Week 3 of the 2025 college football season was as good as advertised, if not better. And there was no shortage of entertaining finishes.
A handful of matchups highlighted Saturday's schedule, and things started with a bang as No. 12 Clemson fell to 1-2 on the season after a last-second loss to conference foe Georgia Tech. All eyes immediately shifted to Knoxville, Tenn., where the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers got out to a ripping start before the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs roared back to earn a walk-off 44-41 win in overtime.
In Miami Gardens, Fla., No. 5 Miami (FL), handed No. 18 South Florida a reality check in the form of a 49-12 decision. The Hurricanes are now 3-0 with two ranked wins under their belts already.
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The high-profile matchups continued into the evening, as No. 3 LSU's defense stymied Florida in a 20-10 win, while No. 16 Texas A&M scored a late touchdown to earn a 41-40 win over the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who fall to 0-2 on the young season. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Diego Pavia leading unranked Vanderbilt to a 31-7 road win over No. 11 South Carolina, which is now shifting its focus to the health of its star QB, LaNorris Sellers.
Aside from the drama, other ranked teams took care of business during Week 3:
- No. 25 Missouri defeated Louisiana, 52-10
- No. 23 Michigan defeated Central Michigan, 63-3
- No. 22 Indiana defeated Indiana State, 73-0
- No. 13 Oklahoma defeated Temple, 42-3
- No. 9 Illinois defeated Western Michigan, 38-0
- No. 2 Penn State defeated Villanova, 52-6
Here is how the rankings have been impacted ahead of Week 4 of the college football season.
MORE: Will Tennessee's painful overtime loss to Georgia haunt Vols in SEC, CFP races?
College football rankings for Week 4
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 1,668 (62) |
| 2 | Penn State | 3-0 | 1,559 (3) |
| 3 | Georgia | 3-0 | 1,501 (1) |
| 4 | LSU | 3-0 | 1,468 (1) |
| 5 | Oregon | 3-0 | 1,444 |
| 6 | Miami (FL) | 3-0 | 1,379 |
| 7 | Texas | 2-1 | 1,209 |
| 8 | Illinois | 3-0 | 1,150 |
| 9 | Florida State | 2-0 | 1,023 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 1,003 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 951 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 906 |
| 13 | Iowa State | 4-0 | 896 |
| 14 | Alabama | 2-1 | 630 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 2-1 | 625 |
| 16 | Texas Tech | 3-0 | 563 |
| 17 | Indiana | 3-0 | 550 |
| 18 | Utah | 3-0 | 510 |
| 19 | Georgia Tech | 3-0 | 333 |
| 20 | Michigan | 2-1 | 316 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 0-2 | 296 |
| 22 | Missouri | 3-0 | 252 |
| 23 | Vanderbilt | 3-0 | 249 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 198 |
| 25 | Auburn | 3-0 | 160 |
Others receiving votes: BYU 158; Arizona State 141; USC 117; Clemson 116; Tulane 107; Louisville 53; TCU 49; South Florida 48; Mississippi State 27; SMU 24; Nebraska 24; Navy 15; Memphis 14; Washington 13; North Carolina State 13; Baylor 8; Houston 5; Kansas 2; UNLV 1; California 1;
MORE: Updated College Football Playoff projections
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 1,631 (55) |
| 2 | Penn State | 3-0 | 1,490 (5) |
| 3 | LSU | 3-0 | 1,470 (2) |
| 4 | Miami (FL) | 3-0 | 1,434 (3) |
| 5 | Georgia | 3-0 | 1,428 |
| 6 | Oregon | 3-0 | 1,423 (1) |
| 7 | Florida State | 2-0 | 1,123 |
| 8 | Texas | 2-1 | 1,111 |
| 9 | Illinois | 3-0 | 1,110 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 1,101 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 1,056 |
| 12 | Iowa State | 4-0 | 820 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 748 |
| 14 | Alabama | 2-1 | 599 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 2-1 | 583 |
| 16 | Utah | 3-0 | 573 |
| 17 | Texas Tech | 3-0 | 538 |
| 18 | Georgia Tech | 3-0 | 511 |
| 19 | Indiana | 3-0 | 458 |
| 20 | Vanderbilt | 3-0 | 397 |
| 21 | Michigan | 2-1 | 356 |
| 22 | Auburn | 3-0 | 344 |
| 23 | Missouri | 3-0 | 292 |
| 24 | Notre Dame | 0-2 | 207 |
| 25 | USC | 3-0 | 105 |
Others receiving votes: BYU 94, South Florida 83, South Carolina 82, Mississippi St. 69, TCU 67, Arizona St. 57, Tulane 33, Louisville 25, Nebraska 9, Baylor 6, Clemson 6, SMU 4, NC State 4, UNLV 2, Navy 1.