College football Week 3: 15 players to watch

OK, so the Seminoles haven't exactly hit the ground running in 2019. They blew a big lead over Boise State in their loss in the opener and barely squeezed past Louisiana-Monroe last week. What 'Noles fans can feel confident about is Cam Akers, who has gone for over 100 yards rushing in each of those games. Last week against the Warhawks, Akers ran for 193 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown and showing signs that a tough 2018 season is behind him. FSU has a chance to turn around their season with a big ACC game at Virginia on Saturday.

Burrow showed everyone that LSU finally has the kind of quarterback that can take them to the College Football Playoff. The Ohio State transfer completed 31 of 39 passes for 471 yards and four touchdowns...with much of that coming to receiver Justin Jefferson (163 yards, three TDs)...in their huge win over Texas in Austin. Burrow allows the Tigers to open up the offense and not just rely on being a physical running team...and become a legitimate contender for an SEC title. Burrow should get to stretch out a little with an easy game against Northwestern State on Saturday. 

Washington had a lot of high hopes entering the season, and some of that may have been dashed in a ugly 20-19 loss to Cal last week. Eason was bad in that game, completing just 18 of 30 passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Granted, the game started over three hours late due to a thunderstorm, but it was a far cry from the four-touchdown effort against Eastern Washington in the opener. The Huskies host Hawaii, which means Eason needs to be ready for a shootout and needs to button up the bad decisions he made a week ago. I look for him to have a big game against the Rainbow Warriors and get Washington's season back on the right track. 

Franks was up and down in the Gators' season-opening win over Miami. He made some fantastic plays but also left everyone shaking their heads with some of his decision making. He bounced back with a solid game against Tennessee-Martin last week (just two incompletions in 27 pass attempts) but will see a step up in competition this week when Florida travels to Kentucky. The Wildcats aren't as good as they were in last year's magical season but they did make Franks look bad in their historic win over the Gators. Franks needs to be reliable for Florida to truly have a shot at a division championship...especially with the talented Kadarius Toney out with an arm injury. 

Another game, another win, another quarterback. The Knights' last four wins have come under four different quarterbacks. Last week Gabriel got the start after Week 1 starter Brandon Wimbush was a bit banged up, and all indications are that he will remain the starter as UCF hosts Stanford this week. He played like a freshman, alternating between hot and cold during the win over FAU. How he fares against the Cardinal on Saturday could determine who gets the job as the season moves along — and remember that this program hasn't lost a regular season game since 2016. 

Gordon has been piling up numbers thus far this season, with 884 yards passing and nine touchdowns while completing 81 percent of his passes. Of course, those stats have come against Northern Colorado and New Mexico State and not against teams that could even hope to stop that Cougars offense. Washington State travels to Houston to face some other Cougars for its first real test of the season. Gordon has used his time as a backup wisely and it is paying off. 

Hill has had a great start to the 2019 season. He's averaging 9.7 yards per carry and has totaled 320 yards in the Bulldogs two wins to open the season. He has been a steadying presence for a team that lost starting quarterback Tommy Stevens during last week's win over Southern Miss and needed to ease in freshman Garrett Shrader. Hill is a leader and one of the best backs in the nation, even if you haven't heard much about him. Mississippi State hosts Kansas State in an interesting SEC-Big 12 matchup on Saturday. Last year, Hill went for 211 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in Mississippi State's 31-10 win in Manhattan. 

How about this true freshman? The former Florida State commit has shown ice in his veins for the Tar Heels. He has led North Carolina to fourth quarter comebacks against both South Carolina and Miami in their first two games with some huge passes...including a huge fourth-and-17 late against the Hurricanes. Mack Brown loves to put faith in his quarterbacks and he seems to have a lot of faith in Howell. Carolina hosts Wake Forest on Thursday night in a weird quirk of scheduling, as these ACC rivals will actually be playing a non-conference game in front of a national audience.

We joke, but could Hurts be the third straight Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy? It is early on but he's completed 34 of his 41 passes for 591 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 223 yards and three scores. Those numbers outpace what Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray managed in their first two games...though they faced a bit of a tougher slate. The Sooners head west to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA and another opportunity for the former Alabama QB to show the nation how he has developed into a passer to truly fear. 

Lawrence hasn't been the offensive juggernaut that everyone pegged him to be prior to the season. He's just been doing his job and racking up wins for the defending champions. Last week against Texas A&M, Lawrence threw for 268 yards and a touchdown — again not video game numbers but really good against a decent defense. This week the Tigers face what many see as their toughest hurdle in conference play with a game against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Orange are coming off an absolute horrible defensive showing against Maryland last week, so Lawrence should be able to pounce on a wounded team. 

Reid has been an impact player for the Nittany Lions this season. In both of Penn State's wins, he has picked off a pass and last week against Buffalo he returned one for a 36-yard touchdown. That was the senior's first touchdown and just his seventh career interception and has been a payoff to his tough-minded approach and preparation this season. Penn State hosts Pittsburgh this week in what looks to be the final edition of their longtime rivalry. Last week, Pitt's Kenny Pickett threw for 321 yards in a win over Ohio, so the opportunity should be there for Reid to make another big play. 

The Boilermakers are slinging the ball around the field like in the Drew Brees days. Sindelar, a senior, has been fantastic with 932 yards and nine touchdowns passing this season (with an amazing 34-of-52 outing in each of Purdue's first two games). Last week against Vanderbilt, he threw for 509 yards and five TDs (and he ran in another one) in the 42-24 victory, as he's reaching the promise coaches have had for him since he arrived in West Lafayette. After splitting time in 2017 and then being named the Foster Farms Bowl MVP, he came out struggling in 2018 and injuries kept him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season. He looks to have taken control of his turnovers and his hold on the job. Purdue hosts a good defensive team in TCU this week. 

Last week, Slovis found his way on this list as he was set to take over the Trojans offense after JT Daniels tore his ACL in the opener. Slovis didn't disappoint, as he threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win over Stanford. One person who wasn't surprised by his performance was his high school quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator — Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. USC travels to Provo to face a BYU team that has already played Utah tough in a loss and beat Tennessee in Knoxville. 

Stanley has been solid this season, boosting the Hawkeyes' shot at a Big Ten West division title and his own pro prospects. Stanley isn't flashy, and he isn't one with an exuberant personality that draws people to notice him. He's poised and consistent, completing nearly 64 percent of his passes for 488 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions this season. This week he faces rival Iowa State; the last time he faced the Cyclones in Ames he threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-41 win in 2017.  

I feel Tate will have a huge game, as the Wildcats host Texas Tech late Saturday night. We all know Tech likes high-scoring games and Tate has shown he's able to keep the pace when the points start piling up. In Arizona's opener against Hawaii, Tate threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns...as well as 108 yards rushing...in a 45-38 loss to the Rainbow Warriors. Last week against Northern Arizona, Tate was efficient, completing 14 of 17 passes for 138 yards and two TDs in a 65-41 win. (Tate played less than a half in the game.) Arizona will need both Tate's arm and legs if it wants to keep up with and beat the Red Raiders on Saturday.