The third weekend of the college football season didn’t bring about any major changes for the LSU football team.
The Tigers (3-0, 2-0) remained entrenched at No. 12 in Sunday’s USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press poll after defeating Mississippi State, 29-7, on Saturday night.
LSU’s defense led the way against the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-2) with five interceptions, while senior kicker Josh Jasper set a school record with five field goals.
The Tigers jumped four spots in last week’s rankings by virtue of several major upsets across the college football landscape. This week was not so eventful, as No. 18 Iowa was the only team to drop out of the top 10, falling from No. 9 after a 34-27 loss to now-No. 14 Arizona.
The last time Arizona was ranked so high during the regular season was 1998, when the Wildcats finished the year No. 4 in the country.
No. 6 Nebraska and No. 10 Arkansas both surged into the upper echelon of this week’s polls after impressive performances Saturday.
The Cornhuskers pounded Washington into submission, 56-21, with a 383-yard team rushing performance, helping them to the AP’s No. 6 ranking and the No. 8 spot in the USA Today coaches poll.
The Razorbacks pulled out a thrilling 31-24 victory against Georgia at Sanford Stadium, with junior quarterback Ryan Mallett completing 21 of 33 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning strike with 15 seconds remaining.
The Southeastern Conference featured four other ranked teams in addition to LSU and Arkansas. Alabama secured its hold on the top spot in both polls after dismantling Duke, 62-13.
Florida starts the week ranked No. 8 by the coaches and No. 9 by the AP after outlasting Tennessee, 31-17, on the road.
No. 12 South Carolina dismantled Furman, 38-19. The Gamecocks face the conference’s final ranked squad, No. 17 Auburn, in Auburn this weekend.
Michigan State joined the rankings for the first time this season at No. 25 after downing Notre Dame, 34-31, on a fake field goal touchdown in overtime.
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio suffered a minor heart attack after the thrilling win. He is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery to put a stent in a blocked blood vessel.
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