Who should be No. 1 in the nation

At certain points in the college football season, we need to forget about what we thought we knew and just deal with what we know.

Three weeks in there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Ranking teams solely on what they have done is difficult, because nobody has done much. Still, a few things are clear: — A lot of folks were wrong about Auburn, including the Heat Check.

— Ohio State’s quarterback situation is not so enviable. — And ... that’s about it. A fun Saturday with some strange games and occurrences rattled the AP Top 25 this week. Heat Check weighs in on how the voters responded, tries to make sense of small sample sizes and maybe identify what we don’t know but should. Here’s where the Top 15 stands right now. No. 1 OHIO STATE The Buckeyes’ offensive problems will be analyzed to death over the next few days, but let’s oversimplify. Against Virginia Tech, Ohio State had 187 yards and three touchdowns on three plays. The past two weeks the Buckeyes’ longest play is 25 yards. By the way, that nice victory in Blacksburg, Virginia, still counts.

Heat Check: Too hot. Northern Illinois is pretty good, but the Buckeyes don’t look like No. 1 right now. No. 2 MICHIGAN STATE Taking Air Force out of the game early after a big win against Oregon spoke volumes about the Spartans coaching, preparation and focus. Heat Check: Just right. No. 3 (tie) MISSISSIPPI Road games are hard. Road games at Alabama are especially hard. The Rebels caught a few breaks, but were every bit deserving winners. At a point in the season where few teams have played more than one good opponent, no reason why Ole Miss can’t be No. 1. Heat Check: Too cold. No. 3 (tie) TCU The Horned Frogs have been tested by Minnesota (on the road) and SMU (much improved). A trip to Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday to face Texas Tech is a chance to move the meter. Heat Check: A touch too hot. No. 5 BAYLOR Baylor played nobody on Saturday. Seriously, the Bears were off. Heat Check is a Baylor believer, but with no good wins yet the Bears should fall behind at least some of the teams that have proved it on the field. Heat Check: Too hot. No. 6 NOTRE DAME The Fighting Irish schedule hasn’t exactly been murderers’ row — Texas, at Virginia and Georgia Tech — but no FCS teams and no low-level Group of Five teams. Credit should be given for playing three real games, including one in an opponent’s stadium. Heat Check: Too cold. No. 7 GEORGIA Greyson Lambert, record-setter. That probably says more about the state of South Carolina’s defense than how comfortable the Bulldogs should be with their new quarterback. That said Georgia fans should feel much more comfortable with their new quarterback. Heat Check: Just right. No. 8 LSU The power of Leonard Fournette: Brandon Harris has thrown for 145 yards in two conference games and the Tigers have won both. The long-range forecast is still murky and LSU is getting a little bit of that SEC West bump that drives fans crazy. Heat Check: Too hot. No. 9 UCLA QB Josh Rosen has been far more freshman than fabulous lately, but the Bruins showed they can win when he is wonky. Heat Check: Too cold. No. 10 FLORIDA STATE and No. 11 CLEMSON Road victories on a short week should never be taken for granted. Heat Check: Both ACC contenders are too hot. No. 12 ALABAMA On one hand, the Tide’s loss to Ole Miss was a case of self-inflicted wounds and buzzard’s luck. On the other hand, that can be said about a lot of losing teams. The Tide still gets credit for that good win against Wisconsin. Heat Check: Too cold. No. 13 OREGON So here’s the thing about the Ducks: They can’t defend the pass. That’s a 1990s problem. In the Age of Offense, it remains to be seen how many teams will be able to outscore Oregon. But the best part of the Ducks’ current resume is a loss. Heat Check: Too hot. No. 14 TEXAS A&M Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, a former A&M assistant, is picking the Aggies over Arkansas this week. Heat Check agrees. Heat Check: Too cold. No. 15 OKLAHOMA The Sooners couldn’t stop Tulsa, which now runs Baylor’s offense. That’s not a great sign for when OU faces Baylor’s offense, but Baker Mayfield gives Oklahoma a quarterback capable of winning one of those Big 12 last-team-with-the-ball-wins games.

Heat Check: Too cold.