Beginning of conference play shuffles Echo From The Buttes top 25

Week three is another interesting Echo From The Buttes top 25. A pair of teams join the top 25, two teams jump up five spots, and two teams drop down despite winning.

1. Texas (3-0, Last week’s rank: 1)

Texas holds the top spot with half of the poll’s first-place votes after beating UTSA. The Longhorns travel to Tennessee in a top-15-ranked matchup on Saturday.

2. Georgia (3-0, Last week’s rank: 2)

Georgia was two votes behind Texas after it dominated Arkansas. The Bulldogs host the once-ranked Oklahoma Sooners this week.

3. Indiana (3-0, Last week’s rank: T3)

Indiana broke out of its tie with Notre Dame and was one vote behind Georgia. The Hoosiers received the other half of the poll’s first-place votes after shutting out Western Kentucky. They play Northwestern this week.

4. Notre Dame (90) (3-0, Last week’s rank: T3)

Notre Dame, like the others in the top four, had all of its votes in the top five after beating Michigan State. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish face Purdue.

5. Miami (3-0, Last week’s rank: 5)

Miami slots in the top five for the second straight week after beating Wake Forest. The Hurricanes host Central Michigan this week.

6. Alabama (3-0, Last week’s rank: T7)

For the first time this year, Alabama is not tied with another team. Alabama was one vote behind Miami as it had the lowest vote of the two at No. 8 after it beat Florida State. The Crimson Tide hosts South Carolina this week.

7. Ole Miss (3-0, Last week’s rank: T10)

Ole Miss was one vote behind Alabama as its lowest votes were a pair at No. 9 after it beat LSU and former coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels visit Florida in a ranked matchup this week.

8. BYU (3-0, Last week’s rank: 9)

BYU is the top ranked team in the Big 12 once again as its votes spanned from No. 7 to No. 9 after it beat Colorado State. The Cougars are on a bye week this week.

9. Texas Tech (3-0, Last week’s rank: T10)

Three-fourths of Texas Tech’s votes were No. 11. It survived a close battle with Big 12 rival Houston last week. The Red Raiders face Sam Houston this week.

T10. Penn State (3-0, Last week’s rank: 13)

All of Penn State’s votes place them in the top 15 after it beat Buffalo. The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin this week.

T10. Ohio State (2-1, Last week’s rank: 12)

Three-quarters of the voters had Ohio State in the top 10 after it dominated Kent State. The other voter did not rank the Buckeyes. They host Illinois this week.

12. USC (4-0, Last week’s rank: 14)

USC had a wide split in the poll as they were ranked as high as No. 9 and as low as No. 22 after it beat Rutgers last week. The Trojans host Oregon this week.

13. Tennessee (3-0, Last week’s rank: 17)

Tennessee’s votes ranged from No. 13 to No. 17 this week. The Volunteers beat Kennesaw State and host No. 1 Texas this week.

14. LSU (2-1, Last week’s rank: 6)

LSU was two votes behind Tennessee. The Tigers received votes from three-fourths of the panel after losing to Ole Miss last week. They host Texas A&M this week.

15. Utah (3-0, Last week’s rank: T19)

Half of Utah’s votes were at No. 17 after it blanked Utah State last week. The Utes visit Iowa State this weekend.

16. Missouri (3-0, Last week’s rank: 18)

Missouri is the final team that had votes from all of the voters, with all votes coming in the top 20 after it beat Troy. The Tigers visit Mississippi State in an interesting SEC matchup.

17. Louisville (31) (2-1, Last week’s rank: 22)

Louisville is one of two teams rising five spots after it beat once-ranked SMU. It was one vote behind Missouri. The Cardinals received votes from three-fourths of the voters as it hosts Wake Forest this week.

18. Iowa (3-0, Last week’s rank: T23)

Iowa jumps up five spots as three voters had them at No. 16, with the other voter not ranking Iowa at all. Iowa was one vote behind Louisville. The Hawkeyes blanked FCS Northern Iowa and visit Michigan in a top 20 battle.

19. Michigan (3-0, Last week’s rank: T23)

Three-fourths of the voting panel had Michigan in its top 20, with the other not ranking the Wolverines after it beat UTEP. The Wolverines host Iowa this week.

20. Washington (3-0, Last week’s rank: T19)

For the second week in a row, Washington won and lost a position in the poll as it received votes from half of the voters. The Huskies beat FCS Eastern Washington and they face Minnesota this week.

21. Florida (3-0, Last week’s rank: NR)

After not receiving any votes all season, Florida appears at 21, receiving votes from three-quarters of the voters. The Gators beat Auburn last week and host Ole Miss this week.

22. Oregon (2-1, Last week’s rank: T23)

Oregon was three votes behind Florida and five behind Washington. The Ducks received votes from three-quarters of the voting panel after steamrolling FCS Portland State. They visit USC this week.

T23. Houston (2-1, Last week’s rank: 16)

Houston placed one vote behind Oregon. The Cougars received votes from half of the voters after narrowly falling to Texas Tech. They visit Georgia Southern this week. 

T23. Virginia Tech (3-0, Last week’s rank: RV)

The James Franklin era at Virginia Tech is off to a good start after defeating Maryland last week. The Hokies received votes from half of the voters. Compared to Houston, they had a lower top vote. They visit Boston College this week.

T23. Texas A&M (2-1, Last week’s rank: T7)

Texas A&M is this week’s biggest faller after losing to Kentucky at home. The Aggies received a single vote at No. 13 this week, putting them in the poll. They play at LSU this week.

Dropping out of the top 25: SMU (2-1, last week’s rank: 15), Virginia (2-1, last week’s rank: 21)

Others receiving votes: SMU, West Virginia, Duke, Mississippi State, Pitt, James Madison, UCLA, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Kentucky, North Dakota State