College football takeaways: Group of 5 teams show out, SEC dominates early CFP race
As we say goodbye to Week 3 in college football, we take a look at the highs and lows of what we saw from this past weekend.
Georgia was knocked down a spot in the AP Top 25 poll after a closer-than-expected victory over Kentucky, Group of 5 teams are showing they can compete against Power 4 programs early in the season, and SEC schools are leading the way in the 12-team College Football Playoff race.
Can Georgia’s offense get its gears rolling ahead of its big Week 5 matchup against No. 4 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium? Will we see any more Group of 5 upsets against ranked opponents this season? And with SEC matchups getting started, how could those outcomes affect the future of this CFP race?
Our college football experts break down key takeaways from Week 3 performances.
The SEC is dominating the CFP race — for now
The SEC currently has five of the top six spots in ESPN’s Football Power Index (No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss). Missouri is No. 10. Beyond the guaranteed spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions (which will obviously include an SEC team), there’s no limit to how many teams from one conference can qualify for the new 12-team playoff. According to ESPN Analytics, the SEC has a 60% chance of getting five or more teams into the College Football Playoff.
While three or four teams seem reasonable, pump the brakes before you deem this the SEC invitational. They still have to play each other, and Georgia’s tough trip to Kentucky after watching LSU escape from South Carolina on Saturday is a reminder that anything can happen — especially on the road. The SEC will produce playoff teams with multiple losses. The question is if the selection committee will reward more of those teams than others that have fewer losses but played a less challenging schedule. — Heather Dinich
Pitt keeps finding a way
Pitt delivered another improbable rally, roaring back from down 10 late in the fourth quarter to stun West Virginia and prevail 38-34 in the Backyard Brawl.
With just over 3 minutes remaining and the Panthers facing second-and-30, quarterback Eli Holstein heaved a ball into the end zone. Jumping over triple coverage, Daejon Reynolds came down with a 40-yard touchdown reception — his first catch of the season — to pull Pitt within a field goal. After forcing a quick punt, Pitt came right back, and Derrick Davis Jr. scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard plunge with only seconds remaining.
With last week’s 21-point comeback victory over Cincinnati, Pitt became the first FBS team since 2020 Tulsa to overcome double-digit, fourth-quarter deficits to win in consecutive games, according to ESPN Research.
A team with this much resiliency could become a surprise factor in the wide-open ACC title race. — Jake Trotter
Cheers to the Group of 5
Broadly speaking, the Group of 5 just closed its most successful weekend of this young season. One week after Northern Illinois topped then-No. 5 Notre Dame, UNLV knocked off Kansas, Memphis piled onto Florida State’s disastrous start, Georgia State upset Vanderbilt and Toledo unleashed a 24-point beatdown on Mississippi State. Meanwhile, Texas State, Arkansas State, Miami (Ohio), UAB, Tulane, Troy and Louisiana Tech all spooked their respective Power 4 opponents in Week 3.
The four wins from Saturday account for two-thirds of the Group of 5’s six victories this fall over opponents from the Power 4 plus Notre Dame. Through three weeks, 14 Group of 5 offenses rank inside the top 50 nationally in total offense, while 12 Group of 5 defenses sit top 50 in total defense. No. 23 Northern Illinois marked the Group of 5’s lone representative in the latest Associated Press Top 25, but five more Group of 5 programs were among those receiving votes this week.
As the gap grows between college football haves and have nots, we have to celebrate these Group of 5 victories. And with a College Football Playoff spot guaranteed for the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion, the stakes will remain high among the contenders, such as Boise State, Memphis, Northern Illinois, UNLV and Liberty. Keep an eye on them, folks. — Eli Lederman
The ones who got away
I was in Fort Collins on Saturday night watching firsthand what has made Colorado‘s Travis Hunter the most special player in college football. On the field for 123 of 138 total plays in a 28-9 win over Colorado State, Hunter electrified with 13 catches for 100 yards, 2 touchdowns, an interception, 5 tackles and a pass breakup.
He was everywhere all at once, or at least it seemed that way, and afterward he sheepishly smiled and said he was not tired but looked forward to an ice bath when the buses got back to Boulder.
I could not help but think back to 2021, when Hunter delivered one of the biggest signing day shockers and flipped his longtime commitment from Florida State to Deion Sanders, then at Jackson State (Hunter eventually followed Sanders to Colorado). It was one of several low points early in Florida State coach Mike Norvell’s tenure, a particularly devastating blow considering Hunter had been committed for over a year, the Seminoles desperately needed someone like Hunter to help jump-start the program and Hunter had spurned them for an FCS program.
Three years later, Hunter is poised to be a top-10 NFL draft pick and Florida State is off to an 0-3 start.
The Seminoles did just fine building the program back up without Hunter, but the start to this season brings into greater focus what has perhaps been glossed over as Florida State made a run at the CFP. In each of the past three years, Florida State lost its highest-rated commitment on signing day. In 2022, it was defensive end Keldric Faulk, who flipped to Auburn.
Last December, riding high off a 13-0 season but dealing with a playoff snub, Florida State lost defensive back KJ Bolden to Georgia. Those signing day losses have served to create a perception that Norvell cannot seal the deal when it counts with recruits. Though all three situations are certainly different — Hunter, for example, saw an opportunity to play for a coach he grew up admiring — Florida State has tried to build through recruiting despite its reputation as a master of the portal.
Florida State did need the portal early on to help reverse a downward spiral. But its recruiting efforts have simply not maxed out on potential. Of 20 ESPN 300 prospects signed between 2020 and 2022, zero have developed into All-ACC players. Maybe the ones who got away would have helped. Maybe not. But watching a player who got away develop into a star has to hurt. — Andrea Adelson
Washington State QB John Mateer has the “It” factor
Even as Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward helps Miami return to the national stage, his replacement at Washington State, John Mateer, has a lot of people in Pullman believing the Cougars might have backed into an upgrade. Mateer is the first true dual-threat quarterback WSU has fielded in years and after setting a single-game school record for rushing yards against Texas Tech (197) on Sept. 7, he added rushing scores of 23 and 25 yards in the Apple Cup against Washington on Saturday.
As a passer, he completed 17 of 34 attempts for 245 yards against what might turn out to be the best defense the team will face all year. He took some ill-advised chances as WSU held on — including one almost-costly interception that was reversed on replay — but there’s a Gardner Minshew-like confidence that is entertaining to watch, especially for a player who has made only three starts. — Kyle Bonagura
Explosive plays will define Kalen DeBoer’s first Alabama team
Coaches often talk about the 5-7 plays that shape the outcome of each game. Alabama is a team fully capable of making them on both sides of the ball. After spending time with the Crimson Tide this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, I came away impressed by the sheer number of playmakers on coach Kalen DeBoer’s first team. Wisconsin was clearly overmatched from a talent standpoint, but even when the Badgers did good things, Alabama would strike right back with a takeaway or a long gain on offense.
The Tide are “a work in progress,” as DeBoer noted after a 42-10 win, but when they play cleanly, they’re also arguably the nation’s most explosive team. Quarterback Jalen Milroe has fit the definition since he became the starter, but others can gash defenses, including freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, transfer wideout Germie Bernard and running back Jam Miller. Alabama also had four different defenders force fumbles Saturday, and the staff is excited about the arrivals of transfers Keon Sabb and LT Overton, to complement established stars Deontae Lawson and Malachi Moore.
“We expect to make plays that are not supposed to be made,” Bernard said. “That allows us to have the mindset to go out there to make the big plays whenever our number’s called.”
The Tide might not be the nation’s most complete team, and they will need an excellent effort in two weeks to beat Georgia. But their ability to generate — and confidence to make — game-changing plays should keep them firmly in the SEC race. — Adam Rittenberg
Slow starts should be a concern for Georgia offense
Should alarm bells be going off in Athens, Georgia? The Bulldogs hardly looked like the No. 1 team in the FBS in their closer-than-expected victory at Kentucky on Saturday night, which is a big reason Texas jumped them in the AP poll the next day.
Georgia had only 262 yards of offense and 12 first downs. It went 5-for-13 on third downs and averaged 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. Even star quarterback Carson Beck struggled, completing 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. As good as Georgia has been under Kirby Smart, for some reason his teams have struggled at Kentucky. Since 2020, the Bulldogs have been limited to 20 points or fewer, three times on the road. Each of those contests were victories over the Wildcats: 14-3 in 2020, 16-6 in 2022 and 13-12 on Saturday.
It’s not the first time Georgia has struggled on the road against a lesser SEC opponent. Last year, Georgia trailed Auburn 10-0 and didn’t go ahead for good until Brock Bowers scored on a 40-yard touchdown with 2:25 left in a 27-20 victory. The year before, the Bulldogs needed two touchdowns in the last 9:39 to put away pesky Missouri 26-22 on the road.
Georgia’s offense has plenty to clean up. It was the second time in three contests it didn’t score a touchdown in the first half. The offensive line was pushed around by Kentucky’s defensive front and losing All-America guard Tate Ratledge to a leg injury in the second quarter didn’t help. Tight end Ben Yurosek, a Stanford transfer, missed a couple of key blocks as well.
The good news for Georgia is that it will have two weeks to heal and regroup before its Sept. 28 showdown at No. 4 Alabama. With road games left at No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Ole Miss as well, it can’t afford another performance like Saturday night. — Mark Schlabach
