Faculty Soccer 2023: B/R’s Prime 25 Rankings After Week 3

Subsequent week, school soccer followers throughout the nation shall be handled to a terrific slate of motion between ranked opponents. This week did not characteristic that, however nonetheless did not disappoint.

It may have been dubbed Squirming Saturday.

After No. 3 Florida State sweated out a visit to Chestnut Hill and wanted assist from a late Boston Faculty penalty to outlive 31-29 on the heels of subsequent week’s recreation in opposition to Clemson, it set the tone for a weird day.

No. 11 Tennessee and Fifteenth-ranked Kansas State each went down. Prime-ranked Georgia trailed by 11 at halftime to South Carolina at house earlier than successful by 10. Alabama had a one-score lead on hapless South Florida deep within the fourth quarter. Wyoming battled Texas all night time in a detailed one.

On and on, high groups across the nation both misplaced or limped.

Bleacher Report Faculty Soccer specialists Morgan Moriarty, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard tried to make sense of all of it and handed out rankings this manner:

1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Texas
T-4. USC
T-4. Washington
6. Penn State
7. Notre Dame
8. Florida State
9. Oregon
10. Utah
11. Oklahoma
12. LSU
13. Duke
T-14. Ole Miss
T-14. Ohio State
T-16. Oregon State
T-16. Alabama
18. Colorado
19. Miami
20. Washington State
21. North Carolina
22. Tennessee
23. Kansas
T-24. UCLA
T-24. Clemson
T-24. Missouri

If it is attainable for a top-10 workforce to be flying a smidgen underneath the radar, the Washington Huskies appear to be doing it.

You’ll be able to’t hear to a school soccer present with out listening to Deion Sanders’ title, and the thrill round USC goes past Caleb Williams’ Heisman hype. With Bo Nix again for an additional season in Eugene, the Oregon Geese are thick within the nationwide image, too.

However you’d higher stay awake on coach Kalen DeBoer’s Huskies. They’re electrifying on offense, and to date, they’ve vanquishing everyone of their manner. U-Dub made its manner throughout the nation to Michigan State on Saturday and sped previous the Spartans.

The Huskies ran the Spartans out of their very own stadium, 41-7. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is writing his personal prolonged Heisman Trophy candidacy script proper now and added extra highlights with 473 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. He is as much as 1,332 yards, 12 touchdowns and only one choose for the 12 months now.

Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan will be the nation’s high huge receiver tandem, however the Huskies have weapons out the wazoo and confirmed that once more Saturday. Ja’Lynn Polk had some sick catches on his option to 5 grabs for 118 yards and a rating. Tight finish Jack Westover added three touchdowns.

Oh by the way in which, the protection confirmed some spark, too, solely permitting one late rating. Whereas Michigan State has loads of offensive points, that is the second respectable opponent the Huskies have dealt with this 12 months. In addition they dominated Boise State.

The Pac-12 is deep and robust this 12 months, however it’s attainable Washington is the most effective of the bunch.

Final 12 months, the famed Third Saturday in October showdown between Tennessee and Alabama offered school soccer with its recreation of the 12 months.

This season, the one followers who might care about that recreation are these from the Vols and Crimson Tide. It does not seem—if the early season is any indication—that the lean in Tuscaloosa could have convention or nationwide ramifications.

If it does, each groups might want to play lots higher.

The No. 11-ranked Vols went to Florida a slight favourite Saturday, have been blown off the sector within the first half by the Gators, failed on three pivotal second-half fourth downs and dedicated expensive penalties on their option to a 29-16 loss. The setback was surprising solely to those that do not comply with this sequence; Tennessee hasn’t gained within the Swamp in 20 years.

Whereas maligned UT quarterback Joe Milton III had his ups and downs, there have been many issues guilty for a lackluster loss. A protection that had carried the Vols allowed seven third-down conversions within the first eight makes an attempt as Florida constructed an insurmountable lead, and the offensive line was porous.

Alabama, in the meantime, had its personal gloomy day within the Sunshine State. The quarterback points continued dramatically as Tyler Buchner changed Jalen Milroe, was subsequently benched for Ty Simpson, and the Tide needed to sneak in a tack-on TD late within the fourth to win 17-3 in opposition to a South Florida workforce that went 1-11 a season in the past.

A speeding recreation that should carry the Tide throw these quarterback woes did not materialize till the fourth quarter, and new coordinator Tommy Rees is devoid of solutions. It did not harm the Tide on Saturday, however failure to maintain drives will tax the protection in opposition to good opponents.

There are a lot of extra questions than solutions for 2 rival groups that completed within the nation’s high six a season in the past. It is already time to be involved about 2023 for each applications.

There are a lot of miles remaining on this school soccer season, however with each rotation of Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis’ SEC-record 61-yard game-winning discipline aim in opposition to Kansas State on Saturday, the Wildcats’ championship flex misplaced its power.

When it cut up the uprights and Missouri celebrated a 30-27 upset of the Fifteenth-ranked, defending Huge 12 champion Wildcats by storming the sector in CoMo, it felt like extra than simply an upset. Ok-State did not appear to be a contender in opposition to a mid-tier SEC workforce.

The sport’s high takeaway was Kansas State fading because the Huge 12’s high workforce and Texas rightfully getting all of the love as the highest workforce in that convention earlier than heading to the SEC subsequent 12 months.

However Mevis’ booming boot is the most important story. Within the wealthy historical past of the SEC, no one has ever made a discipline aim that lengthy, and as quickly because it left his foot, it was pure and true.

Essentially the most stunning factor, although, is the longer the kick, the extra correct Mevis appears to be. This is identical man who’d entered the sport having missed two chip-shot discipline objectives this 12 months and an additional level final week. Transfer him again, although, and he is cash.

In a wide-open SEC, perhaps Mizzou is value watching. After two sputtering showings to start out the season, the Tigers obtained an amazing effort from quarterback Brady Cook dinner and obtained the ball within the palms of electrifying sophomore receiver Luther Burden III.

However the Mevis Magic was marvelous. It was cool that the record-breaking kick additionally was a game-winner over a ranked opponent.

All the things we have seen to date in the course of the younger school soccer season was sufficient to stimulate our urge for food, however the primary programs actually begin subsequent weekend as a near-full slate of convention matchups pepper the schedule.

Week 4 supplies a heaping serving to of six showdowns between groups that entered this week ranked, headlined by sixth-ranked Ohio State’s return journey to No. 9 Notre Dame in a marquee early-season matchup.

Whereas the Preventing Irish have thrived with graduate switch Sam Hartman underneath middle, the Buckeyes are looking for their manner with Kyle McCord within the post-CJ Stroud period. It is a large recreation to see which of those proud applications belong within the nationwide image.

The Pac-12 stays firmly within the highlight as there are three video games between ranked opponents. Deion Sanders’ upstart No. 18-ranked Colorado Buffaloes workforce makes their first tough highway journey of the season to Eugene to face No. 13 Oregon. No. 24 UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore will attempt to knock off a Twelfth-ranked Utah workforce on the highway, because the Utes hope to return Cam Rising.

Within the Battle of These Left Behind, 2024’s solely convention remainders following the realignment shuffle—No. 16 Oregon State and No. 12 Washington State—meet in Pullman.

Then there’s an enormous tilt to find out ACC supremacy as third-ranked Florida State travels to Clemson.

Lane Kiffin will get one other shot at his previous boss, Nick Saban, as Ole Miss takes on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and Iowa will head to Penn State to tackle a Nittany Lions workforce that sneakily could also be the most effective within the Huge Ten.

There’s lots to like about subsequent Saturday’s slate.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference except in any other case famous. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports except in any other case famous.