2026 College Football Season - Week 3 Recap and Top Performers

Sep 21

5 min read

That's right ladies and gentlemen, Week 3 of the 2026 college football featured one of the most anticipated game in recent history and we can safely say that it lived up to his billing - that's not to underrated the other exciting games that took place. Without further ado, let's review what we learned from this week.

What Did We Learn From Week 3?

Ole Miss Takes Down LSU

Everyone knew this was the most anticipated game of the decade — a year of trash talk, controversy, and constant jabs finally boiling over — and it turned into an all‑timer. If you had to sum it up in two words, it’s Trinidad Chambliss. He delivered a Heisman‑level performance, and even after Ole Miss blew a 17‑point lead in the third quarter, he put the Rebels on his back.

Give Sam Leavitt credit for bouncing back after a rough start and giving LSU life, but the gap between him and Chambliss was clear — there are levels to this. Chambliss showed it again with that fourth‑quarter score to reclaim the lead.

In the end, the game absolutely lived up to the hype, and even with Lane Kiffin’s stumble, this feels like the start of an incredible rivalry. This is college football at its best.

Ohio State’s thrashing doesn’t need much description — it felt inevitable. Congratulations to Jeremiah Smith on becoming the Buckeye all-time leader in receiving yards.
You might call Kentucky’s win over Texas A&M an upset, but in our view, the Aggies simply aren’t the same caliber of team they were a year ago. That said, we still expect Marcel Reed and company to bounce back.
For a minute, UTEP’s opening touchdown made you think upset. Then Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines took control, dismantling the Miners from the second quarter on. What’s truly scary is how Underwood is growing with every game. That Western Michigan matchup may end up being the best thing to happen to this season.
The Miami Hurricanes knocked off a tough Wake Forest squad despite a monster outing from quarterback Gio Lopez, who kept the Demon Deacons in it with big throws all night. But early on, Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney set the tone, and Wake Forest never fully recovered from the Hurricanes’ fast start.
The Florida Gators are absolutely for real. A fast, physical defense, an offense powered by elite running back Jaden Baugh, and steady improvement each week — it’s all there. That win over Auburn could be the start of something even bigger.
The Houston Cougars and Texas Tech were about as evenly matched as you’ll find, trading blows in one of the most competitive games of the season. Even with the Red Raiders coming out on top, few quarterbacks in college football are operating with the efficiency that Cougars' Conner Weigman is showing right now. If both teams can punch their ticket to the playoff, a rematch would be must‑see football.
We generally don’t talk about Vanderbilt, but the way they beat NC State was one of the most shocking things you’ll see all season. If you have time, watch it — you truly have to see it to believe it. And let’s just say NC State quarterback C.J. Bailey may need to lay low for a bit.
No defense at all. Alabama and Florida State played a wildly entertaining game with no stops, but the real question is Mike Norvell’s future. After this loss, it feels like this might be the final nail in the coffin.

Mississippi is no longer college football’s best‑kept secret. The Bulldogs are 3‑0 and feature a spectacular quarterback talent in Kamario Taylor. This is a team worth following all season.

Rutgers deserves credit for battling a high‑powered USC offense, even if they ultimately fell short. In doing so, they exposed major issues in the Trojans’ defense — problems that need fixing fast if USC expects to be viewed as a real contender.
You could hardly ask for a better matchup than SMU and Louisville — two high‑powered offenses led by young, talented quarterbacks with plenty of weapons around them. This game felt like a prize fight between championship‑caliber boxers. In the end, the Cardinals made just enough plays to push themselves over the top. What a game.
Yes, Georgia embarrassed Arkansas at home, but here’s the real perspective — it was an unimpressive win over a program sinking deeper into obscurity. The Razorbacks, at this point, need to look in the mirror and figure out how to turn this ship around.
The Oregon Ducks may have needed three games to get there, but they finally looked like the playoff contender everyone expected in their domination of Portland State. Some will argue the win isn’t significant given the opponent, but after how they looked in their first two outings, this was the step forward they desperately needed.
The Pitt Panthers are 3–0, but it doesn’t quite feel like a breakthrough. We’ve seen Pat Narduzzi teams start fast before, only to fade once the calendar flips. If Pitt keeps stacking wins over the next few weeks, then we can start talking about them as a real ACC threat.
It’s only been three games, but Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has this group playing inspired football — and Rocco Becht looks like a near‑perfect fit in the system. At 3‑0, the Nittany Lions are clearly trending upward, growing into a team that deserves to be taken seriously in the Big Ten.
Kansas State is 3‑0, and quarterback Avery Johnson might be the most intriguing player in college football — 369 total yards and two touchdowns. He doesn’t always look smooth, but he gets the job done. What deserves even more attention is the Cougars’ defense, which piled up six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Big 12 better take notice, because this squad is for real.

Week 3 Top 10 Performers -

Offense:

1. QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele - California

2. QB Michael Hawkins Jr. - West Virginia

3. QB Trinidad Chambliss - Ole Miss

4. QB Keelon Russell - Alabama

5. QB Noah Fifita - Arizona / QB Drew Mestemaker - Oklahoma State

6. RB Aiden Flora - Iowa State

7. RB Kendrick Raphael - SMU

8. RB LJ Martin - BYU

9. RB Keyjuan Brown - Louisville / RB Jadan Baugh - Florida

10. QB Avery Johnson - Kansas State and RB Xavier Williams - Iowa

Defense:

1. DL Xavier Lewis - North Carolina / DT William Echoles - Ole Miss

2. LB Jayden Woods - Florida

3. DB John Nestor - Minnesota

4. S Rabbit Evans - Utah

5. LB Cyrus Polu - Utah

6. DL Emmanuel Oyebadejo - Florida

7. EDGE Amaree Williams - Mississippi

8. LB Elijah Melendez - Auburn

9. LB Nick Rinaldi - Vanderbilt

10. EDGE Daeden Hopkins - Missouri