Week 3 has come to a close, and fans and bettors alike were treated to tons of blowouts and ugly results.
We saw plenty of high-profile injuries, quarterback changes and the No. 1 team in the sport was on the ropes against Kentucky until the very final play.
Plenty of players across college football earned their helmet stickers this week -—Miami's Cam Ward (five passing touchdowns) and Notre Dame's Riley Leonard (three rushing touchdowns) come to mind.
But what about the players and coaches who saved the day for us bettors? It's time to honor some of the most memorable moments and performances that had major betting ramifications in Week 3.
College Football Week 3 Recap
Texas QB Arch Manning
5 Total Touchdowns
Helmet Sticker Moment: 67-yard TD run moments after a TD pass on the first drive of his career
When Texas star QB Quinn Ewers left the game in the beginning of the second quarter, Longhorn fans and bettors would have been right to panic.
The score was just 14-0 Texas at the time, and as 36.5-point favorites, it seemed like a big break for UTSA backers.
Not so fast. Arch Manning couldn't have scripted a better start to his young career, dazzling with both his arm and his legs.
His first pass attempt went for a 19-yard touchdown to DeAndre Moore Jr., and moments later, he kept the ball and charged down the field for the aforementioned 67-yard score.
It remains to be seen how the Ewers injury will linger over the newly-named No. 1 team in college football, but fans and bettors have to love what they saw from Manning, who finished with five total touchdowns on the day, helping Texas cover with ease.
67 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN 🔥
ARCH MANNING IS ELECTRIC ⚡️pic.twitter.com/BFcj4UF8Pl
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) September 15, 2024
Pitt LB Brandon George
24-Yard Blocked Punt TD
Helmet Sticker Moment: Pitt blocks a punt and returns it for a touchdown just moments after West Virginia has a 51-yard TD pass called back due to holding
Football is a game of swings.
Nobody knows that more after Week 3 than West Virginia, which appeared to take a seven-point lead thanks to a 51-yard bomb from Garrett Greene to Hudson Clement midway through the third quarter.
The only problem? Those damn refs.
A holding call brought the play back and after failing to convert on 3rd-and-16, West Virginia was set to punt.
Pitt went on to block the punt before Brandon George scooped it up and ran it in for seven points for the Panthers.
That's a classic 14-point swing in the span of three plays, and one that would prove too much for the Mountaineers to overcome. Pitt went on to win 38-34, covering the +1.5 spread.
WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS IN THE BACKYARD BRAWL 🤯
West Virginia had a 51-yard TD pass called back due to holding.
Pitt (+2) then blocks the punt for a TD 👀pic.twitter.com/7E9y8QJM3U
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) September 14, 2024
Kentucky HC Mark Stoops
Helmet Sticker (Removal) Moment: Mark Stoops' decision to punt on 4th-and-8 from the Georgia 47-yard line with 3:03 left, down 13-12
How many chances do you get to upset the top-ranked team in the country at home as a 21.5-point underdog?
A choppy game between Georgia and Kentucky stumbled its way to the finish line on Saturday night, and Kentucky had a chance to do the unthinkable.
After forcing a Georgia punt, Kentucky had the ball down a point with 6:25 to play at its own 16-yard line. The Wildcats drove the ball down the field, converting three first downs in the process, leading up to a 4th-and-8 from just inside Georgia territory.
Outside of two minutes, with timeouts in their back pocket, it wasn't the worst decision a football coach has made, but it was far from aggressive, and one that will be talked about for years to come in Lexington.
Kentucky pinned Georgia at its own 15-yard line, but Carson Beck and Trevor Etienne successfully marched into Kentucky territory, bleeding clock in the process before punting as time ran down.
In the end, Kentucky only gave its offense nine seconds to work with, needing at least 45 yards to get into field goal range.
Days later, Mark Stoops passionately defends the decision, but anyone with a pregame Kentucky moneyline ticket at +1200 odds likely disagrees.
Arkansas State Backup QB Timmy McClain
7-for-11, 82 yards, 2 TDs
Helmet Sticker Moment: Roughing the Passer call on Michigan's Dominic Nichols on 4th and 3 with 37 seconds left, extending Arkansas State's final drive, and leading to a hit for Over 45.5
Michigan football has had a rocky start to say the least.
A quarterback change is coming, but the problems extended to both sides of the ball against Arkansas State on Saturday.
The pregame total was set at 45.5, and after a third quarter in which neither team scored a point, over bettors were sweating, needing 22 points to hit the number.
After both teams benched their starting quarterbacks, Alex Orji led Michigan down the field for the first seven before Arkansas State backup QB Timmy McClain did the same.
With the score at 28-10 and under four minutes remaining, the only hope left for over backers was a touchdown and a two-point conversion on Arkansas State's final drive.
Facing a 4th-and-3 at the Michigan 43-yard line with 42 seconds left in the game, McClain threw an incomplete pass, but was bailed out by a roughing the passer call.
The ball moved to the Michigan 28, and with just eight seconds remaining in the game, McClain found Reginald Harden Jr. for a 22-yard touchdown (followed by a successful two-point conversion), cashing tickets for over bettors in dramatic fashion.
