Top 25 Predictions: Washington Shines, Tennessee Falls in Upcoming College Football Rankings

The Pac-12’s Impressive Performance in AP Top 25 So Far

The Pac-12 football conference has been a prominent feature in the AP Top 25 this season. This week, the conference hit a new high with eight teams being ranked – a feat only ever achieved by the SEC, 23 times. It’s expected all eight teams will still be in the new poll when it’s released on Sunday, but the standout team of Week 3 was definitely No. 8 Washington.

No. 8 Washington – The Pac-12 Standout of Week 3

While the rest of the top 10 teams gave less than stellar performances, the Huskies stood out with a 41-7 road victory over Michigan State. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led the charge, throwing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns in just the first half. This allowed them to take a 35-0 lead into halftime—a feat only ever achieved by a select few quarterbacks since 2015. Penix has now taken the Huskies to a 3-0 start with each game won by at least 33 points. A marvelous start to their college football season.

Can the Huskies Climb the Ladder?

Despite their impressive performance, the Huskies may face a hurdle in moving up the rankings. This is due to the fact that ranked teams this week had a 22-2 win-loss record. The only two teams to lose, Tennessee and Kansas State, were already ranked lower than the Huskies. Despite this, it’s hard to imagine the Huskies not gaining some ground when the new AP Top 25 is released on Sunday.

Projections for the Upcoming AP Top 25

Here’s our best guess for what we’ll see when the new AP Top 25 is released on Sunday:

1. Georgia (Last week — 1): Georgia had its first real test of the season against South Carolina. They passed, but it wasn’t a standout performance.

2. Michigan (2): Michigan continued its early-season trend of playing at seemingly three-quarter speed.

3. Florida State (3): Florida State managed to salvage a lackluster performance with a skin-of-their-teeth victory at Chestnut Hill.

4. Texas (4): The Longhorns managed to secure a late victory over Wyoming after a subpar performance.

5. USC (5): The USC Trojans enjoyed a quiet weekend as they had no matches scheduled.

… and so on till 25. Missouri (NR): The Tigers may debut in the poll after securing an upset over Kansas State, taking them to a 3-0 start.