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How sympathy for FSU turned on a dime, Alabama dominated in Big Ten country and Week 3 trends

2 months ago
How sympathy for FSU turned on a dime, Alabama dominated in Big Ten country and Week 3 trends

  • David Hale, ESPN Staff WriterSep 14, 2024, 11:48 PM ET

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    • College football reporter.
    • Joined ESPN in 2012.
    • Graduate of the University of Delaware.

If college football were a cartoon, there would’ve been a moment last December, just after the committee snubbed an undefeated Florida State team from the playoff, when Mike Norvell would’ve concluded this was as bad as things could get, all while unknowingly standing beneath a piano perilously being lifted up to a 20th-floor window.

Of course, after Florida State fell to Norvell’s former school, Memphis, 20-12 on Saturday, it’s entirely possible the Seminoles would prefer the piano to reality.

Nine months ago, Florida State had the world’s sympathy — at least the parts of the world that don’t chant “S-E-C, S-E-C” at weddings, funerals and children’s parties. It was easy to like that team. It was a group that fought harder after losing QB Jordan Travis, that gave all it had to keep winning, that missed its shot at the playoff not because of its own mistakes but because of the committee’s whim.

Now, there is no sympathy. There is only a strange mix of shame, frustration and dark humor, like spilling a drink down the front of your pants.

The beneficiary of the committee’s decision was Alabama, and things could’ve easily shifted toward a bleak 2024 for the Tide, too. They lost their playoff game, waved goodbye to the greatest coach in the sport’s history, then saw an exodus of players into the portal, including five who left for Tallahassee.

And yet, on the same day Florida State hit a new nadir, Alabama flexed the same muscle it so often did under Nick Saban, annihilating Wisconsin 42-10 behind a five-touchdown performance from Jalen Milroe.

In a more just world, Florida State might’ve earned a little good karma after the indignity of its playoff snub. In a more fair world, Alabama might, just once, be dealt a bad hand.

But college football has proven, again and again, it doesn’t care about fairness, but it does have one heck of a sense of humor.

So in Madison, the Tide came to get down.

And in Tallahassee, Florida State is ready to pack it up and pack it in.

For Alabama, the roster turnover only opened space for new stars, such as freshman receiver Ryan Williams, who caught four balls for 78 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s win. Williams is just 17 — born seven months before Saban coached his first game at Alabama, not old enough to even remember there was a time something like an 0-3 start would be unimaginable at Florida State.

For FSU, there’s no clear path forward. DJ Uiagalelei has been awful, the ground game has mustered little, the offensive line that was supposed otherwise to be a strength got manhandled by a Group of 5 program, and the defense, which played its best game Saturday, still is full of holes. For the Seminoles, the only silver lining to take from this miserable start to the season is it may have lowered the program’s media valuation enough that it can escape the ACC for a standard exit fee and some Kohl’s cash.

Nine months ago, there could be a reasonable debate about the comparative résumés of Alabama and Florida State. On Saturday, during commercial breaks of the Tide’s thumping of Wisconsin, it was possible to flip between ads for “9-1-1: Lone Star” featuring a massive train derailment and an FSU game featuring an even more horrifying train wreck.

To witness what has become of Florida State in the time since the committee delivered its verdict is hard to comprehend, an avalanche of ceaseless misery typically reserved for “Saw” movies or minor weather issues at LAX.

But it’s worth considering how utterly incomprehensible it is for Alabama to be here, too — 3-0 with a road win in Big Ten country just months after Saban’s exit. Alabama has been the model for sustained greatness for a generation, and that consistency was typically attributed to Saban’s relentlessness. But even he reached a point when it was time for something new, and yet Alabama keeps on plugging along — one dominant win after another, as reliable as the sunrise.

None of this is proof the committee got its decision right, of course. That was last season — a different team, a different time. But it is proof that in this chaotic sport, greatness is fleeting and opportunity often brushes past like a Florida State linebacker missing a tackle at the line of scrimmage.

And even at a place such as Alabama, a program that has stood defiantly against the winds of change for 16 years now, it’s always better to appreciate the good things while you have them. Because if there’s anything we’ve learned from watching Florida State these past nine months it’s this: It can always get worse.

Jump to:
Don’t panic about Georgia | Rivalry rundown | LSU survives
Vibe shifts | Notre Dame’s newfound offense
Arizona’s hottest team | Heisman five | Under the radar

Nobody panic.

Take deep breaths and understand this was just a drill. No one was ever in any real danger, Georgia does it every year.

Oh, sure, the Bulldogs’ 13-12 win over Kentucky was ugly and stressful and bordered on unmitigated disaster throughout, but that’s not entirely different from a typical night at Pauley’s, so any Athens folks should’ve been well prepared.

For everyone else, think back to last year’s Week 3 game against South Carolina (down 14-3 at the half) or 2022’s Week 5 game against Missouri (down 22-12 in the fourth quarter) or the ugly opener against Clemson in 2021 (10-3 win). It’s just what Georgia does. The Bulldogs are so good, it hardly warrants getting out of bed before mid-October.

Saturday’s game was frustrating, sure. Before Week 3, Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff was best known as the Georgia backup who most looks like he drives a Camaro and listens to a lot of the Little River Band. But then he did just enough against his former team to get Kentucky into field goal range four times.

On any other Saturday, four field goals wouldn’t be enough to keep Georgia’s attention beyond the second quarter, but on this night, the Wildcats’ defense seemed to flummox Carson Beck and Co., who mustered just 262 yards of offense, the fewest by the Bulldogs since that Clemson game to start the 2021 season.

What does it all mean? Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Georgia is still the king of the mountain, but as with all malevolent dictators, it’s good to give its subjects just enough hope that they never bother to really revolt. And so it was again in Week 3. The Bulldogs dangled a win just in front of Kentucky’s eyes, only to yank it away at the last second because the only way to truly torment the rest of the SEC more is to offer hope before delivering despair.

As always, the king stays the king.

Rivalry rundown

It’s not the real rivalry week, but thanks to years of conference realignment, we’re getting a rivalry appetizer in Week 3. Think of it like the blooming onion of college football Saturdays.

Rocky Mountain Showdown

In the run-up to Colorado State‘s game with rival Colorado, QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said “we should’ve murdered them” last year, a bit of delusional optimism even Dabo Swinney would’ve found a bit much.

Turns out, Colorado took the trash talk personally, which isn’t really saying much since Deion Sanders takes it personally when the power company sends a reminder that his electric bill is due.

In this case though, the Buffaloes drove over Colorado State in a 28-9 win like a shirtless guy fleeing the police.

Shedeur Sanders threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns, Travis Hunter had 13 catches for 100 yards, and Micah Welch ran for 65 yards which is — and we swear this is true — the second-most by a tailback for Colorado under Coach Prime.

Backyard Brawl

Pitt and West Virginia first met on the gridiron way back in 1895, just nine years after George Westinghouse brought electricity to the city of Pittsburgh and 96 years before Pitt fans believe the power grid was introduced to West Virginia.

This isn’t so much a rivalry game but a culture clash. West Virginia fans think people from Pitt are elitist snobs from the big city and Pitt fans think Mountaineers fans all got married wearing a wooden barrel held up with suspenders. The hatred is palpable.

Saturday’s edition was an epic entry into the game’s history, with West Virginia dominating much of the second half to boast a 34-24 lead with less than five minutes to play.

Turns out, the Mountaineers played right into Eli Holstein‘s hands.

A week earlier, the Pitt quarterback erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to topple Cincinnati 28-27, and on Saturday he proved to have ice water in his veins (and, because it’s Pittsburgh, probably some coleslaw, too). On Pitt’s final two drives, Holstein rushed for 67 yards and had completions of 40, 11, 17 and 23. Both drives ended with touchdowns, and Pitt held on for a 38-34 win.

According to ESPN Research, Pitt is the first Power Five school to come back from double-digit fourth-quarter deficits in back-to-back games since Arkansas in 2008. From 2005 through 2023, the Panthers were 0-72 when losing by 10 or more in the fourth quarter. In 2024, they’re 2-0.

At this rate, Pittsburgh’s going to name a cured meat after Holstein.

Apple Cup

On Thursday, the Pac-12 swiped Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State from the Mountain West.

On Saturday, it took the Apple Cup from the Big Ten, with Washington State winning 24-19.

It’s strange to see Washington and Washington State match up in Week 3 in a nonconference game. Not exactly McDonaldland-mascot-on-the-sideline strange, but strange nonetheless.

Grimace was the only one in purple who seemed happy by the end — and, honestly, is Grimace actually smiling or does he just look like he took an edible and is about to settle in for his 23rd rewatch of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” — thanks to a three-touchdown performance from Cougars QB John Mateer.

In the second half, Washington had drives that reached the Washington State 7, 25 and 1-yard lines and didn’t find the end zone on any. The Huskies finished 4-of-14 on third and fourth down and had 16 penalties in the game.

It’s just Washington State’s second Apple Cup win in its past 12 tries, but given Washington’s departure for the Big Ten, this one had to be especially sweet. A honeycrisp, perhaps.

Oregon–Oregon State

Dillon Gabriel threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns, and Oregon demolished Oregon State 49-14.

This one lacked much fanfare, but after two lackluster performances by the Ducks to open the season, it was reassuring to see Dan Lanning’s squad handle business.

On the other hand, most of Oregon State’s 2023 roster tumbled through the transfer portal like the final battle in “Avengers” and were replaced by freshmen, castoffs and some magic beans, so there will be far bigger tests for the Ducks ahead.

The Shula Bowl

Named, of course, in honor of legendary coach Dave Shula, the Shula Bowl annually pits Florida’s two best programs whose names includes the word “Florida” but that aren’t USF or UCF against each other with the winner getting access to a nice three-bedroom condo in The Villages when their grandparents are on a cruise.

This time around, FAU prevailed 38-20 over FIU, thanks to tailback Zuberi Mobley, who had 134 yards and three touchdowns and announced Pitbull’s latest album is “just OK.”

The first 56 minutes of Saturday’s game against South Carolina was far from pleasant for LSU.

A series of special teams gaffes, two turnovers and some big runs by Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers had the Tigers playing catch-up often. South Carolina jumped out to a 24-10 lead, saw LSU pull ahead briefly in the fourth quarter, then saw Rocket Sanders explode for a 66-yard score.

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1:20

Leaping block denies LSU punt, sets up South Carolina TD

Maurice Brown II blocks the LSU punt, which sets up a Raheim Sanders touchdown to pad the Gamecocks’ lead.

With less than four minutes to play, LSU trailed by four, and Brian Kelly had gone through all six stages of grief: frustration, indignation, hostility, anger, asking to speak to the manager and, finally, pondering the execution of his players.

But Garrett Nussmeier rode to the rescue with his 29-yard completion to Kyren Lacy to jumpstart a 55-yard touchdown drive to put LSU up 36-33.

South Carolina had one last crack at the win, attempting a 49-yard field goal as time expired, but it missed, giving Kelly a chance to celebrate a hard-earned win before returning to his office to watch film and scream into a pillow.

Week 3 vibe shifts

Trending down: That guy who was a QB at Texas

The Longhorns rolled to another easy win Saturday, demolishing UTSA 56-7 behind a stellar performance from Arch Manning, who threw for four scores and ran for another. Manning came on in relief of … um … we’re totally blanking on his name. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. The point is, it’s time to finally hang the Arch Manning posters above your bed, get the ARCH tattoo on your lower back and start an argument with the other dads in your group text about which one of you is most like Cooper.

Trending up: Billy Napier’s job prospects

Oh, not at Florida, mind you. That ship has sailed. Florida lost to Texas A&M — and its first-time starting QB Marcel Reed — by two touchdowns after Gators quarterbacks tossed three picks. That may well be the final nail in Napier’s coffin in Gainesville, but he just saw on Facebook that one of his old high school classmates is earning hundreds of dollars a week working from home selling vitamins and other beauty supplements. Finally, it’s a chance for Napier to pursue his dreams while not having to constantly be shuffling back and forth to an office every day. All it takes is a small up-front investment of $6,000 and then he’s off to the races. He’d be a fool not to go for it.

Trending down: Completing all your throws

The good news for Michigan quarterback Davis Warren is every pass he threw in Michigan’s 28-18 win over Arkansas State on Saturday was caught.

The bad news is, three of them were caught by Arkansas State players.

Here’s where we are with the defending champs: After decades rotating through a carousel of quarterbacks who won their position by finding a golden ticket under a Detroit-style pizza, the Wolverines were treated to two seasons of J.J. McCarthy and thought perhaps things had changed for good. Instead, Warren is averaging 6.1 yards per pass with two touchdowns and six picks through three games.

Now, USC is on deck next week, and Michigan is left trying to find an answer between Warren or Alex Orji or to hope there’s another QB stashed in Jim Harbaugh’s abandoned storage locker behind those boxes labeled “signals for every opponent, 2020-2023.”

Trending down: Ranked ACC teams

To say it has been a rough start to the season for the ACC would be wrong because it insinuates anything before this season hadn’t also been rough for the ACC.

Alas, the league’s misery index ratcheted up another notch — from “Hey, at least we have Cal” to “What could we save on legal fees by just letting FSU go?” — with Boston College‘s 27-21 loss to Missouri.

That the Eagles lost to the No. 6 team in the country isn’t such a surprise. Missouri was a heavy favorite. But so much seemed to be going BC’s way early, including Thomas Castellanos‘ miraculous fumble recovery-turned-touchdown pass.

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0:43

Castellanos turns near-fumble into a 67-yard Boston College TD

Thomas Castellanos almost loses the football during the snap, but somehow recovers and connects with Reed Harris for a 67-yard TD against Missouri.

BC actually led 14-3 in the second quarter, and Missouri’s mistakes at one point set up a delightful second-and-59 situation. (What are the odds a second-and-59 would happen and it wouldn’t be Florida State that did it?)

Still, Brady Cook and Luther Burden III proved to be too much, and Missouri ran out the clock on the game’s final 3:45 to preserve the win.

That leads to another unpleasant ACC metric on the season: Ranked ACC teams are now just 6-6 on the year — and those six wins have come against two FCS schools, Ball State, App State, Jacksonville State and, saddest of all, the Florida Gators. BC joins Georgia Tech and Florida State as ACC teams to have lost their only games while ranked so far this season.

Trending down: The market for stolen Hokies gear

Norfolk, Virginia has been a house of horrors for Virginia Tech over the years, including a 49-35 loss to Old Dominion as a heavy favorite in 2018 and a 20-17 defeat at the hands of the Monarchs in 2022 — a game in which the Hokies’ coaching staff was temporarily trapped in an elevator and its locker room was robbed mid-game.

Saturday, Virginia Tech managed to get a little revenge, making the trip to the 757 without having the team bus impounded, getting food poisoning from some sketchy Virginia Beach all-you-can-eat shrimp deals or waking up with a “VT + Fuente 4Eva” tattoo. Also, the Hokies managed to win 37-17 behind tailback Bhayshul Tuten, who ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns without anyone tying his shoestrings together while he wasn’t looking.

Trending up: UNLV‘s case for Pac-12 expansion

Matthew Sluka led an 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that chewed 9:31 off the clock in the fourth quarter Friday night, and UNLV upset Kansas 23-20. It was the Rebels’ second win over a Power 4 opponent already this season after dumping Houston in the opener. How impressive is that? Entering Saturday, Northern Illinois‘ upset of Notre Dame was the only other Group of 5 win over a power conference foe.

Like with anything in Vegas, it’s a little skill and a lot of luck.

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0:40

UNLV somehow comes up with wild fumble vs. Kansas

Matthew Sluka fumbles the ball, but somehow UNLV retains possession after the ball touches multiple Kansas players’ hands.

Still, it’s safe to say Barry Odom has the Rebels peaking at the right time, with UNLV’s sales pitch to the expanding Pac-12 now looking pretty strong: a big market, a good team and access to myriad all-night buffets. Then all Odom needs to do is take that Pac-12 payout in chips, bet it all on black on a single roulette spin, double down two or three more times and boom — UNLV is playing with SEC money.

Trending up: Money game arbitrage

Toledo was scheduled to play Maryland this year, but the Terps wanted to push the game back to 2029 (as if college football will still exist by then) so they paid the Rockets a cool $575,000 not to play.

That left a date open on Toledo’s schedule, so in swooped Mississippi State with a cool $1.2 million for the Rockets to make the trip to Starkville.

Toledo happily took that money, too, then proceeded to boat-race the Bulldogs, 41-17, behind 325 yards and three touchdowns from QB Tucker Gleason.

If any other teams have, like, $20, Toledo is also willing to try to eat seven saltines in a minute or pound a gallon of milk.

Irish eye the end zone

Notre Dame knows how to play offense after all.

After a miserable performance in Week 2’s stunning loss to Northern Illinois, the Irish exploded for 578 yards in a 66-7 win over Purdue behind three rushing touchdowns from Riley Leonard.

Or, we could also read the scoring outburst as an indictment of Purdue, which based on the transitive laws of college football, would finish ninth in the MAC this season.

It was ugly all around for the Boilermakers, who turned the ball over twice, were out-gained on the ground 362-38 and finished just 1-of-12 on third down. It was Notre Dame’s most points scored on an opponent’s field since 1965.

There’s little worse than seeing your team whitewashed on its home field to a hated rival. Well, perhaps having all that happen while you’re wearing yellow overalls.

Land of the rising Sun Devils

A year ago, Arizona was the darling of the college football world after a rollicking 10-3 season, while Arizona State was a laughing stock forced to start a chorus of struggling quarterbacks possibly including a couple guys they found waiting outside a Tempe In-N-Out Burger.

What a difference a year makes.

Arizona waved goodbye to head coach Jedd Fisch, who left for Washington, and opened this season with two unimpressive wins over New Mexico and Northern Arizona before falling to Kansas State 31-7 on Friday. It was Arizona’s worst offensive performance since being shut out at Colorado in 2021.

The Sun Devils, on the other hand, found a QB in Sam Leavitt and are riding high after knocking off Texas State on Thursday 31-28, starting 3-0 for the first time since 2019. Arizona State is the surprise team of 2024 so far (unless you count bad surprises, which Florida State hopes you don’t), and Dillingham’s turnaround of a program left in shambles after the Herm Edwards era ended exactly as everyone said it would.

Heisman five

We’re reasonable and patient so we’re giving it one more week before starting the “Arch for Heisman” campaign. But rest assured, the posters are at the printer and we’re booking a hospitality suite at South by Southwest to promote the brand.

1. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty

The Broncos were off in Week 3, but that didn’t stop the Pac-12 from watching a bunch of game tape of Jeanty and deciding he’d look real nice playing for its conference.

2. Miami QB Cam Ward

Ward threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns, averaging nearly 13 yards per pass, and then said he preferred Jay Leno to David Letterman after the game. It was a stunning rebuke to Ball State Cardinals all the way around.

3. Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter

Hunter was targeted just twice at corner and caught 13 of 14 targets (with one drop — gasp!) at receiver, hauling in 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Buffs’ win over Colorado State. And he recorded an interception. Afterward, head coach Deion Sanders lamented opposing quarterbacks not attacking Hunter on defense because of media bias.

4. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe

Milroe had three passing touchdowns and two rushing scores in a dominant win over Wisconsin. That’s Milroe’s fourth game with 3 passing TDs, 2 rushes and at least 250 total yards since the start of last season — twice as many as any other QB. In fact, the only other quarterbacks with four such games in the playoff era: J.T. Barrett, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Solid company.

5. San José State WR Nick Nash

OK, we doubt Nash will be in the Heisman mix by year’s end, but don’t overlook what he has done through three games. In Weeks 1 and 2, he combined for 17 catches, 260 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, then he keyed the Spartans to a third straight win, 31-10, against Kennesaw State, catching 17 balls for 225 yards and three touchdowns. It’s the most receptions in a game since Nevada‘s Romeo Doubs had 19 against Fresno State in 2021, and Nash’s 34 catches through three games are tied for the fifth most by a receiver in the playoff era.

Under-the-radar play of the week

Morehead State QB Connor Genal zipped a throw that didn’t quite make it past his offensive line. The pass doinked off a lineman’s helmet, bounced into the air and was hauled in by Montana‘s Hayden Harris for the interception that helped jumpstart a 59-2 Grizzlies win.

That’s what we call — *puts on sunglasses, opening note from “Won’t Get Fooled Again” plays* — a heads-up play.

Under-the-radar game of the week

Never mind the showdown between Colorado and Colorado State in Week 3. The real story in the Centennial State was Division II Fort Lewis — based in Durango, Colorado — which squeezed out a 17-12 over NAIA Arizona Christian.

The win snapped a 40-game losing streak for Fort Lewis, the longest active streak at any level of NCAA football.

The Skyhawks last won a game on Oct. 5, 2019 — essentially the entire span between the original “Joker” and the new musical — but QB Stone Walker threw for a TD and ran for another to secure Saturday’s win. In fairness, Stone Walker is way too cool a name for the quarterback of a team that had dropped 40 straight. It’s good that the universe has set this right.

The new worst losing streak in NCAA football is Florida State with what feels like at least 36 straight.