2024 College Football: Week 3 Takeaways
We couldn’t even make it 3 weeks into the season without realignment making an impact. Trust me: we’ll get to that. On the field though, the games still taught us a lot! Despite just one game (Missouri beating Boston College) featuring two ranked teams and almost no significant upsets, we learned quite a bit about the teams. Some are in real trouble, while others are better than expected (or at least righting their ships). We had close calls (Georgia/LSU), and one particularly popular recruit saw his first extended action, so we’ll definitely talk about him. Read on for my week 3 takeaways!
Realignment Strikes Again: Pac-12 Poaching from Mountain West
We got word this week that four Mountain West teams would be joining the Pac-12 (Pac-2?). Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State will be switching conferences in two years, and those teams make sense. The first three are perennially among the best Mountain West teams, and the Rams are viewed as an up-and-coming squad. However, I don’t really understand this transaction from their view or the Pac-12’s perspective. When I say Pac-12 here, I basically mean Oregon State and Washington State, as they’re the only two teams left, and they won control of the conference’s assets.
If you’re one of the incoming schools, I can’t comprehend paying the Mountain West $18M each in exit fees to go to a conference that will basically be Mountain West+. I doubt that any new media deal that the remade Pac-12 will sign can make up for that cash dump. After all, this won’t even be as strong as the version of the conference that couldn’t get a deal done before (and led to a mass exodus of teams). Supposedly, OSU and WSU will use their windfall from their settlement to help the 4 new schools with those exit fees. That brings me to another key question: why would they do that sort of deal?
If anything, the two Pac-12 schools should’ve gone in reverse. By joining the Mountain West, they would be in an equivalent conference. In fact, a merged conference could even keep the Pac-12 name. OSU and WSU would keep their new money in this scenario, which I feel makes this the optimal outcome. I suspect that the recent news about the sides being unable to come to a scheduling agreement played a factor. That could’ve soured any of the involved schools on their conferences’ partnership. We’ll learn more in time, and the Pac-12 will likely expand further. I’m just scratching my head over these particular developments.
Missed Opportunities Spare (16) LSU, (1) Georgia from Upsets
Two ranked teams who won this week did so by the skin of their teeth. First, South Carolina nearly took down (16) LSU with ESPN College Gameday in the house. In fact, they led for the majority of the game but simply made a few too many errors to seal the deal. In one case, up 7-0 and driving, QB LaNorris Sellers lofted a 30-yard pass toward the end zone. It was a little too reckless, and CB Zy Alexander ran the route to pick it off. Already in FG range, that cost the Gamecocks 3 points.
A more damaging error was when South Carolina seemed to secure a pick six, but it was called back for a penalty. One of the new rule changes came into effect, with DE Kyle Kennard called for a horse collar tackle on QB Garrett Nussmeier. Last year, that would not have been a penalty, but it is now for player safety reasons. One problem that wasn’t South Carolina’s fault was an ankle injury suffered by Sellers. Robby Ashford, who has plenty of experience, replaced him, but Sellers (10/88/2) was far more of a rushing threat, and the offense grew stagnant.
In spite of all of that, Ashford and the offense went on a drive down 36-33 with a chance to tie the game. With the ball at LSU’s 32 and 18 seconds remaining (plus a timeout), South Carolina made the curious choice to run the ball. The play netted one yard, and coach Shane Beamer called his timeout with 4 seconds left. Attempting a throw to shorten the subsequent FG attempt would’ve been smarter. Instead, K Alex Herrera barely missed from 49 yards, and the Gamecocks lost. Fixing any one of these little issues might have changed the outcome. Instead, LSU escaped in spite of their copious defensive woes.
Kentucky made less mistakes in their battle against (1) Georgia, but they also had the more Herculean task. For the Wildcats to take out one of their biggest rivals, they needed to be nearly perfect. Their defense actually was pretty close to flawless, but the offense left much to be desired. QB Brock Vandagriff, a 3-year Georgia backup, proved why his old team never started him. He fumbled twice (losing one) and went 14/27 for just 114 yards. Still, I wish Kentucky would’ve been less conservative. Yes, they ran the ball well, and K Alex Raynor was stellar, but to beat the #1 team, you have to go after them.
One particular punt irked me. Down by the eventual final score of 13-12, Kentucky had 4th and 8 at Georgia’s 47 with 3:03 on the clock and 2 timeouts remaining. Instead of trying to get a first down, HC Mark Stoops sent out his punt team, took a delay of game penalty, and booted it away. The Bulldogs ended up punting, but not until just 9 seconds remained. Picking up 8 yards proved to be less daunting than stopping Georgia’s rushing attack. UGA survived, but between this and the first half of the Clemson game, I’m worried about the offense. It must be fixed before facing (4) Alabama in two weeks.
(9) Oregon Ducks Finally Get Their Act Together Against Beavers
Perhaps no 2-0 team in the country faced more scrutiny than Oregon. Ranked #3 before any games were played, the Ducks surprised onlookers by beating Idaho, an FCS school, by just 7 at home in their opener. The offense looked better in week 2, but Oregon still only beat Boise State (admittedly one of the best Group of 5 teams) by 3 with the help of some excellent returns on special teams, again at home. Their first road test against in-state rival Oregon State seems like a good measuring stick to see where the now 9th-ranked Ducks are. Are they still Big 10 and CFP contenders?
If we go by what happened this week, the answer to the above question is an emphatic yes. The Beavers aren’t quite the high-quality team of the past few years, but they’re still considered the best that Oregon has faced so far. With that in mind, the Ducks demolished OSU in a 49-14 blowout. QB Dillon Gabriel (20/24, 291 yards, 2 TDs; 4/64/1 rushing) played his cleanest game, with RBs Jordan James (12/86/2) and Noah Whittington (7/64/1) contributing to the Ducks’ sterling 7.5 YPC figure. Expected star WR Tez Johnson (7/110) also broke out, making this a well-oiled machine once again.
I’m actually more encouraged by what I saw from the defense. This unit let Boise State run wild and score 34 points. Albeit facing an inexperienced QB, the Ducks allowed just 14 points to Oregon State. They also pitched a shutout after halftime, and the entire team grew stronger after the break. I can’t say that this is enough to officially declare Oregon an elite team again. We might not get that sort of proof until October 12, when they play Ohio State. Relative to how the Ducks played during the first two weeks of the season though, this game was a tremendous improvement. Oregon is at least back on the right track.
Seats Getting VERY Warm for Coaches of Two Florida Schools
Nobody thought we’d be here after two weeks, but I’m afraid we are. Florida and Florida State, two storied programs in college football history, are mired in subpar football, and their fanbases are restless. Gators HC Billy Napier was thought by some to be on the hot seat before the season began. A week-1 blowout loss to rival Miami put him firmly in the crosshairs. He earned a brief reprieve after a demolition of FCS team Samford. That made their third game, a third-straight home game against Texas A&M, a pivotal contest. The Aggies have struggled as well, so this felt like a reasonably even matchup.
The manner in which Florida lost this game, with a 33-20 score that looks better than their play indicated, is troubling. QB Graham Mertz was mostly efficient, going 12/15 for 195 yards and a TD. Despite that, he threw a pick six and nearly lost a fumble at the goal line. He also alternated series with DJ Lagway, preventing either of them from getting in rhythm. Lagway actually fared worse, finishing 6/13 for just 54 yards, a TD, and 2 INTs. The run game barely helped, and only WRs Elijhah Badger (5/94/1) and Chimere Dike (6/91/1) truly had strong offensive games.
Defensively, the Gators were a disaster. Facing a backup QB, you might expect Florida to focus on the run. If they did, they failed miserably. The Aggies racked up 310 rushing yards and kept their freshman passer safe. The worst thing I can say about the Gators is that they lost both lines of scrimmage. Honestly, I don’t know what Napier can do to save his job. If he wins out, he could keep it, but does this squad look like it can beat the 5 teams on their schedule who are currently ranked in the top 16? At this point, he needs the school’s boosters to suddenly become too cheap to buy him out if he wants to stay.
Up north in Tallahassee, Florida State is in a more surprising predicament. This team went 13-1, won the ACC, and only lost their bowl game due to opt-outs in 2023. How did the situation collapse this quickly? One issue is that FSU lost numerous players to the NFL following their success, especially QB Jordan Travis. HC Mike Norvell wanted Cam Ward as his replacement, but the Washington State star chose Miami, turning that team completely around. Norvell settled on DJ Uiagalelei from Oregon State, and the former Beaver really let him down. He was abysmal in weeks 0 and 1, dragging the Seminoles to 0-2.
If you thought that facing a Group of 5 team at home would help them settle down, think again. Memphis came to town and thoroughly outplayed the Seminoles, winning 20-12 in a game that they fully controlled. Uiagalelei (16/20, 201 yards, INT) was pedestrian once again, and though the defense improved, it still didn’t play up to last year’s standards. Norvell built this team slowly and seemed to do so properly. FSU became better each year, culminating in last year’s elite season. That said, if they can’t beat their upcoming ACC opponents, fans’ patience with Norvell and his hand-picked QB will wear thin.
QB Quinn Ewers Injured; Backup Arch Manning Stars for (2) Texas
Everything was going swimmingly for Texas against UTSA, as expected. Then, QB Quinn Ewers (14/16, 185 yards, 2 TDs, INT) went down without being touched. The team quickly ruled him out with an abdominal strain. It is unknown how long he’ll be out. The more notable part about this is who came in to cover for him: Arch Manning, the hyped heir to the Manning dynasty. He played in a few prior games, but he never had this much action all to himself. HC Steve Sarkisian has quietly groomed him behind the scenes, and we got to see some of the fruits of his labor. So how did it go? In a word: superbly.
Manning threw a 19-yard TD on his very first pass. Then, he did something you never saw out of Cooper or Eli: he ran, scoring a TD on a 67-yard dash. He still only threw 12 passes, but he made them count, completing 9 for 223 yards and 4 TDs. Manning was virtually flawless, and the Longhorns are in excellent hands if Ewers misses any time. He looks well on his way to being the #1 pick in the 2026 draft. In the here and now, the only question is whether to put Texas past Georgia based on how this week’s games played out. If I were in charge of the rankings, I’d say yes.