Farrell's take: Teams off to disappointing starts in 2017

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report…

Three weeks into the college football season, we might as well delve into teams that have surprised us and disappointed us so far. Let’s finish up today with teams that have disappointed, led by LSU, a preseason top 15 team.

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Expectations: The Tigers were ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Top 25 and were picked to finish third in the SEC West. Additional publications had them projected anywhere from first to fourth in the SEC West.

Reality: After breezing through two non-competitive games against BYU and Tennessee-Chattanooga, LSU ran into a surprising buzzsaw in Starkville on Saturday night. The 37-7 loss to Mississippi State suddenly puts LSU’s season at a crossroads as everyone tries to figure out what happened and why it happened. Quarterback Danny Etling sputtered against the Bulldogs, completing only 44 percent of his passes for 137 yards, while the usually reliable LSU defense gave up 285 yards on the ground.

Farrell’s take: LSU’s passing game has been an issue for years and again came into question on Saturday night. Teams will try and force Etling to throw the ball, so it will still be important to establish the running game with Derrius Guice, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry against the Bulldogs but is hampered by injury. The bigger issue may be the running defense, which failed to control the line of scrimmage against Mississippi State. You can be sure Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida all took notice of the Bulldogs' performance on the line. The Tigers have home games against Syracuse and Troy before SEC games against Florida and Auburn, which will likely shape the remainder of the season for LSU. The bottom line is that the team's passing game needs to be fixed.

Expectations: Stanford was ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll and was picked to finished second in the Pac-12 North Division behind Washington. Overall the Cardinal finished third in the preseason conference voting behind the Huskies and USC.

Reality: After starting off with an easy 62-7 victory over Rice, the season has spiraled downward for the Cardinal. Losing at USC can be understood, but then following that up by losing at San Diego State is a tougher pill to swallow for fans. Four quarterbacks have already seen action this season, but none of them have stood out. The highlight of the offense is running back Bryce Love, who has run for 524 yards and four touchdowns on only 43 carries. Connor Wedington and Trent Irwin have been capable receivers, but more is needed out of the passing game overall. Defensively the unit has played solid, but has lacked playmakers through three games. Players like Harrison Phillips, Peter Kalambayi and Bobby Okereke need to take control of the defense.

Farrell’s take: Stanford has recruited too well to be off to a start like this and it all starts with the passing game and some disappointing prospects who haven’t developed. Easiest answer for the Stanford offense right now is more Bryce Love. He is averaging an amazing 12.2 yards per carry, but for some reason has only received 43 carries. He should be given the opportunity to carry the load to see if he can ease the burden off of the quarterbacks, who have been struggling. The defense has potential and playmakers who just need to hit their stride the season. The season isn’t lost yet, but it needs to be repaired quickly.

Expectations: Texas was ranked No. 23 in the preseason AP poll and was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 by the media. Overall, expectations by other publications were that Texas would begin to regain prominence in the conference and country.

Reality: Reality hit Texas hard during the opening weekend when Maryland came into Austin and won 51-41. This once again caused a lot of doubt in fans and people around the country regarding Texas’ ability to return to elite status. After an easy victory over San Jose State, the Longhorns surprised many by almost pulling off the upset at USC this past weekend. Shane Buechele started the season at quarterback, but an injury pushed true freshman Sam Ehlinger onto the field. Both experienced their ups and downs. Running back Chris Warren has played well, while the receiver trio of Collin Johnson, Armanti Foreman and Reggie Hemphill are all dangerous weapons. There is talent on the defense with Malik Jefferson, Anthony Wheeler, Holton Hill and DeShon Elliott, but the group needs to mature together.

Farrell’s take: Count me among those who were perhaps a year too early in predicting Texas to be back on the national scene. There is obvious talent on the roster, but head coach Tom Herman will need more time to mold the program into something he is more comfortable with. The quarterback situation also needs to be settled between Buechele and Ehlinger. Ehlinger filled in admirably for the injured Buechele, but now with Buechele healthy again there will likely be constant questions about who will and should play. The next two games against Iowa State and Kansas State will be a huge measuring stick for the remainder of the season, especially with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State following those two games. As we all know, it will be how the defense plays that determines the season and Texas needs more of what we saw against USC.

Expectations: The Cornhuskers were picked to finish third in the Big Ten West. Publications generally had them finishing anywhere from first to fourth in the West.

Reality: A very tough 43-36 home win against Arkansas State in the opener raised some eyebrows, and rightfully so as losses against Oregon and Northern Illinois followed. The loss at Oregon can obviously be forgiven, but losing at home to Northern Illinois while scoring only 17 points has created panic in Lincoln. Quarterback Tanner Lee has struggled, with five touchdowns and seven interceptions, while completing only 52.5 percent of his passes. Running back Tre Bryant has impressed, but he missed the Northern Illinois game with a knee injury, while Stanley Morgan Jr. and Demornay Pierson-El have proven themselves to be game-breaking receivers when given the opportunity. Defensively, the unit has totaled only three sacks while giving up 433 yards per game.

Farrell’s take: The improvement needs to start immediately against Rutgers and Illinois during the next two games and a quarterback change is needed. After this easier stretch, the Cornhuskers play Wisconsin, Ohio State and an improved Purdue. Whoever is at quarterback, Nebraska needs Bryant back healthy so it can rely on him to carry more of the load, and needs improvement along the offensive line. Defensively, the unit needs to make more big plays and should improve as the adjustment in scheme change continues. But the bottom line is this, the quarterback needs time to throw and he needs to turn the ball over less.

Expectations: The Panthers were picked to finish in fourth place of the Coastal Division by the media. A few publications had even higher hopes for Pittsburgh, with a couple sliding them into the preseason Top 25.

Reality: The reality has been ugly through three games. After fighting through a tough 28-21 victory over FCS Youngstown State in the opener, the Panthers were uncompetitive in consecutive games against Penn State and Oklahoma State. Yes, both the Nittany Lions and Cowboys are top 10 programs, but the Panthers were totally overmatched by both. Issues abound, but the early season play of grad transfer Max Browne is one reason the offense has floundered. He has already lost playing time to Ben DiNucci, who has also struggled. Defensively the unit has failed to gel, especially against Oklahoma State, who let off the gas midway through the third quarter. Players like Oluwasseun Idowu and Dane Jackson have shown flashes, but overall the unit has several holes.

Farrell’s take: It is difficult to right this ship without a capable quarterback, and with Browne and DiNucci both struggling, the offense will continue to sputter. One answer is get the ball to playmaker Quadree Henderson more. He has proven himself to be one of the more dynamic and versatile players in the country, yet he only has 16 touches from the line of scrimmage through three games. Pat Narduzzi is supposed to be a defensive genius, but Pittsburgh has had zero answer for high-powered offenses so perhaps an even more aggressive strategy to provide pressure would help.

Expectations: The Tar Heels were picked to finish in fifth place of the Coastal Division by the media. Publications generally had North Carolina finishing in fourth or fifth place in the Coastal.

Reality: The North Carolina offense has shown firepower through the first three games, but the defense has been disastrous. While the Tar Heels did pick up their first win of the season against Old Dominion on Saturday, the defense gave up an average of 41 points per game during losses to Cal and Louisville. Overall the defensive unit is giving up close to 500 yards per game, which is a number that needs to improve drastically. Offensively, Chazz Surratt has shown more potential than LSU transfer quarterback Brandon Harris; Jordan Brown and Michael Carter are capable running backs; and Austin Proehl and Jordan Cunningham form a quality receiving duo. Scoring points should not be an issue for the remainder of the season for the Tar Heels. The defense on the other hand? Ugh.

Farrell’s take: Harris is not the answer at quarterback, so the Tar Heels need to keep playing Surratt with the hopes that the redshirt freshman continues to improve. Surratt is likely the quarterback of the future for the program, so it is important to let him mature and grow this season. However, to really right the ship the Tar Heels need to find an answer on the defensive side of the ball. UNC does avoid Clemson and Florida State on the schedule this season, which is a plus, but Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, NC State, Duke and Georgia Tech are all capable of putting up substantial points on this defense unless answers are found quickly. Tackling is bad, there isn’t much pressure and teams are passing at will. Like Pitt, perhaps a more aggressive approach to pressure is needed.

Expectations: Baylor was picked to finished seventh in the Big 12 by the media. Publications were all over the board with the Bears, from them winning the Big 12 to finishing in last.

Reality: Reality has been ugly for Baylor through three games. A stunning home loss against Liberty started the season, which was followed by losses to Texas-San Antonio and then Duke. The quarterback play in Waco has been disastrous to this point, with both Anu Solomon, who is now dealing with a concussion, and Zach Smith struggling. True freshman running back John Lovett has shown some potential, while Chris Platt and Denzel Mims are big player receivers who need the ball more. The struggles continue on defense, where the unit is giving up 38.3 points and 482 yards per game. And to make it worse, the Bears are staring 0-7 in the face with Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia coming up next on the schedule.

Farrell’s take: Abandon hope for this season. This is not a normal football situation due to the massive sexual assault scandal that has taken place at Baylor. Culture changes in a program usually take time and with that there are usually plenty of hardships on the football field. Matt Rhule should be able to right the ship, but the school and fans will need to be patient with the process. All everyone needs to do is take a look at Penn State and realize that the turnaround is possible. But not this year. There is little hope for the 2017 season.