We are now three weeks into the 2023 season, and believe it or not, we actually know less than we thought we did in the preseason. Normally, this is the point in a season where you start to figure out who is a legit contender and who is fool’s gold.
With there being no truly dominant team so far, that sentiment isn’t the case this year. That isn’t to say a handful of frontrunners can’t emerge, but the race for the four playoff spots appears to be wide open.
The SEC has provided the sport with several premiere contenders over the past 15 years; however, the conference is currently in a vulnerable spot. When you combine the abundance of early-season losses in out-of-conference play along with inconsistency amongst SEC favorites, you have a league left with far more questions than answers.
Georgia is still the clear-cut favorite in the SEC. However, that is largely due to the conference being weak relative to recent years. Even the two-time reigning champs have had their fair share of growing pains in this young season. The offense has struggled to get going early in games, which was why Saturday’s contest against South Carolina was much closer than anyone had anticipated.
The Dawgs’ troubles pale in comparison to Alabama’s, who haven’t looked this porous since Nick Saban’s first year. You would figure to see an inspired performance following the Texas loss, but instead, we saw one of the ugliest football games of the 21st century.
The Tide went with Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner against South Florida, who was pulled for redshirt freshman Ty Simpson after completing just five passes for 34 yards. Saban announced the team will return to starting Jalen Milroe under center as they open conference play against Ole Miss.
Tennessee was expected to challenge Georgia in the East this fall after bursting onto the scene in 2022. Vol fans may have to dial back their expectations if Saturday night’s performance in Gainesville was any indicator.
The Gators won their tenth straight in The Swamp against Tennessee and did so in convincing fashion. Trevor Etienne gashed the Volunteers for 172 yards on the ground, and Florida looked nothing like the team that had two players wearing the same number on a punt against Utah.
Your guess is as good as mine as to who the second best team in the conference is. LSU and Texas A&M have already suffered blowout losses, meaning four of the conference’s top five preseason favorites have already been tripped up before October.
The SEC will still probably field a team in the playoff, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they hoist a fifth consecutive National Championship trophy in January. With that being said, early losses in out of conference play has opened the window for the rest of the nation to potentially end the SEC’s streak of titles.
Mizzou apparently didn’t get the memo about losing your big out-of-conference game, as they upset Kansas State in historic fashion. Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard game-winner had just enough under it to clear the crossbar and send Faurot Field into pandemonium.
I’ve always wanted to witness a field-storming live, and I got the chance this Saturday after Mevis broke the SEC record for the longest field goal made. The kick didn’t only make SEC history, it helped make history for my top-25 rankings.
For the first time in the three year history of this series, Mizzou finds themselves in the rankings. This isn’t just me giving the Tigers a hometown discount; Missouri earned their ranking after picking up their first win against a top-15 opponent in the Eli Drinkwitz era.
Week 4 is set to be one of the best on the slate this fall, with six matchups between ranked opponents. That isn’t even including Florida State-Clemson, which has huge ACC and Playoff implications. We get to see how Alabama responds to their early season struggles against a dangerous Ole Miss team.
Kyle McCord will get his first true test when the Buckeyes travel to South Bend to take on a Notre Dame squad that looks like a CFP dark horse.
The Pac-12 will be on full display this Saturday with three national spotlight games. Utah looks to stay undefeated amidst QB injuries against a UCLA team led by true freshman Dante Moore. The winner of Oregon State-Washington State will be the best returning member of the Pac-12 in 2024 (ok, that was a cheap shot).
Who could forget about Deion’s conference debut against Oregon fresh off a double OT win against Colorado State, where things got pretty heated. The Buffs look to continue defying expectations despite not having Travis Hunter available.
Clear your schedule this weekend because we will have must-see matchups throughout all of Saturday.
Chris’ Week 3 College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) W vs. South Carolina 24-14, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines (3-0) W vs. Bowling Green 31-6, last week-2
3.Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) W vs. Western Kentucky 63-10, last week-3
4.Florida State Seminoles (3-0) W vs. Boston College 31-29, last week-4
5.Texas Longhorns (3-0) W vs. Wyoming 31-10, last week-5
6.Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) W vs. Illinois 30-13, last week-6
7.USC Trojans (3-0) BYE, last week-7
8.Washington Huskies (3-0) W vs. Michigan State 41-7, last week-10
9.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) W vs. Central Michigan 41-17, last week-11
10.Oregon Ducks (3-0) W vs. Hawaii 55-10, last week-12
11.LSU Tigers (2-1) W vs. Mississippi State 41-14, last week-13
12.Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1) W vs. South Florida 17-3, last week-8
13.Utah Utes (3-0) W vs. Weber State 31-7, last week-14
14.Oregon State Beavers (3-0) W vs. San Diego State Aztecs 26-9, last week-16
15.Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) W vs. Tulsa 66-17, last week-17
16.Duke Blue Devils (3-0) W vs. Northwestern 38-14, last week-18
17.Ole Miss Rebels (3-0) W vs. Georgia Tech 48-23, last week-19
18.North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0) W vs. Minnesota 31-13, last week-20
19.Miami (FL) Hurricanes (3-0) W vs. Bethune Cookman 48-7, last week-21
20.Kansas State Wildcats (2-1) L vs. Missouri 30-27, last week-15
21.Clemson Tigers (2-1) W vs. FAU 48-14, last week-23
22.UCLA Bruins (3-0) W vs. NC Central 59-7, last week-24
23.Washington State Cougars (3-0) W vs. Northern Colorado 64-21, last week-25
24.Tennessee Volunteers (2-1) L vs. Florida 29-16, last week-9
25.Missouri Tigers (3-0) W vs. Kansas State 30-27, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings – Colorado