Week 3 of the College Football season was penciled in as one of the best weekends of the season, and this weekend certainly lived up to the hype. We had some massive matchups between Notre Dame Vs Texas A&M, Georgia Vs Tennessee, Florida Vs LSU, and USF Vs Miami. This weekend also provided us with Playoff altering losses as Clemson and South Carolina took massive blows for their Playoff hopes.
We're now a quarter of the way through the College Football season for most programs, and the College Football Playoff race is starting to take shape and will truly be shaped in the next few weeks. Teams like Clemson, Notre Dame, and Florida are wishing they could hit the reset button, while Florida State, Miami, and Utah are riding high.
These 12 programs have the inside track to the College Football Playoff
Falling out of our Top 12 are the Clemson Tigers, the USF Bulls, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Clemson has become the biggest disappointment of the season, as they haven't looked anywhere near the National Championship contender they looked like before the season. The USF Bulls are out of the picture for now, but if they win the American, they'll earn the Non Power 4 bid into the Playoff. Notre Dame is now 0-2 against two great teams, and they'll need to walk the tightrope just to have a chance to make the Playoff.
The Tulane Green Wave got two massive results for their College Football Playoff hopes, USF lost to Miami, and they beat Darian Mensah and the Duke Blue Devils. The only way Tulane will face USF is if they meet in the American Championship, which could be a win-and-in for the College Football Playoff. The Green Wave now has wins over an ACC and a Big Ten opponent and could add a key resume win over Ole Miss this week.
The Utah Utes continue to look like the team to beat in the Big 12 this season after cruising to victory over Wyoming this weekend. Devon Dampier has completely changed the identity of this team, and he's starting to look like a Heisman contender with his dual-threat ability. This week's game against Texas Tech will be the biggest test for both teams and could decide the Big 12.
The Texas Longhorns continue to tumble toward the back half of our playoff contender rankings as the offense is a massive concern. Arch Manning has gone from a preseason Heisman darling to having the fans question whether he should still be starting after going 11-25 for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception against UTEP. The defense is the only reason to be excited about this team, and they have one last dress rehearsal before getting back into SEC play.
This weekend, the Florida State Seminoles were on the bye, and while they didn't improve their stock themselves, it was a great weekend. The games against Clemson and Florida no longer look like toss-ups, as the Tigers have fallen apart, while we have no idea who may be coaching or playing for the Gators by the end of the season. There are plenty of landmines on the schedule, but if Mike Norvell can lead his team through the trap games, he should finally make his way to the College Football Playoff.
The Texas A&M Aggies beating up on UTSA and Utah State weren't all that impressive, but picking up a win over Notre Dame has Texas A&M on the track toward the College Football Playoff. The schedule is still difficult as the Aggies have to face 4 ranked teams as well as South Carolina, but this team has the talent to win every game they play. The next chance to add a resume building win comes after the bye this weekend, as the Aggies will face Auburn after their game against Oklahoma.
Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini are off to a 3-0 start and while their win over Duke looks worse after they lost to Tulane, this team is still on the road to the Playoff. This weekend, they'll get their first chance to pick up a big win as they face off against Indiana in a game that will make or break the path to the playoffs for both teams.,
While Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU Tigers offense haven't been as good as everyone thought, the Tigers are 3-0, which is a massive win. The Tigers' wins over Clemson and Florida don't look great, but they were games you circled as potential losses coming into the year, and the Tigers have survived each test. The hope is that the offense can start to gel this weekend against Southeastern Louisiana but, the defense looks like one of the units LSU has won with in the past.
This Penn State team is still a projection of their talent rather than what they've proven, as they've beaten up on Nevada, FIU, and Villanova. We won't see Penn State this weekend as they're on the bye, but the following weekend brings a massive matchup against Oregon. The Nittany Lions have three ranked games in total and a weaker Big Ten schedule, which should allow them to put up a good enough record to make the Playoff.
This weekend, the Oregon Ducks weren't all that impressive after demolishing Oklahoma State, but they're off to a 1-0 start in conference play. The Ducks have one last weekend to get ready for the big games as they'll face their 0-3 In-State rivals, Oregon State. The schedule only has three ranked games against Penn State, Indiana, and USC, and a win over one of the three may be enough to punch their ticket.
It wasn't pretty at times, and it wasn't perfect, but Kirby Smart's Georgia team did what they've done year after year, fighting through adversity and picking up a massive win over Tennessee. Gunner Stockton quieted all the concerns about his lack of aggressiveness and was awesome with his downfield throws. This was the first time the defense was tested, but now Kirby Smart gets to tinker with his defense, and they're only going to get better because of this game.
The Miami Hurricanes looked like bullies this weekend as they ended all of the talk about the Cinderella story of the USF Bulls. It wasn't Carson Beck's best showing, but all of the reasons to like him as a player were on display. The rushing attack gashed the Bulls while the defense dominated in the same fashion in the trenches, holding USF to just 1.5 yards per carry. The only team on the schedule that is a concern is the Florida State game, and a win there would all but solidify the Canes as the best team in the ACC.
The Ohio State Buckeyes remain the team to beat this season, and this weekend against the Ohio Bobcats was never going to change that. The last two weeks have been easy, but the Buckeyes now snap back into action as they'll face a sneaky Washington team. The Buckeyes only have three ranked games this season, and a win over Penn State, Illinois, or Michigan should be enough to make the Playoff as long as they handle business everywhere else.
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