I wouldnʻt blame you for looking past this weekend of college football for the outstanding Saturday in store next week, but there were some teams who were caught doing the same. Top 10 teams had some trouble, and the weird became normal on an odd but entertaining Week 3. Here are the top five takeaways.
One game at a time
Week 3 Takeaways #1: I have a question for Florida State, Alabama and Texas. What was that?
Florida State had their conference opener against Boston College put away in the third quarter, or so it seemed. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos did his part to bring the Eagles within two points, but a late face mask penalty gave Florida State a first down and the victory.
Nick Saban decided to sit Jalen Milroe against South Florida after a subpar performance against Texas, but we know he will be back in the starting spot next week against undefeated Ole Miss. The two replacements, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson went a combined 10/23 for 107 yards.
Alabama was saved from an ugly upset by a strong second-half effort by Roydell Williams. Williams went for 129 yards on the ground and a fourth-quarter touchdown to put the game away.
After what happened last week, this was not the best way to respond. South Florida did not play great, but Alabama was so out of rhythm they could not carry a tune in a bucket. Lucky to get out of Tampa with a win, the Crimson Tide will need to show up ready against Ole Miss in a massive SEC West matchup.
Donʻt think I forgot about you, Texas. The Longhorns were in a fistfight with Wyoming until the very end. Quinn Ewers scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and a pick-six by Jerrin Thompson added to the lead.
Credit the Cowboys for hanging with them like they did. Wyoming will be a contender in a wide-open Mountain West Conference.
Watch out for Washington
Week 3 Takeaways #2: Michael Penix has 1,332 passing yards through three games as well as 12 touchdowns to one interception. Penix is yet another Heisman trophy front-runner from the Pac-12 and his play could carry Washington far this season.
The offense is legit, but the one knock has always been the other side. So far, the Huskies have allowed 12 points per game and they have come against respectable opponents. Today, the defense limited Michigan State to 53 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Washington has California and Arizona up next before Oregon comes up to Seattle. The Huskies have shown up every single week playing lights out on offense with a disabling defense, itʻs time we put Washington in the top tier of the Pac-12.
I Tennessee told you so!
Week 3 Takeaways #3: To preface, I do not like to brag, but golly was I happy everyone finally got to see what I have been saying for three weeks now, this is not the same Tennessee. The Volunteers lost, once again, in Gainesville. Joe Milton threw his first interception since he was a Michigan Wolverine while under duress in the pocket all day.
As for Florida, Billy Napier finally got his big win. Graham Mertz had a career day, finishing 19/24 for 166 yards and a touchdown. The biggest effort though, was the running game for the Gators. Trevor Etienne supplied 172 yards and a score. Florida went ground-and-pound, leading to a time-of-possession advantage of nearly 15 minutes.
Tennessee will drop out of my rankings for sure, but I donʻt know how far they will fall in the AP poll. The Vols should be favorites in at least their next two games, but they are not easy tasks with a pesky UTSA team coming to Knoxville next week and South Carolina the following Saturday.
No style points, just wins for Georgia
Week 3 Takeaways #4: After finding themselves down 14-3 at the half to South Carolina, Georgia quickly got things together and came back to beat the Gamecocks and keep their winning streak alive. Georgia has not played must-see football this season, but they are back-to-back national champions for a reason. They just win games.
The Bulldog defense made Spencer Rattler quite uncomfortable in the second half, forcing three turnovers to end the game. The offensive spotlight was Deijun Edwards who had his third career 100-yard rushing game.
Make fun of their early-season schedule all you want, but ensure you know the Bulldogs are showing up for every game (unlike the teams mentioned in Takeaway #1).
Keep your Colorado caps on another week
Week 3 Takeaway #5: It was ugly, it was close, but it was another win for Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffs beat rival Colorado State in double overtime 43-35 in the most publicized edition of the Rocky Mountain Showdown in quite some time.
While the result was not pretty, Colorado proved they were gritty. Shedeur Sanders pulled off some magic, leading a 98-yard scoring drive to tie the game at 28 with inside one minute to go in regulation.
Two-way superstar Travis Hunter had to leave the game after taking a late hit from CSU defensive back Henry Blackburn. Michael Harrison was stepping up in Hunterʻs absence on offense, who caught both overtime touchdowns and the tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
Next week, the adventure begins again as Colorado travels to Eugene for the conference opener against Oregon leading into a home test against USC.
The hype train rolls along, but it is clear that Colorado won’t be taking up the headlines for too much longer.
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