The biggest storyline of college football so far this season has been the emergence of Deion Sanders and Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders has turned a program that only won a single game last season, to being undefeated and being ranked No. 19 in the A.P. Poll before losing to Oregon on Saturday.
Deion’s son, Shedeur Sanders, has become a household name in college football. Through the first three games, he has thrown 10 touchdowns to only one interception and has become a Heisman contender. He is one of many players who transferred to Colorado from Jackson State, where Deion coached the previous season.
One of the high-profile transfers is sophomore Travis Hunter, also joining from Jackson State. Hunter is a rare player who plays both sides of the ball, as a wide receiver and cornerback. And he is elite at both positions, as seen in their game vs. No. 16 ranked TCU, where he caught 11 passes and rallied in an interception.
Colorado has opened their 2023-24 campaign strong, but they will be tested with their next No. 5 USC after losing to Oregon 42-7. They will be without Hunter, who will miss the next couple of games due to an injury after missing the Oregon game caused by a late hit that occurred in the heated rivalry game vs. Colorado State. It will be intriguing to observe how the Buffaloes fare against high-ranking adversaries.
For the first time in nearly a decade, Alabama does not have a clear starting quarterback. When former Heisman winner Bryce Young was drafted No. 1 overall in this past NFL draft, head coach Nick Saban had a tough decision to name the new starting quarterback for the upcoming season. He chose redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe, who showed promise last season when he started a game in place of an injured Bryce Young.
The Crimson Tide cruised by Middle Tennessee in their first contest, but then lost to Texas 34-24. Alabama’s first non-conference loss since Saban took over as head coach. Milroe struggled, turning the ball over twice and completing only 52% of his passes.
Saban made the bold choice to bench Milroe for the next game, instead opting to see what he had in Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson. Although Alabama pulled out a 17-3 victory, neither quarterback impressed. Milroe was once again named the starter for their next game against Ole Miss, where they won 24-10. If Alabama hopes to make another championship run, one of the quarterbacks will have to step up.
The top-tier quarterbacks have been performing at an elite level. The reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams has picked up right where he left off last season, leading USC to a 3-0 record, where they have scored over 50 points in each game. If Williams wins, he will become only the second player to win the Heisman Trophy multiple times, which he is favored to do according to betting odds.
Michael Penix Jr. has been lighting it up for Washington. The fourth-year quarterback has been slinging the ball, throwing for over 1,300 yards for over three games. He has been rising up NFL draft boards, and if he continues to play at a high level and Washington continues to win, Penix Jr. could be one of the first quarterbacks to be picked during the NFL 2024 draft.
The biggest surprise team has been Texas, currently ranked No. 3. As previously mentioned, they were able to beat Alabama and have remained undefeated. Their offense, led by sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers, has been a well oiled machine and they look to win their first national championship since the 2005-06 season.
With week three of college football wrapping up, there is sure to be much more excitement and drama moving forward as this season has been anything but predictable.
