Vibes Up/Vibes Down: The 10 best (and 5 worst) seasons so far

1. Vanderbilt: Vandy has won four in a row for the first time since 2013 but, more impressively, they've won all three games this season by 20-plus points, the first time a Commodores team has done that since 1930. Clark Lea's team has out-scored Virginia Tech and then-No. 11 South Carolina by a combined 65-7 over their last six quarters; the only SEC team that could pull that off and only be ranked No. 20 by the AP is named Vanderbilt. Up next, Vandy gets a revenge game with Georgia State and then Utah State before an enormous trip to No. 14 Alabama on Oct. 4. 

2. Texas A&M: Yes, there was clear holding on Marcel Reed's game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass. But so what? Maybe that's the way it needed to happen. Having a program-winning win wiped away via holding call would've been the ultimate Texas A&M way to lose, so perhaps some sort of curse was lifted on A&M. It's too early to tell on that, but to take the next step as a program Mike Elko's team needed to improve its downfield passing attack and win on the road. Check, and check. 

3. Miami: Notre Dame pulling out a win over Texas A&M certainly would've helped the ol' strength of schedule, but the Hurricanes sent college football's would-be Cinderella home from the ball in an Uber (and not even Uber Black) before slow dancing even started, whooping No. 18 South Florida 49-12 on Saturday. Next up: GameDay comes to town for a chance to perhaps put a finishing blow to Florida in the last scheduled meeting between these on-again/off-again in-state rivals for the foreseeable future (Miami has won two of the last three) and then gets a week off before a massive game at No. 7 Florida State. 

4. Florida State: There were three massive wins earned in Week 1: Ohio State over then-No. 1 Texas, LSU over No. 4 Clemson, and Florida State over No. 8 Alabama. The first two have... not aged the way we thought they would on Aug. 30. FSU over Bama, though? Like Google stock in 2004. The Tide have outscored ULM and Wisconsin by a combined 111-14, all while Florida State gets Kent State and a road trip to Virginia before what's setting up to be the biggest home game in more than a decade when No. 4 Miami comes to Doak Campbell on Oct. 4. 

5. Georgia: As a coach, you never really know what you have in your team until you face adversity. And how's this for adversity? Georgia faced deficits of 7-0, 21-7, 28-27, 38-30, and 41-38, on the road, and still won the game. Right now, it looks like your toughest SEC games will be No. 14 Alabama, No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 8 Texas, and all three have to come to Sanford Stadium -- where you've won 33 straight. It's super early, but this team is your odds-on favorite to repeat as SEC champions. 

6. North Texas: There was never a doubt that Eric Morris would score points at North Texas. The question was if he could assemble the necessary pieces to be good enough on defense for the offense to matter. So far, the defense isn't just good enough, it's good, period. Following a 59-10 win over Washington State, UNT is 10th nationally in yards per play and 14th in passing efficiency. 

7. Tulane: That had to feel good. Darian Mensah awkwardly returned to Yulman Stadium, and the Green Wave held their former quarterback to 6.1 yards per attempt and an ESPN QBR of 71.0 while Jake Retzlaff put up 10.7 ypa with a 94.7 QBR while also rushing for 111 yards and four touchdowns. And didn't need $4 million to do it, either. South Florida grabbed the early "lead" for the Group of 5 bid, but the Green Wave have a massive opportunity at No. 13 Ole Miss on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). 

8. Oklahoma: Three games in, and Brent Venables's defense has yet to allow 20 points total, while "John Mateer, Heisman candidate?" has become "John Mateer, Heisman candidate." Meanwhile, if things keep going in the direction they've headed over the past three weeks, Oklahoma will go from a 10.5-point dog vs. Texas to a favorite by the time Red River rolls around. Oklahoma still needs to beat No. 22 Auburn on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), but if/when they do that, they'll have three weeks to prepare for a suddenly hapless Texas offense. 

9. Georgia Tech: Having beaten Clemson for the first time since 2014(!!), here is Georgia Tech's schedule between now and Black Friday: vs. Temple, at Wake Forest, vs. Virginia Tech, at Duke, vs. Syracuse, at NC State, at Boston College, vs. Pitt. You've got to stay healthy and you've got to stay focused, but the opportunity to meet Georgia with an 11-0 record is right there in front of you.

10. Iowa State: Last week's No. 1 team isn't going to drop out after a win... but three games in, the Cyclones have yet to beat an FBS team by more than eight points. Three Big 12 teams are currently in the AP Top 25 -- No. 17 Texas Tech visits No. 16 Utah on Saturday (noon ET, Fox), and No. 12 Iowa State doesn't have to play either of them.

THE BOTTOM 5

1. Clemson: The fact that Clemson lost to Georgia Tech for the first time since 2014 is a perfect bookend to the Dynastic Years in the Upstate. It really is over. Back in 2014, Clemson was Just Another Team and now in 2025, they are once again Just Another Team. The reality is, Dabo Swinney's program has been JAT for a while now, most of us were just blinded by that white paw on the sides of their helmets. Don't believe me? After Saturday, the Tigers are now 3-5 in their last eight against Power 4 opponents, and two of the wins came over Virginia Tech and Pitt teams that went a combined 13-13 last season. The argument is that Clemson is "only" 0-1 in ACC play, which means they're technically still very much in the hunt for an automatic CFP berth. And that's of course true, but the same can be said about Boston College. 

2. Notre Dame: Well, the good news is, Marcus Freeman has plenty of experience coaching his team to rally after September losses -- Notre Dame has done it in all four of his seasons thus far. There's no sin in losing to No. 4 Miami and No. 10 Texas A&M by four points combined, but the fact is the 0-2 Irish are likely playing out the string unless they get significant help from their future opponents (of whom only USC is ranked, at No. 25) and the rest of the country. 

3. Kansas State: The fact that Avery Johnson has a 6-1 TD-to-INT ratio and is still the nation's 79th rated passer is a flashing red warning sign. In a 23-17 loss at Arizona on Friday, Johnson needed 29 attempts to get 88 yards. At 1-3 overall (0-3 vs. the FBS), Kansas State has the ability to win or lose all eight remaining games. But first: the most necessary off week in college football history.

4. South Carolina: The LaNorris Sellers injury is unfortunate and hopefully temporary. That aside, it's not an excuse. Three games in, this offense has scored five touchdowns. Saturday night's 24-point margin was the biggest Gamecock loss ever to Vanderbilt (granted, it's not your dad's Vanderbilt, but still), and Shane Beamer's team has ranked opponents in six of their next seven games. 

5. Oregon State/Washington State: These two are so tied at the hip it's impossible to separate them. Washington State at least beat an FBS opponent (San Diego State) by 23 before going on the road to lose to North Texas by seven touchdowns. Oregon State is 0-3, has yet to hold an FBS opponent below 34 points, and visits Autzen Stadium on Saturday. Gulp.

Programming Note: UCLA and Virginia Tech are ineligible for consideration following coaching changes.