The Times’ Chris Dufresne’s college football top 25

Michigan State’s rise to No. 1 this week is due primarily to indifference toward the rest of the field, but it’s the only field we have. The world remains stunned at Ohio State’s discombobulated performance against Northern Illinois. It was in broad daylight too, and definitely won’t be nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Texas Christian, our preseason No. 1, maintains the third spot for now, but only because we’ve always been guided by the Beach Boys anthem: “Be true to your school.”

1. Michigan State 3-0; Bird calls Magic to note Indiana State is ranked in latest FCS poll. (2)

2. Ohio State 3-0; Good news is “Northern” will be the toughest Illinois the Buckeyes will face this year. (1)

3. Texas Christian 3-0; First team in history to hold position after allowing 37 points to Southern Methodist. (3)

4. Notre Dame 3-0; Must vow not to play for 10-10 tie if team meets Michigan State in playoff. (13)

5. Mississippi 3-0; Here we go again: the ranking rise and fall of the Rebels Empire? (19)

6. Oregon 2-1; Coach Helfrich has not named a quarterback starter for Utah, but his name is Vernon Adams Jr. (5)

7. UCLA 3-0; Rosen bag will be placed behind center to prevent passes from slipping. (9)

8. Baylor 2-0; Coach Briles says Baylor’s problems don’t amount to a “hill of Big 12 beans.” (6)

9. Clemson 3-0; Video of coach’s locker room victory dance sent to anthropology department for study. (7)

10. Georgia 3-0; Bulldogs listed as double-digit underdog Saturday against Southern’s marching band. (10)

11. Louisiana State 2-0; Coach Miles is so cool he wore long sleeves in sweltering heat of Auburn win. (17)

12. Florida State 3-0; A wise Seminole once said, “not sure 14 points good enough to beat rest of schedule.” (11)

13. Oklahoma 3-0; Mayfield has nice 300-yard passing game vs. Tulsa … Wait, that was one half? (12)

14. Alabama 2-1; Fans who left Mississippi game early receive new season tickets for Alabama Birmingham. (4)

15. Texas A&M 3-0; Team plans to put out quite a spread for Coach Bielema and Arkansas this week. (14)

16. Northwestern 3-0; Wins over Stanford and Duke earn team quarterfinal match against Watson the Computer. (NR)

17. Stanford 2-1; Cardinal improves record to 2-0 in games played after 9:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. (NR)

18. Arizona 3-0; Rankman will buy everyone Funyuns if linebacker Scooby Wright plays against UCLA. (16)

19. USC 2-1; It’s now clear that switching to roller skate cleats for Stanford was a strategic blunder. (8)

20. Utah 3-0; Utes expect to face either Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. or … Vernon Adams Jr. (18)

21. Brigham Young 2-1; UCLA defense practiced all last week for the “Hail Mormon” play. (21)

22. Tennessee 2-1; Hard to believe Volunteers have lost 10 straight to these Florida Gators. (23)

23. Georgia Tech 2-1; It seems as if Yellow Jackets finally ran out of triple options in loss at Notre Dame. (15)

24. Toledo 2-0; Rockets need wins vs. Pac-12, Atlantic Coast and Big Ten to complete a Power 5 sweep. (24)

25. Temple 3-0; Forgiven for looking past Massachusetts with big Oct. 2 game looming at Charlotte. (25)

Dropped out: Auburn (20), Missouri (22).

Moved in: Northwestern, Stanford.

Follow Chris Dufresne on Twitter @DufresneLATimes