Just three weeks into the college football season and there have already been many twists, turns and blunders. Let’s take a look at who qualified for this week’s list of biggest winners and losers.
Winners
North Dakota State. Sure it might seem like business as usual for the Bison as they won their fifth straight game against FBS competition but a win over a ranked Iowa team coming off a Rose Bowl appearance demands attention. NDSU appears to be well on their way to a sixth straight FCS Championship and it might be a good time for FBS schools to stop scheduling this scrappy bunch.
Louisville. We knew they were good, but the Cardinals absolutely manhandled the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles 63-20 on Saturday and quarterback Lamar Jackson has cemented himself as the clear Heisman front-runner early in the season. This begs the question- how long will Bobby Petrino stick around Louisville as his stock is rising again?
Ohio State’s Noah Brown. It’s week 3 and we have a catch of the year candidate that will be nearly impossible to top. Brown owned the Sooners all game in route to a four touchdown game including this improbable grab. Ohio State climbed to #2 in the polls following their 45-24 beat down of Oklahoma.
The overzealous Georgia fan. Nothing like showing your excitement after your team pull out a last-minute victory by throwing yourself through a glass door. This guy emerges bloodied following the incident and thank goodness a brave soul was there to catch it all on camera. WATCH VIDEO HERE
Anyone that watched Ole Miss/Alabma games the past three seasons. Let’s just say this- if you have me scheduled for a wedding, child’s soccer game or even death when these two teams are playing, kindly scratch me from the list because this game has become must-watch TV. Alabama came from behind and exacted a little revenge by beating the Rebels 48-43 after dropping the last two games in dramatic fashion.
Losers
The Big 12’s playoff chances. The conference has all but been eliminated from the College Football Playoff and it’s week 3. The shine could be coming off “big game” Bob Stoops Oklahoma’s horrendous start and Texas lost to unranked Cal on the road. Unless some random team like Baylor or Kansas State can run the table, it’s going to be another Big XII-less January and they could be counting on such powerhouses as Cincinnati or BYU to propel the conference going forward.
Another week and another ball dropped short of the endzone. This week’s inexcusable, boneheaded play goes to Cal running back Vic Enwere as he decided to drop the ball before scoring what would have been Cal’s game clinching touchdown. The play didn’t cost Cal the game but this has become a true epidemic in college football and it’s completely baffling.
Kansas quarterback Motel Cozart. In case you were wondering, the Kansas Jayhawks are still losing football games by a lot of points. The latest was a 43-7 disaster at Memphis which included quarterback Motell Cozart freaking out as if he were Screech Powers from “Saved By the Bell” and threw the ball right into the teeth of the Memphis defensive line. The pass was intercepted by a very large man with long hair billowing out of his helmet and had it returned for a touchdown.
Illinois. It’s one thing to get blown out by North Carolina, but Lovie Smith’s Illinois Fighting Illini were bludgeoned at home this week by Western Michigan. You have to wonder if this porous start will begin to thwart some of the recruiting momentum that the program had gained initially when Smith was hired.
Virginia. Things aren’t going well for Bronco Mendenhall and the Virginia Cavaliers so far in 2016. They now sit at 0-3 after being beaten by UCONN at home. Virginia have already suffered a defeat to the hands of the mighty Richmond Spiders and fans are clearly in for a long season in Charlottesville.
