We were just as guilty as everyone else.

Ohio State — the unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll — was supposed to be a runaway champion. TCU was expected to be the Buckeyes’ biggest challenger. Alabama was the predicted dark horse. We even felt this regular season lacked juice, because of how top-heavy it would be.

Through the first three weeks of the season, none of these three perceived powers have been very impressive, creating one certainty:

College football is wide open. Much to our surprise.

Ohio State nearly lost to Northern Illinois on Saturday in Columbus, switched quarterbacks — benching Cardale Jones in favor of J.T. Barrett — for the second time in as many weeks to jump-start its lethargic offense.

TCU, which nearly fell to Minnesota in Week 1, made SMU look like an offensive juggernaut, allowing 508 yards of offense in a 56-37 win that was closer than the score indicated.

Alabama fell to Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1988. The final was 43-37, but don’t let that fool you: The Crimson Tide were badly outplayed, committing five turnovers.

Meanwhile, there are host of contenders few saw coming: LSU, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Georgia.

Ohio State and TCU will find their legs. There is too much talent and experience for them not to. But there are issues for both teams, issues that likely won’t go away.

TCU’s defense is a mess, mostly because of a rash of injuries, and now the Horned Frogs visit Texas Tech and its dynamic spread attack.

Ohio State’s schedule is softer than soft, mostly because of the weak Big Ten. But the questions at quarterback, despite all that talent, may come to a head soon. Jones was pulled for the second straight game, and briefly changed his Twitter profile to “3rd String QB @ The Ohio State University. Oh Wait, 2nd String” before erasing the bio portion altogether. After the game, coach Urban Meyer said he hasn’t decided who will start next week against Western Michigan.

It would still be stunning to see Ohio State or TCU miss the playoffs. Expect them both to be playing in either Miami or Dallas on New Year’s Eve. But there is no overwhelming favorite in college football if the first three weeks of the season are any indication.

Irish spring

Brian Kelly deserves a ton of credit for Notre Dame’s 3-0 start — not just for keeping his team together despite the losses of his starting quarterback (Malik Zaire), running back (Tarean Folston) and tight end (Durham Smythe). It’s also a nod to Kelly and his staff’s fine recruiting.

The replacements — quarterback DeShone Kizer, running back C.J. Prosise and tight end Tyler Luatua — are all extremely talented players who were prepared for this moment.

Despite Saturday’s impressive 30-22 manhandling of No. 15 Georgia Tech at home, we’re not sold on the Irish as a playoff contender just yet. They just lost another key player, safety Drue Tranquill, for the season, and the schedule is brutal, including games against No. 11 Clemson, No. 21 Stanford and No. 19 USC. How long can this resilience last? Time will tell, but Notre Dame is clearly in the mix to play for a national title, which many felt wasn’t possible after the rash of injuries.

Kliff banger

What a fascinating third weekend, from Texas blowing a game because its kicker couldn’t convert an extra point in a 45-44 loss to California, to UConn attempting a fake field goal in the final minute of an ugly 9-6 loss to Missouri and a series of remarkable plays that should make the year-end highlight reels.

But the highlight of Saturday was Tech Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury calling out Arkansas’ Bret Bielema after the Red Raiders’ 35-24 victory, saying his counterpart “got his ass kicked.” The context: Bielema ripped spread and pass-happy offenses during a high-school coaches convention in Texas, saying “if you don’t throw to the fullback, we’ll kick your ass, and if you throw it 70 times a game, we’ll kick your ass.”

We’re crossing our fingers for a bowl game rematch between the two coaches.

Heisman Watch

RB Leonard Fournette, LSU

Fournette is our Heisman favorite. The sophomore is making a case as the nation’s best back, destroying Auburn to the tune of 229 yards and three touchdowns Saturday.

QB Trevone Boykin, TCU

Boykin wouldn’t let TCU lose, accounting for six touchdowns, five through the air, and 504 total yards against upset-minded SMU.

RB Nick Chubb, Georgia

Since becoming Georgia’s feature back last October, Chubb has rushed for at least 113 yards in 11 straight games. Now that’s consistency.

QB Cody Kessler, USC

It’s hard to fault the senior for the 41-31 loss to Stanford after he threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns.

RB Paul Perkins, UCLA

The junior is running his way into the mix, carrying UCLA to a come-from-behind win over BYU with 219 yards and a touchdown.

Top 10

1. Ohio State (3-0) (Last week: 1)

Is it overconfidence? A championship hangover? For whatever reason, we’ve yet to see anything close to the powerhouse everyone predicted. The sluggish 20-13 win over Northern Illinois should concern Urban Meyer.

2. Ole Miss (2-0) (7)

Last year was no fluke. If the Rebels’ home win over Alabama a year ago left any doubt, they hammered home the point in Tuscaloosa, winning there for the first time since 1988.

3. Michigan State (3-0) (4)

The Spartans loaded up their non-conference schedule, facing Oregon and Air Force, and enter the Big Ten slate with momentum. What a concept by coach Mark Dantonio, testing his players with actual legit competition.

4. LSU (2-0) (8)

Our preseason playoff pick of LSU is looking quite prescient, after the Tigers followed up a road win at Mississippi State with a 45-21 decimation of Auburn.

5. TCU (3-0) (2)

TCU is on upset alert next Saturday, when it visits 3-0 Texas Tech. The injury-ravaged Horned Frogs’ defense, which was shredded for 508 total yards and 37 points by SMU, better improve in a hurry.

6. Baylor (2-0) (6)

Baylor faced its toughest non-conference opponent of the year this weekend — the bye week.

7. Notre Dame (3-0) (NR)

The Fighting Irish has lost their No. 1 quarterback, running back and tight end, and yet Brian Kelly’s team manhandled a quality Georgia Tech team Saturday.

8. Georgia (3-0) (NR)

The production from graduate transfer quarterback Greyson Lambert, who set an NCAA record for accuracy by completing 24 of 25 passes in a rout of South Carolina, has lifted Georgia’s offense to a different level.

9. UCLA (3-0) (NR)

The preseason hype in Southern California was warranted, only it was UCLA, and not USC, who deserved the playoff talk.

10. Alabama (2-1) (3)

That sound you hear is the panic level rising at Alabama after the Crimson Tide were exposed in a stunning 43-37 home loss to Ole Miss.

Dropped out: Auburn (2-1) and USC (2-1)