NCAA Football News and Notes – Week 3 Primers
News and notes around the nation heading into Week 3 of the college football season.
Clay Helton Out as Head Coach of the USC Trojans
Clay Helton was relieved of his duties as head coach of the USC Trojans as he entered his sixth season in Los Angeles. The former USC offensive coordinator went 46-24 as the head coach. The move has been a long time coming for
Helton and USC, as Helton has seemed to be on the hot seat for the better part of his coaching career. The 49-year old won a Rose Bowl and Pac-12 Championship in 2017.
Some of the likely candidates to take over the Trojan job include Penn State head coach James Franklin and Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell. Fickell was hired by USC athletic director Mike Bohm when he held the same title at Cincinnati.
Other candidates, according to oddsmakers, include Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, and Minnesota’s PJ Fleck.
Proposed Rule Could Give Coaches Roster Relief
Earlier this week, the Division I football oversight committee proposed a rule that would allow teams to sign more than the yearly 25-player limit. The proposed rule would be a one-time waiver enabling teams to reach 32 initial counters. An initial counter is qualified as both a high school recruit and a transfer into the program.
As it stands right now, if a team loses a player to the transfer portal but has already reached the max 25 initial counters, they cannot bring in an additional player even if the transfer drops the team under the 85-total-scholarship limit. The issue has become a concern amongst coaches since the NCAA now allows players the option to transfer and not sit out the following year.
Auburn Heads to Penn State for Historic Non-Conference Contest
The #22 Auburn Tigers travel to College Station to take on #10 Penn State for their first Big Ten road contest since 1931. The two teams took a step back in 2020 but have started off the season both 2-0.
Auburn and Penn State have met only two times in their school’s history, the last being a 13-9 Tigers victory in the Florida Citrus Bowl in 2003. Penn State won the first meeting between the two storied programs, a 43-14 thumping at the Outback Bowl in 1996.
The kickoff for the showdown is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
Florida Hosts Alabama in SEC Showdown
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide and #11 Florida Gators meet up in an SEC showdown on Saturday afternoon. This will be the first road start in front of a sold-out crowd for Alabama freshman quarterback Bryce Young.
The Gators are two-touchdown underdogs at home for the first time since 2013. Florida is expected to play both Emory Jones and the electric Anthony Richardson at quarterback against the Crimson Tide.
Florida head coach Dan Mullen is 0-7 against Alabama’s Nick Saban. The game will kickoff on CBS in the 3:30 p.m. EST window.