NCAAF

• Virginia Tech 27 Wofford 7
  • The Hokies don’t exactly have the nation’s top offense, but Grant Wells was better in this game than he was in the first two weeks. Both the Virginia Tech and West Virginia programs are in a bad place, so next week’s tilt should be interesting.
• Georgia 48 South Carolina 7
  • The Bulldogs are the best team in the country. Georgia had an efficient offense in 2021, but it’s much more explosive this year. On the defensive side of the ball, guys like Smael Mondon, Mykel Williams, and Malaki Starks have made it easy for Kirby Smart to reload. If garbage time didn’t exist, I doubt Kent State records 100 or more yards versus Georgia next weekend.
  • This is going to end being a disappointing season for Shane Beamer’s program. Spencer Rattler is far worse as a player than many believed he was, and as a result has been a major anchor for the Gamecocks’ offense thus far.
• Michigan 59 UConn 0
  • The Wolverines’ schedule has been laughable to this point, but they’ve taken care of business as best as possible. J.J. McCarthy is definitely the answer at quarterback, and Michigan’s run game will be a nightmare for most Big Ten opponents to handle. Maryland will be an interesting test next weekend, but Jim Harbaugh’s team should be fine.
• Oklahoma 49 Nebraska 14
  • This Oklahoma team isn’t special by any means, but it’s good enough to grab a fourth playoff spot if it’s up for grabs down the stretch. Dillon Gabriel was good in so many ways in this contest, and he has a wide array of weapons to spread the ball to.
  • Nebraska hasn’t hit rock-bottom yet, but it’s close. Effort seemed to be lacking for the Cornhuskers in this game, which is unusual for a team playing its first game following its head coach being fired. With where the program is at — and I know this opinion may be unpopular, Nebraska should throw the kitchen sink at Urban Meyer. The Cornhuskers’ administration needs to swing big. The fans deserve better.
• Kentucky 31 Youngstown State 0
  • Chris Rodriguez was out, but the Wildcats struggled to run the ball in this game against an FCS opponent. That’s not a good sign for a team trying to contend in the SEC. Still, I’m not too worried about the Wildcats’ physicality, and the program is in good hands with Will Levis at quarterback.
• Baylor 42 Texas State 7
  • It feels like things are never pretty with Baylor, regardless of the opponent. The Bears are a fine team, but they have a mini gauntlet coming up against Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Bears will probably suffer their second loss during that stretch.
• Missouri 34 Abilene Christian 17
  • Missouri is average, at best, and will get ran roughshod over by the SEC this season. One bright spot for the Tigers? Freshman wide receiver Luther Burden.
• Southern Illinois 31 Northwestern 24
  • What a pathetic loss for the Wildcats. Ryan Hilinski didn’t come to play, and that was the difference. If Brett Gabbert is unavailable, it’ll be a blow, but if he can play next week, I wouldn’t be surprised if Miami (OH) handed Northwestern another loss.
• Syracuse 32 Purdue 29
  • The Orange now have two victories against respectable Power Five opponents. That’s a step in the right direction for Dino Babers’ program. Perhaps most impressive about this win for the Orange was prevailing despite Sean Tucker being held in check on the ground.
  • Purdue now has two close defeats in 2022. That’s unfortunate, because Jeff Brohm has a nice team in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers don’t have any ranked opponents left on the docket, but if they did, the arm of Aidan O’Connell would make them capable of pulling an upset.
• Cincinnati 38 Miami (OH) 17
  • Well, the Bearcats had, if it wasn’t already clear, some dudes on last year’s roster. The team is obviously much worse this season, but that’s fine, because Luke Fickell is building a program. Cincinnati bounced back nicely after trailing early in this contest, thanks in part to the contributions of former RedHawk Ivan Pace.
  • Miami (OH) needs to get Brett Gabbert healthy, but the RedHawks have a decent chance to win the MAC East. Two big tilts against Northwestern and Buffalo await Chuck Martin’s program.
• Indiana 33 Western Kentucky 30
  • Indiana is pretty bad, but at least the Hoosiers were able to take care of business against a solid Group of Five opponent yesterday. That’s good news, because despite being 3-0, there’s still a shot the Hoosiers finish 3-9.
• Coastal Carolina 38 Buffalo 26
  • The Chanticleers have had a reasonable amount of success in recent years, so perhaps the confidence and experienced gained from the past has enabled this season’s team to win close games. Now 3-0, Coastal Carolina is off to a nice start, and establishing itself as one of the better small programs within the FBS.
• UCLA 32 South Alabama 31
  • UCLA is 3-0, but it hasn’t been pretty. The offense seems fine — it isn’t championship caliber, but it’s good enough to win in the Pac-12. What’s not good enough to win in the Pac-12? The Bruins’ defense. USC, and perhaps others, will have a field day versus UCLA’s stop unit.
  • South Alabama is sneakily okay this season. They won’t win the Sun Belt, but I’ve been impressed.
• Iowa State 43 Ohio 10
  • The Cyclones received tons of hype ahead of the 2021 season, but perhaps this year’s iteration is a bit of a post-hype sleeper. Xavier Hutchinson is one of the Big 12’s top receivers, and maybe, just maybe, Iowa State can give Baylor a run for its money next week in Ames.
• Rutgers 16 Temple 14
  • This isn’t 2006 — Greg Schiano isn’t about to win four consecutive bowl games, but Rutgers is in a much better place as a program now than it’s been in recent years. Iowa is having a bit of a down year, so if the Scarlet Knights can defeat them next week, that’ll be another big step.
  • Temple made the correct call in benching D’Wan Mathis and inserting E.J. Warner into the lineup. It was nice to see the Owls hang tough in this game.
• Virginia 16 Old Dominion 14
  • The Monarchs defeated Virginia’s rival, Virginia Tech, a few weeks ago, so it’s a good sign the Cavaliers were able to fend off Old Dominion yesterday. It feels like Brennan Armstrong has been with the Cavaliers forever, and there’s probably a reason why — he’s good enough to start for Virginia, but nowhere near good enough to play on Sundays.
• Notre Dame 24 California 17
  • Yeah, it’s going to be a trying year for the Fighting Irish. For a high-profile team, Notre Dame is weak on offense, so it’ll have to do the little things in order to win football games. Thankfully, edge rusher Isaiah Foskey got going in this game. Notre Dame will need him if it wants to win nine or more games this year. Seeing this defense go up against Drake Maye and North Carolina next week will be fun.
• College Football Playoff Rankings
  • 1. Georgia (3-0)
  • 2. Ohio State (3-0)
  • 3. Alabama (3-0)
  • 4. Oklahoma (3-0)
  • 5. Michigan (3-0)
  • 6. Clemson (3-0)