2023 College Football Insider Week 3

Week 3 // 2023

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“In this moment, it’s everything. We belong in the Power Five. These kids have worked their (tails) off. I’m so damn proud of them.”

Washington State head coach Jake Dickert after the Cougars’ 31-22 win over No. 19 Wisconsin amidst the uncertainty of the Pac-12

TEAM OF THE WEEK

MIAMI

Speaking of teams who could be back, what about the Miami Hurricanes? The Canes make their 2023 debut in the AP Poll, coming in this week at No. 22 after an impressive 48-33 victory over then No. 23 Texas A&M.

TEAM TO WATCH TEXAS

Through two weeks, a group of past powerhouse programs have put their stamp on the college football season, but maybe none bigger than Texas. With only one New Year’s Six Bowl appearance since 2010, the Longhorns are an early College Football Playoff candidate after going into Tuscaloosa and handing No. 3 Alabama a 34-24 loss.

Quinn Ewers threw for three touchdowns, two during a 21-point fourth quarter which pushed Texas past Alabama and ended the Crimson Tide’s 21-game home winning streak and 57-game regular season win streak against nonconference teams.

The win was Texas’ biggest under head coach Steve Sarkisian, and vaulted the Longhorns up seven spots to No. 4 in the AP Poll. It is the Longhorns’ highest ranking since ending the 2009 season ranked No. 2 as the national runner-up.

Coming up this Saturday, September 16, Texas hosts Wyoming at 5 pm PHX on the Longhorn Network.

After a 5-7 season, the Hurricanes are 2-0 and averaging 43 points per game following their win over the Aggies. Texas A&M raced out to a 17-7 lead, but Miami took control by outscoring the Aggies 24-3 over a stretch between the second and third quarters. A 64-yard scoring toss from Tyler Van Dyke to Jacolby George shut the door late in the fourth quarter.

Van Dyke became the first Miami quarterback to throw five touchdown passes against an AP Top 25 team.

Miami will look to move to 3-0 when it hosts Bethune-Cookman at 4:30 pm PHX time on ACC Network on Saturday, September 16.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

#14 LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE

9.16 // 9:00 AM // ESPN

SAN DIEGO STATE AT #16 OREGON STATE

9.16 // 12:30 PM // FS1

#11 TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA

9.16 // 4:00 PM // ESPN

BYU AT ARKANSAS

9.16 // 4:30 PM // ESPN2

COLORADO STATE AT #18 COLORADO

9.16 // 7:00 PM // ESPN

For a full schedule of Week 3 games, click here. (All times in PHX)

2023 BOWL PREDICTIONS

Vrbo FIESTA BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Washington vs. Penn State

ESPN Schlabach – Washington vs. Tulane

USA Today – Ohio State vs. Washington

247 Sports – USC vs. Alabama College Football Network – Ohio State vs. USC College Football News – Tulane vs. Oregon

AP WEEK 3 RANKINGS

For a full AP Top 25 Rankings,

GAME OF THE WEEK

SOUTH CAROLINA AT #1 GEORGIA

Two-time defending national champion Georgia has looked dominant in winning its first two games by a 103-10 margin. Meanwhile, South Carolina bounced back from a season-opening loss to North Carolina with a 47-21 Week 2 victory over Furman.

This week, the SEC rivals meet in Athens in the conference opener for both teams. The top-ranked Bulldogs take the longest active winning streak (19 games) into Saturday. Additionally, the Bulldogs have won 20 consecutive home games, with the last team to beat them at Sanford Stadium being the Gamecocks, who won 20-17 in 2OT in October 2019.

South Carolina will aim to knock off Georgia again at 12:30 pm PHX time on September 16 on CBS.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Illinois

USA Today – BYU vs. Maryland Action Network – Kansas vs. Michigan State

CBS – TCU vs. Purdue College Football Network – BYU vs. Rutgers College Football News – UCF vs. Michigan State

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Florida State

4. Texas

5. USC

6. Ohio State

7. Penn State

8. Washington

9. Notre Dame

10. Alabama

click here.

TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.

Etienne Jr. started his second healthy NFL season showcasing his multi-dimensional skill set in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 31-21 Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Jacksonville’s running back carried the ball 18 times and totaled 77 yards, while he also caught all five of his targets for 27 yards. The former Clemson Tiger accounted for the final points of the game, breaking free for a 26-yard touchdown scamper. Etienne Jr. scored three touchdowns in Clemson’s 2019 CFP Semifinal win at the Fiesta Bowl, including two through the air on three receptions for 98 yards.

Jacksonville hosts defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City on Sunday, September 17 at 10 am PHX time on CBS.

BIG NEWS

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 26 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from Week 3:

BIG TEN BIG 12

• Four Big Ten teams, led by defending champion Michigan, appear in this week’s AP Top 25. The Wolverines sit at No. 2, while Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa are at No. 6, 7 and 25 respectively. A trio of teams (Maryland, Minnesota and Wisconsin) are receiving votes.

• Penn State is one of seven teams, and the only Big Ten team, currently ranked among the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense (6th) and scoring defense (17th).

• Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz earned his 200th career victory when his Hawkeyes reclaimed the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Trophy with a 20-13 win at Iowa State. Ferentz is the 27th coach to reach the milestone at an FBS institution.

• The Big Ten has five matchups against the ACC this week. Four of the five are home games for Big Ten Conference schools.

• Led by No. 4 Texas, the Big 12 has No. 15 Kansas State and No. 19 Oklahoma ranked in the AP Top 25. TCU, Kansas, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and UCF are receiving votes.

• Through two weeks of play, the Big 12 is 20-8 (.714) in non-conference games.

• TCU will travel to Houston this week in the Big 12’s conference opener and UH’s first league game as a member of the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are tied for second in the nation with a six-game conference road win streak.

• League newcomer UCF leads the nation in total offense (626.5) and is one of nine league teams ranked in the top 51. Kansas, Cincinnati and Oklahoma are also averaging more than 500 yards of total offense.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

MORE THAN JUST A GAME®

FOOTBALL FEATURE: 1994 FIESTA BOWL CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

The 1993-94 University of Arizona football team was led by their Desert Swarm defense, which featured future NFL players Tedy Bruschi, Rob Waldrop, Tony Bouie, Brant Boyer and Brandon Sanders. Arizona’s defense only allowed 13.4 points per game and barely 30 rushing yards per game.

The Desert Swarm became the hallmark for Arizona’s first 10-win season and on January 1, 1994, the Wildcats brought their dominant defense north to Tempe where they notched the first shutout in Fiesta Bowl history, 29-0, against Miami.

PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES WISHES FOR TEACHERS

Arizona’s largest annual teacher financial support initiative will increase its impact by 25%, as the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program will donate more money than ever to Arizona teachers for use in their classrooms. Now in its eighth year, the program will provide grants to 500 teachers, for a total of $1.25 million in donations.

Applications are now open for all Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers through Friday, September 29, at 5 p.m. Teachers simply fill out the online application at www.WishesForTeachers.org, detailing the teacher’s school or classroom need and how the $2,500 grant would be implemented.

Click here to learn more about the 1993-94 Arizona team coming up on the 30-year anniversary of their dominant Fiesta Bowl performance.