The college football season is now three weeks old and non-conference play is wrapped up for just about every program. We can finally start evaluating contenders and dismissing pretenders.
Here are some knee-jerk reactions from the Week 3 action:
Brian Kelly and Deion Sanders bought themselves more time
No. 16 LSU and Colorado both won on Saturday, but their victories were sloppy and undisciplined. The squads combined for three turnovers and 181 penalty yards.
Neither team is good enough to truly compete for the College Football Playoff, but their respective head coaches bought themselves another week of goodwill before the fans inevitably call for their heads.
Mike Norvell's days in Tallahassee are numbered
Speaking of fans calling for coaches' heads, Florida State's embarrassing 0-3 start certainly spells the beginning of the end for head coach Mike Norvell.
Saturday's 20-12 loss to Memphis marked the second time under Norvell's leadership in Tallahassee that the program has started 0-3. Per ESPN's telecast, Florida State is the first team since 1976 to go 0-3 to start a season after finishing undefeated the previous year.
No. 2 Texas is the new national champion favorite
The Longhorns proved this week and last that they truly mean business, especially entering their first season in a stacked SEC. Texas downed UTSA 56-7 on Saturday using mostly backups, including freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who ran for an impressive 65-yard touchdown.
If Texas does not wake up Sunday at No. 1 in the new AP poll, then it just got handed serious bulletin board material for the rest of the season.
Some SEC teams look very vulnerable
While No. 2 Texas, No. 5 Ole Miss, and No. 7 Tennessee have been unimpeachable so far this season, No. 16 LSU, No. 6 Missouri and No. 1 Georgia all barely escaped their games Saturday. (The Bulldogs looked pitiful in a one-point win over Kentucky in primetime.)
Conference play will be very interesting and certainly, one or more preseason contenders will find themselves on the outside of the playoff looking in.
The real Oregon and Notre Dame finally stood up
After two weeks of unconvincing play (and the biggest upset ever in South Bend), the No. 9 ranked Ducks and No. 18 Irish finally put their demolition hats on and went to work. The two won their Week 3 games by a combined margin of 115-21 on Saturday.
Notre Dame especially needed the convincing win. Its 66-point drubbing of Purdue was the most it scored following a loss since 1908 when it dropped 88 on the Chicago Physicians and Surgeons.
No. 17 Michigan is not a Top 25 team
The Wolverines are 2-1, but their record does not reflect that of the No. 17 team in the country. Head coach Sherrone Moore has a serious problem at quarterback unless he fully commits to dual-threat Alex Orji being a significant part of the game plan.
Defending national champs or not, there's little fight in the Michigan offense and the defense has holes that won't be filled this year. The Wolverines shouldn't be receiving votes until they can prove they're of a higher caliber.
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