GDC Week 3 Top 25: Texas Takes No. 1 as Oregon and Oklahoma Tumble

Week 2 gave us the first true shakeup of the 2026 college football season.

Texas delivered the weekend’s defining result, Oregon suffered one of the biggest upsets of the young season, Michigan responded to an ugly opener with a statement win, and several teams began separating themselves from the preseason expectations that shaped the early rankings.

The Game Day Collective Week 3 Top 25, determined by combining the individual ballots of Josh Mahler and Wyatt Zang, reflects all of it.

Texas is the new No. 1, while Oregon and Oklahoma tumble down the rankings and three new teams enter the GDC Top 25.

Texas Takes Over at No. 1

There isn’t much debate about the biggest move of the week.

Texas climbs six spots from No. 7 to No. 1 after completing a remarkable 24–23 comeback against previously top-ranked Ohio State.

The Longhorns entered the fourth quarter trailing 23–3 before scoring 21 unanswered points. The comeback was the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever recorded against an AP No. 1 team.

More importantly for the GDC rankings, Texas now owns something most of the other national championship contenders don’t: an elite win.

Georgia, Miami, Indiana and Notre Dame have all looked impressive, but none currently owns a victory comparable to beating Ohio State. That résumé advantage is enough to move Texas to the top.

Behind the Longhorns, Georgia moves to No. 2, Miami remains at No. 3, and Indiana climbs to No. 4.

Ohio State Falls — But Only to No. 5

Ohio State’s reign at No. 1 is over, but the Buckeyes don’t fall far.

GDC drops Ohio State four spots to No. 5, which reflects how the rankings treat quality losses. Losing by one point on the road against the new No. 1 team shouldn’t be evaluated the same way as losing to an unranked opponent.

Ohio State actually controlled most of the game in Austin and led by 20 entering the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes ultimately failed to finish, but little in the first three quarters suggested they suddenly stopped being one of the best teams in college football.

That’s why this is a punishment for the loss, not an overreaction to it.

Ohio State remains firmly in the national championship conversation.

LSU Slides Despite Winning

One of the more interesting results of the combined GDC ballot is LSU falling from No. 2 to No. 7 despite improving to 2–0.

That isn’t necessarily an indictment of the Tigers.

LSU’s 51–10 destruction of Clemson remains one of the most impressive performances of the season, and the Tigers followed it with a comfortable 45–14 win over Louisiana Tech.

Instead, the drop reflects movement around LSU.

Texas added the best win in the country. Georgia, Miami and Indiana remain undefeated and highly regarded on both GDC ballots. Ohio State’s narrow loss at Texas wasn’t enough to send the Buckeyes tumbling out of the elite tier.

The result leaves LSU at No. 7, but the difference between LSU and several teams above it remains extremely small. Another quality win could send the Tigers right back toward the top.

Tennessee Makes One of the Biggest Jumps

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Few teams improved their standing more in Week 2 than Tennessee, which moves from No. 19 to No. 13.

The Volunteers went on the road and beat Georgia Tech 45–24, producing 447 total yards and averaging 6.8 yards per play. Tennessee also forced two turnovers and pulled away after trailing early.

This was exactly the type of performance the Volunteers needed.

Beating Furman convincingly in Week 1 showed very little. Going on the road against a Power Four opponent and winning by three touchdowns provides significantly more useful evidence.

Tennessee is beginning to look less like a preseason projection and more like a team that could legitimately factor into the SEC and College Football Playoff races.

Oregon Plummets to No. 19

No team remaining in the rankings falls further than Oregon, dropping from No. 8 all the way to No. 19.

The Ducks already raised some concerns in Week 1 after needing to rally past Boise State. Week 2 turned those concerns into legitimate questions.

Oklahoma State beat Oregon 39–31 and, even more concerning, thoroughly outplayed the Ducks statistically. The Cowboys finished with 554 total yards compared with Oregon’s 281, while controlling possession for more than 36 minutes.

Oregon remains ranked because there is still too much talent and too much upside to abandon the Ducks completely after two games.

But GDC won’t keep a team near the top simply because it started the season there.

At some point, on-field performance has to match the reputation.

So far, Oregon hasn’t.

Oklahoma Takes an Even Bigger Fall

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Oregon isn’t actually the week’s biggest faller.

That distinction belongs to Oklahoma, which drops 12 spots from No. 9 to No. 21 following a 17–10 loss at Michigan.

The Sooners managed only 10 points, turned the ball over twice, and struggled to generate offense consistently. Michigan wasn’t dominant offensively either, but the Wolverines played the cleaner game and earned the win.

Oklahoma remains ranked because the loss came on the road against a talented Michigan team, but the Sooners have lost the benefit of the doubt that came with their preseason expectations.

At No. 21, Oklahoma now has work to do.

Michigan Comes Back From the Dead

What a difference one week makes.

After needing a Hail Mary to survive Western Michigan 13–12 in Week 1, Michigan fell completely out of the GDC rankings.

Then the Wolverines responded by beating Oklahoma.

Michigan enters this week’s rankings at No. 23, and the performance looked much more like what was expected from the Wolverines entering the season. Bryce Underwood accounted for 198 total yards, Michigan didn’t commit a turnover, and the Wolverine defense held Oklahoma to just 10 points.

The Week 1 concerns haven’t disappeared, which is why Michigan isn’t immediately jumping back into the Top 15 or Top 20.

But beating a ranked Oklahoma team is meaningful evidence that the opener may have been more of a warning sign than a death sentence.

Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama Climb

The middle of the Top 10 also changed considerably.

Texas A&M moves from No. 10 to No. 8 after beating Arizona State 48–20. The Aggies forced four turnovers and exploded for 24 fourth-quarter points to turn a competitive game into a rout.

Ole Miss rises from No. 12 to No. 9, giving the Rebels a Top-10 spot after opening the season with a ranked win over Louisville and then comfortably handling Charlotte.

Alabama moves from No. 13 to No. 10 after a convincing 45–17 road victory over Kentucky.

None of the three has yet made the kind of statement Texas made against Ohio State, but all three are building résumés worthy of serious national consideration.

Missouri Continues Its Quiet Climb

Don’t overlook Missouri at No. 18.

The Tigers were No. 21 last week and move up three spots after going on the road and beating Kansas 38–21.

Missouri isn’t generating the national attention of Texas, Georgia, Miami or Ohio State, but the Tigers are quietly taking care of business and building their résumé.

At some point, consistently winning games has to matter.

The Tigers are starting to put themselves in position to make an even bigger jump if they keep it up.

Three New Teams Enter the Rankings

Week 3 also brings three newcomers to the GDC Top 25.

Houston enters at No. 20 after moving to 2–0. The Cougars followed a 33–20 win over Oregon State with a 77–6 blowout in Week 2. Their upcoming matchup against Texas Tech should give us a much clearer indication of how seriously Houston should be taken.

Virginia enters at No. 22 after an impressive start that includes a convincing win over NC State. Really, they were just accidentally left off the Week 2 ballot because they didn’t play in Week 1. Oops.

And Michigan returns at No. 23 following its victory over Oklahoma.

Their arrivals push Arizona State, Memphis and Boise State out of the rankings. Boise State is not far from getting back in. They did have votes to be in the poll, but were bumped out with the accumulative score.

Washington and Iowa Hang On

Two undefeated teams find themselves near the bottom of the poll.

Washington falls from No. 18 to No. 24 despite moving to 2–0. The Huskies survived Utah State 16–14 at home, but it didn’t build enough confidence to keep Washington ahead of several teams that added stronger results.

Iowa drops from No. 22 to No. 25, although the Hawkeyes actually improved their résumé by beating Iowa State 16–13.

That’s more a reflection of the teams entering and moving around Iowa than criticism of the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 2–0, owns a rivalry victory, and continues to look extremely difficult to play against defensively.

The Official GDC Week 3 Top 25

The GDC rankings will continue to become increasingly resume-driven as the season progresses. Preseason expectations still provide some context this early, but every additional game gives us more evidence about who these teams actually are.

After two weeks, Texas has earned the top spot.

Oregon and Oklahoma have earned their falls.

And teams like Tennessee, Missouri, and Michigan have begun forcing their way into a very different college football picture than the one we expected before the season began.

Week 3 gives everyone another chance to change it.