Week 3 of the college football season is drawing to a close with plenty of huge performances from ascending stars and phenomenal showcases by the best teams in the nation. With Saturday wrapping up this slate’s action, we’re highlighting the winners and losers from college football Week 3.
Winner: Ryan Williams, wide receiver, Alabama Crimson Tide
This is the weekly reminder that Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams is only 17 years old. Officially three weeks into his collegiate career, Alabama’s top playmaker already looks like one of the best wide receivers in college football and he’s not even old enough to vote yet. Alabama’s fan base gets to enjoy this superstar for 3 years, as he’s not eligible to go pro until the 2027 NFL Draft. This is also just his opening act – 285 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns – and we can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
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Loser: Noah Fifita, quarterback, Arizona Wildcats
We had a lot of hope for the Arizona Wildcats and quarterback Noah Fifita in 2024. Unfortunately, the sophomore quarterback has been a massive disappointment. Through three games, he ranks 85th in ESPN QBR (43.3) and he’s thrown an interception in three consecutive games. Fifita just doesn’t look anything close to the player we saw late last year in Jedd Fisch’s offense. It’s a shame because it’s hurting both the Wildcats and limiting Tetairoa McMillan’s production.
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Winner: Arizona State Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham
Herm Edwards left the Arizona State Sun Devils football program in a disastrous state. It’s why Kenny Dillingham only won 3 games in his first season at the helm. In 2024, ASU has already matched last season’s win total and September isn’t even halfway over yet. The Sun Devils certainly had to fight for it on the road at Texas State in college football Week 3, but this team came through. What has to make Dillingham happy is seeing his team win even when Cam Skattebo doesn’t have a big game. Good teams find ways to win in multiple ways and Arizona State checks that box.
Loser: Michigan Wolverines coaching staff and QB Davis Warren
The Michigan Wolverines either failed to develop backup quarterback Alex Orji or they did a terrible job self-scouting Davis Warren. Michigan has a winning record right now, but Warren (6 interceptions) has been one of the worst quarterbacks in college football. What’s troubling moving forward is the unwillingness of the coaching staff to give Orji a shot, which might speak volumes about where the junior is. No matter how you slice it, the Michigan coaching staff botched this situation.
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Winner: Isaac Wilson, quarteback, Utah Utes
While being a backup quarterback seems like the best job in college football, the downside is the amount of pressure you’re put under if forced to start. In college football Week 3, Isaac Wilson was thrust into that very spot. On the road against Utah State, Wilson came through with 2 second-quarter touchdown passes to help the Utes overcome some early woes. Wilson wasn’t perfect, but a freshman quarterback stepping up in a spot like this was huge for Utah and Wilson deserves to be highlighted. A victory on the road and 3 touchdown passes, not bad for a freshman’s first start on short notice.
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Loser: LSU Tigers and Brian Kelly
LSU Tigers fans recognized that the offense would take a step back without Jayden Daneisl in 2024. What was supposed to make up for it was a defensive turnaround. This unit looks about as bad as it did a year ago. After surrendering 450 total yards in a Week 1 loss to USC, with 378 through the air, and then allowing Nicholls to score 3 touchdowns with a 46 percent third-down success rate in Week 2, LSU just allowed 33 points and nearly 250 rushing yards to South Carolina. Barring a miraculous defensive turnaround, LSU is destined for 4 losses this season. That’s not the result they hired Brian Kelly for.
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Winner: Dillon Gabriel, quarterback, Oklahoma Sooners
Heading into college football Week 3, plenty of Oregon Ducks fans had reason to worry. This team narrowly scraped by Idaho and then Boise State, not exactly a momentum builder before heading onto the road for the Civil War. Then, the best version of Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks’ offense showed up. Gabriel scored 2 touchdowns in the first half and combined with running back Jordan James for over 130 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. All it takes is a spark and Oregon might’ve got it Saturday.
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Loser: DJ Uiagalelei and the Florida State Seminoles coaching staff
We’d like to introduce Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles to the sunk cost fallacy. After starting 0-2, the Noles should’ve benched DJ Uiagalelei. Instead, he got sent out on Saturday to attempt 30 passes and he barely completed half of them. Of course, this all started because the Seminoles failed to properly evaluate Uiagalelei. Anyone who watched him at Clemson and Oregon State could’ve told the Seminoles that this was a disaster waiting to happen. Florida State ignored the warnings, tuned out the calls for Uiagalelei to be benched and now the Noles are 0-3.
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Winner: UNLV Rebels and QB Matthew Sluka
If you aren’t familiar with what quarterback Matthew Sluka and the UNLV Rebels are doing right now, there’s no better time to pay attention. Once a three-year starter at Holy Cross, Sluka came to Las Vegas and is putting on quite the show in September. The senior boasts a 6-1 TD-NT ratio with nearly as many rushing yards (253) as passing yards (318). Thanks to their dual-threat quarterback and a UNLV defense that picked off Jalon Daniels twice and held the Kansas Jayhawks offense to 3 second-half points, the Rebels are now 3-0 with road victories against Houston and Kansas.
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Loser: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier
Billy Napier might as well ut his house on the market and starting prepare his move-out plans. Saturday’s Week 3 loss in the Swamp to Texas A&M wasn’t pretty, but that’s par for the course from Napier’s teams since he took over as the Florida Gators coach. Since being hired before the 2022 season, Napier is 6-11 against SEC teams. With a conference schedule that still includes Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss, this could be one of the ugliest seasons in the Gators’ history. We’ll do Florida a favor and start highlighting some coaching candidates next week.
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Winner: Arch Manning, quarterback, Texas Longhorns
Life is just good for the Texas Longhorns. For most teams, if they lose their All-American quarterback, that’s pretty much a wrap. For Texas, it’s just an opportunity for Arch Manning to shine? What did he do after the Quinn Ewers injury? Simply threw a touchdown pass on his first play and then not even 2 minutes later, he outraced the UTSA defense for a 67-yard touchdown run. We feel pretty confident saying that if Ewers (strained abdomen) sat for the next two weeks – UL Monroe and Mississippi State – Manning could still have Texas win quite comfortably.
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Loser: Georgia Bulldogs
College football Week 3 was largely uneventful for the top programs and then the Georgia Bulldogs took the field. One of the best college football teams over the last 5 years faced a Kentucky Wildcats team that was destroyed at home (31-6) against South Carolina. Georgia, somehow, trailed a halftime. Entering Saturday, many believed Georgia belonged with Texas and Ohio State in the ”Tier 1′ of the top teams in college football. After a performance like that, not so much.
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