College Football

2026 Week 3 Rankings

USC is No. 1 in the Week 3 NovaModel College Football rankings, ahead of LSU and Penn State. Every team is rated the same way, on game results alone - no polls and no committee votes.

What happened in Week 2

86 games were played in Week 2. Top-25 teams lost 4 times. 4 games were upsets by the pre-game rankings.

Boise State upset No. 2 Memphis, 38-20 at home. Maddux Madsen led Boise State with 221 passing yds. In these rankings, Boise State rises from No. 111 to No. 65 and Memphis falls from No. 2 to No. 58.
Texas upset No. 10 Ohio State, 24-23 at home. Arch Manning led Texas with 195 passing yds. In these rankings, Texas rises from No. 27 to No. 16 and Ohio State falls from No. 10 to No. 47.
Montana State upset No. 21 Nevada, 20-7 on the road. In these rankings, Nevada falls from No. 21 to No. 118.
Michigan upset No. 15 Oklahoma, 17-10 at home. Bryce Underwood led Michigan with 111 passing yds. In these rankings, Michigan rises from No. 32 to No. 13 and Oklahoma falls from No. 15 to No. 48.
No. 1 USC beat Louisiana, 49-30 at home. Jayden Maiava led USC with 261 passing yds. In these rankings, USC stays at No. 1 and Louisiana stays at No. 66.
No. 7 Iowa beat Iowa State by 3 points, 16-13 at home. Hank Brown led Iowa with 191 passing yds. In these rankings, Iowa falls from No. 7 to No. 18 and Iowa State falls from No. 75 to No. 80.
No. 19 Wake Forest beat Purdue by 2 points, 38-36 on the road. Gio Lopez led Wake Forest with 225 passing yds. In these rankings, Wake Forest falls from No. 19 to No. 32 and Purdue falls from No. 71 to No. 77.
No. 23 Washington beat Utah State by 2 points, 16-14 at home. Demond Williams Jr. led Washington with 249 passing yds. In these rankings, Washington falls from No. 23 to No. 54 and Utah State rises from No. 136 to No. 134.

Week 2 recap reel

All 138 teams

How these rankings work

Every team is rated the same way, on game results alone - no polls and no committee votes. A Week 3 ranking uses only games played before Week 3, so it's the order the teams went into that week in. Movement is the change from the ranking before it.

Rank	Team	Record	Last	Next	Rating	Trend
1	USCBig Ten	3-0	W 49-30 vs UL	@ RUTG	73.6O 70.2 · D 68.2	–
2	LSUSEC	2-0	W 45-14 vs LT	@ #21 MISS	69.9O 69.4 · D 78.3	▲ 4Up 4 spots since last week
3	Penn StateBig Ten	2-0	W 27-9 @ TEM	vs BUF	67.8O 56.1 · D 80.7	▲ 9Up 9 spots since last week
4	Notre DameFBS Independents	2-0	W 52-0 vs RICE	vs #12 MSU	67.0O 62.4 · D 73.6	▲ 21Up 21 spots since last week
5	UCLABig Ten	2-0	W 28-10 vs SDSU	vs PUR	67.0O 56.6 · D 69.2	▲ 13Up 13 spots since last week
6	PittsburghACC	2-0	W 12-7 vs UCF	vs SYR	66.4O 53.4 · D 76.4	▲ 8Up 8 spots since last week
7	Texas A&MSEC	2-0	W 48-20 vs ASU	vs UK	66.3O 59.3 · D 75.3	▲ 2Up 2 spots since last week
8	DukeACC	2-0	W 31-27 @ ILL	vs STAN	66.1O 42.9 · D 70.9	▲ 16Up 16 spots since last week
9	AuburnSEC	2-0	W 43-8 vs USM	vs #22 FLA	66.0O 56.2 · D 71.0	▲ 76Up 76 spots since last week
10	AlabamaSEC	2-0	W 45-17 @ UK	vs FSU	65.8O 64.1 · D 76.6	▲ 3Up 3 spots since last week
11	Mississippi StateSEC	2-0	W 38-13 @ MINN	@ #24 SC	65.3O 73.0 · D 70.8	▼ 3Down 3 spots since last week
12	Michigan StateBig Ten	2-0	W 35-7 vs EMU	@ #4 ND	65.1O 51.3 · D 71.0	▲ 19Up 19 spots since last week
13	MichiganBig Ten	2-0	W 17-10 vs OU	vs UTEP	64.9O 30.9 · D 76.7	▲ 19Up 19 spots since last week
14	North Dakota StateMountain West	3-0	W 38-32 @ AF	@ SAC	64.2O 53.0 · D 78.0	▼ 10Down 10 spots since last week
15	South FloridaAmerican Athletic	2-0	W 28-24 @ ARMY	vs Delaware State	63.9O 40.4 · D 69.3	▲ 25Up 25 spots since last week
16	TexasSEC	2-0	W 24-23 vs OSU	vs UTSA	63.3O 55.4 · D 63.2	▲ 11Up 11 spots since last week
17	NebraskaBig Ten	2-0	W 56-7 vs BGSU	vs North Dakota	63.2O 66.1 · D 60.8	▲ 5Up 5 spots since last week
18	IowaBig Ten	2-0	W 16-13 vs ISU	vs Northern Iowa	62.8O 44.3 · D 74.2	▼ 11Down 11 spots since last week
19	MarylandBig Ten	2-0	W 38-14 @ CONN	vs VT	62.1O 63.6 · D 75.0	▲ 23Up 23 spots since last week
20	MiamiACC	2-0	W 77-7 vs Florida A&M	@ WAKE	62.1O 71.3 · D 64.9	▼ 15Down 15 spots since last week
21	Ole MissSEC	2-0	W 41-9 vs CLT	vs #2 LSU	62.1O 56.5 · D 58.1	▲ 61Up 61 spots since last week
22	FloridaSEC	2-0	W 52-3 vs Campbell	@ #9 AUB	61.8O 67.0 · D 61.6	▼ 5Down 5 spots since last week
23	SMUACC	2-0	W 56-10 vs UC Davis	@ LOU	61.8O 62.8 · D 62.5	▼ 20Down 20 spots since last week
24	South CarolinaSEC	2-0	W 45-9 vs Towson	vs #11 MSST	61.8O 61.0 · D 69.8	▼ 13Down 13 spots since last week
25	TulsaAmerican Athletic	2-0	W 23-17 @ SHSU	vs East Texas A&M	61.7O 44.1 · D 70.4	▲ 12Up 12 spots since last week
26	MissouriSEC	2-0	W 38-21 @ KU	vs TROY	61.7O 65.1 · D 67.6	▲ 25Up 25 spots since last week
27	IndianaBig Ten	2-0	W 55-0 vs Howard	vs WKU	61.7O 60.6 · D 69.4	▼ 1Down 1 spot since last week
28	VirginiaACC	2-0	W 59-3 vs Norfolk State	vs WVU	61.3O 54.6 · D 74.1	▼ 8Down 8 spots since last week
29	New MexicoMountain West	2-0	W 70-7 vs Mercyhurst	@ OU	60.9O 59.7 · D 61.9	▼ 13Down 13 spots since last week
30	UtahBig 12	2-0	W 43-10 vs ARK	vs USU	60.9O 66.5 · D 58.6	▲ 24Up 24 spots since last week
31	Georgia StateSun Belt	2-0	W 31-17 @ KENN	@ UCF	60.9O 63.4 · D 65.1	▲ 26Up 26 spots since last week
32	Wake ForestACC	2-0	W 38-36 @ PUR	vs #20 MIA	60.7O 61.9 · D 56.9	▼ 13Down 13 spots since last week
33	Virginia TechACC	2-0	W 44-21 vs ODU	@ #19 MD	60.3O 64.8 · D 55.3	▲ 15Up 15 spots since last week
34	BYUBig 12	2-0	W 28-17 vs ARIZ	@ CSU	59.9O 55.2 · D 60.2	▲ 25Up 25 spots since last week
35	North CarolinaACC	2-0	W 35-3 vs East Tennessee State	@ CLEM	59.9O 37.8 · D 77.2	▲ 12Up 12 spots since last week
36	CincinnatiBig 12	2-0	W 62-10 vs Western Carolina	vs M-OH	59.6O 57.9 · D 57.3	▼ 2Down 2 spots since last week
37	TennesseeSEC	2-0	W 45-24 @ GT	vs KENN	59.5O 67.7 · D 58.2	▲ 9Up 9 spots since last week
38	Colorado StatePac-12	2-0	W 58-24 vs Southern Utah	vs BYU	59.4O 62.1 · D 48.8	▼ 8Down 8 spots since last week
39	West VirginiaBig 12	2-0	W 52-7 vs UT Martin	vs UVA	59.3O 54.8 · D 56.3	▼ 1Down 1 spot since last week
40	VanderbiltSEC	2-0	W 35-26 vs DEL	vs NCSU	59.1O 40.3 · D 63.2	▲ 37Up 37 spots since last week
41	Kansas StateBig 12	2-0	W 34-7 vs WSU	vs TULN	58.9O 60.2 · D 66.3	▲ 15Up 15 spots since last week
42	James MadisonSun Belt	2-0	W 87-3 vs Wagner	@ SDSU	58.0O 52.8 · D 52.2	▼ 3Down 3 spots since last week
43	HoustonBig 12	2-0	W 77-6 vs Southern	@ TTU	57.8O 62.6 · D 53.4	▼ 14Down 14 spots since last week
44	GeorgiaSEC	2-0	W 70-20 vs WKU	@ ARK	57.7O 67.5 · D 58.9	▼ 1Down 1 spot since last week
45	MassachusettsMid-American	2-0	W 37-10 vs Sacred Heart	vs Stonehill	56.8O 46.9 · D 63.1	▼ 17Down 17 spots since last week
46	Texas TechBig 12	2-0	W 35-24 @ ORST	vs HOU	56.0O 46.7 · D 61.7	▲ 24Up 24 spots since last week
47	Ohio StateBig Ten	1-1	L 23-24 @ TEX	vs KENT	53.9O 59.3 · D 72.5	▼ 37Down 37 spots since last week
48	OklahomaSEC	1-1	L 10-17 @ MICH	vs UNM	53.5O 49.2 · D 74.8	▼ 33Down 33 spots since last week
49	Florida InternationalConference USA	1-1	W 33-20 vs BUF	@ FAU	53.5O 47.8 · D 64.9	▲ 46Up 46 spots since last week
50	Oklahoma StateBig 12	1-1	W 39-31 vs ORE	vs Murray State	53.4O 51.2 · D 58.1	▲ 48Up 48 spots since last week
51	UTSAAmerican Athletic	2-0	W 31-26 @ TXST	@ #16 TEX	53.2O 51.4 · D 48.9	▲ 22Up 22 spots since last week
52	TroySun Belt	2-0	W 34-17 vs Alabama State	@ MIZ	52.8O 38.7 · D 56.2	▼ 16Down 16 spots since last week
53	App StateSun Belt	2-0	W 27-24 @ ECU	vs CLT	52.7O 54.4 · D 59.1	▼ 3Down 3 spots since last week
54	WashingtonBig Ten	2-0	W 16-14 vs USU	vs Eastern Washington	52.2O 36.5 · D 64.4	▼ 31Down 31 spots since last week
55	NorthwesternBig Ten	1-0	W 34-18 vs South Dakota State	vs COLO	52.0O 45.3 · D 45.5	▲ 26Up 26 spots since last week
56	San José StateMountain West	2-1	W 30-20 vs Cal Poly	vs FRES	51.9O 48.0 · D 52.0	▲ 27Up 27 spots since last week
57	IllinoisBig Ten	1-1	L 27-31 vs DUKE	vs Southern Illinois	51.7O 52.3 · D 45.3	▼ 24Down 24 spots since last week
58	MemphisAmerican Athletic	2-1	L 20-38 @ BOIS	vs UT Martin	51.1O 58.4 · D 44.8	▼ 56Down 56 spots since last week
59	ColoradoBig 12	2-0	W 52-21 vs Weber State	@ NU	50.9O 48.1 · D 59.1	▲ 25Up 25 spots since last week
60	Fresno StatePac-12	1-1	W 49-3 vs SAC	@ SJSU	50.3O 42.5 · D 60.6	▲ 44Up 44 spots since last week
61	TulaneAmerican Athletic	1-1	W 28-24 vs USA	@ KSU	49.7O 37.2 · D 57.5	▲ 51Up 51 spots since last week
62	North TexasAmerican Athletic	1-1	W 44-6 vs UNLV	@ TXST	49.7O 54.8 · D 53.1	▲ 55Up 55 spots since last week
63	BaylorBig 12	1-1	W 44-3 vs Prairie View A&M	vs LT	49.2O 49.9 · D 73.2	▲ 33Up 33 spots since last week
64	ClemsonACC	1-1	W 22-7 vs GASO	vs UNC	49.1O 39.2 · D 51.6	▲ 70Up 70 spots since last week
65	Boise StatePac-12	1-1	W 38-20 vs MEM	vs South Dakota	49.0O 51.5 · D 50.3	▲ 46Up 46 spots since last week
66	LouisianaSun Belt	1-1	L 30-49 @ USC	vs UAB	48.6O 51.5 · D 54.1	–
67	CaliforniaACC	1-1	W 21-18 @ SYR	vs Wagner	48.5O 44.3 · D 47.3	▲ 57Up 57 spots since last week
68	Arizona StateBig 12	1-1	L 20-48 @ TA&M	vs KU	48.5O 60.6 · D 51.1	▼ 19Down 19 spots since last week
69	OregonBig Ten	1-1	L 31-39 @ OKST	vs Portland State	48.4O 52.6 · D 47.0	▼ 34Down 34 spots since last week
70	Air ForceMountain West	1-1	L 32-38 vs NDSU	@ NEV	48.4O 49.1 · D 60.8	▼ 7Down 7 spots since last week
71	Florida AtlanticAmerican Athletic	1-1	W 38-30 vs NAVY	vs FIU	47.9O 53.0 · D 30.8	▲ 54Up 54 spots since last week
72	UCFBig 12	1-1	L 7-12 @ PITT	vs GAST	47.9O 48.3 · D 68.9	▼ 12Down 12 spots since last week
73	Florida StateACC	1-1	L 24-27 vs SMU	@ #10 ALA	47.7O 45.4 · D 54.2	▲ 13Up 13 spots since last week
74	StanfordACC	1-1	L 6-45 vs MIA	@ #8 DUKE	47.4O 42.7 · D 42.1	▲ 17Up 17 spots since last week
75	ArmyAmerican Athletic	1-1	L 24-28 vs USF	@ TEM	47.3O 52.9 · D 54.0	▼ 30Down 30 spots since last week
76	ToledoMid-American	1-1	W 63-10 vs Central Connecticut	vs TEM	47.2O 54.6 · D 57.2	▲ 32Up 32 spots since last week
77	PurdueBig Ten	1-1	L 36-38 vs WAKE	@ #5 UCLA	47.1O 55.1 · D 47.1	▼ 6Down 6 spots since last week
78	Coastal CarolinaSun Belt	1-1	W 45-7 vs Fordham	@ DEL	47.0O 51.4 · D 62.1	▲ 21Up 21 spots since last week
79	Western MichiganMid-American	1-1	W 49-14 vs Monmouth	@ RICE	47.0O 44.3 · D 61.8	▲ 24Up 24 spots since last week
80	Iowa StateBig 12	1-1	L 13-16 @ IOWA	vs BGSU	46.8O 37.5 · D 71.4	▼ 5Down 5 spots since last week
81	OhioMid-American	1-1	W 29-27 vs JXST	@ USA	46.7O 42.6 · D 38.9	▲ 38Up 38 spots since last week
82	TCUBig 12	1-1	W 63-7 vs Grambling	vs ARST	46.6O 49.9 · D 62.2	▲ 24Up 24 spots since last week
83	LouisvilleACC	1-1	W 59-13 vs Villanova	vs #23 SMU	46.5O 65.8 · D 45.1	▲ 22Up 22 spots since last week
84	ArizonaBig 12	1-1	L 17-28 @ BYU	vs NIU	46.4O 42.5 · D 66.9	▼ 19Down 19 spots since last week
85	Boston CollegeACC	1-1	W 28-21 vs RUTG	vs Maine	46.4O 41.4 · D 56.6	▲ 17Up 17 spots since last week
86	DelawareConference USA	1-1	L 26-35 @ VAN	vs CCU	46.3O 51.4 · D 57.5	▼ 22Down 22 spots since last week
87	San Diego StatePac-12	1-1	L 10-28 @ UCLA	vs JMU	46.1O 42.3 · D 55.0	▼ 15Down 15 spots since last week
88	WisconsinBig Ten	1-1	W 36-9 vs Western Illinois	vs EMU	46.1O 38.1 · D 55.1	▲ 28Up 28 spots since last week
89	Louisiana TechSun Belt	1-1	L 14-45 @ LSU	@ BAY	46.0O 52.7 · D 45.0	▼ 28Down 28 spots since last week
90	Kennesaw StateConference USA	1-1	L 17-31 vs GAST	@ TENN	45.9O 43.1 · D 59.9	▼ 38Down 38 spots since last week
91	SyracuseACC	1-1	L 18-21 vs CAL	@ #6 PITT	45.8O 48.4 · D 61.8	▼ 33Down 33 spots since last week
92	TempleAmerican Athletic	1-1	L 9-27 vs PSU	@ TOL	45.7O 35.0 · D 54.5	▼ 13Down 13 spots since last week
93	AkronMid-American	1-1	W 45-10 vs Robert Morris	@ MINN	45.7O 45.3 · D 53.7	▲ 29Up 29 spots since last week
94	KentuckySEC	1-1	L 17-45 vs ALA	@ #7 TA&M	45.5O 43.5 · D 48.7	▼ 26Down 26 spots since last week
95	NC StateACC	1-1	W 73-0 vs Richmond	@ VAN	45.5O 48.3 · D 54.9	▲ 23Up 23 spots since last week
96	MinnesotaBig Ten	1-1	L 13-38 vs MSST	vs AKR	45.4O 45.6 · D 54.0	▼ 43Down 43 spots since last week
97	Miami (OH)Mid-American	1-1	W 45-7 vs Holy Cross	@ CIN	45.3O 47.7 · D 42.6	▲ 29Up 29 spots since last week
98	KansasBig 12	1-1	L 21-38 vs MIZ	vs ASU	45.3O 47.1 · D 54.1	▼ 57Down 57 spots since last week
99	RiceAmerican Athletic	1-1	L 0-52 @ ND	vs WMU	45.3O 34.7 · D 56.7	▼ 32Down 32 spots since last week
100	Old DominionSun Belt	1-1	L 21-44 @ VT	vs ECU	45.1O 35.4 · D 56.6	▼ 20Down 20 spots since last week
101	UConnFBS Independents	1-1	L 14-38 vs MD	@ USM	45.1O 46.8 · D 50.7	▼ 57Down 57 spots since last week
102	Missouri StateConference USA	1-1	W 48-14 vs Lindenwood	vs MRSH	45.0O 43.4 · D 49.8	▲ 28Up 28 spots since last week
103	Southern MissSun Belt	1-1	L 8-43 @ AUB	vs CONN	45.0O 43.6 · D 50.2	▼ 48Down 48 spots since last week
104	ArkansasSEC	1-1	L 10-43 @ UTAH	vs UGA	44.8O 33.8 · D 56.9	▼ 28Down 28 spots since last week
105	WyomingMountain West	1-1	W 21-13 vs Northern Colorado	@ CMU	44.5O 24.1 · D 55.7	▲ 4Up 4 spots since last week
106	South AlabamaSun Belt	1-1	L 24-28 @ TULN	vs OHIO	44.1O 48.5 · D 54.4	▼ 32Down 32 spots since last week
107	Middle TennesseeConference USA	1-1	L 26-28 @ MRSH	vs NEV	44.0O 42.7 · D 56.0	▼ 29Down 29 spots since last week
108	Arkansas StateSun Belt	1-1	W 52-7 vs West Georgia	@ TCU	44.0O 50.4 · D 50.2	▼ 14Down 14 spots since last week
109	Kent StateMid-American	1-1	W 36-15 vs Wofford	@ OSU	43.9O 37.1 · D 48.0	▲ 20Up 20 spots since last week
110	NavyAmerican Athletic	1-1	L 30-38 @ FAU	@ UAB	43.9O 48.3 · D 51.9	▼ 41Down 41 spots since last week
111	Georgia SouthernSun Belt	1-1	L 7-22 @ CLEM	@ JXST	43.6O 32.0 · D 72.0	▼ 49Down 49 spots since last week
112	MarshallSun Belt	1-1	W 28-26 vs MTSU	@ MOST	43.4O 34.8 · D 44.8	▲ 15Up 15 spots since last week
113	UABAmerican Athletic	1-1	W 26-20 vs ULM	@ UL	43.1O 40.9 · D 54.7	▼ 6Down 6 spots since last week
114	UTEPMountain West	1-1	W 51-10 vs Texas Southern	@ #13 MICH	42.8O 44.6 · D 50.1	▲ 9Up 9 spots since last week
115	Ball StateMid-American	1-1	W 41-17 vs Stony Brook	@ LIB	41.3O 41.2 · D 39.1	▲ 16Up 16 spots since last week
116	Eastern MichiganMid-American	1-2	L 7-35 @ MSU	@ WIS	41.0O 29.6 · D 51.0	▼ 28Down 28 spots since last week
117	Jacksonville StateConference USA	1-2	L 27-29 @ OHIO	vs GASO	40.5O 43.8 · D 63.2	▼ 27Down 27 spots since last week
118	NevadaMountain West	1-1	L 7-20 vs Montana State	@ MTSU	39.5O 31.7 · D 54.9	▼ 97Down 97 spots since last week
119	UNLVMountain West	1-2	L 6-44 @ UNT	@ AKR	38.6O 32.1 · D 59.9	▼ 32Down 32 spots since last week
120	Central MichiganMid-American	1-1	W 13-10 vs Colgate	vs WYO	38.6O 16.7 · D 60.2	▲ 1Up 1 spot since last week
121	LibertyConference USA	1-1	W 24-23 vs Gardner-Webb	vs BALL	38.6O 29.8 · D 61.0	▼ 24Down 24 spots since last week
122	Sam HoustonConference USA	0-2	L 17-23 vs TLSA	vs Nicholls	38.0O 42.6 · D 56.5	▼ 22Down 22 spots since last week
123	BuffaloMid-American	1-1	L 20-33 @ FIU	@ #3 PSU	37.6O 32.7 · D 47.7	▼ 34Down 34 spots since last week
124	Texas StatePac-12	0-2	L 26-31 vs UTSA	vs UNT	37.0O 43.0 · D 36.4	▼ 10Down 10 spots since last week
125	Oregon StatePac-12	0-2	L 24-35 vs TTU	vs Montana	36.2O 47.0 · D 45.9	▼ 15Down 15 spots since last week
126	East CarolinaAmerican Athletic	0-2	L 24-27 vs APP	@ ODU	36.1O 39.3 · D 45.4	▲ 2Up 2 spots since last week
127	Georgia TechACC	0-2	L 24-45 vs TENN	vs Mercer	35.8O 33.5 · D 53.0	▼ 26Down 26 spots since last week
128	Sacramento StateMid-American	1-2	L 3-49 @ FRES	vs #14 NDSU	34.3O 34.9 · D 48.5	▼ 36Down 36 spots since last week
129	Hawai'iMountain West	1-2	W 29-19 vs NMSU	@ WYO	34.1O 33.0 · D 47.1	▲ 9Up 9 spots since last week
130	New Mexico StateConference USA	1-2	L 19-29 @ HAW	vs UNM	33.5O 44.6 · D 50.2	▼ 37Down 37 spots since last week
131	Washington StatePac-12	0-2	L 7-34 @ KSU	vs Duquesne	33.2O 28.3 · D 52.9	▼ 16Down 16 spots since last week
132	RutgersBig Ten	0-2	L 21-28 @ BC	vs #1 USC	32.9O 42.8 · D 44.5	▼ 19Down 19 spots since last week
133	UL MonroeSun Belt	0-2	L 20-26 @ UAB	vs SE Louisiana	31.8O 40.5 · D 38.8	–
134	Utah StatePac-12	0-2	L 14-16 @ WASH	@ UTAH	29.3O 28.7 · D 54.8	▲ 2Up 2 spots since last week
135	CharlotteAmerican Athletic	0-2	L 9-41 @ MISS	@ APP	28.7O 42.3 · D 29.7	–
136	Western KentuckyConference USA	0-2	L 20-70 @ UGA	@ IU	28.5O 41.6 · D 18.6	▼ 16Down 16 spots since last week
137	Bowling GreenMid-American	0-2	L 7-56 @ NEB	@ ISU	27.0O 23.1 · D 35.1	–
138	Northern IllinoisMountain West	0-2	L 24-28 vs Illinois State	@ ARIZ	26.6O 22.0 · D 39.5	▼ 6Down 6 spots since last week