The college football season is now in full swing, and it’s becoming clearer who is competing to play on New Year’s Day. Here are some takeaways from week three.
Terrible Tide
Ole Miss came into Tuscaloosa, Ala., with a 1-35-1 record against Alabama on the road, and the Crimson Tide were again a large favorite to beat the Rebels. Yet, when the night was complete, it was Ole Miss that left with a victory and, for the first time in school history, collected consecutive wins against Alabama.
It was a game where the Tide struggled in every aspect, looking weak on offense, failing to stop the Rebels’ big plays and turning the ball over five times. The defending SEC champions took a huge step backward just as conference play began.
The conference itself is stacked with potential in the SEC West, as it is the deepest division in college football.
This is a horrible spot for Alabama. Not only are its playoff hopes hanging on by a thread, it also has what appears to be no direction on offense as quarterbacks Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman failed to produce any momentum.
The Tide need the offense to be more than just one dimensional, otherwise it could be a long year in the SEC.
The weird and wacky Wild West
The Pac-12 Conference, one of the deepest in the country, has had a wild season with teams jumping in and out of the polls weekly.
This week was no different, as Pac-12 favorite USC lost to Stanford in the first game of conference play, while UCLA and Stanford proved to be serious contenders.
The Cardinal have recovered since their opening week loss to Northwestern, as the offense has found its stride and the defense is looking more like the hard hitting Stanford we have grown accustomed to.
UCLA beat BYU and now sits in the driver’s seat to win the Pac-12 South. While there’s a lot more football left to play, the Bruins can be considered the best team in the conference after their rival USC’s slip up.
Arizona will now take on UCLA in a primetime showdown on ESPN’s College GameDay. The winner should become the favorite to win the Pac-12 South and will explode into the national conversation.
Two of the projected top teams in the conference, USC and Oregon, could already be out of the playoff picture.
It’s yet another sign that the conference is deep and going through a major makeover.
Pick one already
Ohio State has expectations to repeat as national champions, but the Buckeyes have looked nothing like the team that won it all last season.
Through three games, Ohio State has yet to truly determine who its starting quarterback will be moving forward. Having to decide between J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones could ultimately be what holds the Buckeyes back from taking the next step and being the team they were a year ago.
Changing from quarterback to quarterback throughout the game slows the offense down as it adjusts to a whole new playing style.
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