2022 College Football Insider Week 3

Week 3 WEEK 3

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2022

Quote of the week “Texas has a lot better team than people give them credit for, and they’re going to be in the SEC. And if they were in the SEC right now, they’d probably be in the top half of the league.”

- Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban on Texas after Alabama’s escape in Austin

TEAM TO WATCH:

Kentucky

The Wildcats’ decisive week two victory at Florida skyrocketed them up 11 spots in the AP Poll to where they now sit at No. 9—and solidified head coach Mark Stoops as the winningest coach in program history.

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson was nearly powerless against a dominant Kentucky defense, especially in the second half when the Wildcats rallied back from a three-point deficit. Tack a 65-yard pick-six from cornerback Keidron Smith onto an already stellar performance, and the Wildcats defense looks to be one of the most threatening in the league.

Kentucky aims to build on this momentum heading into week three when it hosts Youngstown State. With a number of games against ranked teams—including current No. 1 Georgia—coming down the pipeline for the Wildcats, this squad is one to keep an eye on.

Gametime for Kentucky’s week three matchup is 9 a.m.

PHX time on ESPN’s SEC Network.

CONFERENCE OF THE WEEK:

Sun Belt Conference

With three major upsets from the same conference— including two against top-10 teams—it’s hard to highlight just one Sun Belt squad.

Marshall posted a 26-21 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame to stun the Irish in their home opener. Marshall running back Khalan Laborn’s 163-yard performance was the most rushing yards accumulated by a single player against Notre Dame in seven seasons.

Then, just a week after going head-to-head with the University of North Carolina, Appalachian State was back for more against No. 6 Texas A&M. This time, App State got the job done with a 17-14 win over the Aggies. ESPN College GameDay travels to App State for week three as the Mountaineers host conference foe Troy.

Last was Georgia Southern’s nail-biting victory over Nebraska, in which GSU generated a stunning 642 yards of total offense against the Cornhuskers to lead them to a 45-42 win.

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WEEK 3

games of the week #6 OKLAHOMA AT NEBRASKA

AP WEEK 3 Rankings 1. GEORGIA

6. OKLAHOMA

2. ALABAMA

7. USC

3. OHIO STATE

8. OKLAHOMA STATE

#12 BYU AT #25 OREGON

4. MICHIGAN

9. KENTUCKY

5. CLEMSON

10. ARKANSAS

9.17 | 12:30 PM | FOX

For the full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

9.17 | 9:00 AM | FOX

#22 PENN STATE AT AUBURN 9.17 | 12:30 PM | CBS

game of the week #13 MIAMI AT #24 TEXAS A&M

#11 MICHIGAN STATE AT WASHINGTON 9.17 | 4:30 PM | ABC

SAN DIEGO STATE AT #14 UTAH 9.17 | 7:00 PM | ESPN2 For a full schedule of Week Three games, click here. (All times in MST)

The pressure is on for Texas A&M as the Aggies try to rebound from a major upset against Appalachian State.

They’ll host No. 13-ranked Miami, both teams looking for their first win over a ranked opponent.

Texas A&M’s defense will be put to the test, as Miami averages 50 points per game with the nation’s fourth-highest third down conversion percentage.

Texas A&M seeks to defend its top-25 status, while Miami’s first-year head coach Mario Cristobal is looking for his first big win as the Hurricanes’ head honcho.

Kickoff for this thriller in College Station is at 5:00 p.m. PHX on ESPN.

2022 Bowl PREDICTIONS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL AT THE VRBO FIESTA BOWL: ESPN – Ohio State vs. Alabama College Football News – Ohio State vs. Alabama USA Today – Ohio State vs. Alabama CBS – Ohio State vs. Alabama Sports Illustrated – USC vs. Oklahoma Action Network – Ohio State vs. Alabama

WEEK 3

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL: ESPN Bonagura – Iowa vs. TCU ESPN Schlabach – Purdue vs. TCU College Football News – Illinois vs. Iowa State USA Today – Minnesota vs. Iowa State CBS – Maryland vs. San Diego State Action Network – Illinois vs. Kansas State

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Big NEWS

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 27 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports, and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for week three:

Big Ten • The Big Ten has four teams in the AP Top 25 heading into week three: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 22 Penn State. Also receiving votes were Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue.

Saquon Barkley When we saw Saquon Barkley in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, he led Penn State to victory over Washington with 18 carries for 137 yards, including two touchdowns. This Sunday marked the start of his fifth season with the New York Giants since being selected second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and his 164-yard performance was the highest across the NFL. Barkley changed the momentum when the Giants needed it most with an explosive 68-yard run in the third quarter, reminiscent of when he set the Fiesta Bowl record with a 92-yard touchdown run against the Huskies. He found the end zone later in the drive to help propel the Giants to a stunning 21-20 win against Tennessee.

• Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost in his fifth year following a loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday. Associate Head Coach Mickey Joseph will serve as interim head coach while Nebraska searches for a permanent replacement.

• Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who caught a career-high seven passes for 184 yards and three TDs on Saturday, became just the second receiver in school history to have multiple career three-touchdown games • Michigan and Minnesota rank among the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wolverines lead the nation in scoring offense while ranking No. 11 in scoring defense. The Gophers rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense and seventh in scoring offense.

Al McCoy

Big 12 • The Big 12 has four teams in the AP Top 25 this week: No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 17 Baylor and No. 21 Texas. Kansas State, Texas Tech and Iowa State also received votes.

• Kansas came out on top of the Big 12’s first conference matchup of the season, with a 55-42 overtime win at West Virginia. The Jayhawks are 2-0 for the first time since 2011 after collecting their first-ever win in Morgantown, and will play future Big 12 member Houston in week three.

• In Texas’ tough loss against Alabama on Saturday, the Longhorns lost their starting quarterback Quinn Ewers to a left shoulder sprain. Ewers is set to be out for 4-6 weeks, making Hudson Card the likely starter until Ewers’ return.

• The Big 12 is the only conference that is undefeated (14-0) against unranked, non-conference opponents as all three of its losses were at the hands of ranked teams and came down to the final drive or play of the game.

• Half of Big 12 teams are in the top 18 nationally in scoring offense: Kansas (#4-52.5), TCU (#10-48.5), Texas Tech (#12-48.0), Oklahoma State (#15-46.0), and Baylor (#18-44.5).

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Barkley and the Giants will be back in action next Sunday at 10 a.m. PHX time against the Carolina Panthers.

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NAMED VRBO FIESTA BOWL PARADE PRESENTED BY LERNER & ROWE GRAND MARSHAL This week, the Fiesta Bowl announced legendary Suns announcer Al McCoy as its 2022 Grand Marshal for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe. McCoy, the longest-tenured announcer in NBA history entering his 51st season, personifies this year’s parade theme of “Legends Made Here” and shares the Fiesta Bowl’s commitment to making a positive impact on Arizona.

McCoy will lead the December 17 parade through its two-mile route in Central Phoenix, beginning at 10 a.m.

The Fiesta Bowl once again invites and encourages groups to submit an application and be one of those selected entries by Friday, September 23, 2022, to be a part of the Parade.

WEEK 3

MORE THAN JUST A GAME ® CHARITY SPOTLIGHT: FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES UNVEILS RENOVATED LOUNGE AT

Alhambra High School

As part of its commitment to youth and education across Arizona, Fiesta Bowl Charities unveiled a fully renovated staff and teacher lounge last week at Alhambra High School, a Title I school in Central Phoenix.

REWARD A TEACHER WITH PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES

Wishes for Teachers

In what has become one of Arizona’s most impactful teacher support initiatives, the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program provides grants to Arizona teachers for use in their classrooms. The seventh annual program will provide $2,500 awards to 400 teachers, for a total of $1 million in donations.

Alhambra educators and school staff support more than 2,000 students from grades 9-12, many of whom are high need.

Alhambra also comprises a large refugee population, with 52 countries and more than 44 languages represented among its student body. The refreshed staff and teacher lounge celebrates Alhambra employees and their commitment to the students and families they serve.

Applications are now open for all Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers through Friday, September 30 at 5 p.m. Teachers simply fill out the online application at www.WishesForTeachers.org, detailing the teacher’s school or classroom need.

Created in 2016, the Fiesta Bowl organization saw that many teachers spent their own money to enhance their classroom experience and developed a program to aid teachers in that effort. In its six years, Wishes for Teachers granted $4.7 million to 1,200 Arizona teachers, impacting 500,000+ students across the state.

WEEK 3

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DE CE M B E R 31 , 2022

D E C E M B E R 27, 2022

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WEEK 3