CFB Week 3 Roundup- More questions than answers
Week 3 is now in the books and it was another with plenty of points of note. Some of the key games that caught my attention were:
Texas A&M getting the win over Notre Dame 41-40, its first road win against a conference AP Top-10 opponent since 2014. They did their best to make a mess of it with several unforced errors but a late touchdown and PAT were enough to seal the win. A tough loss for Notre Dame which puts them at 0-2 and making the playoffs now becomes significantly harder for last season’s Natty finalists.
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorgia played out a thriller at Tennessee winning 44-41 in overtime. The high scoring affair had perhaps more to do with some questionable defending rather than offensive flair but it will do neither QB any harm to get multiple points on the board (both QBs had ESPN QBRs of 80+).
Embed from Getty ImagesClemson once again had a tough day at the office with a 24-21 loss at Georgia Tech. This loss closes the door on a Clemson National Championship run, even though they are only 1-2. Yes, they went down to a last-minute field goal but if Clemson were the team I was expecting them to be, they wouldn’t need to worry about last minute field goals.
Embed from Getty ImagesI never thought in the offseason, I would be highlighting Texas beating UTEP 27-10, but here I am. The game might feel like a loss for Texas who struggled to get going, in particular their star QB Arch Manning. Manning connected on 11/25 throws for 114 yards, 1 touchdown (2 more rushing) and 1 interception – ESPN gave him a QBR of 26.5. I fully subscribed to the Manning hype-train pre-season and I am still willing to give him a few more weeks to figure things out. I think both he and the Longhorns will come good…
Questions, Questions, Questions
Week 3 is a tricky point in the season as we have some track record now of who teams are but serious conference play has not yet started. We won’t really know how things are shaping up until early October. We have been treated to a handful of big games and it can be said that they have given us some window into the top tier. Sadly, Notre Dame and Clemson appear to not be on that list.
The season so far seems to have been notable for who has provided us with more questions, rather than answers. Texas I have mentioned above, but I am also waiting to see Penn State play someone of note to understand what they are. The first time we will see them tested is against Oregon on September 28th.
UCLA lost to New Mexico in a near empty stadium at home and their HC was let go shortly after. Have they found the floor or have they got some way to go? It feels like a full rebuild is needed on and off the field.
Will we find the answers next week?
There are a lot more conference games next week which should help us start shaping views on how teams are faring. This will be especially true in the Big Ten and SEC. Hopefully we can start to get some answers. I am looking forward to watching:
Illinois at Indiana – two upper mid tier Big Ten teams vying to sneak into the playoffs. A ranked matchup (both teams are ranked).
Miami vs Florida – Miami are looking good and Carson Beck is getting back in the groove. Billy Napier and Florida really, really need a win here though after their start. On a side note this matchup is also a battle for the McGuffin. College Gameday are here too.
Texas Tech at Utah – Another ranked matchup but this time in the Big 12. Both teams are 3-0 so carrying momentum into this one.
