Joel Klatt had a full-blown tug of war at the top of his college football rankings this week, a battle between Ole Miss fresh off a huge win over LSU and Texas after they took down Ohio State two weekends ago. Three weeks into the season, we’re seeing some real movement, with Alabama jumping back into the top 10 after a wild comeback, and LSU taking a significant tumble after a shaky performance and some major injury blows.
Bama’s Defense Got Us Sweating After That Comeback
Kalen DeBoer at Alabama has to be losing sleep over those slow starts. The Tide fell behind early against Kentucky and then again versus Florida State, though Klatt loves how they responded each time. Quarterback Keelon Russell was absolutely electric, especially that run he had down the right side. Bama put up 50 points after being down 21-6 to FSU, which is insane! But let’s be real: giving up that many points and 400 yards through the air to Florida State? That defense was a major disappointment last week. Alabama has way too good of a secondary for that to happen. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack knows he’s gotta go back to the drawing board and figure that out, pronto.
LSU Takes a Brutal Hit While Utah Rises Unexpectedly
Speaking of LSU, their week went from bad to worse. Tight end Trey’Dez Green avoided a major injury but could still miss time, and that’s a huge blow because they’re clearly a better team with him on the field. The big news? Safety Dashawn Spears is out with a torn ACL. Ouch. Klatt’s ranking for LSU seems fair, even with those hits. They’re still a good team, and you’d expect them to clean up some things, especially their offensive execution early in games. But just look at their remaining schedule: Texas A&M, a road game at Kentucky, Mississippi State who’s a ranked team with a good quarterback, then Alabama, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, and a trip to Tennessee. That’s a brutal gauntlet.
Meanwhile, Klatt is hyping up Utah, a team he thinks a lot of people aren’t watching. He sees shades of Ole Miss in them. With Kyle Whittingham gone to Michigan, there’s a real galvanizing effort around first-year head coach Morgan Scalley. This guy knows the culture, knows how to win, and he’s been at Utah forever. Plus, they’ve got an exceptional quarterback in Devon Dampier, who’s playing really well, and they’re sprinkling in Byrd Ficklin. A 33-0 shutout over Utah State? Their defense looks fantastic, and we already know they can run the ball. This Utes team is for real.
With three weeks of college football in the books, the landscape is already wild. For teams like LSU, that brutal schedule ahead will define their season. Can Alabama’s defense figure it out for Coach DeBoer? We’re about to find out if these early trends are here to stay or if everything is about to get flipped on its head.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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