The first three weeks of the college football season have not disappointed, and we're starting to get a clearer picture of where teams stand. While we’ll learn even more in the upcoming weeks as we get into the thick of conference play, several teams have already stood out. Here are three teams that have looked impressive and deserve more respect through the first three weeks of the college football season.
The competition hasn’t been the toughest, but outside of a slow start against Wyoming last week, through three games Utah looks like a top team in the Big 12 and a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. Quarterback Devon Dampier has been outstanding, racking up 800 total yards and eight touchdowns and filling a hole at the QB position that has plagued the Utes in recent years. Kyle Whittingham’s defense looks strong as always, and the rushing attack looks even more dangerous with Dampier’s dual-threat ability along with two of the best offensive linemen in the country in tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu.
While No. 16 in the latest AP poll may seem like enough respect for a team that has played UCLA, Cal Poly, and Wyoming, it is worth asking how high they’d be ranked if this were a team from the Big Ten or SEC. Utah will face their top competitor in the Big 12 this Saturday in Texas Tech, in what is a massive matchup for the conference this early in the season.
While USF has been the story from the Group of Five so far, Tulane has quietly taken care of business. The Green Wave already have two wins over Power Conference opponents in Northwestern and Duke. While this is not the cream of the crop when it comes to P4 programs, those wins will carry weight when comparing Tulane to other Group of Five contenders later in the season.
Despite joining the program in July, quarterback Jake Retzlaff has not missed a beat. Tulane has seemingly unlocked something with Retzlaff’s legs as he’s already rushed for over 100 yards in two games, scored six rushing touchdowns, and is halfway to his total rushing yards from last season. Jon Sumrall’s team will have a chance to prove themselves even more in Week 4 when they take on No. 13 Ole Miss.
With their Week 3 win over Minnesota, Cal is 3-0 for the second straight year and for the fifth time under head coach Justin Wilcox. Despite losing a significant amount of production from last season to the transfer portal, the Bears are doing just fine and largely thanks to true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback. The four-star recruit has been everything and more for the Bears, throwing for over 200 yards in every game and making several plays that no one would expect from a true freshman.
Given how Cal has looked so far, and with a relatively favorable schedule ahead, the Bears’ ceiling is looking much higher than it did in the preseason.
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