Lev’s Top 25, Week 3: Making the case for Miami at No. 1; RichRod enters the chat

Week 3 in college football saw unranked teams beat ranked teams.

It saw Top 25 battles go down to the wire.

How to sort it all out?

I’m here for you. The voice of logic amid the chaos.

My latest Top 25 (plus five) can be found below. First, some notes on who, where and why:

– I bumped Miami from No. 2 to No. 1. I give the Hurricanes props for already having gone on the road, twice, for conference games. Are Stanford and Wake Forest any good? The Cardinal are a mess. The Demon Deacons are frisky. It doesn’t matter. If you play respectable opponents, control the action and venture out of your comfort zone, you will be rewarded.

– Ole Miss moves from No. 9 to No. 5, basically swapping spots with LSU, after edging the Tigers in the Lane Kiffin Bowl. Both of these squads look like playoff teams. But the Rebels better be careful; next week at Florida (one of my First Five Out) has trap game written all over it.

– Elsewhere in the Magnolia State, Mississippi State continues to impress. I moved the Bulldogs up 10 spots to No. 15 after their win at South Carolina. That’s two weeks in a row notching a victory on the road against Power Four foes.

– I moved Houston up seven spots after a loss at Texas Tech. Yeah, you heard me. That was an even game; the Red Raiders just happened to pull it out at the end. Two quality programs and legit Big 12 contenders.

– Does West Virginia belong in that conversation? Maybe so! Rich Rodriguez’s Mountaineers upset Virginia in fairly decisive fashion. They rushed for nearly 250 yards. Welcome to the Top 25.

– Finally, a quick note on someone who isn’t in it. That would be Oregon. Here’s the thing about that: If I rank the Ducks, at this point in the season, I’d have to rank Oklahoma State ahead of them. And if I rank the Cowboys, I have to rank Tulsa ahead of them. I’m not doing any of that. You’re still out, Oregon. Beat USC this week and we’ll talk.

1. Miami (previous ranking: 2)

Record: 3-0 (2-0 ACC)

Last week: defeated Wake Forest 33-20

This week: vs. Central Michigan, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

2. Notre Dame (1)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated Michigan State 27-10

This week: at Purdue, 11 a.m. Saturday

3. Texas (3)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated UTSA 30-6

This week: at Tennessee, 9 a.m. Saturday

4. Ohio State (4)

Record: 2-1

Last week: defeated Kent State 59-3

This week: vs. Illinois, 9 a.m. Saturday

5. Ole Miss (9)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)

Last week: defeated LSU 32-24

This week: at Florida, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

6. Georgia (7)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)

Last week: defeated Arkansas 45-17

This week: vs. Oklahoma, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

7. Indiana (6)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated Western Kentucky 38-0

This week: vs. Northwestern, 5 p.m. Friday

8. LSU (5)

Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)

Last week: lost to Ole Miss 32-24

This week: vs. Texas A&M, 4:30 p.m. Saturday

9. BYU (10)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 Big 12)

Last week: defeated Colorado State 41-23

This week: idle

10. Alabama (12)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)

Last week: defeated Florida State 50-36

This week: vs. South Carolina, 4 p.m. Saturday

11. Tennessee (13)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated Kennesaw State 42-9

This week: vs. Texas, 9 a.m. Saturday

12. USC (8)

Record: 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten)

Last week: defeated Rutgers 42-35

This week: vs. Oregon, 4:30 p.m. Saturday

13. Louisville (17)

Record: 2-1 (1-0 ACC)

Last week: defeated SMU 41-31

This week: vs. Wake Forest, 9 a.m. Saturday

14. Texas Tech (15)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 Big 12)

Last week: defeated Houston 28-26

This week: vs. Sam Houston, 9 a.m. Saturday

15. Mississippi State (25)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)

Last week: defeated South Carolina 41-34

This week: vs. Missouri, 4:45 p.m. Saturday

16. SMU (14)

Record: 2-1 (1-1 ACC)

Last week: lost to Louisville 41-31

This week: vs. Missouri State, 6 p.m. Saturday

17. Houston (24)

Record: 2-1 (0-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Texas Tech 28-26

This week: at Georgia Southern, 1 p.m. Saturday

18. UCLA (18)

Record: 3-0 (1-0 Big Ten)

Last week: defeated Purdue 52-38

This week: at Maryland, 10:30 a.m. Saturday

19. Utah (19)

Record: 3-0

Last week: Defeated Utah State 33-0

This week: at Iowa State, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

20. Boise State (20)

Record: 2-1

Last week: defeated South Dakota 38-24

This week: at Western Michigan, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

21. Michigan (21)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated UTEP 52-17

This week: vs. Iowa, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

22. Penn State (23)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated Buffalo 55-13

This week: vs. Wisconsin, 2 p.m. Saturday

23. Kentucky (NR)

Record: 2-1 (1-1 SEC)

Last week: defeated Texas A&M 31-21

This week: vs. South Alabama, 9:45 a.m. Saturday

24. West Virginia (NR)

Record: 3-0

Last week: defeated Virginia 38-27

This week: vs. Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. Saturday

25. Texas A&M (11)

Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)

Last week: lost to Kentucky 31-21

This week: at LSU, 4:30 pm. Saturday

First five out (in alphabetical order): Duke, Florida, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech