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There are plenty of Games to Watch this week, but here are a few key ones that the college football world will be tracking.
It's a must-win game for both teams and, possibly, the ACC when Florida State visits Clemson. The Tigers already have a conference loss and the ACC may need a team to go undefeated to be represented in the CFP Final Four.
You can think the same way about the Ohio State-Notre Dame game, especially for the Irish who don't have a conference schedule to fall back on.
SEE: Complete schedule, picks, odds
Florida State hasn’t won the ACC—or beaten Clemson—since 2014. The Tigers have owned the league over that time. There could be a changing of the guard this weekend in Death Valley.
Clemson already has one conference loss, and No. 4 FSU looks like the class of the league in 2023. But the Noles must go out and prove it in one of the toughest road environments in the country. Florida State QB Jordan Travis is rising up Maxwell Award rankings and is surrounded by some of the best skill talent in America. The Tigers will counter with a defense that’s littered with Bednarik Award candidates and future NFL draft choices.
Colorado has been THE story in college football this month. The stakes are about to get even higher this weekend in Eugene.
The Buffs and the Ducks are ranked and undefeated, which no one was expecting in the preseason. But Coach Prime has energized the Colorado program behind a Shedeur Sanders-fueled attack averaging 41.3 points per game. The defense? It’s 109th nationally in yards per play allowed, and that’s a major red flag against Oregon and QB Bo Nix who’ll get a chance to make a statement of his own this Saturday. Nix plus a wave of speedy backs and receivers will give Colorado its biggest test so far in 2023.
Alabama has slipped this season. How far?
It's been an uncharacteristic past two weeks for the Tide, getting bounced at home by Texas before needing a second half rally to shake off South Florida. However, this is still Alabama, and this is still a Nick Saban-coached team, so a turnaround is possible. All eyes will be on QB Jalen Milroe who has recaptured his starting job after sitting Saturday in Tampa. Here come Lane Kiffin and the Rebels who have their best chance in years to snap an often lopsided seven-game losing streak to Bama. While QB Jaxson Dart is playing great, Ole Miss needs to get star RB Quinshon Judkins on track to convert on the talented Tide D.
No. 9 Notre Dame hosting No. 6 Ohio State in primetime. It doesn’t get much bigger than this in college football.
The Buckeyes have won five in a row in the series, including last September in Columbus, 21-10. However, this is a different Irish team. Marcus Freeman is no longer a first-year coach, and QB Sam Hartman has brought stability and leadership to the offense. After a sluggish start in the opener with Indiana, Ohio State has coasted in wins over Youngstown State and Western Kentucky. Naturally, this is a significantly bigger stage, particularly for first-year starting QB Kyle McCord. The Buckeye defense isn’t getting nearly enough attention right now. The unit has allowed just 20 points while ranking No. 2 in the country in yards per play allowed.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best offensive player with the Maxwell Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout offensive players.
Cook endured a rollercoaster of emotions in Week 3. Booed by the home crowd at the beginning of the game and celebrated in the end, it’s a day he won’t soon forget. A frequent target for criticism, Cook had arguably the best game of his Mizzou career. The Tigers handed No. 15 Kansas State its first loss of the year, as their quarterback scrambled for a score and completed 23-of-35 for a career-high 356 yards and two TD passes.
The Gators extended their home winning streak against Tennessee to 10 in Week 3. Etienne earned a game ball for sparking the offense on the ground and helping dominate time of possession. Etienne ran 23 times for 172 yards and a touchdown as Florida held the ball for 37:28. More than 100 of those yards came after contact, with the exclamation point coming on a 65-yard race to the endzone that tied the game.
Don’t look now, but Rutgers is playing a brand of old-school ball that could Big Ten teams fits this fall. The Scarlet Knights easily swept their first three games behind a stifling D and the league’s top-ranked ground game. Monangai has emerged as the workhorse. In Saturday’s 35-16 defeat of Virginia Tech, the junior needed just 16 carries to go for three scores and 143 yards, his second straight 100-yard game.
Nabers and QB Jayden Daniels were unstoppable Saturday in Starkville, as LSU continues to climb back from its opening day loss to Florida State. The pitch-and-catch combo jumped all over Mississippi State enroute to a 41-14 blowout to kick off the SEC schedule. Daniels was close to perfect, accounting for 425 yards and four touchdowns, while Nabers caught 13 balls for 239 yards and two scores.
Penix made a triumphant return to Big Ten country, posting video game numbers in a 41-7 thrashing of Michigan State in East Lansing. The former Indiana transfer spearheaded a 713-yard offensive outburst, the most ever allowed by a Spartan defense. In a little less than three quarters, Penix completed 27-of-35 for 473 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while three of his receivers amassed at least 96 yards through the air.
It's taken a few weeks, but Salter is now comfortable running new head coach Jamey Chadwell’s offense. Be concerned, Conference USA. Salter looked an awful lot like Chadwell’s last dual-threat quarterback, Grayson McCall, in Saturday’s 55-27 thumping of Buffalo. Salter efficiently turned 16 completions into 344 yards and five touchdowns, while also leading the Flames in rushing with 66 yards and another score.
There’s plenty of time for Sanders to make his case as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. But through three weeks, absolutely no one has been more clutch than the Colorado junior. For the second time this month, Sanders rallied his Buffs back from a fourth quarter deficit with poise and precise passing. In a heated affair with rival Colorado State, he was almost flawless during crunch time, finishing 38-of-47 for 510 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers.
South Alabama didn’t just beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater Saturday night. The Jaguars dominated the Cowboys in every facet for their second-ever win over a Power Five opponent. Webb, a Maxwell Award preseason watch list honoree, kept the chains moving on offense. Providing balance to the efficient passing of Carter Bradley, Webb ran 18 times for 151 yards and two scores, highlighted by a 65-yard burst that ended any hopes for a Cowboy comeback.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout defenders.
As a 32-point underdog, South Florida took No. 10 Alabama to the limit Saturday, nearly pulling off an upset for the ages. The Bulls and the Tide were deadlocked at three deep into the second half, with both defenses setting the tone in Tampa. Evans had a career day for the aggressive USF front, setting new personal highs with eight tackles, including four behind the line and three sacks of Ty Simpson. Under constant pressure, Bama quarterbacks completed just 10-of-23 for 107 yards.
That’s two Power Five road wins for the unbeaten Bulldogs and Jeff Tedford. Fresno State, which knocked off Purdue in the opener, pitched a shutout late Saturday night at Arizona State. It was the first time the Sun Devils were blanked at home since 1988. Williams was in lockdown mode all game, picking off three passes from three different ASU quarterbacks. He had the top coverage grade among all Week 3 corners, according to Pro Football Focus.
Sun Belt rules prevented James Madison from facing Troy in last year’s conference championship game. So, the Dukes made the most of their opportunity to visit the Trojans last weekend. JMU shut down the vaunted Trojan running game, allowing -12 yards on the ground. The Dukes dominated the point of attack, with the ferocious Kamara contributing three tackles for loss, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
Top-ranked Georgia was in danger of getting stunned by South Carolina Saturday Between the Hedges. But the defense pitched a second-half shutout, the offense racked up 21 unanswered points and the Dawgs erased an 11-point halftime deficit to escape with a win. Lassiter was the star of the D, both in run defense and pass defense. He had four stops, 2.5 for minus yards, and broke up two of Spencer Rattler’s pass attempts.
Air Force is 3-0 after opening Mountain West play with a 39-21 win over Utah State Friday night. The Falcons jumped all over the Aggies and never looked back. Mock was the defensive catalyst with 11 stops, including a career-high eight solos, two sacks and a forced fumble. His first sack and subsequent turnover led to a quick Air Force touchdown that helped set the tone for the rest of the night.
Roberts had the game of his life Saturday in Norfolk. And, boy, did the Demon Deacons ever need him. Wake trailed Old Dominion, 24-7, late in the third before rallying to remain unbeaten. Roberts was a force from the second level with 13 tackles, four stops for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. He and DE Jasheen Davis helped hold the Monarch offense to just 10 points, none over the final 32 minutes.
The Orange passed its first real test of 2023 with Saturday’s 35-20 road win over Purdue. Wax, a preseason Bednarik Award Watch List honoree, is one of the physical and emotional leaders of an underrated unit that’s only allowed 27 points through the first three games. The junior from Baltimore had eight stops, a sack, an interception and forced two of the Boilermakers’ six fumbles on the night.
The 6-2, 211-pound Wohler is the latest in a long line of do-it-all Badger defensive backs. He flies around the field and racks up tackles like a read-and-react linebacker, while tracking balls with the cover skills of a corner. Wohler’s breakout junior year continued in Week 3 versus Georgia Southern. He posted a game-high 10 tackles, one sack and two interceptions, including a twisting pick in the end zone as the Eagles were driving for the tie in the third quarter.