Forde-Yard Dash: Separating the Unbeaten College Football Contenders From the Pretenders

Perfect records can be deceiving, and these 10 teams are about to find out whether their starts mean anything.

Florida running back Jadan Baugh is averaging 152.7 yards per game as the Gators are off to a 3–0 start. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where stuff just keeps happening during Holly Rowe postgame interviews. First Quarter: Exposure Saturday.

Second Quarter: Formidable or Fraudulent? 

The Dash appraises 10 fresh undefeated teams to assess whether they have real staying power: 

Florida (11)

Last time the Gators were 3–0: 2019, when Feleipe Franks was a quarterback and not a tight end. Current ranking: No. 21. Best win to date: 44–39, at Auburn on Saturday.

What’s working: Florida has a defined offensive identity, with a 60 to 40 run-to-pass ratio built around star running back Jadan Baugh (152.7 yards per game, second nationally). Check out the consistency of quarterback Aaron Philo’s statistics to date: 21 passing attempts in the first game, with 16 completions; 21 passing attempts in the second game, with 16 completions; and 22 passing attempts in the third game, with 15 completions. 

Under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who built the Georgia Tech attack around sledgehammer quarterback Haynes King, the Gators are winning on first down. They’re a heavy first-down run team (69 attempts) but mixing in throws with great effect (a 235.95 first-down pass efficiency rating, fifth-best nationally).

Real or fake contender: Jon Sumrall’s first Florida team should end up being the best at the school since 2020, when a thrown cleat derailed a potential College Football Playoff bid. (An SEC moment if there ever were one.) But 9–3 looks like the ceiling at present.

Proving ground: Mississippi, which should be No. 1 according to The Dash, comes to The Swamp on Saturday.

Mississippi State (12)

Last time the Bulldogs were 3–0: Last year, when they actually started 4–0 before the wheels came off. Current ranking: No. 24, their first AP Top 25 appearance since 2022. Best win to date: Walloping Minnesota by 25 on the road, although beating South Carolina on the road makes for a convincing double.

What’s working: Quarterback Kamario Taylor generated a lot of buzz coming into the season, and he’s exceeded it so far. He leads the SEC in total offense at 336.7 yards per game, averaging 9.3 yards per play. Taylor is big (6'4", 230 pounds), fast and possesses a lively arm. He also has impressive maturity and presence at age 19.

Real or fake contender: Jeff Lebby’s third Mississippi State team is better than his first two. But the defense still has some proving to do, particularly against the pass. It would be a disappointment if the Bulldogs don’t go bowling, but accomplishing significantly more than that would be a surprise.

Proving ground: The next two games at home against unbeaten Missouri and unbeaten Alabama. The cowbells will be clanging in Davis Wade Stadium.

Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor has exceeded all of the hype he had entering the season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Northwestern (13)

Last time the Wildcats were 2–0: 2020, when they reached 5–0 and eventually made the Big Ten championship game. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: Dominating Colorado on Saturday, 41–7.

What’s working: Northwestern piled up more than 400 yards of total offense in consecutive games, something that last happened in 2022. As expected, new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has breathed life into things, particularly reinvigorating quarterback Aidan Chiles after two struggling seasons at Michigan State. The Wildcats are also a +4 in turnover margin after four takeaways against the Buffaloes.

Real or fake contender: Northwestern appears to be better than it has been in several years—probably its best edition under fourth-year coach David Braun. But a difficult schedule means that the Wildcats could be in a familiar position of needing to win in the latter weeks of the season to secure a bowl bid. 

Proving ground: No better way to take the measure of yourself than a road game against Indiana on Friday night. That’s followed by a visit from Penn State on Oct. 3.

Nebraska (14)

Last time the Cornhuskers were 3–0: Each of the past two seasons, both of which ended at 7–6. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: They’re all pretty flabby, but beating quality FCS opponent North Dakota, 34–7, on Saturday probably qualifies.

What’s working: Life after five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola (gone to Oregon) and star running back Emmett Johnson (gone to the NFL) has been fine so far. UNLV transfer QB Anthony Colandrea has been efficient and productive, and freshman RB Jamal Rule looks like another standout. Rule is averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game on just 12.7 carries.

Real or fake contender: The schedule created opportunity, but beating two MAC teams and an FCS opponent, all at home, is no way to know for sure. If the Nebraska defense can continue to create havoc against real offensive lines, this becomes more real. The first 5–0 start in a decade looks attainable.

Proving ground: Indiana comes to Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 10, followed by the Huskers’ trip to Oregon.

West Virginia (15)

Last time the Mountaineers were 3–0: 2018, when Dana Holgorsen’s mullet was waving in the Morgantown wind. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: Beating Virginia by double digits in Charlotte on Saturday.

What’s working: Give Rich Rodriguez a minute to get his personnel in order and he will score points and move the ball. After a struggle last season, RichRod rebooted with two things he loves—a dual-threat quarterback and a diminutive, productive running back. Oklahoma transfer QB Michael Hawkins Jr. is throwing it 13 times a game and running it 15, with equal effectiveness. Jacksonville State transfer RB Cam Cook is the workhorse sidekick. It might not be Pat White and Steve Slaton all over again, but there are similarities.

Real or fake contender: In the Big 12, why not a contender? The defense will have to improve, starting immediately, but maybe the Mountaineers help reintroduce a shootout element to the league.

Proving ground: Oklahoma State comes to Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday in a game that could decide which reviving program pushes into the upper echelon of a fluid conference.

Kansas State (16)

Last time the Wildcats were 3–0: 2024, when they went 9–4. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: Handling Tulane on Saturday, 31–20.

What’s working: The arrival of former quarterback hero Collin Klein as head coach has had a revitalizing effect on the program as a whole, but specifically QB Avery Johnson. After appearing to be headed for the Cade Klubnik/Drew Allar Hall of Unrealized Potential, Johnson’s senior season is off to a robust start. His pass efficiency rating stands at a promising 151.27, and he dropped a career-high 152 rushing yards on the Green Wave. Long way to go, but Klein seems to be getting the best out of Johnson.

Real or fake contender: The Wildcats haven’t faced a team that can capably throw the ball yet, so the jury remains out. But as is the case with West Virginia, there is reason for K-State fans to believe they can jump back to the forefront of the Big 12. A schedule that lacks Texas Tech, BYU and Utah presents a great opportunity.

Proving ground: The first road game of the season is at fellow 3–0 team Cincinnati, an interesting matchup. But the more legitimate test looms Oct. 10 when Houston visits Manhattan, Kans.

Duke (17)

Last time the Blue Devils were 3–0: 2024, part of a three-year stretch of fast starts. Current ranking: Unranked, but probably should be. Best win to date: At Illinois, 31–27, on Sept. 12.

What’s working: Manny Diaz should be the early front-runner for ACC Coach of the Year. After losing star QB Darian Mensah at the end of the transfer portal window, he retooled the Blue Devils around a reliable running game and a stout run defense. Throwback workhorse Nate Sheppard has been the best running back in the country to date, leading the nation in yards and carries per game (176 and 27.3, respectively). Duke has yet to allow a rushing touchdown and is tied for the national lead in fewest runs of 10 or more yards allowed at three.

Real or fake contender: The Blue Devils have the line-of-scrimmage substance and manageable schedule for a potential return to the ACC championship game. They don’t have the quarterback firepower to compete against Mensah and Miami, or perhaps Lincoln Kienholz and Louisville, but disregard them at your peril.

Proving ground: It’s not likely, but neither would it be a total shock to see 9–0 Duke visiting Miami on Nov. 14, at which point the Devils would be catching the Hurricanes coming off a massive showdown with Notre Dame.

Duke running back Nate Sheppard has been the best back to date this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Virginia Tech (18)

Last time the Hokies were 3–0: 2017, when Justin Fuente looked like a rising star in the coaching world. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: At Maryland on Saturday, 35–26, putting an earlier-than-usual end to the Terrapins’ annual false promise.

What’s working: Ah, James Franklin is doing what he does, beating the teams he should beat. Sounds simple, but if it were then Brent Pry might still be the head coach here. The Hokies are assaulting the line of scrimmage defensively, leading the nation in tackles for loss with 36 and tied for the national lead in sacks with 14. Edge rusher Mylachi Williams, who followed Franklin from Penn State, has six tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles.

Real or fake contender: The ACC stands for Always Churning Contenders, so why not the Hokies? Miami is the clear class of the league at present, but then it gets interesting. Virginia Tech has to shore up its pass defense, though.

Proving ground: A Friday night home game against Pittsburgh could be a separator between two teams off to fast starts.

James Madison (19)

Last time the Dukes were 3–0: 2024, after scoring 70 points on North Carolina in Week 3 and hastening the end of the Mack Brown era in Chapel Hill. Current ranking: Unranked. Best win to date: at San Diego State on Saturday, 26–13.

What’s working: Plug in another new coach and watch the machine keep humming. Billy Napier, on the rebound from Florida, follows Bob Chesney and Curt Cignetti into a great mid-major job and has made the most of it so far. Napier, who never started a season 3–0 with the Gators, is back in his comfort zone in the Sun Belt. Senior quarterback Camden Coleman didn’t play last year after transferring in from Richmond and is making the most of his opportunity.

Real or fake contender: The Group of 6 College Football Playoff bid is a moving target, with contenders currently on the radar from the American (Tulsa), MAC (Western Michigan), Pac-12 (Boise State) and Mountain West (North Dakota State). The Dukes could be in the picture again.

Proving ground: At fellow unbeaten Appalachian State on Oct. 22.

Massachusetts (20)

Last time the Minutemen were 3–0: 2007. It’s been eight years since they won four games in an entire season. Current ranking: Unranked, let’s not go crazy here. Best win to date: Beating Rutgers by 16 points in the opener, which is nine more than the winning margin for USC against the Scarlet Knights.

What’s working: When the worst FBS program in the country suddenly starts 3–0, pretty much everything is working. UMass is a high-functioning offensive unit, having scored more than 35 points and compiled more than 300 yards in every game. Second-year coach Joe Harasymiak also has an opportunistic defense that has forced eight takeaways.

Real or fake contender: All things are possible in terms of Mid-American Conference contention. Why not? The Minutemen do not play Western Michigan in the regular season.

Proving ground: On Oct. 23, UMass plays at Connecticut in an old Yankee Conference fever dream matchup.

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