Each week of the college football season isn't just about who will make it to the College Football Playoff or pull off the most unexpected upset. It's also an opportunity for each and every player to catch the eye of NFL scouts looking for the next great player.
The bigger the matchup, the more eyes will be on the game, the more pressure lands on the shoulders of the players with everything to gain, and lose. In Week 3, these are the players who can lock in a first-round grade with a strong enough showing.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
If QB-needy NFL teams haven't already got their eyes on Garrett Nussmeier, frankly, I don't know what they're doing. Nussmeier is one of the top quarterback prospects for 2026 for good reason. He has an NFL arm, he's composed and experienced. But he also hasn't quite reached his peak. This year is his chance to prove he's worthy of being QB1. And Saturday's game against Florida is a chance for him to step up his game.
LSU's first two games wouldn't be confused for offensive explosions. At Clemson, the 17 points they managed was no issue considering the opponent. But only 23 points against Louisiana Tech? Yeah, that's not good enough.
Nussmeier has put up yards so far (232 vs. Clemson and 237 vs. Louisiana) but he only has two touchdowns in two games. Last year, the Tigers lost to Florida while the quarterback completed just 57 percent of his passes. He can and should do much better than that this time around.
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Notre Dame has had an extra week to ruminate over their season-opening loss to Miami. With any luck, they'll have put some thought into their offensive approach. Because Jeremiyah Love is too good to be as much of a non-factor as he was in Week 1. The Irish's star running back had just four carries in the first half against the Hurricanes. He should have far more against Texas A&M.
The Aggies haven't done a great job stopping the run so far this season. They gave up 203 yards on the ground to UTSA, allowing 6.2 yards per carry. Robert Henry racked up 177 on his own, including a 75-yard score. Utah State was less successful rushing against A&M, but their 78 yards doesn't really tell the whole story. Bryson Barnes was sacked six times, effectively wiping out his 45 yards rushing on the stat sheet. The other Aggies gained 127 yards in total on 28 actual rushes.
All that is to say Love and the Fighting Irish should be able to get their ground game going this time around. Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season. He's explosive out of the backfield, certainly capable of breaking a long one or two against a vulnerable defense.
Love might have been an afterthought in the first two seasons of the college football season, but don't be surprised if he grabs the spotlight this Saturday.
CJ Allen, Georgia
Georgia's matchup with Tennessee is the most intriguing of Week 3. When we look back on it, this one might be an early season heavy-weight matchup between SEC contenders. Or it could be an ultimately unimportant clash between two paper tigers. We don't know how good either of these teams are. Saturday will go the way of the team whose most talented players hit the hardest. For the Bulldogs, that might be linebacker CJ Allen.
Allen has been playing at a very high level this season, but it's hard for a linebacker to truly leave their mark going against the likes of Marshall and Austin Peay. We expect dominance against that level of competition. Going against Tennessee's offense will pose a much greater challenge. But it's the greatest challenges that show our highest potential.
If Allen is going to be a first round pick, the linebacker will need to show up big in games like this. Like Nussmeier, Allen is coming into a game having not played particularly well in the previous matchup. In fact, PFF graded last year's Tennessee game as his second-worst outing of the season.