NCAAF · 11 months ago

2025 College Football Season: Ranking Best Week 3 Games

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

15. Duke at Tulane - Saturday, September 13
Duke versus Tulane may seem like an odd choice for a spot on this list, but there is a good reason for its inclusion. Manny Diaz and Duke had a relatively successful first season together in 2024. Still, they quickly jumped into the market for a new quarterback and will be led on offense by transfer Darian Mensah. Mensah started 13 games during his freshman season and helped lead his squad to an appearance in the American Athletic Conference title game. The team he left for Duke? The Tulane Green Wave. On September 13, Mensah returns to the Big Easy to lead his new squad against one of the country's better Group of Five teams. This will continue to become more commonplace with the proliferation of the transfer portal, but it provides an extra element of intrigue to a good matchup.

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1. Georgia at Tennessee - Saturday, September 13
There are many questions surrounding the Tennessee Volunteers entering the 2025 campaign. Nico Iamaleava is now at UCLA, and Joey Aguilar is expected to fill in at quarterback. That is a downgrade, no matter how you slice it, but it’s fair to wonder if the team will rally around each other, and there is no question the fan base will be fired up to support the players still wearing orange and white. They get a bit of a test in the season opener against Syracuse, but this Week 3 game is the first real challenge, and we’ll learn a lot about what the Volunteers have. Speaking of questions, Georgia won the SEC in 2024, but the season felt like a step back for Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. UGA has Marshall and Austin Peay in the first two weeks before making the trip to Knoxville.

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2. Florida at LSU - Saturday, September 13
The importance of this game for these two teams will be impacted by Week 1 as LSU plays at Clemson. Florida should be 2-0 after games against Long Island and South Florida, but things get tough in Week 3 as they travel back-to-back to Baton Rouge and Miami and then host Texas on October 4. This is a matchup between two coaches who are feeling some pressure and a pair of the top quarterbacks in the country, and the atmosphere at Tiger Stadium for the first big home game of the season will be fantastic.
3. Clemson at Georgia Tech - Saturday, September 13
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a serious threat to make the College Football Playoff in 2025. People may not realize it yet, but they will be a sleeper candidate in the ACC, and anyone taking Brent Key’s team lightly will pay the price. Georgia Tech continues to improve in the trenches, Haynes King is healthy, and Jamal Haynes is back at running back. Meanwhile, Clemson should have one of the nation’s best offenses, and they enter the season as the favorite in the ACC. The Tigers have a trio of challenging road games: at GT, at Louisville, and at South Carolina. This is the first of those contests, and it will be fascinating to see the air attack of Clemson battle the ground game of the “Ramblin’ Wreck."
4. Texas A&M at Notre Dame - Saturday, September 13
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish knocked off Texas A&M in College Station last season and kicked off what proved to be a strong season for Marcus Freeman’s crew. Mike Elko is now in Year 2 at Texas A&M, and you can bet the Aggies will only improve on the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame gets to host Texas A&M on September 13 in Week 3. The Fighting Irish open the season with a game at Miami, then have a bye week, and then host the Texas A&M Aggies. We’ll know quickly whether the Irish are ready for another run in the College Football Playoff.
15. Duke at Tulane - Saturday, September 13
Duke versus Tulane may seem like an odd choice for a spot on this list, but there is a good reason for its inclusion. Manny Diaz and Duke had a relatively successful first season together in 2024. Still, they quickly jumped into the market for a new quarterback and will be led on offense by transfer Darian Mensah. Mensah started 13 games during his freshman season and helped lead his squad to an appearance in the American Athletic Conference title game. The team he left for Duke? The Tulane Green Wave. On September 13, Mensah returns to the Big Easy to lead his new squad against one of the country's better Group of Five teams. This will continue to become more commonplace with the proliferation of the transfer portal, but it provides an extra element of intrigue to a good matchup.

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
1. Georgia at Tennessee - Saturday, September 13
There are many questions surrounding the Tennessee Volunteers entering the 2025 campaign. Nico Iamaleava is now at UCLA, and Joey Aguilar is expected to fill in at quarterback. That is a downgrade, no matter how you slice it, but it’s fair to wonder if the team will rally around each other, and there is no question the fan base will be fired up to support the players still wearing orange and white. They get a bit of a test in the season opener against Syracuse, but this Week 3 game is the first real challenge, and we’ll learn a lot about what the Volunteers have. Speaking of questions, Georgia won the SEC in 2024, but the season felt like a step back for Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. UGA has Marshall and Austin Peay in the first two weeks before making the trip to Knoxville.

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2025 College Football Season: Ranking Best Week 3 Games

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