Josh Pate didn’t make sweeping changes to his college football ratings following an eventful weekend.
The sports media personality released his updated Top 25 ratings on Tuesday ahead of Week 3. Pate has repeatedly stressed that his poll isn’t a set of rankings, as he instead grades teams based on how they would fare in future games on a neutral surface.
As a result, Pate didn’t alter the top of his leaderboard. Ohio State remains No. 1 despite blowing a 20-point lead in Saturday’s stunning loss to Texas, who stays at No. 3 behind Georgia.
Pate kept LSU, Miami and Indiana at fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. His first change sees Ole Miss jumping two spots to No. 7 ahead of No. 8 Notre Dame and Oregon, which dropped from eighth to 12th following a 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State.
Meanwhile, USC climbed three spots to No. 9 after a 49-30 win over Louisiana. Alabama remains at No. 10, and Oklahoma noticeably stayed put at No. 13 despite losing to Michigan. The Wolverines jumped to No. 19 in the AP poll, but Pate still left them out of his top 25.
Pate added the Florida Gators to his ratings at No. 23 in place of Nebraska. Here are his full updated Week 3 ratings:
Is Ohio State still the team to beat?
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Pate reminded everyone that his ratings shouldn’t be mistaken for power rankings, but observers may still dislike Ohio State keeping his top spot after a loss.
The Buckeyes outplayed the Longhorns for three quarters on the road before Arch Manning led three straight lengthy touchdown drives in the final period. Ryan Day’s team finished with more total yards (373) in a 24-23 shortcoming.
Texas usurped Ohio State as the AP poll’s new No. 1 team, but Pate would still back the Buckeyes in a rematch with no home-field advantage. He also prefers Georgia, which hasn’t been tested in non-conference blowout wins over Tennessee State and Western Kentucky.
Pate also likes LSU and Ole Miss more than the AP Top 25, so the new ESPN contributor may especially take interest in Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford. The SEC matchup could present another challenge to his system, as a narrow Rebels home win may not be enough for him to move down the Tigers.
