College football fans rejoiced at the kickoff of the long-awaited 2017-2018 season. The season had finally begun and fans of all teams were optimistic of the upcoming season. Now, three weeks in, the season is in full swing and the fans are getting a feeling for where their team is headed for the season. Some fan bases hopes have come to fruition, while others are left searching for answers. Either way, fans across the country rejoice that it’s finally college football season again!

The two powerhouse teams that have faced off in the last two college football championships have both come out to flying starts. Alabama was ranked number one at the beginning of the season and they have, as usual, lived up to the hype. A dominant opening day win over former #3 overall Florida State proved that they deserved their ranking, even with the huge losses on the defensive side of the ball to the NFL draft. Clemson has knocked off both Auburn and Louisville early and seems to be in great shape for the rest of the season, since they only have two ranked opponents left on their schedule in Virginia Tech and Florida State. Not to mention that the replacement, for the best player in their school’s history, DeShaun Watson, Kelly Bryant has  shown potential to be just as good as Watson was. Baker Mayfield led Oklahoma to a dominant victory over an Ohio State team that had high hopes of competing for a national title. Penn State and Saquon Barkley have also had a hot start.

While there are the teams that have lived up to the hype early, several teams have been disappointing. Ohio State had a poor showing against Oklahoma and will have to to be  very strong for rest of the season to be a factor in the college football playoffs. LSU suffered a huge 37-7 upset to unranked Mississippi State. Ed Orgeron has some work to do if the Tigers have any chance of upsetting the powerhouse Crimson Tide and possibly get a shot at the SEC Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoffs. Florida State has only been able to play one game so far this season because of Hurricane Irma, but that one game was not a strong one. The season ending injury to QB Deandre Francois added injury to insult as the Alabama Crimson Tide rolled over them 24-7.

Injuries have always been a part of football, and there have already been several devastating ones. As was previously mentioned Florida State QB Deandre Francois will be sidelined all season. This is a huge blow to the Seminoles that looked poised to take the ACC crown back from the Clemson Tigers, who have come out playing very well. Over in the SEC the South Carolina Gamecocks WR Deebo Samuel emerged as a huge star for them. His draft stock was sky-rocketing, but a broken leg ended his breakout season early. This leaves the Gamecocks starving for an offensive playmaker. QB Jacob Eason of the Georgia Bulldogs injured his knee in the opener against Appalachian State. Jake Fromm has been his replacement and has played very well, so this will be an interesting situation to watch.

Football is back and this season has already had its share of heart break, injuries, and joy depending on which team you root for. With Clemson and Alabama topping the rankings, fans across the country are wondering if anyone can prevent a third rematch in Atlanta. Both teams have started strong, but other competitors have started to emerge. The race to Atlanta has begun.