After last week’s action, College Football moves on to the third week of the 2025 season. This week, we have a mixture of one-sided games and some high-scoring clashes between some of the sport’s biggest teams.
So, let’s have a look back at Week 3 of the 2025 College Football season.
Georgia and Tennessee play a thriller!
In what was the game of the week on paper, the number six-ranked Georgia Bulldogs faced the number 15-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to open both teams’ SEC schedule. Who would win this game?
The Volunteers and Bulldogs began the game trading touchdowns, which included Joey Aguilar throwing a 72-yard touchdown pass to Chris Brazzell II to give Tennessee the early lead, which would be added to on the following drive. The second quarter kept the small gap between the teams alive, with the half ending in both quarterbacks throwing an interception.
Georgia took the lead on the first drive of the second half via a one-yard touchdown from Josh McCray, but would lose it by the end of the third quarter after another long touchdown pass connection between Aguilar and Brazzell.
The fourth quarter would be a back-and-forth affair, with neither side able to gain an advantage over their opponents. Tennessee had the best chance to do so, with the Volunteers’ kicker Max Gilbert facing a 43-yard field goal to win the game. His kick missed, sending the game to overtime.
Gilbert was able to make up for this miss by making a 42-yard field goal to force a response from the Bulldogs to win the game. A one-yard touchdown from Josh McCray on the following drive was enough to give the Bulldogs a 44-41 overtime win over the Volunteers.
This win demonstrates that Georgia remains a contender for the SEC, with Gunner Stockton progressing in the right direction. As for the Volunteers, their new quarterback, Joey Aguilar, is proving that they are likely to be fine with Nico Iamaleava (who is struggling with UCLA)
All over for Notre Dame?
The number eight-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish continued their hunt for a return to the National Championship game against the number 16-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. To do this, they will need to defeat an Aggies team that could challenge for the SEC if things go their way.
This game was extremely close throughout, with the lead changing hands multiple times as it entered the fourth quarter. A late touchdown from Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love put the Fighting Irish in the lead, but immediately handed the ball back to the Aggies, who needed to match Notre Dame to win the game. On this drive, Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed was able to move his offense down to the Fighting Irish’s 11-yard line. Here, he found Nate Boerkircher for what was the winning touchdown.
In this game, the number 16-ranked Texas A&M Aggies won 41-40 over the number eight Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
This win keeps the Aggies’ undefeated start to the season alive, while the Fighting Irish fall to 0-2. Their chances of making the CFP could very much be over.
Can Georgia Tech win the ACC?
The 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers escaped an embarrassing defeat to the Troy Trojans last week. This week, they faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, a team that has been able to defeat many of the strongest teams.
The Yellow Jackets were very much in control throughout the first half, taking advantage of the numerous mistakes made by the Tigers to give them a 13-7 lead at halftime.
The second half was not as good for the Tigers, with Adam Randall finding the endzone for a two-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game with three minutes left to play. This gave the Yellow Jackets one final chance to upset the Tigers, a chance which they took with both hands.
On the final drive of the game, Haynes King moved his offense down to the Clemson 37-yard line, setting up a 55-yard field goal attempt for Yellow Jackets kicker Aidan Birr. Birr successfully made the kick, sealing a 24-21 upset victory for Georgia Tech over the Tigers.
This defeat means that the Tigers fall to 1-2 for the season, and would likely need to win the ACC to make the College Football Playoff. To do so, they may need to defeat the Yellow Jackets again.
What happened to the other ranked teams this week?
Ohio @ #1 Ohio State
The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes kept their undefeated start to the season alive against the Ohio Bobcats. Another good performance from Julian Sayin (347 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions) gave them a 37-9 win. Ohio State faces the Washington Huskies next week in what could be another easy win to start their Big Ten campaign.
Villanova @ #2 Penn State
The number two-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions ended their non-conference schedule for the season against the Villanova Wildcats. This was a convincing performance from the Nittany Lions, who recorded a 52-6 win over the Wildcats. Penn State faces its first test of the season next week against the Oregon Ducks.
Florida @ #3 LSU
The number three-ranked LSU Tigers opened their SEC campaign against the Florida Gators. The Gators came into this game needing a win or a strong performance to keep the boosters happy about struggling coach Billy Napier. It was not the performance they wanted. Gators quarterback DJ Lagway threw five interceptions in the Gators’ 20-10 defeat to LSU. This keeps LSU undefeated and will likely remain a contender for the SEC and national championships this year.
#4 Oregon @ Northwestern
The No. 4-ranked Oregon Ducks opened their Big Ten schedule against the Northwestern Wildcats, one of the weaker teams in the conference. Ducks quarterback Dante Moore threw for 178 yards and the Ducks did not concede a point until the fourth quarter, when they were already 34 points up. In the end, they recorded a 34-14 win over Northwestern.
#18 South Florida @ #5 Miami
After their win over the Florida Gators last weekend, the number 18-ranked South Florida Bulls hoped to get another win over a top team, this time against the number five-ranked Miami Hurricanes. New Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck had another strong game, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns. This performance was more than enough to lead the Hurricanes to a convincing 49-12 victory over South Florida.
UTEP @ #7 Texas
The number seven-ranked Texas Longhorns continued their recovery from their season-opening defeat to Ohio State with a game against the UTEP Miners. This was a game that no one expected the Longhorns to lose. They were able to win 27-10. However, this game featured another struggling performance by Arch Manning. While Manning did score two rushing touchdowns in the first half, he threw for only 114 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and a completion percentage of 44%.
Western Michigan @ #9 Illinois
The number nine-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini finished their non-conference schedule with a game against the Western Michigan Broncos. A simple performance from Illinois, including two touchdowns from Luke Altmyer, gave them a 38-0 win.
Vanderbilt @ #11 South Carolina
Last season, the Vanderbilt Commodores shocked the SEC with a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. This week, they began their SEC campaign for 2025 against the No. 11-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, where another massive upset was expected.
This was a one-sided affair that the Commodores dominated. Two touchdowns from Diego Pavia, alongside a 44-yard rushing TD from Commondores running back Jamezell Lassiter, gave Vanderbilt a 31-7 win over the Gamecocks.
#13 Oklahoma @ Temple
The number 13-ranked Oklahoma Sooners faced the Temple Owls this week. This was another good performance from Sooners quarterback John Mateer, who threw for 282 yards and one touchdown in their 42-3 win over the Owls.
#14 Iowa State @ Arkansas State
The 14th-ranked Iowa State faced the Arkansas State Red Wolves this week. There was a moment in this game when the Red Wolves were ahead, but this lead only lasted nearly 30 seconds. Apart from this, the Cyclones were the stronger team, even if the scoreline does not show it. In the end, the Cyclone recorded a 24-16 win.
Arkansas @ #17 Ole Miss
The number 17-ranked Ole Miss Rebels faced the Arkansas Razorbacks in a game where backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss would lead the Rebels due to a surprise injury to Austin Simmons. The backup quarterback was able to perform just as well as the starter, with Chambliss throwing for 353 yards, scoring two rushing touchdowns in a 41-35 win over the Razorbacks.
Wisconsin @ #19 Alabama
The number 19-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide faced the Wisconsin Badgers this week, on their hunt to make themselves a relevant team again, slowly. Crimson Tide quarterback threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns in Bama’s 38-14 win over the Badgers.
#20 Utah @ Wyoming
The number 20-ranked Utah Utes finished their preparation for the Big 12 season with an easy win over the Wyoming Cowboys. Quarterback Devon Dampier threw two touchdowns in a simple 31-6 win.
Oregon State @ #21 Texas Tech
The number 21-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders faced the Oregon State Beavers in their third consecutive home game. Tech quarterback Behren Morton dominated this game, throwing for 464 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 win.
Indiana State @ #22 Indiana
The number 22-ranked Indiana Hoosiers continued their easy start to the season with a conventional win over the Indiana State Sycamores. A strong performance by Fernando Mendzona, who went 19 from 20, throwing for 270 yards and five touchdowns, capped off a 73-0 win for the Hoosiers.
Central Michigan @ #23 Michigan
After their defeat to the Oklahoma Sooners, the number 23-ranked Michigan Wolverines faced a significantly easier clash against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood threw for 235 yards in a 63-3 win.
South Alabama @ #24 Auburn
The number 24-ranked Auburn Tigers faced the South Alabama Jaguars before their SEC campaign begins next week. They won this game 31-15.
Louisiana @ #25 Missouri
The number 25 Missouri Tigers ended their preparation for the SEC campaign with a game against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Interestingly, Ragin Cajuns QB Daniel Beale completed only one pass for five yards in this game, which ended in a 52-10 win for the Tigers.
Next week, conference play begins for most teams, but there is currently no standout game on the slate. However, as we always see in college football, anything can happen.
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