Takeaways from Week 3 of College Football: Clemson falls again, Georgia remains top dog in SEC

1. I was very, very wrong about Clemson.

It’s only Week 3, but it’s time for a mea culpa. I fully bought into the Clemson preseason hype, and I shouldn’t have. I believed in the returning production. I believed in the talent on the defensive line. I believed in the version of Cade Klubnik that we saw at the end of last season. And I was wrong to do that. There is indeed a lot of talent on this roster, but the team is not greater than the sum of its individual parts. In fact, it may be far less than it. Clemson struggles mightily to run the ball, regardless of opponent. The Tigers’ defense has trouble getting off the field on third down, regardless of opponent. Slow starts are a problem. The passing attack is not reliably explosive. This is a head coach and a program that have pushed back forcefully on the idea that college football has passed them by. But their pitiful start to the 2025 season is why so many outsiders think that the heyday of Dabo Swinney’s career is behind him.

The Tigers would probably need to win out to even have a chance to make the ACC championship game, which would then give them a shot to earn the ACC’s automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. But this team doesn’t inspire much hope that it can do that.

2. Georgia Tech should be favored in every game remaining on its schedule, until the regular-season finale vs. Georgia.

3. The quarterbacks we thought were going to really good may not actually be that good!

4. Georgia is still the gold standard in the SEC. But Tennessee is also legit.

I know the Vols didn’t win the game and in fact suffered another very excruciating loss to Georgia. But I came away from Saturday’s game very much buying into what Josh Heupel is selling. Joey Aguilar has been fantastic in the Tennessee offense, and he’s endeared himself to a fan base that was seriously hurting (and furious) after the Nico Iamaleava saga back in the spring. But … Tennessee is also 0-3 vs. Georgia at Neyland and 23-0 vs. everyone else at home during the same span. It’s hard to beat the best, and the Bulldogs are still the crème de la crème of the SEC. Texas tried to dethrone Georgia last year and couldn’t (either time). Tennessee has tried. LSU might try if both teams make it to Atlanta. Hell, even Alabama has righted its ship and could be a problem later this season. But it’s hard to bet against Kirby Smart. Even if the defense is giving up more points than we’re used to seeing … this team is still tough as nails. Gunner Stockton made big plays to keep Georgia in this game over and over again. It’s hard not to be impressed by Georgia gutting that one out.

5. Texas A&M is the best team in the state of Texas.

The Aggies look like they have the personnel to finally break through that 8-4 plateau. I’m all-in on what Mike Elko is building, after spending time with Elko in College Station last week and what we saw in South Bend on Saturday night. Texas A&M has a reliable (and explosive) offense! Marcel Reed is much more than just a runner. Mario Craver and the rest of this receiving corps create a dynamic that hasn’t existed at Texas A&M in years. This is a team that’s fun to watch and built to compete against anyone. The SEC schedule is tough — and going to include some lows to go along with the highs — but there’s something different about this team. When Elko got hired, I believed he could be the right coach to elevate the Aggies and eventually create a true SEC/CFP contender. Only time will tell if this year is that year for Texas A&M, but the win at Notre Dame is the first step toward proving it.