College football has already treated fans to quite the excitement in just two short weeks of action. The upsets have already taken place, the Cinderellas have begun, and we are already in the midst of conference play.
With that, it is time to talk about football. What should we expect ahead of Week 3? Here are some of the biggest storylines in an exciting weekend of College Football.
Lots and lots of SEC action
The headliner, No. 15 Tennessee vs No. 6 Georgia
The SEC will be on public notice as Saturday’s slate of games will feature some juggernauts within the conference. The headliner is No. 15 Tennessee squaring off against No. 6 Georgia in Neyland Stadium. That will be an unfortunate 3:30 PM EST start.
The big storyline with that one comes down to the rivals facing off early on. Of course, you have a hot Tennessee squad meeting a Georgia team that has not gotten out to a fast start. In their first two games, the Volunteers have put up 117 points and have blown past the Syracuse Orange in Week 1. UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar has displayed an impressive start to the season, tallying 535 yards and 5 touchdowns thus far, while Star Thomas has accounted for 161 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton took over for the injured Carson Beck in last year’s Playoff run, and Georgia has not looked back. Stockton has racked up 417 yards and 2 touchdowns in his full-time role as the starter. A big weapon for Stockton has been the speedy slot receiver from USC, Zachariah Branch, who has secured 6 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia struggled offensively against Austin Peay, and the team fell two spots in the AP Poll. Tennessee, on the other hand, has been making noise offensively. The battle between Georgia’s defense and Tennessee’s offense will be interesting to watch, and the outcome will largely be determined by that.
No. 3 LSU vs. Florida
Billy Napier, DJ Lagway, and the Florida Gators could not have had a more disappointing loss in Week 2, and the turnaround does not make things much easier. The Gators will travel to Baton Rouge to play the No. 3 LSU Tigers. After a disappointing loss to USF, how will Florida respond in a very harsh environment?
No. 17 Ole Miss vs. Arkansas
Arkansas seems to be a team flying under the radar, as the Razorbacks have quietly put up 50+ points in their first two games. Taylen Green is a dark-horse Heisman contender, and he will have his shot to silence Ole Miss on the road. After a hard-earned win in Lexington against Kentucky, the Rebels earned the right to a 2-0 record. However, Austin Simmons must cut down on turnovers, and Ole Miss will need to play a much cleaner game this Saturday.
No. 11 South Carolina vs Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is hot, starting off the season 2-0 with a solid come-from-behind victory over Virginia Tech, on the road. This should be a sneaky good battle between two SEC teams. Also, pay close attention to the LaNorris Sellers vs. Diego Pavia matchup.
Can USF ride the hot wave?
USF has been college football’s best story. As an underdog in both games played thus far, USF has yet to lose. As if opening up against Boise State and beating the brakes off the Broncos wasn’t enough, they did it on the road against Florida the following week.
Seriously, who expected this caliber of play from the South Florida Bulls football program to start the season? The Bulls’ schedule has been no joke, and they will have another opportunity to put the nation on notice.
Saturday at 4:30 PM EST, Alex Golesh will take his team to Hardrock Stadium to meet the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes. This will mark the third consecutive ranked opponent for USF. A win not only gives the Bulls a clear path to the playoffs but also the national recognition they deserve.
The story last week was more about Florida’s loss than USF’s win. However, holding the No. 18 spot in the AP Polls now shows that USF is legit. After this game, the Bulls will begin AAC conference play and should be favored for the remainder of the season.
This is definitely a game to keep an eye on.
Colorado's weird quarterback situation
Since the conclusion of Shedeur Sanders’ fascinating Colorado career, the talk of the town has centered around who is next in Boulder. The quarterback battle has been very intriguing as it ultimately boiled down to transfer Kaidon Salter from Liberty and five-star true freshman Julian Lewis.
Salter finished camp slightly better than Lewis and took the starting job in Week 1. But that starting role quickly faded. After a rough showing against Georgia Tech in the Buffs’ opening game, Salter finished just 17-28 with 159 yards and a touchdown. The 27-20 loss prompted a change.
Salter would begin under center to start Week 2, but it did not last long as he would be swapped out for Julian Lewis in the second quarter. Shortly after, Lewis was swapped out by Ryan Staub, who put together the most complete performance of the three. Deion Sanders never gave an explicit answer for all three playing other than, “Each quarterback would get two series apiece,” as decided by days prior to the game.
A recent report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel stated Colorado is expected to start the previous third-string quarterback, Ryan Staub, against Houston this Friday. Coach Prime did not reject this claim but said, “I’m not confirming nothing to y’all.”
So, I guess that leaves us with the assumption that Friday night’s starting quarterback is a total mystery.
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