62-13 win over the Blue Devils as a 24 point road favorite featured 151 yards rushing on just nine carries by last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who missed the first two games recovering from minor knee surgery.
Ohio State has been just as dominant in its first three games, averaging 42 points a game, while giving up an average of 12.67. The only game that was somewhat close was a 36-24 win over then-No. 12 Miami. QB Terrelle Prior remains the big story for the Buckeyes, throwing for 715 yards and rushing for 165 more. He set a school record with 16 straight completions in Saturday’s 43-7 win over Ohio University. Pryor finished the day completing 22-of-29 attempts for 235 yards and two TD’s. Ohio State easily covered the spread as a 31 ½ point home favorite.
Statistically, TCU is currently ranked sixth in the country in total points scored and ninth in total points allowed creating a solid balance on both sides of the ball. The Horned Frogs have won their first three games by an average of 33 points including a tight 30-21 win over No. 24 Oregon State in their opener. This past Saturday they rolled over Baylor 45-10 in a game they were favored by 21 points at home. TCU accumulated close to 600 yards of total offense against the Bears; throwing for 267 yards and rushing for 291.
Many people think that Boise State’s 33-30 win over then-No. 10 Virginia Tech has little significance since the Hokies went onto lose to IAA James Madison 21-16 the following week. Regardless of that fact, the Broncos proved they are a solid team and very capable of running the table this season. As a 23 ½ point road favorite, they scored 34 points in the first half on their way to a 51-6 win over Wyoming this past Saturday. QB Kellen Moore led the aerial assault with 370 yards passing and two TD’s.
Oregon started the season with an impressive 72-0 win over New Mexico at home and followed it up with a solid 48-13 beatdown of Tennessee on the road. The Ducks phoned it in this week in a 69-0 shutout of Portland State. They came into this game as a whopping 51 ½ point home favorite and easily covered the spread. QB Darron Thomas has thrown for 562 yards and eight TD’s and RB LaMichael Thomas has 361 yards rushing on just 30 carries in Oregon’s first three games.
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