College Football Week 3 Scores: Who Helped, Hurt Themselves in Early Games?

College football’s third week of action kicked off across the country with some early SEC matchups and a coaching battle between Bill Belichick and Dabo Swinney, neither of which is exactly firmly entrenched at their current jobs.

Coming out of the early window of games, what teams helped and hurt themselves the most as we move into the final weekend of September action?

Helped: Ohio State

College Football Week 3 Scores: Who Helped, Hurt Themselves in Early Games? — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What they did: Beat Kent State, 59-3

Coming out of last week’s loss, leading by 20 at Texas before losing by 1, the Buckeyes could have coasted into neutral in a tune-up against Kent State, but instead the offense orchestrated a highly-efficient air attack and their defense nearly pitched a shutout.

That’s the minimum we expect from this team against this caliber of opponent, but areas of concern remain. They went 0 for 6 on third down, had 2 interceptions thrown, and still accounted for fewer than 4 yards per rush, areas where this offense will have to improve before taking on higher-quality Big Ten teams.

Hurt: Arkansas

What they did: Lost to Georgia, 45-17

Three games into Ryan Silverfield’s tenure, and Arkansas fans are already done. In a game where the Hogs’ new coach hoped to use the occasion to get an early impression of how his team stacked up against the conference’s best… they didn’t.

WATCH: Arkansas fans wear paper bags as they fall to Georgia 45-17.

(via ABC) pic.twitter.com/e8EDtOxR6a
— On3 (@On3) September 19, 2026

Those who showed up on Saturday to watch the Razorbacks host reigning SEC champion Georgia saw what they expected: on one side, a confident and dominant team loaded with playmakers and national championship ambitions. On the other, Arkansas.

In its last two games against FBS opponents, Silverfield’s team has been outscored 88-27, and against Georgia it amassed just 16 rushing yards for an average of 0.8 yards per carry. This is not a team anywhere near ready for SEC competition.

Helped: Georgia

College Football Week 3 Scores: Who Helped, Hurt Themselves in the Early Games? — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What they did: Beat Arkansas, 45-17

Give the Bulldogs credit; they did what they were supposed to do, punishing tacklers in the trenches by totaling 254 hard-earned yards on the ground while averaging a solid 6 yards per attempt, and their defense regularly penetrated the Razorbacks’ backfield with 3 sacks and 6 negative plays.

A tougher test awaits the Bulldogs back between the hedges next time out against an Oklahoma team that will present Georgia with a much more credible test defensively behind one of the nation’s best front seven alignments, but which is playing some inconsistent offense still with quarterback John Mateer under center.

Follow Live: Week 3 College Football Scores from Sports Illustrated

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