Week 3 shakeup: Who came out on top and who hit rock bottom in college football?

1984. That's how long it's been since the Rebels of UNLV started a football season with three straight wins. Well, they finally accomplished that again this year after their signature road win over underwhelming Kansas. UNLV has cleared the path and has strengthened its case to make the College Football Playoff as the G5 representative.

The victory over Kansas was UNLV's second over a Big 12 team. It's unfathomable to think that UNLV has turned the corner rapidly after years and decades of losing football. As soon as the school hired Barry Odom, the Rebels flipped the script. Las Vegas is finally on the college football map. They put together an incredible performance.

UNLV's running game propelled them to the win. They racked up 181 yards on the ground. Quarterback Matthew Sluka ran for 124 yards himself on 19 carries. He looked like a bootleg Marshawn Lynch out there last Friday. The defense picked off struggling Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels twice. They didn't turn the ball over and grabbed points on four of their five red zone opportunities.

Kylin James also scored on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. In two weeks, UNLV has another chance to continue impressing the playoff selection committee. They have one more non-conference game. It's against Syracuse of the ACC. If they win that one, all UNLV would need is a Mountain West title. For now, though, they'll prepare for Fresno State.

Yes, Michigan won against Arkansas State. They bounced back from a hideous showing against Texas. However, this game was way closer than it needed to be. One of the reasons for this was their quarterback play. It's been struggling and hard to watch all year long. This week's effort was no different.

Davis Warren threw not one, not two, but three hideous interceptions. There's no doubt that it kept Arkansas State in the game for most of the way. The first pick that you just saw above led to a field goal for the Red Wolves. Warren's next pick came late in the second quarter with the Wolverines in plus territory.

Arkansas State would miss a field goal soon after this but they had a chance for another score. They missed a 38-yarder. The third interception took place late in the third quarter. This pass was picked at midfield and got returned inside Michigan's 40-yard line. Arkansas State would take this to Michigan's 20 before they threw a pick right back to negate any damage.

Warren has now thrown six interceptions through three games. The quarterback situation is a mess for this team right now. Alex Orji saw another appearance but he didn't do much from a passing perspective again. It's going to be a long year in Ann Arbor if this doesn't improve.

Life's been hard if you're a Washington State Cougar. When the recent demolition of the PAC-12 Conference happened, Wazzu was one of only two schools left behind in the dead league. There's been plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the athletic programs.

Now, they've proven themselves on the football field. The Cougars took back the Apple Cup from their biggest rival, the Washington Huskies.

That rival is the same team that got an invitation to join the now-loaded Big Ten Conference. Wazzu is now 3-0. They took down Texas Tech the week before in a blowout. This week they propelled themselves into the discussion more. This win is the biggest Wazzu has had since the 1997 Apple Cup when they clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Despite this being a close game, it never seemed as if Washington State wasn't in control. Despite the Huskies getting a few leads throughout the game, they couldn't contain Cougars quarterback John Mateer.

The young signal-caller was like the Energizer Bunny as he ran rampant for two scores on the ground. He was also very precise in the passing game, throwing for over 200 yards and another score.

Wazzu got a critical stop late in the game when the Huskies were threatening to take the lead. It helped too that Washington committed a grotesque 16 penalties. They accumulated well over 100 penalty yards. The Cougars have established themselves and earned some much-needed respect after beating the only two power conference teams on their schedule. Now, it's on to San Jose State.

If the season wasn't over two weeks ago, it is now. Florida State has dropped to 0-3 after a 20-12 loss to Memphis last Saturday. The 2024 Seminoles will go down as the biggest disappointment in college football history. They've surpassed the 2007 Michigan Wolverines. With a week off before this game, Florida State was expected to look competent at the very least. They didn't even come close.

The offense only recorded 11 first downs for the game. They went 2-for-12 on third-down efficiency. They averaged just 4.3 per play. The ground game only recorded 37 rushing yards. The unit coughed up the ball three times, including another D.J. Uiagalelei interception. The struggling quarterback got sacked four times. Receivers dropped passes. Needless to say, nothing went right.

Memphis signal-caller Seth Henigan threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 26 of 39 pass attempts. In the third quarter, the Tigers built a 20-3 lead before Florida State flirted with a comeback.

The Seminoles scored nine unanswered points but failed on a critical two-point conversion. This team is in such disarray that I'm shocked that Mike Norvell hasn't gotten fired. If you would've told anyone that FSU would've started 0-3, you would've been laughed out of the room. This is unbelievable

Wow! Look who showed up! People who just saw Oregon's 2-0 record before their game against Oregon State, and didn't watch then, might have thought they were great. They weren't though as the Ducks stumbled over the last few weeks.

Yes, they won both games. However, they were struggles. They beat Idaho by only 10 points in week one. Last week, they won by just three points against Boise State.

In the Civil War rivalry game, they didn't struggle. Instead, they dominated and steamrolled the Beavers in Corvallis. Dillon Gabriel had his first great game in Ducks green. He tossed for nearly 300 yards and two scores. He completed 84% of his throws. The offense couldn't be stopped as they eclipsed the 500-yard mark. The defense was good as well.

They gave up a couple of scores in the first half. However, when the time came, they shut the opposition down. The unit shut out Oregon State in the second half. Oregon's defense forced two turnovers, registered two sacks, and held the Beavers to 309 yards. Most of that yardage came in the first two quarters.

With an improved performance, Oregon sits at 3-0. Their offense seems to have gotten out of their slump from week one and had their best performance today. They played a complete game. Despite losing a fumble, Oregon has a blueprint they could follow for future success. A win like this was needed as the Ducks head into a bye week before visiting UCLA on September 28th.

What's happening with Mississippi State? It's getting concerning now. The Bulldogs have dropped to 1-2 after they got upset by the Toledo Rockets. Yes, this team didn't have lofty expectations. But to look like this is insane. Heading into this game, Toledo beating Mississippi State was a popular upset pick, so much so that it was included in our best games for week three.

If this team was going to lose, it was going to be close for sure, right? Not! The MAC's tip contender wiped the floor with MSU in a 41-17 drubbing. Mississippi State didn't even look like an SEC team. They looked like a team of second-graders on the field this past Saturday. The offensive line got their lunch handed to them. They gave up five sacks and the offense only accumulated 66 rushing yards.

Mississippi State turned the ball over twice. Defensively, the Bulldogs gave up 454 yards of offense to Toledo. The secondary got lit up by Tucker Gleason as he tossed for nearly 300 yards and three scores. A 21-point second quarter put this game away The team also committed 10 penalties. Fans in Starkville aren't even watching an SEC product here.

For them to not even compete against a MAC team is insane. The conference sometimes referred to as "Big Ten Junior" has their second signature non-conference win of the year. The MAC has also earned their second win over the SEC. The first was in 2015 when these same Rockets beat Arkansas.

Can you believe that Indiana is 3-0? It's crazy but it's true. This is not in basketball but in football. The Hoosiers historically have been one of the Big Ten's most underwhelming teams. Before 2024, Indiana has produced only eight 3-0 starts over the last 30 years. They ran away against a struggling UCLA team this past weekend for their first big win in years. This was also historic in a way.

This was just IU's second appearance in the Rose Bowl's stadium since they played in the postseason game back in 1968. They're 2-0 all-time in that stadium. This game was never in doubt and the Hoosiers ran over the Bruins, building an early 21-0 lead.

The offense led by former MAC Player of the Year, Kurtis Rourke, looks unstoppable. They put up 430 yards of total offense. He threw for 307 yards and four scores.

They racked up 25 first downs and didn't turn the ball over. Defensively, Indiana never allowed UCLA to get anything going. They forced two turnovers, sacked Ethan Garbers twice, and only allowed two third-down conversions. UCLA only ran for 96 yards on the ground. Everything looks great for Indiana fans right now.

A week after setting the school record for points in a single game, they went on the road and lit up a Big Ten defense. Most people expected Indiana to be 2-1 or at the worst 1-2 now. Instead, they are still on the undefeated list for another week. They will take on Charlotte next Saturday, atop the Big Ten.

Going back to the UNLV game, their opponent shows up as one of the biggest losers for week three. The Kansas Jayhawks came into this season with some high expectations. Some were viewing the Jayhawks as a potential threat to get into the College Football Playoff. They were even being thrown around as a dark horse contender in the Big 12 Conference.

To say things are going south is an understatement. After their season-opening win against Lindenwood, Kansas has gotten upset twice. Last week, the No. 19 Jayhawks lost to Illinois on the road. This past week, they dropped their home game to UNLV. Kansas' performance was riddled with untimely errors and mistakes.

Jalon Daniels, who was seen as a Heisman Trophy candidate by some, continued to struggle. The highly gifted and athletic quarterback had another performance to forget.

After he threw three interceptions against Illinois, he threw two more against UNLV. He's thrown six total picks over three games this season. Kansas also committed nine penalties. They did produce decent numbers offensively but the miscues cost them.

Kansas also had trouble taking advantage of opportunities. There was a crazy sequence that happened in the fourth where they had a chance to scoop up a fumble.

Three guys had a chance at picking up the loose ball but failed to do so. They couldn't stop Matthew Sluka from running all over them. It was just a bad day and things aren't getting easier as Kansas plays West Virginia on the road next week.

What a difference a week makes! The Colorado Buffaloes have put together their first complete team game in the Deion Sanders era. The fact that there's evidence of that is insane. Last year's Rocky Mountain Showdown in Boulder is an all-time classic. This year's edition of the game was a demolition of Colorado State.

Colorado dominated the whole way. The offensive line, arguably the team's biggest weakness, had their finest hour in Fort Collins. Superstar signal-caller Shedeur Sanders was only sacked once. He threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. The ground game combined for over 100 yards too. They gave time for Sanders all day long, as he completed 36 of 49 passes.

Defensively, the team didn't get burned either. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw two interceptions and couldn't get the passing game going. he got sacked twice as well. The Buffaloes also recorded two fumble recoveries. The Rams were held to just four third-down conversions on 15 attempts. Colorado State never found the endzone until the fourth quarter, when the game was out of reach.

Now, there are still some things that need to be cleaned up. The penalties are the biggest issue that needs to be corrected. The Buffs were flagged 12 times for 115 penalty yards. That can't continue to happen. However, there's some momentum here with this performance. Now the media critics will back off for the week before the Buffs play Baylor next Saturday.

Is Arizona supposed to be a good team? That's what many are trying to figure out now. The Wildcats haven't looked well through the first three weeks of the season. Despite a win against New Mexico a couple of weeks ago, this team doesn't look at all like a conference title contender. Their showing against 14th-ranked Kansas State was their worst of the season.

They did accumulate 324 yards of total offense. However, it wasn't a great night for the unit. Noah Fifita threw one interception and no touchdowns. He also got sacked once. The running game was nowhere to be found. Arizona only racked up 56 rushing yards on 19 carries. They converted under half of their third-down situations. Fourth-down efficiency wasn't much better as they went 1-for-4.

The defense wasn't much better. They got handed their lunch as they couldn't stop the run. Arizona gave up 235 rushing yards and averaged nearly six yards per carry. Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson ran for 110 yards himself, to go along with his 156 passing yards and two touchdown tosses. Arizona also committed nine penalties in the game.

No doubt Arizona is one of the most underwhelming teams in the country. They have disappointed plenty of people around the country. They need to pick it up fast. Luckily for them, the team has a bye week before playing Utah on September 28th. Let's see if they take advantage of the extra time.

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