Bama Survives the Swamp

09/20/2021

By: Jeff Yoder

#1 Alabama Avoids Upset Scare From #11 Florida (31-29) to Retain No. 1, Top-12 Teams All Win in Week 3

Week 3 of the college football season brought little surprises among the nation’s top-ranked teams, but the matchup of the weekend was a thriller in Gainesville. #11 Florida made a furious comeback against #1 Alabama in the SEC stunner, but the Crimson Tide remained unbeaten with a narrow win (31-29) despite getting outscored 26-10 in the final three quarters.

 

Elsewhere in college football, the Top-12 teams in the rankings were all winners on Saturday. The biggest among them was #10 Penn State who jumped four spots in the rankings after beating #22 Auburn. #6 Clemson fell three spots even after a win. #4 Oregon and #3 Oklahoma swapped spots, and the Ducks are now in the top-3. Here’s where they stand after the first three games of the season.

 

AP Poll

1. Alabama (3-0) | —

2. Georgia (3-0) | —

3. Oregon (3-0) | ↑1

4. Oklahoma (3-0) | ↓1

5. Iowa (3-0) | —

6. Penn State (3-0) | ↑4

7. Texas A&M (3-0) | —

8. Cincinnati (3-0) | —

9. Clemson (2-1) | ↓3

10. Ohio State (2-1) | ↓1

 

Rest of Top-25: 11. Florida, 12. Notre Dame, 13. Ole Miss, 14. Iowa State, 15. BYU, 16. Arkansas, 17. Coastal Carolina, 18. Wisconsin, 19. Michigan, 20. Michigan State, 21. North Carolina, 22. Fresno State, 23. Auburn, 24. UCLA, 25. Kansas State | Full AP Poll

 

Top Highlights

#1 Alabama def. #11 Florida (31-29)

#10 Penn State def. #22 Auburn (28-20)

Fresno State def. #13 UCLA (40-37)

West Virginia def. #15 Virginia Tech (27-21)

#23 BYU def. #19 Arizona State (27-17)

Michigan State def. #24 Miami (38-17)

 

Additional Storylines

ESPN: AP Poll Reaction: What’s Next for Each Top-25 Team?

CBS Sports: College Football Grades for Week 3: Penn State Gets ‘A+’