Yahoo Top 10: Should Georgia Be Worried After Narrow Win Over Kentucky?

There are still 10 teams without a win in the FBS.

That’s not so surprising, three weeks into the year.

What’s surprising: One of them is Florida State, the reigning ACC champion who went from a 12-0 regular season last year to 0-3 this year after a home loss to Memphis.

Things aren’t going well in Tallahassee. Things are likely even worse in Gainesville, where Florida coach Bill Napier heard a steady chorus of boos when Texas A&M — with a first-year coach and a first-year starting quarterback — crushed the Gators in the Swamp. If you’re curious about Napier’s buyout, it’s in the $25-27 million range. It all depends on when (or perhaps no longer “if”) Florida decides to end his tenure at the school — a three-year run that has yielded a 12-16 record.

And now for the good news. How about the Group of Five? Not only did Memphis beat FSU, but Toledo defeated Mississippi State in Starkville and UNLV defeated Kansas on Friday night. Those three G5 programs keep the hope alive of earning that new automatic spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. Not only that, they continue to prove (as did Northern Illinois last week) that NIL money doesn’t always translate into victories on the field. These little guys can still play! That includes Washington State, who pulled off the upset at Lumen Stadium by beating the rival Huskies (more on that later).

Meanwhile, Alabama, Oregon and Notre Dame recovered from Week 2 upsets against South Florida, Boise and Northern Illinois with convincing wins in odd locations (at Wisconsin by 32, at Oregon State by 35 and at Purdue by 59).

Pat Narduzzi and Pitt further claimed the title of college football’s Cardiac Kids by battling back for a second straight second-half comeback. They trailed by 10 points with about four minutes left before beating rival West Virginia after coming back from 21 points down to beat Cincinnati last week.

Indiana defeated UCLA in their Big Ten debut at the Rose Bowl; Vanderbilt lost to Georgia State to drop out of the Top 10 (but it didn’t last long!); and Georgia narrowly survived a close game away at Kentucky.

Okay, it’s time for the rankings, which, we remind you, don’t take into account preseason polls or results from previous seasons. What happened in the past is, well, in the past. What matters is who you beat this year and how you beat them!

So don’t expect Ohio State to be in our rankings, as they’ve already played teams like Western Michigan and Akron.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

This week: Kentucky defeated 13-12

Next week: Day

Sure, the Bulldogs have had a tough enough time to make us wary of leaving them at No. 1, but they have two power conference wins (Clemson and Kentucky) and neither was at home. Mark Stoops and the Wildcats have exposed some offensive issues with Kirby Smart and crew. They have the bye week to iron things out before heading to Alabama for a top-10 showdown.

2. USC Trojans

This week: Day

Next week: at Michigan

Trojans at No. 2? What do I think? I think they may have the best win in the entire country to date — a neutral-field win over LSU. What’s a better win than that? A lot of teams saw their only quality power conference win take a hit on Saturday. Miami’s win over Florida doesn’t look so great, does it? West Virginia, Penn State’s best win, blew a lead at Pitt. Michigan, Texas’ big win, didn’t look great as it stumbled to a 28-18 win over Arkansas State. Iowa State (a win over Iowa) and Northern Illinois (a win over Notre Dame) actually have arguments for the best wins of the year.

3. Texas Longhorns

This week: UTSA defeated 56-7

Next week: vs. UL-Monroe

The Longhorns showed off their backup QB. You’ve heard of him — Arch Manning? Recognize him? Quinn Ewers left the game in the first half with an abdominal injury (it doesn’t appear to be serious) and Manning got the most significant playing time of his career in Year 3 at Texas. All he did was throw for four touchdowns and score another.

4. Hurricanes in Miami

This week: Miami (Ohio) defeated 62-0

Next week: in South Florida

Watch out. The old trap awaits the Hurricanes next week in Tampa. Second-year coach Alex Golesh has the Bulls playing well. They scared Alabama last week and thrashed Southern Miss this week. Cam Ward and the Canes look playoff-worthy, but that could quickly go off the rails with a stumble against a Group of Five opponent.

5. Cyclones in the state of Iowa

This week: Day

Next week: vs. Arkansas State

Not only do the Cyclones stay in the Top 10, but they move up despite not playing on Saturday. They have an argument for the best win of the season so far: a 20-19 victory over Iowa last week. No one just walks into Kinnick Stadium, trails by two scores late in a game, and storms back against Kirk Ferentz’s defense!

This week: Wisconsin defeated 42-10

Next week: Day

We talk a lot about Alabama’s offensive weapons — QB Jalen Milroe, the capable receivers and hard-running tailbacks. But the Tide’s defense is stifling. They’ve allowed three touchdowns in three games. On Saturday in Madison, the unit forced four fumbles (two of which were recovered) and held Wisconsin to fewer than 300 yards and three third-down conversions.

7. Washington State Cougars

This week: Washington defeated 24-19

Next week: against San Jose State

The Cougars, like Georgia, have two power conference wins — a rarity this early in the season. Not only that, one of them came against an archrival on a neutral field Saturday. An emotional coach, Jake Dickert, came to his press conference after the win with a cigar and playfully asked the media if anyone had a light. Smoke ’em if you have ’em! A well-deserved win for the Pac-12 (or Pac-2 … or Pac-6), which is now 5-1 on the year.

8. Volunteers from Tennessee

This week: defeated Kent State 71-0

Next week: at Oklahoma

The Josh Heupel Bowl is next week in Norman — the SEC opener for both teams and Heupel’s return to a place he played and coached. The Vols have outscored their first three opponents 191-13. Sure, those opponents are Chattanooga, NC State on a neutral site and Kent State. But still, sophomore QB Nico Iamaleava should be feeling pretty confident heading into the matchup with the Sooners.

9. Northern Illinois Huskies

This week: Day

Next week: against Buffalo

Don’t act surprised. The Huskies have their own argument for the best win of the season so far. Their win at Notre Dame looks even better after coach Marcus Freeman’s team blew Purdue 66-7. The big question is whether NIU can hold on to its Top 10 spot, stay undefeated and keep its shot at the G5 playoff bid alive.

10. Penn State Nittany Lions

This week: Day

Next week: vs Kent State

Let’s pause here for a moment and talk about Penn State’s next opponent: Kent State. The same Kent State that was crushed 71-0 by Tennessee. And also the same Kent State that started the year with a 31-point loss to Pitt. What will the Nittany Lions do to them? We’ll see. Remember, the last time we saw Penn State, they were having problems with Bowling Green.

Dropped out: North Carolina (7), Vanderbilt (10)