The most deflating part of fandom is the realization that, when things can't possibly get worse, sometimes that's not true.

Welcome to the cellar, Florida State. It's awful here.

Last season's unbeaten road to an ACC championship is but a distant memory for FSU, which is still winless after Week 3 of the 2024 season. The miserable opening to the campaign is leading to a quarterback dilemma, one of several beginning to emerge in college football.

However, the doom and gloom at FSU is directly opposite to the joys of 3-0 starts for Illinois, Nebraska and several others. The weekend's results set up a pair of clashes for unbeaten SEC teams, too.

The takeaways are subjective but include a review of notable results and a preview of key upcoming games around the nation.

FSU in Meltdown Mode

What a nightmare this season has become in Tallahassee.

Lose to Georgia Tech? Surprising, but not disastrous. Fall at home to Boston College? All right, not good—offense looked bad again. Score just 12 points after a 12-day layoff in a home setback to Memphis?

Y'all, it's full-on panic time in Tallahassee.

At this point, forget the College Football Playoff. Only a shocking set of results within the ACC could save Florida State, which is already 0-2 in conference and 0-3 overall. Nothing the Seminoles have showed so far suggests they have a miracle in store this season.

Rather, this is an "avoid an implosion" type of situation. The momentum FSU generated in 10- and 13-win seasons over the last two years is quickly fading and might vanish altogether if the 'Noles miss a bowl.

Considering how much DJ Uiagalelei has struggled, head coach Mike Norvell is facing a quarterback dilemma, too. Uiagalelei is not FSU's sole problem—the O-line isn't doing him or the running game many favors—but something needs to change, and it might be the QB.

Florida State closes the month against Cal and SMU before Clemson comes to town on the first weekend of October.

More Potential QB Controversies

Clamors for FSU to sit DJ Uiagalelei for Brock Glenn will become prevalent in the coming days. No matter what happens there, however, the 'Noles are not alone in quarterback issues.

Jalon Daniels probably won't get benched, but Kansas certainly isn't thrilled about his six interceptions during a 1-2 start. He threw two more in KU's 23-20 loss to UNLV.

Michigan had another underwhelming day in a 28-18 win over Arkansas State. While the Wolverines controlled the whole game—ASU managed two garbage-time touchdowns to trim the lead—Davis Warren tossed three picks before Alex Orji took control of the offense.

Florida struggled on both sides of the ball in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M, so there's plenty of criticism to go around. Graham Mertz struggled in his return, though, and freshman backup DJ Lagway had two interceptions.

The unrest won't necessarily lead to changes in Week 4, but there's not a ton of confidence at these programs right now, either.

Illinois! Nebraska! Showdown!

Every year since 2013, Illinois and Nebraska have squared off during the regular season. This upcoming game is probably the most consequential clash between the programs in that stretch.

Both teams are 3-0. They're both in the AP Top 25. And the spotlight will be shining on them Friday night.

So far, Illinois and Nebraska have played near-identical slates. They've defeated one lower-division team, a Group of Five program and a power-conference school. The lone notable difference is Illinois upset Kansas, whereas Dylan Raiola-led Nebraska was favored opposite Colorado.

The winner will not suddenly be crowned a Big Ten contender; Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon still exist, after all.

Nevertheless, for the first time in several years, there are genuine stakes for U of I and Nebraska.

Bama, UGA Set Up Clash of Unbeatens

When the SEC unveiled its schedule for 2024, the college football universe immediately circled this matchup.

As expected, it'll be a clash of 3-0 teams—something that looked in serious jeopardy late on Saturday.

Alabama went to Madison and rolled Wisconsin 42-16 behind a five-touchdown performance from Jalen Milroe. That contest was never in doubt. Georgia, conversely, narrowly survived a stellar defensive effort from Kentucky, which took the Dawgs to the wire in a 13-12 rock fight.

I'm thinking it won't be a pleasant week of practice at UGA before game preparations really start.

The good news? We have a moment to breathe. Both programs are idle next Saturday ahead of the prime-time battle in Week 5.

Injury Watch for NC State, Utah

There's no good moment for a quarterback to get injured. Also, the week before you travel to Clemson is especially bad timing.

Grayson McCall exited North Carolina State's win over Louisiana Tech with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Dave Doeren told reporters he wouldn't comment on the injury until Monday. McCall watched from the sideline as CJ Bailey guided the Pack to a 30-20 win.

NC State is seeking its third win in four years against Clemson, but not having McCall would complicate that effort.

Utah, meanwhile, might have better news.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network reported that Cam Rising (finger) is expected to return in Week 4 at Oklahoma State. Utah toppled Utah State 38-21 without him on Saturday, but Rising is a key to the Utes' hopes of landing an early, important Big 12 victory.

Yes, the health of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (abdomen) is also a big story. However, the good news for the Longhorns is they can turn to Arch Manning and host Louisiana-Monroe next weekend.

Opposite Trends for Tennessee, OU

The box score was ridiculous. Tennessee threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns with 274 yards and six scores on the ground as the team built a 65-0 advantage.

Oh, and then it was halftime.

To say Kent State put up zero resistance against UT would be a dramatic understatement, but this was nothing new. Tennessee hung 69 points on Chattanooga in the opener, destroyed North Carolina State 51-10 and wrecked Kent State 71-0. So far, the Vols are scorching.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is searching for answers. Although the Sooners are 3-0, they clipped Houston 16-12 in Week 2 and didn't separate from Tulane until the fourth quarter of Saturday's 34-19 win.

Jackson Arnold and the offense can look fantastic for several drives, then completely disappear for long stretches.

If that happens when Tennessee comes to Norman in Week 4, the prime-time showdown likely won't be much of one.

The Newest Blueblood Rivalry

Realignment has unapologetically whipped a dagger at both history and geography. As schools chase revenue, the sport has lost rivalries and many great pieces of tradition. I cannot blame longtime fans who are reluctant to embrace this new era of college football.

Even if "rivalry" is an ambitious word, however, the changes have created new matchups like this one.

During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the programs will be playing a regular-season game. Previously, that only happened in 1957 and 1958; the other eight meetings were in Rose Bowls.

Michigan gets to host the first showdown, which is a valuable thing for an offense mired in QB problems. Michigan stuck with Davis Warren through a lopsided loss at home to Texas in Week 2, but he probably won't be afforded a similar leash against the Trojans.

USC, in its official Big Ten debut, has a golden opportunity to send a fellow blueblood into panic mode.