Every now and then we need a week like this one. The first two served as a wonderful reminder of what makes this sport so special. The pure chaos leads to a truly captivating viewing experience. As entertaining as the unpredictability of early season football is, however, it can be very difficult to glean any meaningful insight from the upsets and rusty performances. When Notre Dame hung with Ohio State we were sure it meant that they were legit. Then they lost at home to Marshall and we were forced to put our notes in the shredder. Anthony Richardson flashed the tremendous upside that has him projected as a potential first round pick for sixty magical, swamp-fueled minutes, and suddenly he was the next Cam Newton. Kentucky had something to say about that in week two. Georgia treated Oregon like a bad FCS school and we didn’t know what to think. Is Georgia just that good? Is Oregon even good at all? We now know the answer to both questions is probably yes, but anyone who claimed to know before week 3 based only off the eye test was lying, or more likely, ignorant.
As more good teams play each other and the results start to make more sense, résumés begin to take shape. Chalk might not be as fun for the casual fan, but those who are deeper in the weeds can find relief in the normalcy, and the greater sense of understanding it may bring.
It didn’t hurt that the week 3 action heavily contributed to my 2022 college football plans falling into place. First and foremost, Minnesota rolled over Colorado thanks in large part to my support, of course. Although the competition has been lackluster, the Gophers can only beat the team that lines up across from them, and that they have. A season ending injury to their top receiver Chris Autman-Bell put a major damper on the win. Crab, as he’s often called by coaches and teammates, is a special person and a vital part of the program. Here’s to hoping he can return in 2023, should he choose to do so.
In what feels like a wide open Big Ten West, my biased opinion has Goldy in the driver’s seat to meet up with Ohio State or Michigan in Indy with a trip to the CFP on the line.
If you have been following along with my previous posts then you’re probably aware that I’ll be visiting some other parts of the country to take in games this year as well. When I planned a late September trip to Seattle for a Stanford/UW game it wasn’t really about the football. I’ll be with friends who are originally from the area, and the idea was based more in enjoying good company and taking in some beautiful scenery. Sure I was excited for Saturday night at Husky stadium, but more for the experience than the actual game. Then Washington dominated #11 Michigan State in week 3 and suddenly the Huskies are the talk of the town. They vaulted all the way up to #18 in the AP rankings and look like a legitimate contender in the Pac 12. What I expected to be a relatively meaningless conference game now carries extra significance as Washington looks to cement itself in the conference championship picture against a Stanford team coming off a bye. Then consider that I’ll have the chance to live the ultimate West Coast football viewing experience, and it becomes clear why I’m so excited. The first games of the day will kickoff at 9:30am local time, and the Gophers (as well as Florida/Tennessee) at 12:30pm, leaving us plenty of time to watch all that action and still get a few hours of tailgating in before the 7:30pm start of the game we’ll be attending. This is what I live for.
With all the pieces falling into place for my hometown program and the one I’ll be visiting this weekend, what could possibly make this weekend any better? How about the team representing the other school I’ll be visiting this fall pulling off an unexpected home upset this weekend too? That’s right, I’ll be traveling to Baton Rouge, LA for the 10/22 homecoming game vs Ole Miss. The Tigers entered week 3 as a home underdog against Mississippi State and nobody was really giving them a chance. The Bulldogs have been a popular pick as the most underrated team in college football, while LSU and Brian Kelly have been the butt of every joke imaginable. It turns out that talent wins, and Saturday nights at Tiger Stadium are still special. The LSU defense was special this weekend too, holding Mike Leach’s high-powered air raid offense to only 16 points. It was potentially a turning point win for the Tigers and I’m hopeful they can ride the momentum into what could end up being a big time matchup with the Rebels when I’m in the building next month.
While this relatively uneventful week may bore some, it was just what I needed. Not only did the things fall into place for what should be a memorable fall of college football experiences, but the sanity of this weeks result have me feeling good about understanding where this season will go. That will be put to the test on Thursday or Friday when I return with a more in depth post previewing week 4. I’ll break down some of the biggest games and make picks against the spread for many of them. I was 2-2 last week bringing my official season record to 6-5-1.
Thanks for reading. Please check back before Saturday for my week 4 preview!
Superior CFB 