They say you can't judge a college football team until after Week 3, so we're entering the most crucial checkpoint of the season and there are multiple teams that are in danger of falling below .500 when expectations were a lot higher.
The expanded College Football Playoff provides opportunity to more teams and conferences but that doesn't mean programs can't be eliminated or put on notice this early in the year.
There are multiple teams that must win in Week 3 in order to keep their championship aspirations alive. Let's examine a few of them here.
4 CFP hopefuls with must-win games in Week 3
Clemson Tigers
After being toppled by LSU in Week 1 and needing to erase a 16-point deficit against Troy in Week 2, the Tigers have little room for error going forward. Georgia Tech will play host to Clemson in Week 3, offering a prime upset opportunity for AP voters to drop the Tigers down a few more pegs or out of the rankings entirely.
Head coach Dabo Swinney isn't necessarily on the hot seat but his chair will start feeling warm if his team cannot handle business against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. A 1-2 record at this point in the year also will be hard to expunge from the selection committee's view even if it runs the table into December.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Irish were on a bye in Week 2, so they remain at 0-1 heading into a Week 3 ranked matchup with Texas A&M. Quarterback CJ Carr balled out against Miami despite the loss but the Aggie defense will still prove a mighty tough test.
Head coach Marcus Freeman needs to get his team back to .500 this week or the rest of Notre Dame's cake schedule won't mean anything in the eyes of the committee. For now, it has no more ranked opportunities after A&M to try and boost its resume. That could change but it needs to take advantage of the ones it has right now.
LSU Tigers
Despite being 2-0 entering Week 3, LSU has a trap game ahead. The Florida Gators will be looking to get right after blowing it against South Florida in Week 2 so they cannot be slept on. Florida took last year's contest 27-16 but lost the previous five meetings.
Tigers head coach Brian Kelly also hasn't had his trademark choke yet this year, so there's still a significant chance Week 3 could be where LSU falls back to Earth.
Georgia Bulldogs
Another 2-0 team that would seem like it's on the path to easing its way into the CFP, Georgia is entering the toughest stretch of its schedule. The No. 6 Bulldogs head up to Knoxville to face No. 15 Tennessee in Week 3. This game could be a huge resume booster or killer, believe it or not.
Tennessee isn't expected to contend for the SEC title, at least not while Georgia stands in the way. If the Bulldogs fall to the Volunteers, then they will find themselves in a deep hole that could get deeper with ranked matchups against Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi on the horizon. Georgia needs to get off on the right foot as it begins SEC play.