College Football

2023 college football top 10 rankings: Joel Klatt's top 10 teams after Week 3

Published Sep. 19, 2023 1:14 p.m. ET

Three weeks into the 2023 college football season, I have an admission: I don’t know who the best team in the country is, and that is a great thing for the sport.

In past years, I felt like you could consistently put a line under the top-three teams because they were so much better than everyone else, and we knew the national champion was going to come from those three teams. Now, heading into Week 4 of the season, it feels like that line has fallen from the top-three teams to the top 11, and I am here for it.

All signs point to this being an unbelievable finish to the season as any of these teams could beat one another, and that’s exactly what we needed in the sport … more parity, and we’ve got it. Need proof?

This is the first time since 2017 that there’s only been one SEC team ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll. We are beginning to see the level of parity rise as other conferences are getting really good, with three Big Ten and Pac-12 teams ranked in my top 10.

With that said, here is a look at my top 10 teams following Week 3:

1. Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated South Carolina, 24-14

I don’t think Georgia looks like the clear-cut No. 1 team. The Bulldogs are going to stay there because they’ve won back-to-back national championships and obviously their roster is really talented. But should the No. 1 team in the nation be down 14-3 at halftime to South Carolina … at home? Probably not. But Georgia bounced back and played great in the second half like a championship team should do, outscoring South Carolina 21-0 and running away with it.

Do the Georgia Bulldogs still look like the best team in the country?

2. Michigan Wolverines
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Bowling Green, 31-6

Michigan was leading Bowling Green 7-6 late in the first half on Saturday. That’s not dominant. I was singing J.J. McCarthy’s praises about how he was the best quarterback in the Big Ten, but then he goes out there and throws three picks. Still, the Wolverines turned it on in the second half and outscored Bowling Green 17-0 after halftime. Jim Harbaugh will return to the sideline on Saturday as the Wolverines open up Big Ten play against Rutgers at the Big House.

3. Texas Longhorns
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Wyoming, 31-10

What do I always tell you about Texas? The Longhorns always play to the level of their competition. That’s what makes the Big 12 so difficult for them. Now, having said that, this is a team that has a lot of firepower. After being tied with Wyoming heading into the fourth quarter, Texas went on a 21-0 run and went on to win, 31-10. Clearly, this is a team that has a lot of top-end potential.

4. USC Trojans
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Idle

I think USC is really good, but the Trojans are 3-0 with wins over San Jose State, Nevada and Stanford. We will know more about this team once they get into the heart of Pac-12 play. Still, regardless of competition, Caleb Williams has been great. He is completing 79% of his passes for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns in three games. The Trojans travel to Arizona to take on Arizona State in a Pac-12 matchup this weekend.

5. Washington Huskies
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Michigan State, 41-7

I think we’re underselling and undervaluing Washington. This is a really good football team. Kalen DeBoer is a really good football coach and Michael Penix Jr. is a bonafide Heisman candidate. They housed Michigan State, 41-7, on the road. Penix was incredible, completing 27 of 35 passes for 473 yards and four touchdowns. They’ve got great wide receivers on the outside and Penix throws it down the field as good as anybody in the country. I think that this is a legit playoff team. If there’s one team in the country that we are underappreciating right now as a college football entity, it’s absolutely Washington. If there’s one player in the country we’re undervaluing right now, it's Michael Penix. Washington is a problem for everybody, not just the Pac-12, not just USC, but everybody. Are we undervaluing Washington? Absolutely. Washington is legit.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Western Kentucky, 63-10

I was really impressed with Ohio State. Western Kentucky can play offense and this Ohio State defense did a really good job. Through three weeks, the Buckeyes have one of the best defenses in the country, at least statistically. They have also figured a lot of things out on the offensive side. It was sluggish against Indiana and Youngstown State, but then, they finally just put a flag in the ground and said Kyle McCord is going be our starting QB, and then they came out and laid 63 on Western Kentucky. They got big plays down the field, getting Marvin Harrison Jr. involved early, and Emeka Egbuka had a much better game. The running backs ran much better and had cleaner lanes to run through because the offensive line played their most complete game up to this point. This is a team that is 3-0 and are breaking in a new QB, and he is looking better and better and played his best game last week. We are going to find out everything we need to know about Ohio State when they play Notre Dame this weekend.

Has Ohio State solidified themselves as a top 10 team?

7. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Boston College, 31-29

While all of these other teams turned it on late, Florida State built up a big lead – 31-10 in the third quarter – and then all of a sudden, Boston College had a real chance in that game. Boston College did all of this and had 18 penalties in the game. So, Florida State did not look great. We expect more out of them.

8. Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Illinois, 30-13

Penn State only led by six late in the second quarter against an Illinois team that really struggled on offense. At the end of the day, the Nittany Lions were able to put the game away because they were dominant on the defensive side of the ball. Drew Allar did what he needed to do, finishing with 208 yards through the air and 24 yards on the ground. The sophomore QB took care of the ball and didn’t commit a turnover in the win.

9. Utah Utes
Record: 3-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Weber State, 31-7

Kyle Whittingham’s team improved to 3-0 following a 31-7 win over Weber State. Cam Rising missed his third straight game and Nate Johnson got the start under center after sparking a comeback at Baylor. The redshirt freshman QB completed 13 of 21 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while also leading the team in rushing with 71 yards and a touchdown. Utah’s defense is holding opponents to an average of 10.3 points per game, which includes a pair of wins over Power 5 opponents. The Utes will host freshman QB Dante Moore and No. 22 UCLA this weekend.

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: 4-0
Week 3 result: Defeated Central Michigan, 41-7

Notre Dame’s offense is putting up 46 points per game as the Fighting Irish are off to a 4-0 start this season. Sam Hartman, who currently has the fourth-best Heisman odds heading into Week 4, is completing 71% of his passes for 1,061 yards and 13 touchdowns, which leads the country. Audric Estime is averaging 130 rushing yards per game, which ranks third in the FBS. Hartman, Estime and the Irish face a big test this weekend when they host Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.