College Football 2024: Winners and Losers from Week 3

David KenyonFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 15, 2024College Football 2024: Winners and Losers from Week 30 of 11

Luther Burden III and Theo WeaseScott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The storylines in Week 3 didn’t wait until the weekend.

Friday night, Kansas State solidified itself as a top Big 12 threat with a win over Arizona—even as that matchup didn’t affect the league standings. On the other hand, rival Kansas endured a frustrating loss to UNLV.

The action continued on Saturday afternoon with Memphis taking down Florida State and Missouri picking up a Top 25 triumph.

Ultimately, no significant upsets happened in Week 3, but that doesn’t mean the slate lacked some nerve-wracking games. LSU navigated a scare at South Carolina, Oklahoma didn’t put away Tulane until the fourth quarter and Georgia just clipped Kentucky.

Bleacher Report tracked the action and recapped some of the biggest results from around the nation.

Winner: K-State’s Emphatic Rout1 of 11

Avery JohnsonPeter Aiken/Getty Images

That looked familiar, no?

Kansas State is rarely a flashy, big-play machine. The program is known for a physical, grinding style that—while not necessarily leading to national titles—has routinely made the Wildcats a competitive team.

Arizona learned that lesson on Friday in a 31-7 loss that, fortunately for the visiting Cats, counted as a nonconference game.

K-State quarterback Avery Johnson hit 14-of-23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, adding 110 yards on the ground. DJ Giddens scampered for 86 yards and a score, while Dylan Edwards chipped in 41 more. The offense only had four gains of 20-plus yards but rushed for 5.9 yards per carry and avoided long third-down situations.

Now flirting with its first Top 10 ranking since 2014, Kansas State is entering Big 12 action on a high note.

Loser: Kansas’ Collapse2 of 11

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In a few weeks, we may be dedicating space to UNLV. After defeating Big 12 teams Houston and Kansas on the road, the Rebels are 3-0 with upcoming tilts against Fresno State and Syracuse. They’re on the radar.

But right now, the story is about Kansas.

Ranked 22nd in the preseason AP Top 25, the Jayhawks began the campaign with plenty of optimism. However, they fell 23-17 at Illinois last weekend and squandered a double-digit lead on Friday night.

Kansas built a 17-6 edge but endured a disappearing act from its offense, which had ripped off scoring drives of 81, 94 and 58 yards. In the second half, the Jayhawks managed one field goal in six possessions with the five non-scoring drives resulting in minus-22 yards.

Seriously, minus-22.

UNLV running back Kylin James scored on a fourth-and-goal in the last two minutes, lifting the Rebels to a 23-20 victory and dropping Kansas to a disappointing 1-2 as Big 12 play begins.

Winner: Memphis Pads Its Resume3 of 11

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The more Florida State loses, the less impactful this victory might be for Memphis. That should not diminish what the Tigers accomplished on Saturday but is a realistic thing to keep in mind.

We’ll allow the future to take care of itself, however. Today, the Tigers are celebrating a quality road win.

Memphis made FSU’s bad season even worse with a 20-12 victory in front of an exasperated crowd. The result snapped a nine-game winless streak in the series for Memphis, which last defeated Florida State in 1976.

Especially after SMU bolted for the ACC, Memphis stood as a prime candidate to become the first Group of Five representative in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Nonconference wins over reigning Sun Belt champion Troy and now FSU have rapidly backed up that hype.

It’s a long season, but Memphis has taken a very valuable step toward earning a national stage in December.

Loser: South Carolina’s What If4 of 11

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In the immediate aftermath of LSU’s 36-33 victory, this feels like a “what if” moment for South Carolina.

What if a few calls had gone the Gamecocks’ way? What if quarterback LaNorris Sellers hadn’t exited with an ankle injury? What if a penalty hadn’t negated a pick-six or Alex Herrera’s potential game-tying kick hadn’t drifted wide left as time expired?

What if, what if, what if.

Look, the Gamecocks have a brutal October stretch with Ole Miss and trips to Oklahoma and Alabama on the docket. Missouri and Clemson are still on the docket in November, too. Springing an upset on LSU wouldn’t have dramatically altered expectations.

South Carolina, nevertheless, could have parlayed an upset into momentum on the recruiting trail. And, hey, 4-0 would’ve looked great, no matter how the Gamecocks eventually fare in October’s gauntlet.

Instead, they move forward at 2-1 with a big ol’ what-if.

Winner: Mizzou Passes First Test5 of 11

Brady CookEd Zurga/Getty Images

Last weekend, Notre Dame offered a clear reminder that a favorable slate does not guarantee success. Starting there is important, given what I have expressed about Missouri’s outlook in 2024.

The short version: Fresh off an 11-win season, the Tigers began 2024 with serious CFP upside, partially due to the schedule.

Boston College has been a pleasant surprise early on, so Saturday brought an unexpected Top 25 test. Mizzou, which blanked Murray State and Buffalo to open the campaign, fell behind 14-3 but scored 24 straight points to take control and ultimately win 27-21.

Again, nothing is promised from here. Mizzou’s next opponent, Vanderbilt, upset Virginia Tech two weeks ago.

Because of this victory, though, the Tigers will likely head into October with an unbeaten record and stay firmly on the CFP radar.

Loser: Florida’s Home Drubbing, Again6 of 11

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Back in Week 1, Miami destroyed Florida 41-17. It was the most points Florida had ever allowed in an opener, and the rout happened in front of a stunned Gainesville crowd.

Part 2 arrived in Week 3.

Texas A&M started redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed in place of the injured Conner Weigman. Yet that hardly slowed the Aggies in a 33-20 smackdown of Florida at The Swamp.

Graham Mertz and freshman DJ Lagway combined for three interceptions and generally were ineffective. The running game created few positive plays. The defense had no answers, giving up 178 passing yards and 310 rushing at a troubling 5.6 per carry.

Billy Napier’s seat is scorching hot. Mertz and Lagway are locked in a QB controversy. The remaining schedule is a nightmare.

This season is turning into a disaster for UF.

Winner: Wazzu’s Cathartic Dub7 of 11

John MateerAlika Jenner/Getty Images

Unfortunately for the Pac-2, Saturday did not bring a sweep. Oregon obliterated Oregon State 49-14 and finally unleashed the really good version of a very talented roster.

One-for-two is acceptable, though.

Washington State came up with a goal-line stand to clip Washington 24-19 in a dramatic rivalry win. The defense stuffed Jonah Coleman’s fourth-and-goal carry to secure the victory and give Wazzu only its second Apple Cup triumph in the last decade.

After the chaos of realignment and bitter feelings left in its wake, the result must’ve felt especially great for everyone around Wazzu.

And, hey, the Coogs are 3-0. They’re officially heading into the Mountain West portion of the schedule as a team to monitor.

Loser: Adios, West Virginia Hype8 of 11

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No, the season is not ruined.

Still, this offense—led by dual-threat QB Garrett Greene—returned so much talent that WVU looked like a sneaky Big 12 contender.

Nevermind on that. Losses to Penn State and Pitt have basically removed any of the hype around the Mountaineers, and Saturday’s setback in the Backyard Brawl absolutely stung.

WVU looked destined for a win, holding a 34-24 lead after adding a touchdown with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Even if Pitt scored once, the ‘Eers had a comfortable margin for error.

They wasted it all.

Pitt, which climbed out of a 21-point hole at Cincinnati last weekend, is apparently the comeback king of 2024. Eli Holstein and Daejon Reynolds connected for a 40-yard touchdown and the defense forced a three-and-out before Derrick Davis Jr. rushed in the winning score with 32 seconds left in regulation.

West Virginia hasn’t yet played a Big 12 game, and the format of the expanded CFP means the Mountaineers, in theory, could turn around the year. However, the line between optimism and wishful thinking is thin.

Winner: The Arch Manning Show9 of 11

Arch ManningAdam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There is no QB controversy at Texas.

What the Longhorns do have, however, is the most exciting backup in the nation—and it’s not simply about his name anymore.

Quinn Ewers exited the victory over UTSA with an abdomen injury. Arch Manning proceeded to throw a 19-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt and scampered 67 yards to the house on the next drive.

In the second half of a 56-7 blowout, he zipped a screen that Isaiah Bond turned into a 51-yard touchdown. Manning capitalized on a blown coverage for Ryan Wingo’s 75-yard score, then lofted a perfectly placed back-corner ball on Johntay Cook II’s 12-yard touchdown.

Once more, for effect: There is no QB controversy.

But if Ewers—who missed two games last season—would be sidelined for any length of time, the Horns will be exceedingly confident in his replacement. And it’s not only because his name is Manning.

Loser: Kentucky’s Risk-Averse Finish10 of 11

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I will readily acknowledge the odds of Kentucky converting a 4th-and-8 were not particularly high.

I also believe UK coach Mark Stoops made a conservative decision in a moment and matchup that called for aggressiveness.

Trailing 13-12 with three minutes left, Kentucky faced that fourth down at Georgia’s 48-yard line. Stoops elected to punt instead of attempt a conversion. That choice is defensible, given that UK had three timeouts remaining. It just seemed unnecessarily cautious.

Even if the play failed, UK would’ve needed a defensive stop. Losing some field position would hurt, but those timeouts plus the two-minute stoppage meant the ‘Cats could afford to take a risk.

Georgia ended up burning most of the clock, so perhaps this is a moot discussion anyway.

You might feel different, but I’d rather see an underdog go down swinging against the country’s top-ranked program than choosing a route that required last-minute perfection.

Winner: UCF’s Big Comeback11 of 11

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On the opening drive of the third quarter, TCU took a 28-7 advantage on a 50-yard touchdown pass. According to ESPN data, the Horned Frogs’ win probability peaked at 96.9 during the frame.

UCF is now part of why that 3.1 percent exists.

RJ Harvey rumbled to a pair of touchdowns, and KJ Jefferson passed for two scores—including a last-minute winner to Kobe Hudson—to help UCF erase the 21-point deficit in a 35-34 road victory.

TCU nearly added an epic chapter to the wild game thanks to Josh Hoover and the offense setting up Kyle Lemmermann’s 58-yard field goal attempt as time expired. It seemingly had enough distance, too. Unfortunately for him and the Frogs, the kick drifted wide right.

UCF enters conference action only as a mid-tier Big 12 threat, but this offense should be a thorn all year.