College Football Week 3: Texas A&M routs Notre Dame 41–8 as upsets jolt the playoff picture

Texas A&M steamrolls Notre Dame, and the tone of Week 3 changes fast

Texas A&M didn’t just beat Notre Dame. The Aggies tore the Irish apart, 41–8, and left a blue-blood program staring at an 0–2 start. It felt decisive from the opening series. A&M set the line of scrimmage, leaned on a steady tempo, and squeezed the life out of a game that never really offered Notre Dame a foothold. Even the final score undersold how one-sided it felt.

Week 3 of college football is supposed to clarify contenders and pretenders. This one did that, and then some. A&M’s win wasn’t just a résumé line. It was a message: physical fronts still matter, and if you can win first down and keep your quarterback clean, you can break an opponent’s rhythm before halftime. Notre Dame, meanwhile, looked short on answers. The Irish struggled to sustain drives, never found a consistent run threat, and spent too much of the afternoon trying to dig out of long-yardage downs. That’s a bad spot for any offense, but it’s brutal against an A&M defense that tackled clean and rallied to the ball.

What does 0–2 mean for Notre Dame this early? The margin for error is now razor thin. The Irish still have time to repair things—tighten protection, get quicker throws on schedule, and unlock chunk plays—but the runway shortened. The schedule will not wait.

Beyond South Bend, the day moved fast. Top-ranked groups mostly handled their business, but the middle tier took a beating. The net effect: the playoff picture tightened, and early polls are about to look very different.

Ohio State took control in the second quarter and never let go in a 37–9 win over Ohio. Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns, and Jeremiah Smith looked like a WR1 from the first snap, catching nine passes for 153 yards and a score. It wasn’t flashy for four quarters, but it was efficient, and it was the kind of developmental win coaches want in September.

Penn State was all gas against Villanova, rolling 52–6 in a game that showcased the roster’s balance. The Nittany Lions spread the ball, tightened the screws on defense, and kept mistakes to a minimum. Michigan followed the same script, flattening Central Michigan 63–3 at the Big House. Coming off a wobbly week, the Wolverines hit the throttle early, emptied the bench late, and got what they needed: rhythm on offense and a clean day for the defense.

The day’s first real jolt came in Atlanta: Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21. Clemson slips to 1–2, and the big-picture questions are fair. The Tigers’ defense had stretches of control, but Tech matched their physicality and finished late. For Clemson, October now looms as a climb rather than a victory lap.

The most lopsided box score belonged to Indiana, which detonated Indiana State 73–0. Quarterback F. Mendoza threw for 270 yards and five touchdowns, running back K. Martin stacked 109 yards and two scores on the ground, and wideout O. Cooper Jr. was a matchup nightmare with 10 grabs for 207 yards and four touchdowns. Yes, the opponent matters. Still, any time you pitch a shutout and crack 70, it says something about focus and execution.

In the SEC, the headline behind A&M came in Columbia, where Vanderbilt stunned South Carolina 31–7 to move to 3–0. The Commodores didn’t win on accidents or bounces; they controlled pace, protected the football, and leaned into a defense that kept the Gamecocks chasing the chains. It’s one thing to start hot against lighter competition. It’s another to go on the road and smother a league opponent for four quarters.

Elsewhere, Oklahoma cruised past Temple 42–3 and did not need trickery to do it. Nebraska finally got some room to run in a 59–7 route of Houston Christian, a welcome change from recent grind-it-out wins. Miami (FL) kept the meter running against South Florida, 49–12, showing both speed outside and a much cleaner finish in the red zone. Illinois quietly handled Western Michigan 38–0—no drama, no fluff, just a full-system shutout. And Iowa State moved to 4–0 by beating Arkansas State, another steady proof-of-concept outing for a group that’s looked connected on defense.

Here’s a quick look at the day’s key results that bent the narrative:

• Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 8 — the defining result of the weekend, with the Aggies dictating both lines.
• Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21 — a late push and a dagger for the Tigers’ early playoff hopes; Clemson falls to 1–2.
• Ohio State 37, Ohio 9 — Julian Sayin spreads it around; Jeremiah Smith plays like a headliner.
• Penn State 52, Villanova 6 — comprehensive, clinical, and deep into the roster.
• Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3 — a “reset the meter” afternoon in Ann Arbor.
• Indiana 73, Indiana State 0 — F. Mendoza (5 TD) and O. Cooper Jr. (4 TD) headline a blowout.
• Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 7 — the Commodores’ 3–0 start now has a conference backbone.
• Oklahoma 42, Temple 3 — no drama, clean separation by halftime.
• Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 7 — explosion on offense and a stress-free finish.
• Miami (FL) 49, South Florida 12 — speed and depth show up again.
• Illinois 38, Western Michigan 0 — trench control, wire-to-wire.
• Iowa State def. Arkansas State — the Cyclones stay unbeaten at 4–0.

What Week 3 actually told us about the playoff race

September doesn’t hand out trophies, but it does shrink margins. Texas A&M now carries a signature road-grade win and a look of a team built to travel: stout front, willing run game, and a quarterback not asked to be a superhero on every snap. The Aggies haven’t solved the entire season in one Saturday, but they pivot from “interesting” to “dangerous.” Their next stretch will test staying power more than ceiling.

Notre Dame’s path narrows. Independents live on cachet and clean records; with two losses already, the Irish need both a winning streak and help elsewhere. The fix is obvious if not easy: simplify the plan on offense, lean into quick-game timing, and protect the defense by trading shootouts for 12-play drives. Rotations may tighten. Explosive plays must return.

The ACC absorbed the roughest optics. Clemson sits 1–2, and while schedules ebb and flow, the Tigers have to rediscover an identity that travels—field position, situational offense, and fourth-quarter poise. The counterpunch for the league came from Georgia Tech and Miami. Tech had the moment; Miami has the profile of a team that knows who it is and executes to that identity. If the Hurricanes keep stacking complete games, they’ll have staying power in the rankings.

The Big Ten’s top tier looked exactly like a top tier. Ohio State’s passing game is ahead of schedule with Sayin and Smith syncing early. Penn State’s depth keeps showing up on special teams and defense, which matters when the calendar flips. Michigan needed a crisp day and got it; the Wolverines were cleaner at the line and more explosive on early downs. Add Illinois’ defense and a 4–0 Iowa State from the Big 12 footprint, and the Midwest delivered the weekend’s steadiest profile.

Three things that travel in November showed up in September: pass rush, red-zone defense, and reliable receivers who win isolated. Indiana’s O. Cooper Jr. and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith both put hard evidence on film. Opponents now have to adjust coverages, which changes how coordinators call the run and screen game. The knock-on effect is simple: even average rushing teams look better when safeties can’t cheat downhill.

Stock up:

• Texas A&M’s fronts — when you control first down, everything else follows.
• Georgia Tech’s belief — finishing matters, and the Jackets finished against Clemson.
• Vanderbilt’s identity — complementary ball, road toughness, and no panic in swing moments.
• Ohio State’s freshman core — Sayin-to-Smith is ahead of schedule, and that widens the playbook.

Stock down:

• Notre Dame’s margin for error — it’s gone. The Irish need a run, and quickly.
• Clemson’s wiggle room — the Tigers have to win tight, high-leverage games to climb back.
• South Carolina’s cushion — a home loss that forces recalibration on both sides of the ball.

Hidden winners: coordinators who value situational football. Look at the blowouts: Illinois by 38 and Indiana by 73 with zero points allowed, Oklahoma by 39, Nebraska by 52. Those are gap games where focus can drift. Instead, special teams stayed sharp, penalties stayed down, and substitutions didn’t unravel rhythm. That’s coaching detail showing up on the margins.

If you’re building a playoff case right now, you want three things on tape: one authoritative win against a brand-name opponent, clean efficiency metrics on defense (third down, red zone, explosive plays allowed), and a quarterback-receiver pairing that forces bracket coverage. Texas A&M nailed the first piece on Saturday. Ohio State and Penn State are checking the second box weekly. Michigan just tuned up the third.

September always scrambles expectations, and Week 3 did it loudly. The names you expect at the top stayed mostly steady. The brands you expect to lurk in the teens and climb? Some slipped, some surged. The difference, as always, was who owned the line of scrimmage and who handled key downs when fatigue set in. The film will travel—and so will the consequences.