Looking ahead to Week 4 of the college football season with some parting thoughts from last weekend, a look at the top-performing first-year head coaches, several quarterbacks deserving a special spotlight and the biggest games and storylines of the week ahead.
The college football season did a mighty fine job keeping the intrigue level high during the uneven non-conference weeks.
Sure, there were way too many Oregon-Portland State or Miami-Florida A&M kind of matchups that just shouldn’t exist anymore in the sport now that the gulf between NIL powers and FCS programs is more substantial as ever.
But there was also Texas-Ohio State in Week 2, LSU-Ole Miss last Saturday night as an SEC opener, Oklahoma State stunning Oregon, Kentucky upsetting Texas A&M, Western Michigan getting robbed in the Big House, etc.
The entertainment level has been as strong as ever to start this season.
Now, it’s time to turn the focus almost fully to conference play with marquee matchups stacked up every week the rest of the way.
Let’s hit on a few parting thoughts from Week 3 and look ahead to the storylines and showdowns on tap for Week 4 in the weekly First-and-10 …
1. Maybe Trinidad Chambliss Did More For Lane Kiffin Than Vice Versa
Lane Kiffin deservedly got a lot of credit last season for finding Trinidad Chambliss as an under-the-radar Division II transfer from Ferris State and having the confidence to switch quarterbacks following Austin Simmons’ early (but not season-ending) injury.
That has turned Chambliss from an unknown until a potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. (If he’s not the 1st overall selection, then some team is making a major mistake).
But perhaps we could look back with fresh perspective and say Chambliss ultimately did just as much for Kiffin.
Would Ole Miss have gone 11-1 in the regular season last year without Chambliss? And without getting the Rebels to their first College Football Playoff appearance, would Kiffin have landed the monstrous offer from LSU that led him to Baton Rouge?
Maybe, maybe not. But it’s an interesting what-if.
Kiffin did a remarkable job overall building up the Ole Miss program and had won 21 games over the two seasons prior to taking it to the next level last year.
But watching Kiffin’s LSU offense with Sam Leavitt and watching Ole Miss’ offense still rolling right along with Chambliss and new offensive coordinator John David Baker in the Rebels’ 32-24 win over the Tigers last weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, well, it seems fair to say Chambliss was the biggest factor in the Rebels’ CFP breakthrough. (Not to mention what Chambliss did in those three playoff games, albeit with Kiffin’s OC Charlie Weis Jr. staying behind to help.)
Chambliss was 33-of-48 passing for 363 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, plus the go-ahead rushing TD in the fourth quarter, Saturday to beat his former head coach with the whole college football world watching.
It’s almost a certainty that if Kiffin had gotten Chambliss to follow him to Baton Rouge as a transfer, it would be his Tigers that were the toast of college football right now — rather than the team and quarterback he left behind.
And that’s really the point we’re making here, ultimately.
2. CJ Bailey And A Play That Will Live In Infamy
It’s been several days now and NC State quarterback CJ Bailey has gotten his deserved criticism for what was arguably the most indefensible and absurd way to lose a football game.
We won’t pile on much, but for posterity’s sake, the weekly First-and-10 wouldn’t be complete without making the point that it’s exactly what we just said above — the single most incomprehensible way to take a loss that most any living college football fan can recall.
(Well, aside from Western Michigan being robbed of an upset over Michigan earlier this season, but that was an entirely different matter.)
And if that seems like hyperbole, just refer back to the graphic ESPN displayed with NC State leading 31-28 with 6 seconds remaining and possession of the ball.
As everyone knows by now, Bailey was supposed to retreat into the end zone, let the final seconds tick off the clock and take a knee and safety to seal the win. Vanderbilt didn’t play along with the script, though, and played at full speed, getting to Bailey before time had expired as he stood there vulnerable and caught off guard, fumbling the ball which Cayden Daniels recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and 35-31 Commodores win.
Of course, even taking the safety with a second or two on the clock would have been fine. The ensuing punt could have been managed in a number of ways to ensure it wasn’t returned. Bailey could have also just chucked a pass deep out of bounds with a couple seconds left before the pass rush got to him to expire the final time. Alas …
The other such occurrence in the last 20 years of a team blowing what seemed like such a sure win in the final seconds was 2015 Michigan fumbling a punt attempt that Michigan State returned to the end zone. But at least that was more of a physical error than mental meltdown.
3. Strong Starts For New Head Coaches
Which teams made the most of the of the annual coaching carousel in college football?
It’s too soon to make any firm declarations, but these have been the five best success stories so far among new head coaches.
(We’re excluding Ole Miss’ Pete Golding as he took over as interim head coach and won two playoff games last season.)
1. Florida’s Jon Sumrall: Sumrall was one of the most coveted coaches on the market after his success getting Tulane into the CFP last year and with a 43-12 overall record in two seasons there and two prior at Troy. And so far, so good in Gainesville, where Sumrall has revived the Gators’ offense. After high-scoring blowouts of FAU and FCS-level Campbell, Florida showed that offense is for real in a 44-39 win at Auburn on Saturday night in the teams’ SEC opener. It was a notable SEC debut for Sumrall, who grew up in the state of Alabama, married an Auburn graduate and was reportedly the top initial target for the Tigers before choosing Florida instead. The stats are inflated by piling it on two overmatched opponents — though the performance on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium sure resonates in a big way — but for what it’s worth, Florida ranks second nationally in scoring at 54.0 points per game after finishing tied for 111th (21.6 PPG) last year.
2. UCLA’s Bob Chesney: Chesney also parlayed a CFP run — at James Madison — into a Power 4 job, and there’s no denying UCLA looks like a different team under his control. The 3-0 Bruins opened with a 45-24 road win over a good Cal team, rolled over San Diego State 28-10 and then won their Big Ten opener 52-38 over Purdue. Now, the Boilermakers haven’t been good in a long time, but UCLA’s offense certainly is this season. QB Nico Iamaleava remains an inconsistent passer (611 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs), but Chesney has built the team’s identity around its multi-faceted rushing attack with JMU transfer Wayne Knight averaging 8.8 yards per carry (345 yards and 8 TDs), Anthony Woods averaging 7.9 YPC (228-3), Jaivian Thomas averaging 6.2 YPC (131-2) and Iamaleava rushing for 141 yards and a score. UCLA ranks fifth nationally in rushing (286.7 YPG) after finishing 85th (139.7 YPG) a year ago.
3. Kentucky’s Will Stein: A week after letting Alabama off the hook in the second half, Kentucky finished the job Saturday for one of the biggest wins of Week 3 — a 31-21 road upset of then-No. 9 Texas A&M. The Wildcats aren’t ready to contend in the SEC just yet, but Stein, the former Oregon offensive coordinator, has clearly given the sagging program a major jolt and gotten the attention of the rest of the conference. Taking over a program that went 3-13 in SEC play the last two years and immediately making it relevant is no small feat. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey was 14-of-18 passing for 252 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs in that big win while the defense forced 2 turnovers and held Texas A&M to just 4.8 yards per pass attempt (26 of 49 for 236 yards).
4. Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris: The season-opening loss to Tulsa was disappointing. The subsequent 39-31 upset win over then-No. 6 Oregon more than made up for it. The 59-0 win over Murray State was further validating. The 2-1 Cowboys have already surpassed their 2025 win total (1-11) and are indeed starting to look a lot like Morris’ high-octane North Texas team from last season, with QB Drew Mestemaker (882 passing yards, 8 TDs and 4 INTs), RB Caleb Hawkins (261 rushing yards, TD) and WR Wyatt Young (14 catches for 218 yards, 2 TDs) all following him to Stillwater.
5. LSU’s Lane Kiffin: While many have taken amusement or other such sentiments in Kiffin losing to his former team and being reminded that he walked away from the best quarterback in college football, the reality remains he had LSU tied midway through the fourth quarter on the road at Ole Miss, a top 10 team and 2025 CFP semifinalist. He also has LSU ranked No. 10 through three weeks, including the season-opening blowout win over Clemson. Not bad for taking over a program that finished 7-6 a year ago.
*A couple other big names in new places, Penn State’s Matt Campbell and Virginia Tech’s James Franklin, are off to 3-0 starts, but neither team has played a notable opponent yet. James Madison is also 3-0 under former Florida coach Billy Napier, but after what Curt Cignetti and Chesney did for the Dukes, it’s going to take more than that to make this list.
4. Other Biggest Wins Of Week 3
We touched on Ole Miss beating LSU, Kentucky upsetting Texas A&M on the road and Florida winning at Auburn. Here’s three more big wins from the weekend that deserve a spotlight.
No. 13 Texas Tech 28, No. 22 Houston 26
One of the biggest games on the Big 12 season slate came early as the two Lone Star State contenders went toe-to-toe in Lubbock.
Houston scored the first 10 points, Texas Tech scored the next 14 and the teams traded the lead two more times while nearly taking this one to overtime.
Houston’s Conner Weigman connected with Patrick Overmyer for a 10-yard TD to cut the Red Raiders’ lead to 28-26 with 49 seconds on the clock. Weigman then came a whisker from a successful two-point conversion to tie it but was officially ruled jusssttttt short of the goal line in a dramatic ending.
Weigman threw for 282 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed for 56 yards in the loss.
Will Hammond passed for 257 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT and rushed for 30 yards in the win, while Cameron Dickey (16 carries for 65 yards and a TD) and J’Koby Williams (7-62-1) led the Texas Tech ground attack and Kenny Johnson had 4 catches for 113 yards and a TD.
Texas Tech moved up two spots in the AP poll to No. 11 with the victory while Houston dropped 3 spots to No. 25.
No. 23 Louisville 41, No. 16 SMU 31
Jeff Brohm has had a different transfer quarterback in each of his four seasons at Louisville, and it looks like he found a good one this year in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz.
Through three games, Kienholz has thrown for 816 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs while rushing for 153 yards and 4 scores.
After a narrow 41-38 loss to Ole Miss in Week 1, Louisville capitalized on its second opportunity vs. a ranked opponent with a huge ACC win over SMU on Saturday.
Kienholz threw for 177 yards and 2 TDs while rushing for 42 yards and a score, while Keyjuan Brown was unstoppable with 10 carries for 163 yards and 2 scores.
Kienholz was a four-star prospect ranked the No. 15 QB in the 2023 recruiting class by the 247Sports Composite and spent three seasons on the bench at Ohio State while attempting just 36 passes.
Getting beat out by Julian Sayin, who went on to be a Heisman Trophy finalist in his first season as a starter, is just a testament to the talent that Ohio State stacks at the position. Kienholz is showing all he needed was his opportunity.
It’s not just the stats — it’s throws like this.
West Virginia 38, No. 25 Virginia 27
After former coach Neal Brown managed just one notable season in six years at West Virginia, the Mountaineers turned back to their most successful coach in program history in reuniting with Rich Rodriguez.
“Country Roads, Take Me Home” indeed.
Rodriguez was 60-26 in six seasons during his first stint in Morgantown from 2001-07 before his coaching odyssey took him to Michigan, Arizona and Jacksonville State. He returned to West Virginia last season while going 4-8, but a 3-0 start to 2026 has Mountaineers fans believing that he might be able to turn back the clock.
West Virginia made something of a statement in controlling the game against No. 25 Virginia in a neutral-site showdown in Charlotte, rushing for 247 yards in the win.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., a transfer from Oklahoma, was sublime while passing for 190 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs and rushing 18 times for 123 yards and 3 TDs.
5. Best Game Of Week 3 That Most Fans Missed
To borrow (and tweak) a line from Bob Uecker’s Harry Doyle character in “Major League” …
In case you missed it college football fans, and judging by the TV ratings, you did … Toledo’s 49-48 overtime win over Temple on Saturday was a doozy!
Toledo redshirt-junior quarterback John Alan Richter, getting his long-awaited chance this season to be the Rockets’ full-time QB1, had a performance few could have seen coming.
Having never thrown for more than 252 yards or completed more than 16 passes in a game before Saturday, Richter completed 36 of 51 passes for 429 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs.
That Toledo needed every last completion and yard from that gaudy stat line makes it even more impressive.
The Rockets trailed 42-28 with just over 3 minutes remaining when Richter led a 10-play, 83-yard touchdown drive, converting on fourth-and-8 with a 25-yard completion and connecting on 7 of 10 passes overall for 78 yards and a TD.
The Rockets then recovered the ensuing onside kick with 1:03 on the clock.
And Richter followed with completions of 26 yards and then the 23-yard game-tying touchdown on an absolute dime to Daryl Barnett Jr. to force overtime.
In overtime, Connor Walendzak put Toledo ahead on a 1-yard TD run, and Temple followed with a touchdown as well but failed on the two-point conversion try to end the game.
6. Most Dynamic Duo (And Coach) Not Getting Enough Attention
Honestly, Oregon State’s JaMarcus Shephard was in the conversation for the aforementioned list of most impactful first-year coaches, and by the end of the season he may well be in that top 5.
The Beavers are 1-2 without an FBS win yet, but that is a very misleading way to state it.
They absolutely gave two ranked teams a challenge and exceeded expectations in a 33-20 loss at Houston (as 21-point underdogs) and a 35-24 loss to Texas Tech (as 25.5-point underdogs). The Beavers then took it to a very good FCS team in a 52-17 win over Montana (easily covering the 17.5-point spread).
Shephard, the co-OC and WRs coach at Alabama the last two seasons after previous stints at Washington, Purdue, Washington State and Western Kentucky, has given Oregon State a real identity with its dynamic passing attack.
Sophomore QB Braden Atkinson, a starter at FCS-level Mercer last year as a true freshman, leads the FBS level with 1,120 passing yards (with 8 TDs and just 1 INT plus 2 rushing TDs) through three games. Playing two of the better defenses in college football, he threw for 376 yards against Houston and 413 vs. Texas Tech before passing for 333 yards and 5 TDs (plus a rushing TD) vs. Montana.
Atkinson is the 2026 version of Mestemaker at North Texas last year — the real deal who somehow fell through the cracks in recruiting.
One would hope that Oregon State is able to build around him in the coming years (and not lose him to the transfer portal because there will be aggressive suitors), but that’s a question to be answered in the offseason. For 2026 at least, he makes Oregon State mighty entertaining.
Meanwhile, his top target Jesse Legree deserves his own spotlight.
A low three-star recruit out of Baltimore, Maryland, who was designated as the 1,712th-best prospect overall in the 2026 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Legree has 17 catches for an FBS-leading 476 yards and 4 TDs. That included an 8-catch, 240-yard, 2-TD performance vs. Texas Tech.
Oregon State has to be viewed as a major contender in the re-formed Pac-12 this season. Beyond that, the Beavers are worth flipping on the TV on Saturdays (when they’re available, at least) for that prolific Atkinson-Legree connection.
Oregon State takes on UTEP on Saturday night in a game that is available only to Mountain West+ subscribers. Ah well — check social media for the highlights at least, because there will surely be plenty!
7. Models Of Elite Efficiency
Two quarterbacks deserve special shoutouts for operating at near-perfection levels in Week 3.
Miami quarterback and top Heisman Trophy contender Darian Mensah continued to showcase his prodigious precision while completing 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs in a 33-20 win at Wake Forest.
Mensah started the game with 24 straight completions to set an ACC record, and going back to the end of his previous game, he had completed 35 straight passes, which is also an ACC record. Ultimately, he ended up one short of matching the FBS record of 36 straight completions set by East Carolina’s Dominique Davis in 2011.
Mensah, the transfer from Duke, has completed a sterling 89.9% of his passes (71 of 79) this season for 873 yards, 11 TDs and 0 INTs.
Meanwhile, Arizona QB Noah Fifita hit on 31 of 34 passes for 325 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs while adding a rushing TD in the Wildcats’ 42-17 win over Northern Illinois.
The 91.2% completion rate set a program single-game record, but more notably, Fifita passed Nick Foles to become Arizona’s all-time passing leader with 10,017 yards over parts of five seasons (breaking Foles’ mark of 10,011 from 2009-11). Fifita also holds the program record with 80 TD passes and counting.
In his fourth year as Arizona’s starting QB after limited work as a true freshman, Fifita has thrown for 834 yards, 7 TDs and 1 INT through three games and should put some major distance between himself and the rest of the list in the program record book.
8. Enjoy The Kamario Taylor Experience
It remains to be seen if Mississippi State can make any noise in the SEC this year. The odds remain against it. But regardless, the Bulldogs have something special in quarterback Kamario Taylor.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound dual-threat true sophomore flashed his talents in two starts late last season and is now commanding the spotlight so far in 2026 for the 3-0 No. 24-ranked Bulldogs.
An in-state product from Macon, Mississippi, Taylor has passed for 832 yards, 11 TDs and 1 INT while rushing for 178 yards and a TD so far. The rushing stats are muted compared to what he did in limited opportunity as a true freshman, rushing for 458 yards and 8 scores (including 20 carries for 173 yards and 2 TDs in his start vs. Ole Miss late last year).
Most likely, the Bulldogs are just keeping Taylor fresh until fully unleashing his rushing abilities when needed — which should be a scary thought for SEC defensive coordinators. But he’s also shown a ton of arm talent in the meantime, including completing 18 of 26 passes for 251 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT in a come-from-behind 41-34 win at South Carolina on Saturday.
Mississippi State trailed 16-0 early before surging back on the road in its SEC opener.
Taylor connected on TD throws of 30 yards to Sanfrisco Magee and 43 yards to Zion Ragins in the span of less than 3 minutes in the second quarter to start the comeback. Taylor than opened the second half with TD tosses of 23 yards to Marquis Johnson and 5 yards to Anthony Evans III to put the Bulldogs ahead, 28-23 — a lead that would stretch to 41-23 before the Gamecocks tacked on some late scores.
Although Taylor is a little bigger in build, he sure does look a lot like former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, from the way he delivers the ball to his impressive touch on downfield shots and of course the elite speed and athleticism.
No. 24 Mississippi State hosts No. 19 Missouri on Saturday in what should be a good spotlight for Taylor to prove himself further against a solid defense as the Tigers rank 21st nationally in allowing just 258.3 YPG (coincidentally tied with South Carolina now).
9. Has Notre Dame Already Made A Change In The Backfield?
Replacing not one but two NFL first-round draft picks in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price was going to be an impossible task for any one running back at Notre Dame, but expected RB1 successor Aneyas Williams has left a lot to be desired so far for the Fighting Irish.
Williams averaged 9.3 YPC in limited duty behind those two stars last season, but the junior has struggled to find his footing as a starter, rushing for just 144 yards and 3 TDs on 38 carries (3.8 YPC) in three games.
And it looks like he may have already been usurped in the Notre Dame backfield.
Williams had just 9 carries for 25 yards and a TD in the Irish’s 27-10 win over Michigan State while sophomore Nolan James Jr. turned 26 carries into 121 yards (4.7 YPC) and a score. James had just 13 carries over the first two games.
The two are listed as co-starters on Notre Dame’s official depth chart this week for a road game at Purdue.
10. Most Intriguing Week 4 Matchups
We’ll dive deeper into these games in our weekly preview and predictions column later in the week, but these are the top 5 matchups on tap for this weekend.
No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 21 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC): The Gators are surprisingly a 3.5-point favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook, against the No. 4 team in the country. That’s quite the respect for Sumrall’s squad and the home-field advantage in The Swamp. That seems a bit much, though, for a Florida team that hasn’t played anyone better than Auburn yet and gave up 39 points in that win. And now that defense has to contain Chambliss and Co.? There is the let-down potential for Ole Miss coming off the emotionally charged win over Kiffin and LSU. This is also the third ranked opponent in four weeks for the Rebels, who drew a daunting early schedule.
No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1): This is an immensely important game for both teams and their CFP hopes. A second loss in September wouldn’t eliminate either from the playoff chase, but it would leave a mighty thin margin for error the rest of the way. LSU is an 8.5-point home favorite.
No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0): Arch Manning leads the top-ranked Longhorns into Neyland Stadium, where his uncle Peyton Manning once starred. Also, this is the first major test for Tennessee five-star freshman QB Faizon Brandon. Texas is a 4.5-point road favorite.
No. 20 Oregon (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at No. 12 USC (4-0, 1-0): Oregon has won four straight and six of the last seven meetings with USC (with only two of those featuring current coaches Dan Lanning for the Ducks and Lincoln Riley for the Trojans). The pressure is high on both teams as Oregon dug an early hole for itself with the stunning loss at Oklahoma State (and a narrow win over Boise State). USC got a surprising challenge from Rutgers in a 42-35 road win last week and has now given up 65 points over the last two games after showing signs of an improved defense. This is Year 5 for Riley at USC and he’s yet to make the CFP as pressure and scrutiny mount. Oregon is a 3-point road favorite.
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0) at No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0): The Bulldogs look like one of the very best teams in the country, but they haven’t been challenged yet. Oklahoma looks mighty vulnerable as quarterback John Mateer struggles to live up to expectations in his second season as a high-profile transfer. But the Sooners play tough defense and that will make this a telling litmus test for Georgia, which is a 14-point favorite.
