NCAA Football Rankings 2021: Predicting Top Movers in Week 3 Top 25 Standings

Texas was back—until it wasn't.

The Longhorns opened the 2021 season with mixed expectations after choosing not to retain head coach Tom Herman and replacing him with offensive guru Steve Sarkisian.

Following a dominant 38-18 win over then-No. 21 Louisiana in Week 1, spirits were high in Austin. But Arkansas brought them back to earth while giving the Longhorns a long look at what they can expect whenever they enter the SEC. The Razorbacks, who struggled through the first three quarters against Rice in Week 1, handled Texas from start to finish en route to a 40-21 shellacking Saturday.

A number of Top 25 teams got scares, but five ended up falling, and USC, Texas and Utah all lost to teams outside the rankings. Ahead of the Week 3 polls, here's a look at where we expect Week 2's big winners and losers to come in.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Texas A&M
6. Clemson
7. Iowa
8. Cincinnati
9. Ohio State 
10. Penn State
11. Florida
12. Iowa State
13. UCLA
14. Coastal Carolina
15. Wisconsin
16. Ole Miss
17. Virginia Tech
18. Auburn
19. Arizona State
20. North Carolina
21. Arkansas
22. USC
23. Utah
24. Miami (Fla.)
25. Texas

Down its two best defenders, including prospective 2022 NFL draft No. 1 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon traveled into The Horseshoe and not only won but did so in impressive fashion.

Each time Ohio State sparked hopes of a comeback Saturday, Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown and running back CJ Verdell had an answer. The duo combined for 226 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Brown added 236 yards and two more scores through the air.

His counterpart, CJ Stroud, did everything he could to keep the Buckeyes in it, completing 35 of 54 passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns. But Ohio State, which hadn't lost a regular-season game since October 2018, simply couldn't get stops when it needed to.

For Oregon and head coach Mario Cristobal, Saturday's win cemented the Ducks as legitimate College Football Playoff contenders and the force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12. Showdowns at No. 16 UCLA and No. 21 Utah await later this season, but if the Ducks can run the table and win the Pac-12 championship, they will almost certainly be the first Pac-12 team to make the CFP since Washington in the 2016 season.

As for the Buckeyes, any shot they had at the CFP took a significant hit, but the progress of Stroud from OSU's Week 1 win over Minnesota to this game is extremely promising. Surrounded by a stable of elite wideouts and running backs, Stroud has a chance to put together a special season.

The Buckeyes remain the favorite to win the Big Ten because of a regular-season schedule that only has them facing one more Top 25 team.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Iowa went into Ames and easily handled in-state rival No. 9 Iowa State 27-17. The Hawkeyes' suffocating defense held All-American running back Breece Hall to just 69 yards on 16 carries and picked off ISU quarterback Brock Purdy three times while holding him to just 138 passing yards.

Iowa's offense wasn't terribly impressive and was actually outgained by the Cyclones 339-173, but the Hawkeyes didn't turn over the ball once and parlayed one of Iowa State's four turnovers into a touchdown on a scoop-and-score fumble recovery.

They are certain to jump into the top 10 for the first time since 2015, when they finished 12-2 and made the Rose Bowl. Their sights are set higher this year—namely the CFP—and the road there isn't onerous. Dates with Penn State and Wisconsin are Iowa's biggest remaining tests, other than a potential Big Ten title matchup (likely to be against Ohio State). For now, the Hawkeyes will take another win over their bitter rivals.