College football playoff pick after week 3

Week 3 has arrived and showed fans something we haven’t seen in a while: Alabama tested deep in the fourth quarter.

It looked like the Crimson Tide were on their way to another rout, building up a 21-3 first-half lead, but the Florida Gators did not back down despite the initial deficit. Alabama’s lead fell to two, 31-29, late in the fourth quarter, but Tide’s defense held on to a two-point conversion. Then the offense ran out of time, eventually returning the ball to the Gators with 10 seconds left. Alabama held on for the 31-29 victory and landed number one on the All Writers List.

After the big win at Iowa State, the Iowa Hawkeyes won a very Iowa Hawkeyes game, scoring a touchdown every quarter and crushing Kent State in the 30-7 victory. The Hawkeyes land on the X rosters after a 3-0 start, but it’s Penn State that has the biggest impact on the rosters this week.

The Nittany Lions outlived Auburn, 28-20, in front of a thunderous White Out at State College. Sean Clifford finished 28 of 32 for 280 yards and two scores in Penn State’s second win over a ranked team this season. The victory earned the Nittany Lions six votes this week.

The Oklahoma Sooners were pushed to the limit by former Big 8 rivals Nebraska, but managed to hold out for a 23-16 victory over Norman. It was a relatively calm day for Heisman leader Spencer Rattler, who finished 24 of 34 for 214 yards and a touchdown. He also added 35 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Huskers, but the Sooners’ offense was never consistent on Saturday. The closer-than-expected victory puts Oklahoma on two of 13 lists this week.

Georgia maintained their position on each of our writers’ lists after an impressive 40-13 win over South Carolina. Oregon was again an almost unanimous selection after dealing with business against Stony Brook. The Ducks will be a mainstay until the Pac-12 schedule warms up in mid-October.

Andrea Adelson: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Oregon
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
David M. Hale: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Oregon
Chris Low: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Oregon
Harry Lyles Jr .: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Ryan McGee: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Oklahoma
Marc Schlabach: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Dave Wilson: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Oklahoma