🏈 NCAA Football Week 3 — Top 25 Recap

---

Week 3 of the 2026 college football season delivered multiple ranked-team upsets, several close conference games, and major movement in the AP Top 25. The biggest results came in the SEC and ACC, while several highly ranked teams cruised to convincing victories. (NCAA.com)

🔥 Friday Night

No. 5 Miami 33, Wake Forest 20
Miami remained unbeaten at 3-0 behind another strong performance from QB Darian Mensah. The Hurricanes built a 31-7 lead before Wake Forest rallied late. Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 13 Texas Tech 28, No. 22 Houston 26
Texas Tech survived a major challenge from Houston. The Cougars had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but Texas Tech held on after a failed two-point attempt.

🏆 Saturday’s Major Results

No. 2 Georgia 45, Arkansas 17
Georgia controlled the game after halftime, piling up 464 total yards. The Bulldogs’ rushing attack produced four touchdowns as Georgia moved to 3-0.

No. 6 Ohio State 59, Kent State 3
Ohio State dominated from the opening quarter, jumping out to a 21-0 lead. The Buckeyes finished with 527 yards while holding Kent State to only 134.

No. 14 Penn State 55, Buffalo 13
Penn State’s offense produced 573 yards, including a huge rushing performance. The Nittany Lions remained undefeated at 3-0.

No. 12 USC 42, Rutgers 35
USC survived a surprisingly competitive Rutgers team. Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, while USC’s defense produced two interceptions.

No. 19 Michigan 52, UTEP 17
Michigan trailed 14-7 early but completely changed the game in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points in the third quarter. Bryce Underwood threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 23 Louisville 41, No. 16 SMU 31
One of the week’s best games featured seven lead changes. Louisville’s rushing attack ultimately made the difference, with Keyjuan Brown rushing for 163 yards and two touchdowns and Kendrick Raphael producing 197 yards and three scores for SMU.

🚨 Biggest Upsets

Kentucky 31, No. 9 Texas A&M 21
This was arguably the biggest upset of the weekend. Kentucky went into Kyle Field and defeated the Aggies, ending Texas A&M’s 19-game home winning streak against unranked opponents. Kenny Minchey threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns. (Reuters)

West Virginia 38, No. 25 Virginia 27
West Virginia erased an early Virginia lead behind five total touchdowns from quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The Mountaineers improved to 3-0 and put themselves in position to enter the AP rankings. (NCAA.com)

🌟 Game of the Week

No. 8 Ole Miss 32, No. 7 LSU 24

The biggest matchup of the weekend lived up to the hype.

Ole Miss raced to a 24-7 halftime advantage, but LSU mounted a second-half comeback and had an opportunity to tie the game late. A late interception ended LSU’s comeback attempt and secured the Rebels’ victory.

The win moved Ole Miss into the AP Top 5, while LSU dropped but remained in the Top 10. (AP News)

🐘 Alabama 50, Florida State 36

Alabama overcame Florida State in a high-scoring game. The Crimson Tide rallied after facing adversity early and improved to 3-0, while Florida State dropped to 2-1. (Reuters)

🤘 Texas 30, UTSA 6

No. 1 Texas remained perfect, although UTSA kept the game relatively competitive early. The Longhorns eventually pulled away and improved to 3-0. (Reuters)

☘️ Notre Dame 27, Michigan State 10

No. 3 Notre Dame survived a competitive first half before pulling away from Michigan State. The Fighting Irish remained undefeated and held their position near the top of the national rankings.

🦅 Other Ranked Results

• No. 4 Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 0
• No. 17 Iowa 55, Northern Iowa 0
• No. 20 Missouri 27, Troy 17
• No. 24 Oklahoma 14, New Mexico 6
• No. 11 BYU 41, Colorado State 23
• No. 15 Tennessee 42, Kennesaw State 9
• No. 21 Oregon 84, Portland State 0
• No. 18 Utah 33, Utah State 0

📈 Week 3 AP Top 25 Movement

The post-Week 3 AP Poll had Texas at No. 1, Georgia No. 2 and Notre Dame No. 3, while Ole Miss jumped to No. 4 after its win over LSU. Miami moved to No. 6, Alabama to No. 8 and BYU to No. 9. (AP News)

The biggest ranking developments included:

• Ole Miss: moved into the Top 5 after beating LSU.
• Texas A&M: fell sharply after losing to Kentucky.
• Louisville: jumped after defeating No. 16 SMU.
• Florida: entered the Top 25 after beating Auburn.
• Mississippi State: entered the rankings.
• Houston and Virginia: fell out after their losses. (AP News)

🎙️ Week 3 Recap — The Big Picture

Week 3 was a major separation weekend. Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State and several other contenders strengthened their positions, while LSU and Texas A&M suffered significant setbacks. Ole Miss’ victory over LSU and Kentucky’s upset of Texas A&M were the defining SEC results, while Louisville’s win over SMU gave the ACC another important conference result. (Reuters)

Biggest storylines for your Classroom Ft. recap:

1. 🦈 Ole Miss knocks off LSU in Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford
2. 😲 Kentucky stuns Texas A&M at Kyle Field
3. 🔴 Louisville defeats SMU in a wild ACC shootout
4. 🟠 West Virginia knocks Virginia out of the Top 25
5. 🐘 Alabama survives Florida State
6. 🤘 Texas remains No. 1
7. 🏈 USC survives Rutgers
8. 🟦 Michigan explodes in the second half against UTEP