Week three of the college football season was interesting to say the least.
The #2 Clemson Tigers were dominant on the road against a top 20 Louisville team and may have planted their flag as the best team in the country. In Los Angeles, the #5 USC Trojans were pushed to the limit against an unranked Texas Longhorns team while the other Los Angeles team, UCLA, were the victim of an upset at the hands of the Memphis Tigers. Thanks to an amazing hail mary call, the #20 Florida Gators orchestrated a miracle. Let’s get to the observations of week three in college football.
- Things must be figured out quickly for the Stanford Cardinal. They are 1-2 on the season with both losses coming in blowout fashion against #5 USC and a road loss to San Diego State last week. A home game against a struggling UCLA defense may be a temporary remedy but as #23 Utah, #24 Oregon, #18 Washington State, and #7 Washington remain on the schedule, Stanford must turn around their inconsistencies on both sides of the ball and turn it around fast.
- It was an unexpected upset as #17 Mississippi State sent a message with a 37-7 home win over #25 LSU. The Bulldogs defense in particular held LSU to just 270 yards of offense, 3-of-13 on third down, and only 24:05 in time of possession. Maybe it was a sign that we should take Mississippi State seriously. To the level of challenging Alabama to SEC West supremacy? Probably not. But the Bulldogs may be the second best team in the SEC West. I said, maybe.
- The #16 TCU Horned Frogs are riding high at the moment thanks to an offense that is seventh in the country in scoring offense at 49 points per game. A huge test looms for the Frogs at the moment as a trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma to face the #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys is on the agenda this Saturday. An upset here will be monumental go forward and will rightfully thrust TCU as a Big 12 conference favorite.
- While most knew that #2 Clemson was exceptional, most questioned how great they were coming into the season after losing so many key players to draft/graduation. Their 47-21 win over #19 Louisville showed how dangerous the Tigers are. For once, that talented Clemson defense made last year’s Heisman winner Lamar Jackson look, well, mortal. A team that is fresh off a National Championship probably improved mentally after a game such as that. A scary thought for the rest of college football.
- We may have seen the birth of a potential championship winning quarterback in Texas true freshman Sam Ehlinger. He was not always perfect with his 298-yard, two touchdown, two interception outing, but he showed that he is a gamer. The young passer helped string together a 14-play, 91-yard drive to give the Longhorns a 17-14 lead over the Trojans with 45 seconds remaining. Head coach Tom Herman may have himself a future star.
