The third week of the season kicks off tonight and my power rankings are late. I got busy but it’s okay because we are back and I’m sure the top 25 hasn’t changed too dramatically. It’s not like my number five team last week barely beat an FCS team and my number 13 team lost to Toledo. What could possibly be different? Let’s just jump right in.

WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS

1. Ohio State Buckeyes 2-0 (Last week: 1): The Buckeyes trounced Hawaii in their home opener last weekend with impressive performances from the defense and Ezekiel Elliot. Neither Cardale Jones nor JT Barrett looked at his best but it shouldn’t take long to figure that out with a simple schedule. This week: Northern Illinois, 2:30 pm CST, ABC/ESPN2

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 2-0 (2): The quarterback play against MTSU brought some more questions to the table for Alabama but Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake look like the nation’s best backfield. The defense looks just as good as advertised. This week: 3 Ole Miss, 8:15 pm CST, ESPN

3. Ole Miss Rebels 2-0 (7): Another week goes by with another blowout victory for the Rebels. Fresno State is slightly better than their first opponent but 75 points per game is impressive against anyone. The nation’s best receiving core could give the home team some problems on Saturday night. This week: at 2 Alabama, 8:15 pm CST, ESPN

4. TCU Horned Frogs 2-0 (4): Trevone Boykin and the offense hope that they got everything back on track in the big win over Stephen F. Austin. The opener at Minnesota was not easy and the Horned Frogs are still trying to bounce back before Big XII play begins. This week: SMU, 7:00 pm CST, FSN

5. UCLA Bruins 2-0 (10): This team may be the most complete team in the country behind Ohio State. Josh Rosen has exceeded the high expectations set for him and has been surrounded with offensive weapons. The defense has given up 9.5 points per game and just under 4 yards per play, both ranking in the top 15 of the nation. This week: 18 BYU, 9:30 pm CST, FS1

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2-0 (3): It’s hard to say what would be in store for this team if Malik Zaire had not gone down to injury but Deshone Kizer looked good enough and there may not be too much of a drop off for Notre Dame. This week: 14 Georgia Tech, 2:30 pm CST, NBC

7. USC Trojans (8): The Trojans rolled to another 50-point win last weekend and Cody Kessler looks just as good as he was last season. Juju Smith caught 10 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns against Idaho. This week: Stanford, 7:00 pm CST, ABC

8. Michigan State Spartans (12): Sparty got a big win against Oregon last Saturday but neither team looked too impressive in week one so it’s hard to reward them too much. MSU may have the best chance of knocking off Ohio State this season. This week: Air Force, 11:00 am CST, ABC

9. Georgia Bulldogs (9): The Bulldogs clearly still have issues at quarterback after their first SEC road trip but the running game and defense is strong enough to let them compete with anyone in the country. This week: South Carolina, 5:00 pm CST, ESPN

10. Baylor Bears (6): Seth Russell fits the Bears’ offense but his three interceptions helped Lamar (yes, Lamar) score 31 points against Baylor last weekend. Those mistakes will be costly once conference play begins. This week: BYE

11. Clemson Tigers (13): Clemson finished off another weak opponent behind a strong performance by Deshaun Watson. He looks like one of the nation’s best quarterbacks and will be displayed in primetime tonight. This week: at Louisville, Thursday 6:30 pm CST, ESPN

12. Oklahoma Sooners (16): A double overtime win in Knoxville may have been the most impressive win of the weekend. Baker Mayfield seems to be the real deal after leading a 17-point comeback. The defense is clearly improved after holding down a strong Tennessee offense. This week: Tulsa, 11:00 am CST, FS1

13. LSU Tigers (25): They finally got to play a game and looked really good. A one-dimensional offense lead by Leonard Fournette and a strong defense helped win an SEC road game. This week: 20 Auburn, 2:30 pm CST, CBS

14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (15): The triple option is working as well as ever early in the season and the Yellow Jackets can prove they are a national contender at Notre Dame this weekend. This weekend: at 6 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm CST, NBC

15. Florida State Seminoles (19): The Seminoles continue to climb. Week one, it was Everett Golson’s performance and last week it was Dalvin Cook. The talent and experience is there and they still may be the best team in the ACC. This week: at Boston College, Friday 7:00 pm CST, ESPN

16. Oregon Ducks (11): A tough road loss was expected last weekend in East Lansing. A young Vernon Adams Jr. made a couple of major mistakes but the team still looks like, at the least, a major Pac-12 contender. This week: Georgia State, 1:00 pm CST, Pac-12 Network

17. Texas A&M Aggies (17): The Aggies can’t show too much more than they did in week one until SEC play starts. Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray both looked good against Ball State last weekend. This week: Nevada, 11:00 am CST, SEC Network

18. BYU Cougars (20): Another last minute win against a good opponent. They have two of the most exciting wins so far this season and has played one of the nation’s toughest schedules through two weeks. Freshman Tanner Mangum has stepped into the quarterback role well but the Cougars’ Independent schedule doesn’t get any easier. This week: at 5 UCLA, 9:30 pm CST, FS1

19. West Virginia Mountaineers (19): Week two was a little less impressive for the Mountaineers but they still have opportunities to make some noise once real opponents start showing up. This week: BYE

20. Auburn Tigers (5): Jeremy Johnson didn’t have anything figured out against Jacksonville State and the offense as a whole still has issues to address. The defense can help out some but SEC play starts this weekend and Gus Malzahn’s offense of old will need to show up for the Tigers to get back in the national title talks. This week: at 13 LSU, 2:30 pm CST, CBS

21. Utah Utes (22): The Utes struggled against their in-state rivals this past week but as long as Travis Wilson can stay healthy, Utah should be a serious contender for the Pac-12 South. This week: at Fresno State, 9:30 pm CST, CBSSN

22. Wisconsin Badgers (24): The Badgers got their first win of the season in a big way against Miami (OH). Joel Stave had another solid game while the defense pitched a shutout. This week: Troy, 2:30 pm CST, BTN

23. Kentucky Wildcats (NR): The Wildcats were in this same position last season with a 5-0 start but Patrick Towles has another year of experience and could be the difference. Kentucky will need to find a solution to their second half problems before they get too deep into SEC play. This week: Florida, 6:30 pm CST, SEC Network

24. Northwestern Wildcats (NR): They topped off their big win against Stanford with a dominant performance against Eastern Illinois. Justin Jackson is the real deal at running back and could push the Wildcats into the B1G picture. This week: at Duke, 11:30 am CST, ACCN/WTTO

25. Memphis Tigers (NR): The Tigers might not be the 25th best team in the nation but I like them so you have to deal with it. Paxton Lynch is the real deal at quarterback and he destroyed a Power 5 team on the road last weekend (it was Kansas but it still counts). This week: at Bowling Green, 2:00 pm CST, ESPN3

HEISMAN RANKINGS

1. Derrick Henry, Alabama RB

2. Leonard Fournette, LSU RB

3. Nick Chubb, Georgia RB

4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson QB

5. Dalvin Cook, FSU RB

6. Josh Rosen, UCLA QB

7. Cody Kessler, USC QB

8. William Fuller, Notre Dame WR

9. Paxton Lynch, Memphis QB

10. Ezekiel Elliot, Ohio State RB


Caleb Turrentine is a contributor and a show host at WVUA-FM. Follow him on Twitter, @CalebTurrentine.