The latest AP college football rankings and USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll have been released, with the top 5 teams all staying put.

USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll Top 10:

1. USC
2.Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Missouri
6. LSU
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
9. Texas Tech
10. Alabama

Four programs dropped out of the top 25, including East Carolina (No. 17), West Virginia (No. 22), Arizona State (No. 24) and Florida State (No. 25), folloing their losses last week.

It’s nice to see Vanderbilt has finally cracked the top 25, coming in at No. 25. After ECU was beat by NC State last Saturday, maybe Vandy will now become the new Cinderella story this season.

No. 15 East Carolina escaped disaster last week, edging out unranked Tulane 28-24 when QB Patrick Pinkney threw a 24-yard touchdown pass with under two minutes remaining in the game. But the Cinderella Pirates couldn’t pull off a similar feat this week as the NC State Wolfpack stunned ECU 30-24 in overtime on Saturday.

Pinkney wasn’t as sharp Saturday as he was in leading the Pirates to a 3-0 record to start the season. He threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted once and also fumbled on ECU’s only possession in overtime when Wolfpack defensive end Shea McKeen came from the backside and sacked an unsuspecting Pinkney. The fumble eventually led to Andre Brown’s game-winning 10-yard touchdown.

It was a gritty win by NC State, who was led by freshman quarterback Russell Wilson, who was 21 of 31 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson’s five-yard touchdown pass to George Bryan with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth forced overtime.

The Pirates’ dramatic early-season wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia must seem like a decade ago after suffering this loss. ECU’s schedule doesn’t give them a chance for redemption either, so their thin BCS title aspirations are now dashed. Still, the Pirates provided college football fans with plenty of excitement and if he continues to play as well as he has, Pinkney might have a future in the NFL (possibly as a receiver if teams won’t look at him as a quarterback).

After beating two ranked opponents in back to back weeks, No. 14 East Carolina struggled with Tulane before rallying late in the fourth to eek out a 28-24 victory on Saturday at the Superdome.

It was over when… Patrick Pinkney threw a 24-yard TD with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter to save the Pirates from a crashing.
Gameball goes to… Pinkney, who was 22 of 32 for 260 yards and two touchdown throws.
Stat of the game… 3-0: The Pirates are 3-0 for only the third time in the past 30 years.

There was bound to be a let down for East Carolina after beating Virginia Tech and West Virginia and Saturday was it. It’s nice to see that they pulled out the victory because college football needs programs like ECU to keep things interesting. The Pirates are the story of the 2008 college football season, so lets hope their magical run continues a little longer.

Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 3.

Top 25 Action:
No. 5 Ohio State (2-0) at No. 1 USC (1-0), Saturday 8:00 PM ET ABC
OSU head coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that Heisman candidate Beanie Wells will play Saturday in Southern Cal. The Buckeyes are going to need all the offensive firepower they can get against one of the best front sevens in the nation. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez shredded Virginia for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, but OSU’s defense is loaded with experienced talent. This is one of the most anticipated college football games of the year and should be a tight contest, although oddsmakers have made the Trojans 10.5-point favorites. (Check out our offical Ohio State-USC smack talk thread as well.)

No. 13 Kansas (2-0) at No. 19 South Florida (2-0), Friday 8:00 PM ET ESPN2
This is a tremendous matchup to kick off the Week 3 schedule as Kansas and its high-powered offense take on South Florida, which has the No. 1 ranked defense in college football. In their two wins, the Jayhawks averaged over 450 yards a game, but they go up against a Bulls’ defense Friday night that has only allowed an average of 161.5 yards per game. Oddsmakers have listed South Florida as a 3-point home favorite.

No. 10 Wisconsin (2-0) at No. 21 Fresno State (1-0), 10:30 PM ET ESPN2
Marshall rolled out to a 14-0 lead on the Badgers last week before Wisconsin eventually settled down and hammered the Thundering Heard 51-14 to improve to 2-0 on the year. Fresno State dismantled Rutgers 24-7 in New Jersey in Week 1 and should be well rested coming off a bye last week. One thing to keep an eye on is the health status of Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum, who missed the Badgers’ first two games this year with a bad hamstring. Beckum is highly regarded as one of the top tight end prospect in college football and is expected to play this weekend.

No. 2 Georgia (2-0) at South Carolina (1-1), Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
Before being upset by Vanderbilt last week, the Game Cocks were supposed to be Georgia’s first real test of the 2008 season. One has to assume that South Carolina is going to come out fired up after being bounced from the top 25 following their loss to the Commodores. The Bulldogs absolutely hammered Central Michigan last week, but can’t take anything for granted this Saturday playing a pissed off Steve Spurrier squad. SC is a 7.5-point home underdog.

Upset Watch:
UCLA (1-0) at No. 18 BYU (2-0)
Washington gave BYU all it could handle in Week 2 before the Cougars eventually eked out a 28-27 win. And the last time we saw the Bruins, they were upsetting Tennessee in the first week of the season. While this wouldn’t be a huge upset, it would be the second time in two chances that UCLA knocks off a ranked opponent. And with Fresno State, Oregon, California, ASU and USC on their schedule, the Bruins will have plenty of opportunities to make some noise and possibly become one of the best surprises of the season. BYU is currently an 8-point favorite.

Other notable games:
No. 14 East Carolina at Tulane – Saturday, 3:00 PM ET
No. 3 Oklahoma at Washington – Saturday, 7:45 PM ET
Arkansas at No. 8 Texas – Saturday, 3:30 PM ET

Breaking news alert: East Carolina is for real. For the second straight week, the Pirates pulled off the upset of the day, routing No. 8 West Virginia 24-3.

It was over when… ECU never trailed and never looked like it was going to let WVU back in the game as the Pirates ended a seven-game losing streak to WVU.
Gameball goes to… Patrick Pinkney: ECU’s QB was 22-28, throwing for 236 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Stat of the game… 11:21: ECU won the battle of the clock 35:41 to WVU’s 24:19.

West Virginia is done and Pat White (11 for 18, 72 yards passing) might have lost the Heisman in this game, too. A Big East team that loses before they even reach conference play cannot and should not be brought up in national championship discussion.

What an incredible year so far for ECU. This was the first time since 2001 that an opponent held WVU without a touchdown. And to limit White to only 72 yards passing and 97 yards rushing was amazing. The Pirates should be ranked heading into next week, although their schedule is too weak for them to be a serious title contender. Still, ECU is the talk of the college football world right now.