College football Week 3: Winners (LSU) and losers (Big Ten)

Taking stock of the winners and the losers from Week 3 of the 2018 college football season. Spoiler: Wisconsin is a big loser after losing to BYU.

For the second time this year, the No. 6 team has lost. In the opening week, it was Washington who fell to Auburn. In Week 3, it was Wisconsin falling to BYU in Camp Randall. Whoever is ranked No. 6 in the next AP Top 25 poll might prefer to be No. 7 with the early history of the teams in that spot.

They weren’t the only team to be upset this weekend as Auburn joined them as top 10 teams to suffer a defeat. Auburn fell to LSU who drilled a field goal as time expired to complete their comeback and give them a second win over a top-10 foe.

BYU – Winner

The Cougars were a 23.5-point underdog for their game at Wisconsin. You wouldn’t have guessed they were that big of a dog by the way they played and the way their offensive and defensive lines played against the Badgers. BYU was able to keep Jonathan Taylor out of the end zone and they got two big touchdowns from Squally Canada who outplayed the Heisman back on the other sideline. This is a huge win for the program and Kelani Sitake.

Wisconsin’s Playoff hopes – Loser

Naturally, after that lede, the Badgers losing to BYU is the biggest upset of the year and their playoff hopes may already be dashed in mid-September. The Badgers always fight a perception problem with the selection committee and losing to BYU will linger in their minds, even if they roll through a suspect Big Ten West schedule.

LSU as a contender – Winner

Remember there was some who thought Ed Orgeron was on the hot seat entering the year? How silly does that look now after LSU has wins over a pair of top-10 opponents, Miami and Auburn. It’s very early in the year, and the schedule is daunting, but the Tigers defense is nasty and they might be the team that was overlooked the most this offseason.

Auburn’s SEC title hopes – Loser

Jarrett Stidham threw a pair of interceptions and you can say goodbye to his fleeting Heisman relevancy. You can also kiss goodbye the chances of Auburn going to the SEC Championship Game. Not with Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama left on the schedule. Even worse, all of them are on the road.

Kansas goes streaking – Winner

I think we need to consider this is the golden age of Kansas football since Todd Reesing was under center. After the season began with a loss to Nicholls, Kansas has rebounded with a full-blown winning streak that sits at two games, the first time since 1999 they’ve beat FBS opponents two games in a row. The Jayhawks obliterated Rutgers, 55-14, giving Kansas their first taste of a win streak in almost a decade. Pretty cool that Reesing had his name inducted in the Ring of Honor after the first quarter.

Scott Frost’s rough start – Loser

Scott Frost was the best coaching hire this offseason. I haven’t lost any bit of confidence in him having success at Nebraska, but after losing to Troy, albeit without his starting quarterback, it’s clear this won’t be a quick fix. Nebraska is 0-2 for the first time in 61 years and Frost has now lost as many games as he did his entire playing career with the Huskers. It’ll get better, but it might get worse before it gets better.

Neal Brown’s job prospects – Winner

The head coach at Troy took his team into Lincoln and left with a win. This is the second major win for Brown at Troy after last year’s upset at LSU. He’s a coach on the rise and will be coveted by Power 5 schools who have openings later this year.

Willie Taggart’s Florida State tenure – Loser

Florida State got dominated by Syracuse, which is a sentence I didn’t anticipate typing this year or any year, frankly. That’s just not supposed to happen when you’re Florida State. Taggart is in his first year on the job in Tallahassee and it’s off to a miserable start with losses to Virginia Tech and Syracuse and a narrow win over Samford. He inherited a mess from Jimbo Fisher but he’s not doing anything yet to help change the culture and reverse the ongoing issues facing the Seminoles.

Freshmen phenom quarterbacks – Winner

The top two recruits in the nation last year saw extended run in their team’s Week 3 wins. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence threw for 194 yards and a touchdown and played the entire second half after Kelly Bryant left with a chest injury. He could be in line for his first career start next week vs. Georgia Tech.

Justin Fields will have to wait for his first start at Georgia with Jake Fromm only a sophomore and playing exceptionally well. However, last year’s No. 2 recruit flashed his prodigious potential with a throwing and rushing score in the romp over Middle Tennessee State. Don’t be surprised if Lawrence and Fields are competing for a Heisman and a national title in 2020.

Big Ten West – Loser

Week 3 was a forgettable one for Big Ten West teams. Northwestern lost to Akron, Purdue lost to Missouri, Nebraska lost at home to Troy, Wisconsin lost at home to BYU and Illinois lost (at Soldier Field) to USF. The two wins by conference teams aren’t anything to write home about either. Minnesota beat a winless Miami (OH) team and Iowa beat a winless Northern Iowa squad. Already considered one of the weaker divisions among the Power 5 conferences, this isn’t going to help change that perception.