Early season results change playoff landscape

Every week there are winners and losers. But it takes special circumstances this early in a season for things to be over for some -- with injury not even being a reason. Or at least should be.

So, after Week 3 of the 2025 college football campaign, it's safe to say we likely (or definitely) can bid adieu to the following:

- Clemson. This has been brewing for several years, and it's not because of NIL or the portal. It's because of poor player development and even worse play-calling. Now 1-2 after losing at Georgia Tech, 24-21, last Saturday, the Tigers' playoff chances are gone, especially with Tech and fellow ACC rivals N.C. State, California, Louisville, No. 4 Miami and No. 7 Florida State all unbeaten and all looking better than Clemson. QB Cade Klubnik has been lousy, OC Garrett Riley has been lousy, and ballyhooed defenders Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown have been virtual no-shows.

- Florida. This has been brewing for several years, too. Basically since the numnuts started calling for the Gators to oust Dan Mullen (34-15 record over 4 years in Gainesville) to make room for Billy Napier. Now 20-21 in his fourth season as Florida HC, Napier is looking down the barrel of his own possible ouster. His Gators, who, like Clemson, were projected as playoff contenders, can kiss any postseason outside of a meaningless bowl game goodbye. They're 1-2 and Napier's answer to QB D.J. Lagway's 5-INT performance in a losing cause at LSU was "it is what it is." Wow, we're regurgitating lame, lazy 2000s speak now? Ugh.

- Notre Dame. The Irish are prisoners to their own schedule. Having started 0-2 with losses to ranked opponents Texas A&M and Miami, they only have one currently ranked opponent on the schedule and that's No. 25 Southern Cal on Oct. 18. Meaning they may not have enough quality opposition to show the CFB committee that they deserve a berth ... and a chance to get back to the national title game. Others on ND's 2025 slate who could "help" include N.C. State and Navy, which may make their way into the polls, and Boise State, which may return to the polls. Here's the rub, though -- all of them, along with Arkansas, may end up being good enough to beat the Irish, and actually do so.

- DeShaun Foster and Brent Pry. Well, they're both gone. Axed. Fired. Starting seasons 0-3 after lackluster 2024s kinda set the stage for the administrations at UCLA and Virginia Tech to pull the trigger ASAP. Foster kinda figured to struggle in L.A. The former Bruin was a great RB in college, but he had never been anything more than a position coach, and his teams played like their HC was in over his head. Pry's lack of success was a surprise. He had been a pretty good DC at Penn State and actually took the Hokies to bowl games in 2023 and '24. But he bottomed out faster than his predecessor, Justin Fuente, as the Tech gig is beginning to look like it only succeeds with Frank Beamer, now retired for a decade and 78 years old, at the helm. Or a namesake of his.

- Speaking of ... the rumors are starting that South Carolina HC Shane Beamer will leave Columbia and return to his alma mater to save the program and, perhaps, his father's legacy. Just the mention of that is a double whammy for the Gamecocks, who lost to Vanderbilt, 31-7, at Williams-Brice Stadium as star QB LaNorris Sellers suffered a head injury. If that keeps Sellers out for any length of time, and the chatter about Beamer possibly bolting heats up, that No. 11 spot in the polls fading into Saturday night's darkness would almost seem like a fond memory. The possibility of a playoff berth wouldn't even exist.

GAME OF WEEK 3

You really had three vying for this honor.

Georgia Tech topping No. 12 Clemson on a last-second FG was exciting and highlighted what an absolute warrior Yellow Jackets QB Haynes King is. The ultimate grit-and-guts guy in the college game, King threw for 211 yards, ran for 103 and a TD, and orchestrated the clock-eating final drive, accounting for 36 of Tech's 38 yards in 3:26 to leave Clemson with nothing to do after the kick except hold its collective head in dismay.

No. 6 Georgia beating No. 15 Tennessee, 44-41, in overtime was like an SEC script out of Hollywood. QB Gunner Stockton stunned, going 23-for-31 for 304 yards and 2 TDs, and rushing for another. But little-used (thus far) transfer Josh McCray stole the show, bulling his way in for the winning score. After bolting Illinois via the transfer portal after leading the Illini in rushing in 2024 and to a bowl victory over South Carolina, McCray had just 3 carries in the Bulldogs' first 2 games. He only had 7 against the Vols, but 2 of them resulted in TDs.

Conversely, Vols QB Joey Aguilar went from basically clinching the Heisman in the first quarter, completing his first 14 passes for 213 yards and 3 TDs as Tennessee jumped out to a 21-7 lead, to falling out of the trophy's running by going 10-for-22 with 2 INTs the rest of the way.

The top spot, though, has to go to No. 16 Texas A&M upsetting No. 8 Notre Dame, 41-40, in South Bend. The teams combined for 928 yards of offense, three ties and three lead changes before responding to ND's TD and botched point-after with 2:53 remaining. The Aggies initially returned the kickoff for the tying score, but were called for holding. They then marched 74 yards in 13 plays, with "blocking" TE Nate Boerkircher hauling in an 11-yard TD on fourth down and Randy Bond drilling the point-after for the win.

QB Marcel Reed (360 yards and 2 TDs passing), RB Le'Veon Moss (81 yards and 3 TDs rushing) and Mario Craver, the tiny lightning bolt of a WR, struck fear in the Irish all night with 7 catches for 207, including an 86-yard TD, all shined for A&M.

PAY ATTENTION

Vanderbilt is making it hard to ignore. The Commodores have gone on the road two weeks in a row, and maimed and pillaged two teams they were expected to take Ls against -- Virginia Tech two weeks ago and South Carolina last Saturday. Big-talking QB Diego Pavia gets the headlines, but Vandy wins with tough D and a balanced offense -- which sees the SEC upstarts averaging 225 yards passing per game and 200 rushing. The Commodores, previously unranked, jumped into the polls this week at No. 20.

A personal fave of mine from what's been witnessed thus far, California, is now 3-0 and looking like one of several ACC teams that could unseat Clemson as conference champ. Freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been absolutely fabulous in his first three starts, including a 279-yard, 3-TD effort in Saturday night's 27-14 win over then-unbeaten Minnesota. Kid is 6-2, 225 and possesses mind-boggling arm talent. He makes the Golden Bears dangerous.

LSU may be ranked No. 3 in the country, but the Tigers' offense has been stuck in neutral. QB Garrett Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and 1 TD in a 20-10 win against Florida in Death Valley on Saturday night, but he only has 3 TDs all season (and 2 INTs). The real telling sign, though: LSU benefitted from 5 INTs tossed by the Gators' Lagway and only parlayed those into 2 TDs.

UNI WATCH

The scoreboard showed that Temple was no match for No. 15 Oklahoma when it came to size, speed, Xs and Os, and execution. But in terms of uniforms? Wow, the Owls rocked OU there.

The white helmets atop cherry jerseys and cherry pants pairing was stunningly sharp. The best getup seen all weekend by the eyes behind these type-written words. Not a fan of the diamond-splashed design on everything, from head until socks. But Temple looked soooo damn good otherwise it didn't matter.

The Temple '][' on the lids worked well, and what really helps the Owls' look almost always is that they typically only use their two school colors: cherry and white. So many uniforms get butchered because of too many colors being used, and the uniform designer (hello, Nike) having no friggin' clue how to match colors so the unis reach their max pop ... and newsflash to the taste-impaired out there: eyes bleeding are not a positive reaction to signify a good uniform.

Some usuals -- Tennessee (home white-orange-white), Penn State (home white-blue-white), Southern Cal (road cardinal-white-gold), Illinois (orange-blue-orange) -- were pleasing to the eye as well.

Tulane (an A+ for taking a chance with almost neon light blue-forest green-light blue at home) and Cal (home blue-yellow-blue) stood out, though.

As did Pitt's godawful road gold-white-white (gotta go with a dark helmet, like Oklahoma and Minnesota did, if you wanna pull that off), Clemson's road orange-purple-white (needed orange pants) and Georgia Tech's all-white in the same game. Tech can't even figure out where to trim and where to not trim. Word to the wise, if you do it on the jersey and pants, better do it on the helmet.

HEISMAN HYPE

With Oklahoma QB John Mateer, even with being as entertaining as always, statistically just "meh" in a blowout win at Temple (registering his third INT in as many weeks), the door opened for some others to shine. Such as:

Indiana's QB-WR tandem of Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. were positively electric AND efficient in last Friday's 73-0 demolition of Indiana State. Mendoza went 19-for-20 for 270 yards and 5 TDs passing (as well as a rushing TD) before giving way to his younger, Alberto, who then threw for 104 yards and 2 TDs. Cooper, meanwhile, went off for 207 yards and 4 TDs on 10 receptions.

Missouri QB Beau Pribula pushed his TD total on the season to 10, but the Tigers' real star last Saturday was RB Ahmad Harvey (22 carries, 250 yards, 3 TDs), who is now the country's second leading rusher.

Syracuse QB Steve Angeli, apparently, is the Orange's Kyle McCord 2.0. After bolting Notre Dame in the offseason, Angeli is the nation's passing yardage leader after throwing for 382 yards and 5 TDs (as well as rushing for another).

Southern Cal may turn some heads in its second season in the Big Ten thanks to QB Jayden Maiava, who now leads the country in passer rating after his 282-yard effort at Purdue. He now has 10 total TDs on the season.