College Football 24-25: Week 3 Review

Bayou Bengals Barely Escape (#16 LSU 36, South Carolina 33)
After building a 17-point lead on their visitors on Saturday, everything went terribly wrong for South Carolina. It started with Lanorris Sellers going down with an injury after a strong start, including a 75-yard touchdown run late in the quarter. Then, a potential pick-six to give them an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter was wiped off the board after Kyle Kennard took an unnecessary shot at LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier during the return. It allowed LSU to get the ball back, drive down the field, and score the eventual winning touchdown with 1:12 remaining. It soured what could've been a huge win for the Gamecocks after they dismantled Kentucky a week ago.

Norvell, Noles' Offense No-Show Again (Memphis 20, Florida State 12)
The fall from grace of the Florida State Seminoles needs to be studied. One injury last season seemingly altered the trajectory of their entire program. Last season's ACC champions lost Jordan Travis to injury, lost their chance to play for a national championship, and have now lost their first three games after starting the season as the #10 team in the country. DJ Uiagalelei continued to be underwhelming, barely completing 50% of his passes and throwing a wobbly interception. The Seminoles offense turned the ball over three times while accounting for 238 yards. They've been the season's biggest disappointment, dropping this home game to an unranked Memphis team that truly beat Florida State in every area of the game.

Ballin' Like His Uncles (and Grandpa) (#2 Texas 56, UTSA 7)
When Quinn Ewers went down in the second quarter with a strained abdomen, you wouldn't be remiss to question whether Arch Manning could handle taking over a game. On his first play, he threw a touchdown pass. On his third play, he ran for a 67-yard touchdown. It was the beginning of an outstanding relief performance for the backup. Granted it was against UTSA, but Manning finished the night with 276 total yards and five touchdowns as the Longhorns poured it on. If Ewers is out for an extended period, I have little concern about Manning's ability to lead Texas forward. Having Louisiana-Monroe next on the schedule allows Manning to ease into the starter role until Ewers is good to return.

Top 25
1. Texas (3-0)
2. Georgia (3-0)
3. Ohio State (2-0)
Am I overreacting to Georgia's close win against Kentucky? Absolutely. Am I putting too much stock into what I watched Texas do to UTSA? Also, yes. Does that change my decision to put Texas over Georgia? Not one bit. The Longhorns have the more impressive win right now (Michigan last week) and have been overall more exciting to watch. I doubt this will last the entire season, especially since the two of them will meet in a few weeks, but it's fun to shake things up every once in a while.

4. Alabama (3-0)
5. Ole Miss (3-0)
6. Missouri (3-0)
7. Oregon (3-0)
8. Tennessee (3-0)
9. Penn State (2-0)
10. Miami (3-0)
11. Utah (3-0)
There's a major logjam in the Top 10, filled with teams who've managed to stay undefeated through either pure domination or sheer luck. Right now, they're all in a position to make the College Football Playoff, but there is plenty of time for things to change.

12. Oklahoma (3-0)
13. USC (2-0)
14. Kansas State (3-0)
15. Oklahoma State (3-0)
While the Top 11 teams are all positioned to make the playoffs right now, this is the group hiding under the surface and waiting to pounce. Oklahoma barely escaped Tulane, while Kansas State and Oklahoma State both dominated their opponents, the latter of whom beat #20 Arizona. 

16. LSU (2-1)
17. Notre Dame (2-1)
18. Michigan (2-1)
19. Clemson (1-1)
This group of one-loss teams had largely underperformed through two weeks. After this week, LSU needed help to beat South Carolina. Notre Dame ran the ball a million times to steamroll Purdue. Michigan jumped out to a huge lead in what ended up being a closer game than expected.

20. Iowa State (2-0)
21. Nebraska (3-0)
22. Louisville (2-0)
23. Texas A&M (2-1)
24. Arizona (2-1)
25. Boise State (1-1)

My College Football Playoff Bracket
1. Texas (SEC)
2. Ohio State (Big Ten)
3. Miami (ACC)
4. Utah (Big 12)

5. Georgia (SEC) vs. 12. Boise State (MWC)
6. Alabama (SEC) vs. 11. Penn State (Big Ten)
7. Ole Miss (SEC) vs. 10. Tennessee (SEC)
8. Missouri (SEC) vs. 9. Oregon (Big Ten)

13. Oklahoma
14. USC
15. Kansas State

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023-24 Regular Season, Game 29: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

After picking up their first win on the road trip on Tuesday night in Ottawa, the Hurricanes looked to finish the road journey with a win in Detroit to build some momentum before heading home. With the Red Wings dealing with injuries and suspensions, the Canes tried to build on their excellent game against the Senators. Meanwhile, Detroit hoped to stay afloat with key contributors out of the lineup.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:48)- Jack Drury (4) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (9) & Martin Necas (14)) 2nd Period DET (5:20)- Michael Rasmussen (7) (assisted by Andrew Copp (9) & Jonathan Berggren (2)) CAR (11:49)- Jordan Staal (4) (assisted by Jesper Fast (5) & Brett Pesce (3)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts It's almost unfathomable to look at the Canes' 2-4-0 record on this trip and acknowledge that it's the same mark they had on their first long trip of the season after Opening Night. If you'd told me the Canes had identical records on those two trips without...
Read more

"Old Habits Die Hard:" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

For the final time in 2024, the Hurricanes hit the ice. For their New Year's Eve battle, they traveled to Columbus for their third meeting of the campaign against the Blue Jackets. With a split through two meetings, the goal was to keep Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in check to earn two big points before the end of the year. Using Saturday's win over the Devils as a launching point, Sebastian Aho and the top line might have something special in store to ring in the New Year. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (4:48)- Kirill Marchenko (15) (Sean Monahan (21) & Denton Mateychuk (1)) CAR (9:59)- Ty Smith (1) PP (Sebastian Aho (27) & Martin Necas (31)) CBJ (15:43)- Kirill Marchenko (16) (Dmitri Voronkov (11) & Sean Monahan (22)) 2nd Period CAR (5:47)- Jack Roslovic (17) (Seth Jarvis (16) & Sebastian Aho (28)) CAR (8:18)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) (Eric Robinson (11)) 3rd Period CBJ (4:58)- Dmitri Voronkov (13) PP (Sean Monahan (23) & Zach Werenski (29)) Overtime N...
Read more

2024-25 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Hurricanes found their way into the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Devils 4-2 for their first victory of the season. After allowing a goal to Jack Hughes early in the second period, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere put the Canes ahead through 40 minutes before Jackson Blake redirected a shot midway through the third period for his first NHL goal. Nico Hischier scored during a 5-on-3, but Sebastian Aho iced the game late into the empty net to secure the victory. Pyotr Kochetkov earned the win, outdueling Jacob Markstrom by making 24 stops. The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game journey as the State Fair rolls into town. The first stop on the trip will be their lone meeting with a conference opponent. The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-0, 6 Points This Season) Not much about the Pittsburgh Penguins changed during the offseason. Reilly Smith is the most notable addition to the team, but they are largely the same team they have ...
Read more