THE LOOKBACK

The 8 things to know before Week 3

1) This week marked the 23rd anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. One of the most powerful traditions in college sports is how Boston College honors Welles Crowther, also known as "The Man in the Red Bandana." If you're not familiar with his story, Crowther was a former Boston College lacrosse player who was in the South Tower that fateful day and later identified as a hero who helped save many lives. Each year, Boston College pays tribute to him and dedicates a special game in his honor. #ForWelles, indeed.

(And here’s the full story from ESPN…)

2) Is Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola the next Patrick Mahomes? Or are these comparisons… just for the clicks? You be the judge.

From the hairstyle to certain mannerisms, there are at least a few things in common…

3) Have you heard about Cosm? It’s a new place that has built a “shared reality” setup, giving fans a completely immersive experience while watching sporting events. Right now, there are locations in Los Angeles and Dallas, and video clips from both have flooded the interwebs. We bring it up in this space, if only because this week’s Friday night tilt between #20 Arizona and #14 Kansas State will be spotlighted… and yes, you’re gonna see more clips floating around out there. Frankly, this looks incredible.

4) The Cy-Hawk Rivalry took place last weekend in Iowa City and ended in dramatic fashion on a last-second 54-yard field goal by Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy. It also worked out pretty well for Brock Purdy, a former Cyclone, who won a bet with teammate George Kittle. Video evidence below:

5) The Pac-12 is so back! It appears the conference is at least attempting a revival. According to reports, the Pac-12 is set to add Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State from the Mountain West. These teams will join Oregon State and Washington State, who were left for dead after 10 of their conference mates departed.

The exit fees could be substantial, with each school needing to pay at least $18 million. Additionally, the Pac-12 could face $43 million in penalties, which were stipulated in a scheduling agreement between the conference and the Mountain West before this season.

This would bring the Pac-12 back to six teams, meaning it would need two more members by 2026 to meet the NCAA’s minimum conference standard.

Who do you think will be next? Please be Florida State and Clemson… please be Florida State and Clemson…

6) By now, you surely know of Northern Illinois’s shocking upset of Notre Dame in Week 2. Well, it turns out NIU’s coach, Thomas Hammock, is sharing his scouting report and game planning secrets with Marcus Freeman, in hopes that it can help the Irish moving forward. It’s unusually generous to say the least. This clip is worth watching…

7) It’s the week of dueling, alternate “Cats” decals! Both the Texas State Bobcats and Arizona Wildcats released different helmets for their big games in Week 3.

Arizona’s game with Kansas State won’t have any bearing on the Big 12 standings since the game had been previously scheduled before the conference move.

8) OK, let’s talk mini donkeys. The state of Colorado is a force in the live mascot game. The University of Colorado already has the iconic Ralphie, but did you know about the Colorado School of Mines? Check out this celebratory lap from Blaster the Burro last weekend. Clearly, this went super viral…

PLAY OUR WEEK 3 PICK’EM GAME!

You’ve got about 24 hours to join our pick’em game, Run The Board, for a chance to win a $100 REI gift card in Week 3. Just sign up for any of our paid Patreon tiers (starting at just $5) and pick 12 winners against the spread.

The game locks at 11:59 AM ET on Saturday!

Sign up now to play Run The Board and reap the benefits of our other Patreon perks, including ad-free episodes, bonus content, unfettered access to our great Discord community, and much more!

All paid Patreon tiers instantly get access to our great games and prizes!

THE LOOKAHEAD

Our big Week 3 Preview is live!

We’re not going to spoil the surprise of this week’s nickname… but it’s a banger. Though Week 3 is short on obvious headliners, there is still plenty of intrigue. This week features a mini slate of rivalry matchups and a handful of super interesting contests in the SEC. We made sense of it all, helped you build some ideal quad boxes for Saturday, and of course, gave the week a ridiculous moniker that you’ll need to hear to believe.

▶️ Listen on Apple Podcasts

▶️ Listen on Spotify

▶️ Listen on other platforms

Also, the third episode of our new video series, Big Ten Breakfast, streams live, tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM ET out on our YouTube channel.