"But while the new college football playoff format rewards eight-touchdown wins, it does damned little to explain relative strengths and weaknesses, which is why Week 3 is ever so slightly more handy. There are a few games that can help cut down the seasonal thicket, thanks to the networks leaning into September schedule bombs that make people think that there are only two sports in America."
"It's only Week 3 but none of the SEC or the other marquee schools have looked even capable of competing for a championship. Florida absolutely ate it against Group of 5 University of South Florida. Arch Manning and Texas played better but still not great. When LSU and Clemson battled, we thought we were watching two of the best teams in football, but in separate Week 2 games they looked to be a lot more flat and middling."
Week 2 is dominated by blowouts and lopsided mismatches that fail to clarify team abilities. The eight-team playoff rewards large-margin victories but does little to explain relative strengths and weaknesses. Week 3 offers more useful games because networks schedule September matchups between higher-quality opponents. Several marquee programs, most notably in the SEC, have appeared underwhelming in early contests. Florida lost decisively to USF, Texas showed improvement but remained imperfect, and LSU and Clemson looked flat in separate games. Ohio State and Florida State currently present the strongest early cases for elite status. Transfer portal turnover and an expanded playoff field may be contributing to inconsistent team integration and lower immediate pressure.
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