JD PicKells College Football Playoff Rankings After Week 3
After an exciting third week of college football, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has announced its top players. It’s hard to believe that the season is almost a month old, with conference games looming next week for many programs.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was at the top of Herbstreit’s list after leading the Crimson Tide to a dominant win over Wisconsin last week. He was one of four SEC players to make the selection.
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Dillon Gabriel was ranked No. 2 behind Milroe after the Oregon quarterback led the Ducks to a 3-0 win over Oregon State to start the season. In total, four of the seven players on Herbstreit’s list were quarterbacks.
Below you can see the full list of Herbstreit’s top performers from Week 3.
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Milroe accounted for all but one of Alabama’s touchdowns in Saturday’s 42-10 win over Wisconsin. The redshirt junior threw for 196 yards and rushed for a team-leading 75 yards, totaling five touchdowns on the afternoon.
After leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoffs last season, Milroe appears to be in top form this year. The quarterback has established himself as a Heisman Trophy candidate with 14 total touchdowns in the first three weeks.
Despite all the hype surrounding Gabriel and Oregon at the beginning of the year, the Ducks barely survived their first two weeks against Group 5 opponents. That was not the case on Saturday, when they lost in a rivalry game against State of Oregon.
Gabriel finished the contest completing 20 of 24 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 64 yards and a score. He has yet to throw an interception in his first three games of the year and was not sacked once against the Beavers.
Thomas was on the ice for the Sooners on Saturday against Tulane when he forced and recovered a fumble with 1:40 left. OU was able to run down the remaining time and win 34-19 to start the year 3-0.
The defensive end was all over the field, finishing the game with three tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a QB hurry in addition to the fumble. This is Thomas’ first year as a starter after spending the first two seasons in Norman as a backup, and it’s safe to say he’s making the most of it so far.
Harvey was one of the best running backs in the Big 12 last season and remains so this year, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns as UCF won its conference opener against TCU with a score of 35-34.
Harvey hasn’t rushed for fewer than 100 yards in a game this season and has also scored eight touchdowns in the opening period. He is currently the Big 12’s leading rusher with 448 yards rushing and is a big reason for the Knights’ 3-0 start.
Reed answered the call in Week 3 after being asked to start in place of an injured Conner Weigmanand led the Aggies to a 33-20 win against FloridaHe finished the game completing 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, but also put in an impressive performance on the ground.
The redshirt freshman, a four-star prospect in the class of 2023, ran for 83 yards and another score, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. It’s unclear if Weigman will be back this week against Bowling Green, but Reed’s performance should give A&M confidence if he misses out again.
Swinson was a quarterback’s nightmare when he recorded three sacks in the 36-33 win against South Carolina on Saturday. He also forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter and gave the Tigers the ball back when they fell behind.
The three sacks Swinson recorded on Saturday are already more than he had all of last year, even though he led the team with nine QB hurries. He should continue to play an important role for LSU this season as the team looks to place more emphasis on its defense.
Johnson is the seventh player on Herbstreit’s list. He had arguably his best game of the young season on Saturday, leading K-State to a 31-7 win over Arizona.
The sophomore finished the season completing 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 110 yards. He will look to continue that trend as the Wildcats look to compete for a Big 12 title this season.
