A very big week of football that saw the Top 3 teams go on the road to play ranked opponents for the first time in the history of the AP Poll. No doubt some of this week’s games could have big implications for teams, and their conferences, down the road. So let’s get started.
#6 Houston 40 – Cincinnati 16: As I mentioned in this week’s thread, this game was much closer than the final score shows. Cincinnati had the lead with 12 minutes left in the game, but it was all Houston from then on. Two late Pick-6s by the Cougars after the outcome was largely decided padded the score. Nonetheless, going on the road, on a short week, to play a decent conference opponent (and the Bearcats are) is impressive.
#10 Louisville 63 – #2 Florida State: Wow, what a beatdown. I didn’t see anything quite like that coming. For anyone who was wondering if Louisville was for real and who Lamar Jackson is, both questions were answered, emphatically. The Cardinals still have a tough road trip to Clemson in two weeks, and a trip to Houston in November. But there’s clearly a third heavyweight now in the ACC Atlantic. And love him or hate him, Bobby Petrino is one hell of a college coach.
#1 Alabama 48 – #19 Ole Miss 43: This was the 5th time under Nick Saban that Alabama scored a TD on offense, defense, and special teams. They are 5-0 in those games. Not only do they likely hold their #1 ranking, but they ended a pesky 2-game losing streak to the Rebels. Don’t want to nitpick too much here, but the Tide did fall behind 24-3 and allowed 421 passing yards, so there’s that. Ah, the scrutiny of being top dog.
#3 Ohio State – #14 Oklahoma: Leading up to this game I tried to convince myself that people were writing Oklahoma off too soon, and that they would give Ohio State a tough game, especially at home. Yeah, well, those voices in my head aren’t always right. Go ahead and put the Sooners’ Playoff hopes out to pasture. And probably those for the Big 12….any chance they’re wishing they could invite Houston to join them right now?
#12 Michigan State – #18 Notre Dame: The Spartans just seem to keep on winning while no one really pays attention. It’s a testament to how well Mark Dantonio has done not just as a coach, but as a recruiter too, as big losses on both sides of the ball in recent years haven’t had much affect (they are the only team in the country to have finished in the Top 6 in the AP Poll each of the previous three seasons). Notre Dame staged a valiant rally in this game to make it close, but the Irish will have to wait until next year to hope for a Playoff shot.
California 50 – #11 Texas 43: Weird things happen out here in football games after you all go to sleep back East. You can read the details here, or here, if you’re inclined. I doubt this one likely altered the final outcome, but still, the #Pac12AfterDark never seems to disappoint. With apologies to Baylor, Texas might have been the Big 12’s last realistic Playoff hope after Oklahoma fell hard just a couple hours earlier. Cal, on the other hand, isn’t going to be a factor in making the Playoff, but they could very well pull a surprise over one of their two North Division foes that could be Playoff teams. If only the Bears could play a little defense.
With apologies to all those who despise ranking teams too early in the season, I’m going with Chris’ suggestion of placing the Top 10 teams as I think things stand after 3 weeks:
- Alabama 3-0
- Ohio State 3-0
- Clemson 3-0
- Louisville 3-0
- Houston 3-0
- Michigan 3-0
- Michigan State 2-0
- Washington 3-0
- Stanford 2-0
- Texas A&M 3-0
Week 4 Preview: Maybe not as many enticing matchups as this past weekend, but certainly not as lame as Week 2 was either. With a solid 4 games featuring two ranked teams, and the kickoffs pretty well spread out over the day, it could be a nice day of binging. The slate begins at noon ET with Georgia visiting Ole Miss, followed by what may be the SEC East game of the year with Florida traveling to Tennessee. For Big Ten fans, Wisconsin at Michigan State will start at either noon or 3:30 ET, check Monday for an announcement. The day ends with a pretty big SEC West matchup of Arkansas and Texas A&M, to be played at Jerryland.
College Football Analyst
Mike is a Baltimore native living in Portland, OR since 2007. He currently runs his own business specializing in video production and online marketing. Prior to that he was a legal technology consultant, worked for 9 years at Johns Hopkins University and served 6 years in the Air Force. He also enjoys travel, food, beer, and is a volunteer at the Oregon Humane Society.