The AP Top 25 college football poll shows USF breaking into the rankings

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The third week of the AP Top 25 college football poll showed Ohio State, Penn State and LSU retaining their slots as the top three teams as Oregon slid into No. 4 and No. 18 South Florida ranked for the first time in seven years.

The Bulls, who were eight spots out of the Top 25 last week, became the biggest upward mover thanks to their 18-16 win over then-No. 13 Florida. That came after a home win over then-No. 25 Boise State.

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The Top 25 saw plenty of movement this week, but the top three teams didn’t budge after outscoring opponents by a combined 127-7.

Ohio State remained No. 1 after a 70-0 victory over Grambling State. Penn State overcame a slow start to beat FIU 34-0 and remain at No. 2, while LSU held firm at No. 3 after a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech.

Florida State kept the momentum rolling after a 31-17 upset victory over Alabama in Week 1, rising from unranked to No. 14 in the AP Top 25.

The Seminoles delivered a whopping 77-3 win over East Texas A&M on Saturday. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos completed eight of 11 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Two of Castellanos’ touchdowns went to Duce Robinson on back-to-back drives in the first quarter.

Robinson led the Seminoles with five receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

Pressure was mounting for Alabama after losing 31-17 to Florida State in the season opener and falling 13 spots in the poll as a result.

The Crimson Tide bounced back in Week 2 with a 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Quarterback Ty Simpson completed all 17 of his passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

Austin Mack and Keelon Russell also saw time at signal-caller and threw two touchdowns apiece.

No. 15 Michigan traveled to No. 18 Oklahoma for the sole matchup headlining two ranked teams this week.

John Mateer’s strong start continued for the Sooners, as the transfer quarterback delivered 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also leading the team with 74 rushing yards and two rushing scores.

Growing pains were evident for Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, who completed just nine of 24 passes for 124 yards. Running back Justice Haynes had another productive game, running the ball for 124 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

Oklahoma opened the season at No. 18 and didn’t budge after a 35-3 Week 1 win over Illinois State. Michigan dropped from No. 14 to No. 15 in the first regular season poll after a 34-17 win over New Mexico.

South Florida is now 2-0 against Top 25 teams.

A week after defeating Boise State 34-7, pushing the Broncos out of the Top 25, the Bulls outscored the Florida Gators 18-16 on the road. South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown excelled in both the passing and running games, completing 23 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown and adding 66 yards on 17 carries.

Florida entered the Week 2 outing at No. 13 after a 55-0 win over LIU in Week 1. The Bulls’ shocking road win wasn’t the sole upset of the week. Mississippi State beat No. 12 Arizona State 24-20, an effort spearheaded by quarterback Blake Sharpen. Senior receiver Brenen Thompson caught the game-winner, a 58-yard touchdown pass, with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Over in Dallas, an unranked Baylor team overthrew No. 17 SMU with a 48-45 win in second overtime.

No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

There is a 1-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.

▶ Read more about the history of the AP Top 25 poll and how it works.

Ohio State tops the poll for the first time in the regular season since 2015.

The Buckeyes jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 following a 14-7 Week 1 victory against the then-top-seeded Texas Longhorns.

Ohio State is poised to keep the top spot in this week’s poll after a thumping 70-0 win over Grambling State on Saturday, answering any potential questions about the reigning national champs’ offense.