Forde-Yard Dash: 10 Burning Questions That Could Define the College Football Season

Is Gunner Stockton for real? Can Alabama put together a complete game? Will Bryce Underwood solve Iowa’s defense? We should get some answers in Week 4.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton leads the nation in pass efficiency at 259.27. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the Bring Back Marty Whims bandwagon is growing at Akron after the Zips gained more yards on their first possession with a fan calling plays than in either of their other two games. First Quarter: Exposure Saturday. Second Quarter: Formidable or Fraudulent?

Third Quarter: 10 Pressing Questions for This Week, and Beyond 

Can Alabama (21) play a complete game? Or even a complete first half? 

True to their nickname, the Crimson Tide (3–0) have come in waves against all three opponents this season—a 28-point second quarter against East Carolina, a 32–0 second half against Kentucky, a 23-point second quarter against Florida State. But tides that flow also ebb, and the ebbing has put Alabama in predicaments the past two games. 

It trailed the Wildcats at halftime and took 37 minutes to score an offensive touchdown in that game. They were down 21–6 to the Seminoles before packing a three-touchdown wallop into the final three minutes of the first half. 

The latter malaise didn’t play well in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb says he told his unit, “If you would have quit as fast as some of your fans, s---, we wouldn’t have won that game.”

The good news: Bama has made every field goal this season. The bad news: Bama has kicked the second-most field goals in the nation with eight. Finishing drives is an issue that needs to be fixed before a stretch of five straight games against ranked opponents from Oct. 3 to Nov. 7.

Is Gunner Stockton (22) as improved as his stats suggest? 

The Georgia quarterback currently leads the nation in pass efficiency at 259.27, with more touchdown passes (nine) than incompletions (seven). That is, at present, an improvement of more than 100 points over last season. The Dash identified Stockton as one of the candidates to make a Mendoza Leap, and he is on track thus far.

In three games, Georgia’s four passing plays of 40-plus yards equals its entire output in 14 games last year. Freshman burner Craig Dandridge has two of them and is averaging 23.7 yards per reception.

But the competition has been dreadful. None of the Bulldogs’ first three opponents has beaten an FBS team yet. A big-time defense arrives between the hedges this week in the form of Oklahoma, which will provide a better gauge of Stockton’s stock rating.

Can Neyland Stadium (23) again become a ranked visitor graveyard? 

In even-numbered years under Josh Heupel, Tennessee turns its venerable old stadium into a snake pit. The Volunteers were a combined 14–0 at home in 2022 and ’24, with four victories over ranked opponents. Two of those were against rival Alabama, and both ended in a toppling of the goalposts.

Things don’t go as well in odd-numbered years, which happen to coincide with visits from Georgia. Last year the Vols whiffed in Neyland against ranked opponents, losing to the Bulldogs, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.

Three currently ranked teams visit Knoxville this season, starting Saturday with the first visit ever by No. 1 Texas. It’s a big spot for freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who has accounted for nine touchdowns running and throwing in his first three college games.

Has Vanderbilt (24) used up all available luck?

It’s not just North Carolina State incomprehensibly handing the Commodores a victory Saturday. It’s the fact that Vandy also trailed Delaware in the third quarter and muddled past FCS opponent Austin Peay in the opener. Not surprisingly, life after Diego Pavia has been a struggle.

Credit the Dores with some resourcefulness in all phases of the game. They’ve scored two touchdowns on punt blocks and one on a punt return, in addition to the defensive score falling on that ghastly CJ Bailey fumble. But that’s a hard way to live, especially as the schedule turns to SEC play.

Is Bryce Underwood (25) ready for the Iowa experience? 

Michigan’s celebrated sophomore quarterback has survived, but not necessarily thrived, thus far this season. Now the nation’s leader in scoring defense (4.3 points allowed), total defense (176.7 yards allowed) and yards allowed per play (3.19) comes to the Big House on Saturday. Iowa excels at not giving up anything easy.

Underwood delivered in a defensive slog against Oklahoma by running a career-high 18 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. He has three completions of longer than 30 yards this season—two of them to Utah transfer JJ Buchanan, one of which lives in replay review infamy. Iowa has not allowed a pass play of 30 yards yet. Can Underwood elevate the offense against the best defense it has faced yet?

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood will lead the Wolverines against the best defense they have faced so far this season in Iowa this week. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Is Penn State (26) ready to pick on someone its own size?

Matt Campbell has aced every test as coach of the Nittany Lions, but they’ve all been of the open-book variety against overmatched opponents. He’s going to have to do a little more cramming for Wisconsin on Saturday. The Badgers aren’t great, but they appear to be improved over the past two dismal seasons. 

Penn State hasn’t given up a touchdown in the first 54 minutes of a game yet this season. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions have found some explosiveness offensively, with eight scoring plays of 20 yards or longer. It certainly is an adjustment seeing that passing attack in the national top 10 in yards per attempt (10.8).

Outside of Trinidad Chambliss, are the three best players in the nation all wide receivers (27)? 

Early returns say yes. In Miami’s Malachi Toney, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Indiana’s Charlie Becker, there is elite talent at the wideout position. 

Becker has become a QB cheat code, with half of his 12 receptions on the season for touchdowns. He’s averaging 22.7 yards per reception as the king of the contested catch.

Toney is a much more frequent target for the Hurricanes. He was dangerous last season as a freshman catching passes from Carson Beck and lethal this year with Darian Mensah. He’s scored five touchdowns this season and 12 over his last 10 games. He might have the greatest feet since Baryshnikov.

And Smith is the alpha wideout, now the leader in receiving yards in Ohio State history after just 32 games played. The only things that could contain him are quarterback error or offensive coordinator malpractice.

Is the Tommy Castellanos (28) package a thing that can really work at Texas Tech? 

Everyone’s favorite YOLO quarterback landed in Lubbock late in preseason camp as something of an emergency backup to starter Will Hammond. Then Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire lost his mind and started Castellanos against Houston last Friday, with the result being a brutal interception on the first play.

That was the end of the Tommy C Experience for a while. He came back in to run red zone offense, scoring on a three-yard carry in the second quarter. McGuire said after the game that Hammond remains the starting QB but that the Red Raiders will have packages for Castellanos.

This feels like Texas Tech was jealous of Lane Kiffin owning the college football attention economy, and starting Castellanos was a way to steal some of it back. Not much else about it made sense.

Texas Tech quarterback Tommy Castellanos looks to pass against Houston. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Can Louisville (29) avoid the heavy home favorite trap? 

The Cardinals are an extremely entertaining, high-octane offense that ranks in the top five nationally in yards per play at 7.97. They played Mississippi to the wire and then won an entertaining shootout with SMU.

Now comes what has been the hard part for Jeff Brohm: following a significant victory with a routine victory, avoiding an open manhole cover that everyone should be able to see coming.

Last year, Louisville lost three times as a home favorite, two of them while favored by a touchdown or more (Virginia and California). In 2024, the Cards lost at home as a seven-point favorite against SMU and on the road as a 21-point favorite against Stanford. In ’23, the trap games were against Pittsburgh and Kentucky, both times when favored by a touchdown.

This week: Dangerous Wake Forest comes to town as a 12.5-point underdog.

Can the service academies (30) force a turnover? 

The only two FBS teams that do not yet have a takeaway are Army and Navy. They have played only two games each, but that’s still a surprise for two programs that regularly finish on the plus side in turnover margin 

(Air Force has three interceptions on the season but has not recovered a fumble in its last five games, dating back to last November.)

After losses and a week off, both come back this week on the road in the American Conference—Army at Temple, Navy at UAB.

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