Ohio State more than "basic" while Jackson shines in showdown
WHAT WE LEARNED
Week 3 proved to be just as exciting as the first week of college football. Some statements were made, and some surprises emerged. It's funny how much you can learn in a week, and how quickly things you thought you knew become things you don't understand at all.
A big surprise so far? Pac 12 teams are ignoring the critics and have two teams in the top ten (Stanford-7th, Washington-9th), but the real surprises have been Arizona State and Utah. The Sun Devils outscored Texas Tech in a 68-55 shootout and are undefeated. Utah beat rival BYU and is undefeated heading into its matchup with USC this weekend.
The Big Ten isn't just a two team race. Yes, Michigan and Ohio State are the front-runners, but don't count out Michigan State or Nebraska quite yet. Wisconsin is ranked 11th but struggled to beat Georgia State, and Minnesota is still the dark horse.
Lamar Jackson is the best player in college football right now. Period. Jackson and his Louisville team stomped all over Florida State, and it doesn't look like anyone is going to be able to stop him. Louisville should be ranked third after this weekends beatdown, and have stunned the ACC so far with its play. Florida State looked lost Saturday, Clemson hasn't really figured things out, and beside maybe Miami, no one else in the conference is at an elite level.
Suddenly, the Big 12 appears to be in trouble. Early season favorite, Oklahoma, is ranked 25th after an embarrassment at home against Ohio State, and the conferences' highest ranked team is Baylor. The Bears are 3-0, but are showing signs of a later season meltdown with their struggles against weak opponents.
Lastly, there is a trend in college football that I will never understand: players dropping the football before they score. It's already happened three times this year (twice this weekend) that I know of. While none of the drops ended up changing the game at all, this is a trend that needs to stop and is baffling. First of all, all three of you looked ridiculous (Oklahoma's Joe Mixon, Cal's Vic Enwere, and Clemson's Ray Ray McCloud), and there really isn't a point in dropping the ball early. Only Mixon is lucky enough to not have his reviewed an reversed, but you other two lost six points over your stupidity. If you're going to drop the ball and cost your team, why don't you just wait until you score and chuck the ball into the stands? At least you got us six points. I'm sure the refs will be on the lookout for this more in the future, but I will never understand why it happens in the first place.
Leonard Fournette may not be in the national conversation as much, but the dude can still ball. In the "get of me"/jaw dropping/that-guy-can't-be-in-college moment of the year, Fournette delivered a nasty stiff arm to Mississippi State's Brandon Bryant. Bryant likely won't hear the end of this one.
TRENDING UP
Bison blitz Hawks----$2,175,000. That's what playing six FBS teams since 2010 gets you. Throw in six wins, and the money is just a bonus. NDSU went down to Iowa and stunned the Hawkeyes on a last second field goal by Cam Pedersen. The Bison have been getting national attention for quite some time, but now will receive even more after beating the 13th ranked Hawkeyes.
Army----At 3-0, the Black Knights have already surpassed their win total from last season. The triple option is working to perfection under coach Jeff Monken, with 5 players over 100 yards rushing for the season. Army only needed 8 pass attempts to beat UTEP this weekend, and relied on 74 carries for 426 yards by its rushers to put the Miners away. Playing with heavy hearts after losing CB Brandon Jackson, who was killed in a car accident a week ago, Army pounded UTEP in honor of their fallen teammate.
TRENDING DOWN
Horns Down----Texas fans had so much to believe in. Their team beat Notre Dame, their freshman QB-senior QB combo was working so well. Then, they went to Cal and surrendered 50 points. While the season is not lost, coach Charlie Strong needs to get his team to regroup and refocus. In two weeks, the Longhorns head to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a battle against Oklahoma State and have the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma the week after.
Luck of the...Spartans?----Could we've already seen the peak of Notre Dame football four years ago? Notre Dame is now 1-2 after getting run over to begin the game against Michigan State. The visiting Spartans jumped out to a 36-7 lead and held on for the eight point win. While the national championship hopes have been all but eliminated, the Irish need to find a way to turn things around. A stretch of Duke, Syracuse and NC State coming up should help.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State (296 yards receiving, 2 TD)----You would think after 196 yards, the Pittsburgh defense would change things up. Washington had the breakout game the Pokes had been waiting for, and they needed every yard to survive a shootout with the Panthers.
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State (220 yards rushing, 3 TD)----He may be the smallest back in the FBS, but he doesn't care. Pumphrey is lighting up defenses on the ground despite being 5'9" 175, and has gained national attention with his performances.
Steven Taylor, LB, Houston (9 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 int)----Taylor was a force on defense all game, and took his lone interception back 77 yards for a touchdown to give the Cougars some breathing room. Taylor is the heart of the defense, but the pick six changed the game.
GAME BALL: Taylor. All three are very deserving (you could even throw Lamar Jackson in too), but Taylor's play towards the end of the game was more impactful.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
My pick: Florida State 42 Louisville 35 ACTUAL: Louisville 63 Florida State 20
I mean, at least Syracuse put up 28 and only gave up 62 last week against Louisville. Florida State had no idea what to do with Lamar Jackson, and the Seminoles didn't look like a team that gets top recruits year in and year out. In fact, they looked like the worst team in the conference after Saturday. Exaggeration aside, the 'Noles looked bad and have a lot to fix by next week. Jackson is running (literally) away with the Heisman so far through three games, and his team is showing they aren't just a one man show. The Cards defense smothered 'Noles RB Dalvin Cook, and made freshman QB Deondre Francois uncomfortable all day. Too bad Jameis Winston wasn't there to give a halftime speech, because these "dogs" turned to "puppies" real quick. Then again, Winston's Tampa Bay Pupp....errr...Buccaneers didn't do so hot either.
My pick: Alabama 38 Ole Miss 31 ACTUAL: Alabama 48 Ole Miss 43
With how this game started, Ole Miss made it look like they took my prediction personal. For some reason, the Rebels are starting a bad habit of getting up early, and then shutting down suddenly to let their opponents take control. Up 21, the Rebels allowed 24 unanswered points to the Tide. While Chad Kelly threw for a career high 421 yards, Ole Miss dug too big of a hole to climb out of (even with a recovered onside kick). With how the rest of the SEC has looked so far, I'm not sure how the Tide will lose. This might have been the best chance for that to happen, but even a stellar performance from Kelly wasn't enough. Even with four ranked teams left on Bama's schedule, none of them appear to be at that level. Could this be the most dominant Nick Saban team yet? Scary thought.
My pick: Notre Dame 42 Michigan State 21 ACTUAL: Michigan State 36 Notre Dame 28
Mark Dantonio should probably be on the list of people you shouldn't doubt, because his Spartans will make you pay. Michigan State went to Notre Dame and silenced the crowd early on their way to an eight point win. The first surprise came early, with the Spartans going for two on their first touchdown to make the score 8-7. Next, Michigan State poured on the pressure with 28 unanswered points before holding on at the end. Notre Dame did not look very good after their first touchdown, and didn't do much until it was too late. Defense again was an issue for the Irish, as they struggled to stop a punishing ground game.
My pick: Ohio State 44 Oklahoma 27 ACTUAL: Ohio State 45 Oklahoma 24
Austin Kendall foot, meet Austin Kendall mouth. He may have done his last interview ever, and the Sooners are okay with that. Ohio State's "basic" defense caused headaches for starter Baker Mayfield all night, and the Sooners struggled to get going. Nothing really seemed to go right for OU, although they got luck a review wasn't requested when Joe Mixon decided to drop the ball before scoring on a kickoff return. Ohio State's youth hasn't shown so far this season, which worries the rest of the Big Ten and college football. Coach Urban Meyer has his young team playing at an elite level, and they can (and did) thank Kendall for helping them along the way. Oklahoma needs to figure out a game plan for the rest of the season after going from playoff contender to 1-2 only three weeks in.
