A new coach is supposed to bring hope, energy and a fresh start.
Arkansas apparently missed the memo.
The Ryan Silverfield era has stumbled out of the gate in Fayetteville, and there’s little reason to believe an immediate turnaround is coming. The Razorbacks’ problems extend beyond the football field, but that doesn’t make the growing frustration any less alarming. Three weeks into the season, some fans already seem ready to give up on Year 1.
This week’s Flop 10 is hog wild, featuring SEC disappointment, a disastrous final-play blunder and a case of smack talk that aged terribly.
Arkansas
Woof, Pig Sooie.
A visit from No. 2 Georgia should have been one of the biggest events on Arkansas'
schedule. Instead, it felt like much of Hog Nation had already checked out.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 19, 2026
Despite calls for a stripe-out, the more popular movement appeared to be an empty-out. The tailgating was subdued, the crowd was sparse and the atmosphere lacked the electricity typically reserved for a top-five opponent.
Those who skipped the game didn't miss much. Georgia rolled to a 45-17 win, exposing the same issues that have fueled growing frustration around the program. Three weeks into the Ryan Silverfield era, the score was ugly. The apathy surrounding it may be even worse.
Oregon
After its stumble against Oklahoma State, Oregon was determined to take out its frustrations on Portland State.
The Ducks didn't just bounce back. They went overboard.
Oregon set a program record with 84 points in a shutout of the overmatched Vikings, scoring 12 touchdowns and adding one more with just 29 seconds left. By that point, the statement had been made several times over.
Playing with urgency after a disappointing loss is one thing. Continuing to pile on against an 0-2 FCS opponent is another. Oregon got its confidence back, but not without raising a few eyebrows along the way.
College football in London
The London game between Arizona State and Kansas was actually a solid game that was pretty much a success, but it didn't come without hiccups.
Scarfs are part of European soccer culture, so naturally, English people tried to invoke it with some Jayhawk and Sun Devil scarves. The Kansas one was good, but the Arizona State one didn't include "State" on it, and if you know Arizona State fans, they aren't going to be wanting a scarf that just says "Arizona" on it.
Handful of tents selling these scarves outside of Wembley Stadium. Just one problem 🫣 pic.twitter.com/vfPTi3c0pH
— Rees Goodall (@ReesGoodall) September 19, 2026
A for effort though.
NC State
Victory seemed inevitable for NC State when it intercepted Jared Curtis with 1:04 left to preserve a much needed 31-28 road win.
Then the most disastrous moment of the weekend happened.
In attempt to drain time, quarterback CJ Bailey tried to run out the clock in the end zone, but didn’t get down quick enough. The ball got knocked out, and Vanderbilt recovered for a touchdown with zero time left for a miraculous 35-31 win.
It’s the ultimate choke. Prior to the game, teams with ball and leading in final 10 seconds were 1,046-1 the past 20 seasons.
Make that 1,046-2, with an awful loss that is derailing season for the Wolfpack.
Texas A&M
Kyle Field is celebrated as one of college football’s premier home venues. Too often, however, the results haven’t matched the reputation.
That trend continued Saturday, when Texas A&M suffered a deflating 10-point loss to unranked Kentucky.
The Aggies hardly resembled the contender many expected them to be. Kentucky’s defense controlled the game for long stretches, bottling up an offense that didn’t find much rhythm until it was far too late to matter.
It’s the kind of loss that could carry significant consequences for a team with College Football Playoff aspirations. On paper, this was supposed to be one of the more manageable games on Texas A&M’s schedule. Instead, it became an early-season setback that raises plenty of questions moving forward.
At least one member of the Texas A&M team keeps delivering. The Aggies may have taken the loss, but the Texas A&M Police social media account remains undefeated when it comes to wildly entertaining citations.
Colorado smack talk
Talking smack is part of the game, but Colorado decided the best way to diss Northwestern was by chirping about Martin Stadium, and how small the temporary stadium is.
Colorado’s players had some thoughts on Northwestern’s temporary stadium
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 20, 2026
(via @kamran_nia ) pic.twitter.com/mgjzvlZ1HT
The result?
A complete whooping in said stadium. The Wildcats hounded the Buffaloes in a 41-7 romp that was an even better stampede than Ralphie could do.
Maybe should have focused on the field instead of the crowd. We can be sure Northwestern would welcome doing it again when it opens the new Ryan Field.
Oklahoma
The Sooners shouldn’t be all surprised by the battle they were in with New Mexico. The Lobos are one of the better Group of Six teams and did all it could in a 14-6 Oklahoma win.
But that’s not going to satisfy the fanbase, and it should’ve been known another rough offensive outing was been on the horizon with the malfunctioning pyrotechnics ahead of the game and caused some danger to the cheerleader.
Not a good sign #BOOMER 😭 pic.twitter.com/imS1ZhwLGt
— Tattoo Baker 🎥✨ (@TattooBaker) September 19, 2026
Thankfully, it appeared no one was seriously hurt. The pain of watching Oklahoma’s offense though? Different story.
Cincinnati trophy lifting
The Bearcats avoided disaster against Miami (Ohio), overcoming a 21-point halftime deficit to win 35-31 and retain the Victory Bell.
Cincinnati was excited to retain the trophy for the 18th time in the past 19 meetings, but underestimated the weight of the prize. Players tried to pick up the trophy, and it fell apart in a gasping moment for the historic relic.
Make no mistake: it’s heavy. Bell is okay pic.twitter.com/JVvMHhAj5o
— Chase Younts (@YountsChase32) September 19, 2026
Syracuse
Listen, kickers are people too, and their job is not easy. But sometimes they miss in ways that just blow your mind. That happened with Syracuse kicker Tripp Woody, who shanked his only attempt against Pittsburgh just a bit outside.
Syracuse may have just attempted the worst kick in the history of football. pic.twitter.com/9RBCLiVxQN
— Colonel Calhoun (@CalhounColonel) September 18, 2026
It was one of several errors that doomed the Orange against the Panthers to fall to 1-2.
USC band
The Trojan Marching Band might as well been in Long Island with where they were located inside SHI Stadium for their cross country trip against Rutgers.
Trojan band still going hard all the way at the top of the stadium 😅 pic.twitter.com/dgE9xnVrzt
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 19, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week 3 Flop 10: Woof Pig Sooie, Woof-pack and when smack talk backfires
