Oregon is one of the biggest stories in all of college football. Now, it’s occupying a spot just behind Alabama and Georgia, checking in at No. 3 in the updated CBS Sports 130 after knocking off Ohio State on the road Saturday.
The 13-spot jump in our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team, as voted on by experts at CBS Sports and 247Sports, is not the biggest ascension — you can find others in our Mover’s Report below — but it is the most dramatic. In fact, the Ducks slid right into the spot Ohio State occupied prior to the loss, though the Buckeyes fell just five spots to No. 8.
Iowa, a big winner over Iowa State in Week 2, did not move as high in our poll as it did in others. However, the Hawkeyes leapfrogged Cincinnati and Penn State, settling just ahead of the Buckeyes at No. 7. The Cyclones didn’t fall too far after the 27-17 loss, though, down just five spots to No. 14.
As you might expect, bad losses for USC and Texas resulted in major drops in the rankings, while teams like Virginia Tech (No. 15), Wisconsin (No. 16) and Michigan (No. 19) saw slight bumps thanks to the newly available real estate. Arkansas made one of the biggest moves up after beating the Longhorns, landing at No. 18 from outside the top 50. That gives the SEC seven teams in the top 25 of the CBS Sports 130.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-130 on our rankings page.
Biggest movers
No. 18 Arkansas (+37): It wasn’t just that the Razorbacks won against Texas, it was the manner in which Sam Pittman’s team imposed its will in the first half and defended its lead late in the game. An impressive win like that should send a message to the rest of the SEC West that last year’s season of exceeding expectations was not a fluke.
No. 22 BYU (+17): Speaking of ducking the preseason narratives, the thought that BYU would take a major step back after losing QB Zach Wilson seems to be lost after back-to-back wins against Pac-12 teams. With Pac-12 opponents back on the schedule, many wondered if the Cougars could continue winning at the same kind of clip we saw in 2020. Early returns suggest they can.
No. 37 Mississippi State (+17): It took a furious fourth-quarter rally for Mississippi State to escape with a season-opening win against Louisiana Tech, but there was never a doubt in a 24-10 win against NC State, highlighted by a dominant defensive performance.
No. 31 Utah (-12): Boosting BYU’s stock allows for a high floor in terms of Utah’s ranking. Still, there were some concerning points from the Utes’ performance, the most glaring of which was allowing BYU to have so much success on the ground and in third-down situations. The inability to get off the field on defense was very un-Utah.
No. 35 Texas (-20): Quarterback controversy in Austin? With Hudson Card starting, the Longhorns had five three-and-outs on their first seven offensive possessions. The only touchdown drive led by Card in the 40-21 loss to Arkansas was a short-field score set up by an interception. Casey Thompson took over late in the third quarter and led two long touchdowns drives, making the future of that position among the more interesting questions in the Big 12.
No. 36 USC (-23): There’s not going to be much patience for USC’s struggles anywhere in college football. Unless Stanford reverses course and becomes something other than a team that lost 24-7 to Kansas State, this blowout could be a turning point for the future of the Trojans program.
