Week 3 of the 2026 college football season brings a handful of teams that could be in real trouble if things go sideways.
Texas Tech is unbeaten, but the Red Raiders haven’t looked clean getting there. They’ve already failed to cover in both wins, and the 35-24 road escape at Oregon State came with plenty of baggage.
Oregon State led 24-21 in the fourth quarter before Texas Tech closed with two touchdowns in the final seven minutes, but the box score told a messy story: the Red Raiders were outgained 472-352, punted seven times, committed seven penalties and missed a field goal. Now they’re back home on a short week to face No.
22 Houston, and Conner Weigman’s offense has enough firepower to make this uncomfortable. Weigman is completing nearly 70% of his passes and has thrown for 4 touchdowns against 1 interception, and he also has the memory of leaving the 35-11 loss to Texas Tech in 2025 with a shoulder injury.
South Carolina is another team that has to be on guard. Shane Beamer is under pressure after the Gamecocks missed a bowl game in two of the last three seasons, and so far this year they’ve only cruised through blowouts against Kent State and Towson.
Mississippi State is a different kind of test in the SEC opener, and the Bulldogs appear to be trending up in Jeff Lebby’s third season. Sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor has taken a big step, bumping his completion percentage up by 12.1%.
He’s 38 of 56 for 581 yards with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions, and he’s added 145 rushing yards and another score on 19 carries. Mississippi State just went into Minnesota and handled the Golden Gophers 38-13.
Clemson also enters Week 3 with more questions than answers. The Tigers were overwhelmed in Baton Rouge in Week 1, then came home and turned in a flat 22-7 win over Georgia Southern.
The offense managed only 6 points in the second half, finished 2-for-14 on third down, averaged 3.8 yards per rush, turned it over twice and took 10 penalties. Dabo Swinney is changing quarterbacks against North Carolina, going with true freshman Tait Reynolds.
Reynolds has completed 20 of 33 passes for 200 yards and has added 19 rushing attempts for 29 yards, without scoring or throwing a turnover. North Carolina hasn’t been explosive, but the Tar Heels have allowed only 13 total points and showed up when it mattered in the Week 0 win over TCU.
Virginia Tech’s trip to Maryland has upset-alert potential too, even if the Hokies have started 2-0 with easy work against VMI and Old Dominion. Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 327 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 44-21 win over Old Dominion, and Virginia Tech piled up a 34-3 lead before cruising.
The run game was the one area that lagged, producing just 89 yards at 2.1 yards per carry. Maryland, though, has been sharp on defense.
The Terrapins have allowed only 154 yards per game, which ranks No. 4 nationally, and just 38.5 rushing yards per contest. Malik Washington has also looked much more comfortable as a sophomore, going 53 of 72 for 533 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.
With home-field advantage and some momentum, Maryland looks capable of making this a fight.
Northwestern is also a slight favorite that could be in danger. The Wildcats were idle last week, but their opener against South Dakota State was much tighter than the final score suggested.
They led only 20-18 in the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns made the result look more comfortable. Northwestern finished with nearly 500 yards of offense, including 224 on the ground, and Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards in his first start.
Still, the Wildcats have to clean things up early against a Colorado team that is 2-0 and has already survived a wild Week 1 win over Georgia Tech before rolling past Weber State. Julian Lewis has thrown for 490 yards with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions in two starts, and Colorado’s defense has been sturdy against the run, giving up fewer than 100 yards per game.
Chiles can’t afford mistakes, especially after leading the Big Ten in interceptions two years ago. If Colorado gets this one, the Buffaloes would match last year’s win total in just three games.
In Other News...
South Carolina Faces An Early SEC Test It Can't Fake
South Carolina heads into its SEC opener at 2-0, and the timing could hardly be more revealing. Mississippi State arrives with the same record, setting up an early conference matchup that offers a real look at where both teams stand, especially with two of the nations most productive offenses meeting before September is even settled.
The Gamecocks are also expected to have key players back from injury, which only adds to the intrigue around how they handle a test that cannot be dressed up as anything else. With both sides showing plenty on offense and the article laying out the strengths, performances and health updates, this one has the feel of a measuring-stick game where the details around availability may matter just as much as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Women's Basketball Just Set The Tone For 2026-27
South Carolina womens basketball is already setting the tone for 2026-27, and the word driving it is PRO. The program announced the theme as a catchall for the standards it wants to keep pressing: preparation, discipline, accountability, leadership and a standard of excellence that has become part of the expectation in Columbia.
It also fits the larger identity Dawn Staleys program has built, with the theme reaching beyond game nights and into production, process, program history, proven success and proficiency. Just as important, it points to the way South Carolina keeps selling itself as a place where talent gets developed, promise gets nurtured, and players grow both professionally and personally while living up to a high bar. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Face An Early SEC Test That Could Expose Two Concerns
South Carolina gets its first real SEC measuring stick this weekend against a Mississippi State team that arrives unbeaten and with enough early-season production to make this a useful checkpoint for both sides. The Gamecocks are also 2-0, and the matchup comes with a little extra uncertainty thanks to a high chance of rain, which could shift the game toward ball security, field position and whichever defense handles the conditions better.
For South Carolina, the early intrigue is not just about keeping the record clean, but about whether the team can carry its first two weeks into league play without exposing a couple of lingering questions. Mississippi State brings its own set of strengths and recent form into the matchup, and the coaching side of it adds another layer as both staffs try to settle in before the SEC grind starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]