ESPN's Marty Smith runs down top storylines following Week 3

Key notes from Marty Smith interview

• I think Oklahoma is good, but they have a rough schedule ahead. They have a defined culture and identity, just like what y’all have with Mike Elko. It permeates. Then, when you get a quarterback who has a good relationship with the offensive coordinator already. With John Mateer and Ben Arbuckle coming from Washington State, when he shows up, he only has to worry about relationship building with these guys. Building leadership with these guys. Then to go out there and perform like he is performing. This defense is nasty. That goes back to Brent Venables, who had really good defenses with Dabo Swinney. They are a really good football team.
   
• Conversely, Auburn looks like a good football team. They were in that game. Jackson Arnold stepped into that game. He got booed when he ran onto the field. To have the poise and how well he played, there were some bad officiating calls; the SEC even admitted it. If I am Hugh Freeze, I am very optimistic about the team I have, the guy I have behind center. Cam Coleman is one of the best in the country on the perimeter. Things at Auburn are on an upward trajectory, and Oklahoma seems like a playoff team to me.
   
• If A&M’s defensive front can be disruptive to Arnold and the offense... Arnold is very dangerous on the ground. If they can stay gap sound, that is the sauce. Get pressure on him, and A&M has a really good chance. Offensively, I’ve loved what A&M is doing. Marcel Reed did not get the respect he deserved in the offseason because thought he couldn’t stretch the field. That guy can do that. We know what he can do with his legs. They are in the national narrative, and they should be.
   
• Sam Pittman is one of the greatest men I’ve been around and a good football coach. To lose the way the team lost is gutting. Taylen Green and Bobby Petrino have been great offensively. Their defense, though, has been porous. They have a lot of stuff to shore up. Notre Dame has had issues defensively, too. They might put up 100 points in this game. We'll learn a lot about Notre Dame in this game and discover the value of that win for Texas A&M.
   
• I hope Billy Napier can last the season. He is a good football coach. Context is important here, though. They shouldn’t have lost to South Florida. Alex Golesh has built a good program there, but there were fundamental failures by Florida in that game. They should’ve won that. It is a results-based business. Miami is one of the best teams in the nation. Florida was down three of their best players on the defensive front. That is tough to overcome. The great teams are rolling out 8-10 guys on the defense. DJ Lagway is running for his life. He had five interceptions against LSU. I don’t know what is going to happen with Napier, but I know that he is a good football coach. I am not a big “hot take” guy. Ultimately, you have to win games. Unfortunately for them, there are no more easy weeks.
   
• LSU was my preseason pick to win the national championship, but that was due to my expectations of the offense. This defense is back. DBU is back. We know about the talent they have. Harold Perkins is being so disruptive. The defensive front is great. Mansoor Delane has been the best of them all, though. He has been an X-factor for Blake Baker. They can be so dynamic defensively. Garrett Nussmeier will be fine. For Ole Miss, people are asking if there is a quarterback competition there. I don’t think there is. Lane Kiffin is a savant. If I had to say which team I know better, I’d say it is LSU because I know what they have defensively, and they are making strides offensively. That game is going to be awesome. We are going to Alabama vs. Georgia this weekend, but this game is going to be awesome.
   
• I think Alabama’s loss to Florida State was a come-to-Jesus moment. The reaction from the players internally was very direct, and we will learn a lot on Saturday. Georgia is really good. They escaped Knoxville in an absolute heater against the Volunteers. I know a lot about Georgia, and I’ve seen a much better Alabama. They didn’t prepare properly for Florida State, but after that game, there was a lot of accountability from the players. That they didn’t play to the standard of Alabama, and I see a different team now, from an urgency perspective.
   
• Eli Drinkwitz is very underrated. He is a very smart man and knows who he is. His players love playing for him. They have great talent. Beau Pribula is playing well, and Ahmad Hardy has been a breakout player in the SEC. That offense has been a juggernaut. Baker was their defensive coordinator before he went to LSU. He is underappreciated. I’ve been high on him for a while, though now. When you get him in the locker room, he is uber intense and has no B.S.