Week 3 has left me more confused than ever when it comes to watching college football. That’s one of the beauties of the sport, but the more I think about it, the more my mind twists into a pretzel. Teams I thought were good might not be so good, teams I thought had no chance showed signs of life, and don’t even get me started on trying to predict how good individual players are. Even with all the confusion and craziness of the season so far, I feel confident saying UCLA is not very good—and you can take that to the bank.
Not so good, my friend!
In the spirit of Coach Lee Corso, I feel that if he were asked about certain preseason expectations of Heisman hopefuls and playoff contenders, he’d slightly alter his famous phrase to sum up the first three weeks of the season: “Not so good, my friend.”
Clemson, who entered as an overwhelming favorite to win the ACC and snag a playoff bye, is just a second-half comeback against Troy away from being 0-3. After losing to LSU at home in Week 1, they had to travel for their first road game this past week to face an up-and-coming ACC opponent, Georgia Tech, in Atlanta. Once again, the Tigers came out flat and found themselves in a 13-0 hole. After fighting back to tie it at 21-21 with just under three and a half minutes left, Haynes King once again put his body on the line and led the Yellow Jackets on a methodical 36-yard drive that drained the clock. The finish wasn’t without drama, as Georgia Tech had no timeouts left and had to run a field-goal fire drill with roughly 16 seconds remaining. Aidan Birr drilled the 55-yarder—a new career long—to seal the win.
The biggest reason for Clemson’s slow start is their offense. Between play-calling and execution, there hasn’t been much to smile about on that side of the ball. With yesterday’s performance, third-year starter (and fourth-year player) Cade Klubnik now sits at 52/88 for 633 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. That’s a far cry from what Tiger fans were expecting—and an even farther cry from the “experts” who pegged him as a Heisman contender.
Now, the Tigers enter ACC play with almost zero room for error. With Florida State and Miami showing all sorts of life, their only real path back to the playoff seems to be repeating as ACC champions. It’s not the first time a Dabo Swinney-led Clemson team has faced an uphill climb—but this may be the steepest yet.
Notre Dame now starts the season 0-2 for the first time since 2022, Marcus Freeman’s first full year as head coach. While this year’s losses didn’t include a defeat to a far inferior opponent, two early setbacks aren’t what Freeman envisioned for his Irish after traveling to Miami and then hosting Texas A&M.
The defense has been a major question mark. They allowed the Aggies to put up 41 points last night and let the Hurricanes score at will when it mattered two weeks ago. Freshman quarterback CJ Carr has been a bright spot, but without improvement on the other side of the ball, his play won’t make much of a difference. Heisman hopeful Jeremiyah Love has also been a nonfactor, recording only 127 yards on 33 carries this season.
Notre Dame now finds itself in a tough position because of its independence. With no conference championship game and only ranked opponent on the schedule left is USC, their margin for error is already gone—and even if they win out, it still might not be enough.
The Arch Manning hype has officially cooled. He’s started the year 47-of-85 with 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. That completion percentage isn’t great—and considering two of Texas’ opponents have been San Jose State and UTEP, people expected much better numbers. Maybe that game in Columbus in Week 1 wasn’t too far off after all.
Garrett Nussmeier also turned in his worst performance of the young season, right after he vaulted to the top of the Heisman odds. He completed only 55% of his passes, threw just one touchdown, and added an interception in LSU’s slogfest against Florida last night. Through three games, he has yet to throw for more than 240 yards in a single outing.
Even teams that haven’t suffered a loss haven’t looked as sharp as they’d hoped. Ohio State only led Ohio 13-3 before finally picking it up in the second half. Penn State let Villanova hang around in the first half as well. Iowa State held just a one-point lead over Arkansas State until a late Cyclone touchdown, and Utah was clinging to a 3-0 halftime edge against Wyoming. Chalk it up to early-season rust, but so far, plenty of teams don’t look nearly as polished as they were advertised to be.
Upsets and G5 Contenders
Four Group of 5 teams knocked off Power Conference opponents this weekend—and none of the games were particularly close. New Mexico put the beatdown on UCLA late Friday night, sparking multiple responses on X from the Big Sky Conference saying they didn’t want UCLA and even a Pac-12 post with a Jerry Seinfeld “what a shame” gif. Old Dominion handled in-state big brother Virginia Tech with ease, leading 31-0 at one point. The Hokies now start the season 0-3—yikes. North Texas also took care of Washington State (don’t worry, the Cougs will get their moment).
USF traveled to Miami for a highly anticipated ranked showdown, but their exhaustion showed. Miami controlled the game from the start and cruised to a comfortable win after a lengthy lightning delay. South Florida still controls its own destiny thanks to the road win over Florida, but hot on their heels is conference rival Tulane. The Green Wave hosted Duke and their former quarterback Darian Mensah, leaving him to wonder if the transfer money was worth it, as Tulane dominated from start to finish. At 3-0, it looks like the AAC is quickly shaping up to be a two-horse race between Tulane and USF.
Meanwhile, South Carolina hosted Vanderbilt to open SEC play for both teams—and it did not go well for the Gamecocks, who entered the week ranked No. 11. A targeting call on a hit against LaNorris Sellers knocked him out of the game with a concussion, and that was essentially all she wrote for South Carolina. Turnovers plagued the Gamecocks as Vanderbilt controlled the ball and the tempo throughout the second half.
It’s striking how different South Carolina looks without its QB1. The offense reminded me a lot of Utah last year after Cam Rising went down—no real movement or threat once Sellers exited, which is a bad sign considering the gauntlet that remains on their schedule. For the Gamecocks’ sake, they’ll be hoping Sellers returns quickly.
On the flip side, the Commodores are off to a 3-0 start, and after last year’s struggles, the swagger in Nashville has to be at an all-time high. Heck, throw Diego Pavia into the Heisman conversation—because you know he’s going to leave it all out there the rest of the way. Vanderbilt now has a real shot to be 5-0 heading into their October 4th trip to Tuscaloosa.
Co Game of the Week: Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40
The Aggies looked for revenge from their Week 1 loss in 2024 as they traveled to South Bend to take on the Irish. Notre Dame got off to a hot start on special teams, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown to take an early lead. After a defensive breakdown by the Irish, their offense bailed them out with a 7-play, 75-yard drive to retake the lead, 14-7.
The second quarter brought a flood of action, as none of the eight possessions ended in a punt. Texas A&M scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the quarter, only failing to add more points when they ran out of time at the half. Notre Dame answered with a field goal and a touchdown, but costly turnovers—a pick and a fumble—left them trailing 28-24 at the break.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle. Notre Dame managed a touchdown and a field goal, while A&M added two field goals, leaving the score tied at 34-34 with just over nine minutes left. That’s when the Irish put together a classic hard-nosed drive: over six minutes, 75 yards, capped by a 12-yard Jeremiyah Love touchdown run to put Notre Dame up with just under three minutes to play.
Earlier, I noted the last time Notre Dame started 0-2 was in 2022, when Tyler Buchner was their quarterback. He was eventually benched, transferred to Alabama, and famously started the rain-soaked game against USF in 2023. That ended up being his only real action with the Tide before transferring back to Notre Dame to play lacrosse. He won a national championship and spent two years starring on the lacrosse team before rejoining the football program as a wide receiver—and apparently, the holder.
On a perfect snap, Buchner mishandled the hold, and the Irish couldn’t convert the extra point.
That left Notre Dame up just six, giving Texas A&M plenty of life. The Aggies promptly marched downfield, eventually facing 3rd-and-16 at the Irish 20. A defensive holding penalty bailed them out, setting up a fresh set of downs. Quarterback Marcell Reed was stuffed on first down, then followed with two of his worst throws of the night—both prayers that Irish defenders somehow failed to intercept. That left one last chance. On 4th down, Reed found tight end Nate Boerkircher for an 11-yard touchdown. The extra point was no problem, and the Aggies walked away with a dramatic 41-40 victory.
I don’t think there needs to be a conversation about Marcus Freeman, but as I mentioned above, Notre Dame has no room for error now. Texas A&M and Mike Elko, meanwhile, just picked up their signature win and now have a great chance to make the playoff depending on how they navigate SEC play. I won’t call them a shoo-in—because we all know what the Aggies are capable of doing to themselves.
Co Game of the Week: Georgia 44, Tennessee 41
The Volunteers looked to break their eight-game losing streak to the Bulldogs as College GameDay came to Knoxville for this highly anticipated matchup. Traditionally played in November, the game was moved up this year—giving us a marquee showdown in mid-September.
While the end results for Tennessee haven’t been great in recent years, the Vols have always started fast—and this year was no different. Joey Aguilar led a crisp 75-yard drive to open the game with a touchdown. After Georgia answered, Aguilar went deep, hitting Chris Brazzell II on consecutive drives to give Tennessee a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Defensive adjustments by Georgia flipped the script in the second quarter. With more pressure on Aguilar, the Bulldogs dominated the frame, outscoring the Vols 10-0 and trimming the deficit to 21-17 at the half—plus they were set to receive the second-half kickoff. Whatever Georgia had drawn up worked to perfection, as they opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take their first lead of the night, 24-21. Their defense continued to stifle Tennessee until Aguilar finally broke through late in the quarter.
Two straight Volunteer touchdowns gave Tennessee a 35-30 advantage, and when Georgia fumbled deep in its own territory, it looked like the Vols were about to put the game away. The Bulldogs held, however, forcing a 48-yard field goal that Max Gilbert drilled, extending Tennessee’s lead to 38-30 with 6:30 to play.
Georgia answered with a gutsy drive, facing a 4th-and-6 at the Tennessee 26. Instead of a safe play to move the chains, Gunner Stockton launched a back-shoulder fade into the end zone. The throw had guts, the catch had precision, and after converting the two-point try, the game was tied at 38.
Tennessee still had 2:30 to work with, and they marched methodically into Georgia territory. Mixing the pass and a punishing ground attack, they set up for a game-winning kick. A false start while trying to center the ball pushed the attempt back to 43 yards. Gilbert, who had nailed a 48-yarder earlier, couldn’t handle the pressure—his kick sailed well wide, never threatening the upright.
In overtime, Tennessee managed only a field goal, but Gilbert redeemed himself by drilling a 42-yarder. Still, the energy in Neyland carried a sense of dread—because everyone knew what was coming. And they were right. Two plays later, Georgia ran the ball straight into the end zone, sealing their ninth straight win over the Vols, 44-41.
It’s hard to be too upset as a Tennessee fan given the expectations for this season and how the Vols have already surpassed them to a degree. But this one was right there for the taking—and to lose to Georgia in this fashion is gut-wrenching. The key now is to take the positives from this performance and turn the page to the rest of SEC play.
Both games this week came down to the wire and delivered incredible drama. I couldn’t pick just one—making this the first-ever College Footblog Games of the Week.
Stat Line of the Week
Jake Retzlaff (Tulane): 15/23 245 YDS 17 CAR 111YDS 4 TD
I was hesitant to highlight Retzlaff’s stat line this week because I think he’s going to have plenty more performances like this—and probably better ones. His ability to come into Tulane on short notice and immediately excel in the offense is impressive. His legs are still his biggest weapon, just like they were at BYU, but his arm keeps defenses honest and gives him the chance to light them up.
Will’s Corner
The Cougars had the week off before traveling to East Carolina this coming Saturday.
Tennessee 41, Georgia 44
You can read about it above. They host UAB next week.
Washington State 10, North Texas 59
This was bad. Bad coaching, bad offense, bad defense, bad special teams—bad everything. Five first-half turnovers led to a 39-point deficit at halftime, despite Washington State actually dominating time of possession and finishing with only seven fewer yards than the Mean Green.
After second-half struggles from Jaxon Potter and Julian Dugger, the Cougs finally turned to Zevi Eckhaus. He led the only touchdown drive of the game, and at this point, I think he should be the starting quarterback moving forward.
This was the worst loss Washington State has suffered since October 18, 2008, when they fell 69-0 to USC. They followed that up with a 58-0 loss the next week and finished 2-10 that season. The one bright spot? They beat UW. And who’s their opponent next week? The University of Washington.
I don’t think history is going to repeat itself, though. And it’s no coincidence that next week will mark the first time Martin Stadium sells alcohol—because plenty of Coug fans are going to need it.
AP Poll Reaction
Top 3: All stay the same.
Miami and Georgia leapfrog Oregon.
Tennessee remains at #15 despite loss.
Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and USC enter the Top 25, replacing South Carolina, Clemson, and South Florida.
Biggest loser: South Carolina, Clemson, South Florida, and Notre Dame all have double digit drops.
Texas A&M jumps into the top 10 with ranked road win.
It seems like the AP voters got the hint after being exposed last week, as Florida received zero votes this time around. However, we still somehow have a winless team in the Top 25. Notre Dame should not be ranked under any circumstances—I don’t care if their two losses came against ranked opponents, they have zero wins.
Vanderbilt cracking the Top 25 at No. 20 is wild, especially when South Carolina isn’t ranked anymore. I guess that’s just the result of SEC cannibalization—beat each other up, and everybody still ends up ranked.
CFB News
AP Poll Voters
AP voters have been getting exposed on X. Fans have been demanding explanations from certain voters, and while those voters have delivered, that doesn’t mean the explanations are any good. You can judge for yourself whether these writers the AP gives power to actually know how to rank college football teams. AP Poll Explanation
College Pre Game Shows
College Gameday announced they’ll be heading to Florida at Miami next week. I think this is an utter disgrace—just plain bad. This makes it 4-for-4 on Gameday choosing SEC schools this season. Gameday used to be a show that highlighted all of college football. Maybe they should just go ahead and rename it SEC Gameday.
Supposedly, they pulled Gameday from Morgantown last week because West Virginia lost the week before. So what about Florida? No one wants to sit through a three-hour program debating whether Billy Napier is getting fired or how Carson Beck has faced “so much adversity” while going 24–3 at Georgia. They had two better options this week with ranked matchups: Illinois at Indiana or Texas Tech at Utah. They dropped the ball here, and if this SEC obsession continues, the lack of Corso on the show could push viewership into the basement. Honestly, even if my wife hadn’t already scheduled us for an Orange Theory class next Saturday morning, I wouldn’t bother tuning in.
Meanwhile, Big Noon Kickoff will be in Salt Lake City for No. 17 Texas Tech vs. No. 16 Utah. That game marks the return of Urban Meyer to Utah, where he coached from 2003–2004.
UCLA and Virginia Tech Coaching Changes
UCLA and Virginia Tech have both fired their head coaches—DeShaun Foster and Brent Pry—after 0–3 starts. With those moves, a 30-day transfer portal window now opens for all players on their rosters. It’ll be interesting to see who takes advantage of the chance to redshirt and look for a fresh start elsewhere.
Games to Watch – Week 4
17.Texas Tech @ 16. Utah – Sept 20, 12:00 PM ET (FOX)
22. Auburn @ 11. Oklahoma – Sept 20, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)
Tulane @ 13. Ole Miss – Sept 20, 3:30 PM ET (ESPN)
9. Illinois @ 19. Indiana – Sept 20, 7:30 PM ET (NBC)
Guest Guesser Update
Bounced back in Week 2 taking a few points away from Mom. After two weeks I am down 1 point to her on our pick 'em.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
