Week 3 in college football offered up some wacky and riveting finishes across the nation, including a magical hail mary that sent the Florida Gators to a victory over the Tennessee Volunteers as time expired.
Saturday’s madness was just the tip of the iceberg with many teams yet to open conference play. But it’s clear we’ve already miscalculated where some teams should have been ranked to begin the season.
Here are five observations from the weekend of college football leading into Week 4 and Power 5 conference play.
1) Tennessee Volunteers Might Want to Find a New Coach
The Volunteers went down in flames against the Florida Gators on Saturday in a game most struggled to watch.
Florida led the game 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter before both teams went into a scoring explosion that started with a Quinten Dormady pick-six.
Tennessee’s junior quarterback threw three interceptions on the day and his only saving grace was a late touchdown drive to pull within three points before Tennessee ultimately tied the game at 20 on a field goal.
The final play of the game could go down as the play that decided Tennessee coach Butch Jones’ fate. Somehow Florida receiver Tyrie Cleveland was able to get behind every Tennessee defensive back on the last play of the game and it led to a wild ending.
FLORDIA BEATS TENNESSEE ON A HAIL MARY WITH NO TIME LEFT! pic.twitter.com/tWBFGqNtO0
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) September 16, 2017
You have to credit quarterback Feleipe Franks for having the arm strength to throw the ball 70 yards downfield on the money, but there’s no excuse for anyone to be that open on a final play.
It was the worst display of prevent defense I’ve ever seen in major college football. There was no deflection needed. The pass landed right in Cleveland’s hands without issue.
Jones’ tenure at Tennessee continues to be disappointing as the Volunteers have now lost 12-of-13 games to Florida and they continue to find new ways to lose.
It’s apparent Jones may never be able to elevate Tennessee back to its glory days. The Volunteers haven’t won the SEC title since 1998 and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon.
It’s about time Tennessee moved on from Jones and found a new leader.
2) Ohio State Fans are Spoiled Rotten
Some fan bases just get your blood boiling. And Ohio State’s football fans tend to be the source of many headaches in the college football world.
Perhaps the most annoying part of Ohio State’s fan base is its inability to be happy with nice things.
Saturday against Army, redshirt-senior quarterback J.T. Barrett broke the Big Ten’s all-time record for touchdowns responsible for.
Barrett passed the great Drew Brees when he found receiver Austin Mack in the end zone for his 107th career touchdown.
Our captain & QB1 @JT_theQB4th is the all-time TD leader in the history of the @bigten.
We’d say that deserves the game ball.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ZFbwzmz7mR
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 17, 2017
Despite the amazing career numbers Barrett has accumulated, the outcry for a change at quarterback can still be heard pretty loudly in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes’ two most recent losses to the Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 9 and to the Clemson Tigers on Dec. 31 in the College Football Semifinal were pretty embarrassing. But it’s impossible to blame Ohio State’s offensive ineptitude on a singular player.
Barrett’s Ohio State legacy will always be a complicated one. He holds a myriad of school records, but will always be seen as not enough.
The only cure to his woes will be a 2017 national championship.
3) USC vs. Texas Exceeded All Expectations
The Sam Darnold show in the L.A. Coliseum had to be put on hold for most of Saturday night’s contest against the Texas Longhorns.
The game was promoted as a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl, but we all knew Texas wasn’t bringing the heavy hitters quite like they were when Vince Young was at the helm.
I expected USC to come out and embarrass Texas on Saturday, but the Longhorn defense came to play, forcing the pre-season All-American Darnold into two interceptions and one pick-six.
When Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger found receiver Armanti Foreman for a go-ahead touchdown with 45 seconds to play, it appeared coach Tom Herman had finally resurrected the Longhorns.
But Darnold wouldn’t allow the Trojans to lose that easily, and he led the Trojans on a spirited drive for a tying field goal.
Down 3.
39 seconds to go.
No timeouts.We’ll ride with Sam Darnold every time. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/19Th6coFbY
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 18, 2017
USC eventually put the game away in double overtime on the leg of a freshman kicker.
GAME. USC BEATS TEXAS!
Freshman walk-on kicker Chase McGrath drills the field goal for the win!#TEXvsUSC pic.twitter.com/X3paFt3yj9
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) September 17, 2017
The Trojans appeared to be a lot more flawed than they looked just a week prior against conference rival Stanford. But if we can expect more nailbiters during Pac-12 play, USC will continue to be must-watch television all season.
4) The Josh Rosen Hype Has to Slow Down
If you’re not familiar with Josh Rosen, you probably should take notice.
UCLA’s junior quarterback leads all of FBS with 13 touchdown passes in 2017. And he’s never been afraid to take on the NCAA through the media.
But the Rosen hype had to be taken down a notch Saturday after the Bruins lost in an upset, 48-45, to the Memphis Tigers in Memphis, Tenn.
Rosen threw for 463 yards and four touchdowns, but down the stretch, he threw two back-breaking interceptions and made numerous poor throws under pressure.
UPSET!
Memphis defeats #25 UCLA 48-45!pic.twitter.com/2mCGCBmWkC
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) September 16, 2017
It’s clear Rosen has the tools to become a quality quarterback at the next level. He has the size, the athleticism, and the accuracy when he has time in the pocket.
But Rosen’s performance Saturday showed he may not be able to carry UCLA to a Pac-12 title by himself this season. The Bruin defense allowed 40+ points for the second time in three games and it’s going to be a daunting task for Rosen to throw UCLA to a win each and every week.
My eyes are still on the USC-UCLA showdown Nov. 18 at the L.A. Coliseum that could end up deciding the Pac 12 South if the players around Rosen improve.
5) The SEC Has Fallen Off
As No. 1 Alabama cruised to a 41-23 victory over Colorado State at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, I couldn’t help but think how easy it’s going to be for the Crimson Tide to glide to a SEC championship.
The perennial powerhouse conference just isn’t what it used to be.
Florida and Tennessee played one of the sloppiest college games you’ll ever see and neither team looks like they can stack up with Alabama’s talent level. Meanwhile, the remainder of the SEC East is stockpiling victories against subpar competition.
The most disappointing performance of the weekend was Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers taking an absolute beatdown at the hands of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs defeated a disheartened LSU squad, 37-7, in Starkville, Miss., and it was over early.
LSU was supposed to be Alabama’s main competition in the SEC West, but it appears to have a lot to fix before it can hang with the three-time defending SEC champions.
Perhaps Mississippi State will be a pleasant surprise in the SEC, but right now it seems like there is little resistance to Alabama’s return to the College Football Playoff.
