Week three of the college football season has come and gone, and after another action-packed week of football, let’s break it down with some of the biggest takeaways from week three.

Luke fickell has been a massive disappointment

Before taking over at Wisconsin, Luke Fickell built an outstanding reputation as the head coach at Cincinnati. He led the Bearcats to unprecedented heights, becoming the first coach to guide a Group of Five program to the College Football Playoff. Fickell also developed numerous NFL talents, including stars like Sauce Gardner, Alec Pierce, and Desmond Ridder. After compiling a 57-18 record over six seasons, Fickell arrived in Madison with high expectations, as many (myself included) believed he would quickly elevate the Badgers to new levels of success.

However, the transition hasn’t been as smooth as anticipated. After a disappointing 7-6 season in his first year, Wisconsin’s 2024 campaign has not started well. Following a shaky 2-0 start, the Badgers were absolutely crushed at home by Alabama. Although quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was knocked out of the game early due to injury, it’s hard to argue that his presence would have changed the outcome. The Wisconsin defensive line was completely dominated by Alabama's offensive front, and the Crimson Tide ran at will, led by quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Milroe was electric, not only rushing for two touchdowns and 75 yards but also picking apart the Wisconsin defense through the air. He averaged over 10 yards a throw and added three more touchdowns to his tally. While Alabama is certainly a good team and will be in the playoff conversation throughout the year, this game felt more like a statement about Wisconsin's struggles. And the road doesn’t get any easier for the Badgers, with matchups against top-25 opponents like USC, Nebraska, Oregon, and Penn State looming. Although there’s plenty of time for improvement, the Luke Fickell era in Madison has gotten off to a rough start.

Texas has the best quarterback room in the country

After Texas secured a 19-point win at Michigan in Week 2, I confidently labeled Quinn Ewers as the Heisman favorite. Ewers looked phenomenal in that game and carried his momentum into the first half against UTSA. Other than one bad overthrown interception, Ewers was sharp again, completing 14 of 16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. However, after sustaining a minor abdomen injury, backup quarterback Arch Manning stepped in.

Manning didn’t just fill in—he lit up the field. He completed 9 of 12 passes for a staggering 223 yards and four touchdowns, averaging over 18 yards per attempt. He also added 53 rushing yards and another score on the ground, showcasing the elite talent that made him one of the most sought-after recruits. Manning’s performance solidifies the depth at quarterback for Texas, something that could be crucial considering Ewers’ injury history. With the expanded playoff format meaning more games, Texas may need Manning to step up in more key matchups as the season progresses.

Florida will have a new head coach in 2025

While watching the Texas A&M vs. Florida game, one thing became glaringly clear: Florida has completely quit on Billy Napier. It’s not just the players—it’s the fans and the entire football program. It was tough to watch. The Gators fell 33-20, getting out-rushed 310 to 52, but what stood out even more was the toxic atmosphere in The Swamp. Fans and students were audibly chanting “Fire Billy,” along with other less appropriate remarks directed at the head coach, signaling that the Napier era is essentially over.

On the field, the gap between the two teams was clear despite the somewhat close scoreline. The Aggies ran for over 300 yards, and when they did pass, they were highly efficient, averaging more than 10 yards per attempt. Adding insult to injury, Texas A&M was led by backup quarterback Marcel Reed, which made the loss even harder to swallow for Gators fans. With several ranked teams still ahead on the schedule, the future looks bleak for Florida football under Napier’s watch.

Big weekend for the quarterback run game

In many of this weekend’s marquee matchups, we saw just how pivotal the quarterback run game can be, as it played a direct role in securing victories. The first example came on Friday night when 20th-ranked Arizona traveled to Manhattan, Kansas, to face the 14th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats. Kansas State came out dominant, primarily due to quarterback Avery Johnson’s ability to run the ball. Johnson racked up 110 yards on 17 carries, consistently breaking down the Arizona defense. What I found interesting was after getting only 11 carries combined in their first two games, Johnson’s workload significantly increased in this crucial matchup. I think this could be a new trend for teams with mobile quarterbacks, saving their legs for the more significant games on the schedule.

But Johnson wasn’t the only one to shine on the ground this weekend. We already discussed Jalen Milroe’s dominance in Alabama’s blowout of Wisconsin, but Riley Leonard had a similar impact in Notre Dame’s offensive explosion against Purdue. After a horrendous performance in Notre Dame’s home loss to Northern Illinois last week, the Irish came out and absolutely gashed Purdue in the run game, rushing for 364 yards and dropping 66 points on the day.  Leonard led the charge with three rushing touchdowns and 100 yards on the ground. This ground-heavy approach may be the blueprint for Notre Dame moving forward, as their passing attack still appears shaky.

Other Notes from Saturday:

LSU-South Carolina

The matchup between LSU and South Carolina was undeniably the game of the day.  In a bonkers game that featured lots of turnovers, special teams mishaps, and explosive plays, it was some of the most fun I’ve had watching football this year.  Overall, there is one glaring takeaway–LSU’s defense has not improved from last year.  This Gamecocks offense has proven that it is not very good over their first two games, and yet they came out and torched LSU.  The Tigers tackling looked dreadful, creating many explosive runs and the secondary even looked shaky against a passing offense that is essentially non-existent.  

Georgia-Kentucky

In what was expected to be a comfortable win for Georgia, the Bulldogs found themselves in a much closer contest against Kentucky than anyone anticipated. Kentucky's slow and methodical offensive approach—running the play clock down to under ten seconds on nearly every snap—had a significant impact on the game, shortening it and limiting Georgia’s opportunities on offense. While Kentucky didn’t hit any explosive plays, they relied on a mix of runs and short passes, picking up enough points to keep the pressure on with field goals.  On the Georgia side, the Bulldogs offense was out of sync all night. Quarterback Carson Beck struggled to find his rhythm, and the Bulldogs’ rushing attack was largely neutralized by a Kentucky defense that rose to the occasion. While Georgia has enough talent and depth to recover from this performance, struggling against a fairly average Kentucky team does raise some red flags moving forward. 

Oregon

It looks like the Oregon Ducks have finally found their groove. After two lackluster performances to start the season, they made a statement in week three by dominating rival Oregon State 49-14. The Ducks’ defense looked as sharp as it has all year, completely shutting down the Beavers’ rushing attack, save for a few scramble plays by quarterback Gevani McCoy. This was Oregon’s best defensive outing of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  Offensively, Oregon finally hit on some explosive plays, something that had been missing in previous weeks. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the charge, breaking off a 54-yard rushing touchdown while also delivering an efficient performance through the air. Tez Johnson shined as well, catching seven passes for 110 yards. This complete performance on both sides of the ball suggests that the Ducks may be clicking at the right time as they prepare for the challenges of Big Ten play.

Michigan

As one Big Ten offense is clicking heading into conference play, one looks totally lost. The Michigan offensive performance against Arkansas State was very concerning. Despite facing an inferior defense, quarterback Davis Warren struggled mightily, throwing three interceptions and posting a season-low QBR of 21.8. Warren's inconsistency has become a glaring issue, and his inability to form a competent passing game is a serious liability.  The Wolverines’ rushing attack, led by Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards, did show signs of life in this game, but that alone won’t be enough to carry them through the biggest matchups of their season. Without an effective passing game, Michigan's offense is one-dimensional, which will be a major problem against tougher Big Ten defenses.  I would not be surprised to see Head Coach Sherrone Moore make a quarterback change going to their matchup against USC on Saturday.