The sun is setting on Billy Napier's Florida tenure. Maybe it will happen Sunday afternoon. Maybe it will happen next week. But one thing is for certain (and it may not be much of an overreaction to say this): the coaching carousel is going to get spinning a lot earlier than normal this year.
The Gators' 33-20 home loss to Texas A&M in Week 3 all but solidifies the fact that Napier is out. Normally administrations wait until at least October to make a move as big as firing a coach and committing to a buyout that's well north of $20 million on average, but there's not much sense in prolonging this.
The real takeaway from Week 3, though, is that Napier isn't the only coach facing serious scrutiny before the 2024 season even reaches the halfway point. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who entered the year on the hotseat, didn't win anyone over with an uninspiring 37-27 "triumph" against UAB. Things aren't going to get easier for the Razorbacks with SEC play starting next week and it's hard to shake the feeling that this program has stagnated under Pittman's guidance.
West Virginia fell to 1-2 with a disastrous loss to Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon. Neal Brown bought some goodwill with a nine-win 2024, but it wasn't long ago that his name was floating among coaches on the chopping block.
Florida's pending decision on Napier could set the precedent that it just isn't worth it to sit on your hands while the inevitable stares you in the face, so long as the reason for hesitation isn't buyout-related. Get the hot boards ready, at the very least.
Texas is the No. 1 team in the nation
I'm probably a week late on this, but what really stood out in Week 3 was Texas' absurd depth. The Longhorns just look different. Quarterback Quinn Ewers left their game against UTSA with an abdominal injury. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks was banged up. Cornerback Malik Muhammad limped off the field. Top running back Jaydon Blue was ruled out pregame.
Still, Texas didn't lose a single step against a UTSA team that has won 33 games over the past three years. The Longhorns dominated with a 56-7 win. Arch Manning was stellar in his first real action, completing nine passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 53 yards and another touchdown.
Texas has now won its first three games by an average of 40 points, including a 31-12 trouncing of what was a top-10 Michigan team on its home turf. Seeing Manning play the way he did is what really put the Longhorns over the edge, though. In the transfer portal era, it's hard to find another team that has a starting-caliber quarterback waiting on the bench. It's easy to be confident in Manning if Ewers has to miss any time, or if he's injured again this year.
It also helped that, while Texas was ripping UTSA apart, Georgia was sleepwalking against a Kentucky team that lost 31-6 to South Carolina a week ago. The Bulldogs will be fine, and they'll play for championships by year's end, but Texas is a step ahead of everyone else right now.
Memphis is a College Football Playoff team
Memphis earned a signature win Saturday afternoon by going on the road and downing Florida State -- and former Tigers coach Mike Norvell -- 20-12. While the Seminoles are in the midst of a disastrous start, a win like that will still resonate with the College Football Playoff selection committee. Memphis checked off the "beat a Power Four team" requirement for Group of Five teams hoping to make the final field.
The Tigers have also cleared some huge hurdles. In Week 2, they beat a Troy team that won 23 games and consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles from 2022-23. All of that constitutes a solid nonconference showing. Memphis might not be able to match Northern Illinois' gargantuan upset of No. 5 Notre Dame, but the Tigers do get the edge when it comes to conference perception.
The American Athletic Conference would have claimed the Group of Five's spot in the CFP seven times since 2015 if the current format applied. Memphis' path to the AAC Championship Game is now wide open. In their remaining nine games, the Tigers only have to play three teams that finished 2023 with a winning record. Memphis does have tough road games against South Florida and Tulane left on the docket, but it's hard not to see the Tigers being favored the rest of the way.
When he's on, Jalen Milroe is the top quarterback in college football
That's an important caveat. Because inconsistency still plagues Milroe and prevents him from truly breaking into that elite tier. He's not far off, though. And he has the right coach to get him there.
Milroe being fully locked in is a thing of beauty. He's such a gifted talent, with a huge arm and tremendous athleticism when moving outside of the pocket. He had it all working in Saturday's blowout road win against Wisconsin. He completed an efficient 12 of his 17 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 78 yards and three touchdowns -- all game highs.
He became the first FBS player since 2012 to post three straight games with multiple passing and multiple rushing touchdowns, joining the likes of Johnny Manziel. His 14 total touchdowns also lead the FBS. Milroe is already doing huge things under Kalen DeBoer. This could be a Heisman Trophy-worthy pairing by year's end.
Washington State is the best team you're not paying attention to
Washington State snapped a two-game losing streak to Washington -- and avenged the Pac-12 -- with a 24-19 win in Saturday's Apple Cup rivalry game. With that, the Cougars advanced to 3-0 for a third consecutive year under coach Jake Dickert. Two of those wins have come against power conference competition -- Washington State beat Texas Tech in Week 2 -- with an average scoring margin of plus-13 points.
Their third win was a 70-30 trouncing of FCS Portland State in the season opener in which they scored seven first-half touchdowns of 30 yards or longer. Washington State isn't a College Football Playoff competitor or anything. It's going to be really hard to get in with what amounts to a Mountain West Conference schedule without the benefit of a conference title or championship game.
Hot starts are nothing new with Dickert at the helm. The Cougars won their first four games a year ago and climbed all the way to No. 13 in the AP Top 25 before going 1-7 down the stretch. So Wazzu is going to have to maintain the momentum. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Cougs return to the top 25 at some point this season, and maybe even climb the rankings further with a manageable remaining slate of games. It's worth keeping an eye on them, at the very least, no matter what their current conference situation may be.
