The college football season is in full swing as Week 2 is in the books and the calendar moves to Week 3. The SEC has largely gotten off to a strong start over the early portion of the season as the 16 teams have combined for a 25-7 record. The conference has eight teams ranked in the top 16 of the latest edition of the AP Top 25 Poll.
While there has only been one conference matchup to this point - a matchup between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats last weekend - there will be three more in Week 3. Additionally, all 16 teams will be in action. Take a look at three players who could fail to perform well below.
3 SEC players who could be a bust in Week 3 of college football season
#1: Conner Weigman
Conner Weigman joined the Texas A&M Aggies as a five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. After playing well in nine games - eight of which were starts - over the past two seasons, he has struggled tremendously to begin the 2024 season. He has thrown for just 225 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing only 52.3% of his pass attempts. His struggles could continue in the Aggies' first SEC matchup of the season.
#2: Graham Mertz
Graham Mertz initially joined the Wisconsin Badgers as a four-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class before joining the Florida Gators via the transfer portal ahead of the 2023 season. While he had the best season of his collegiate career in 2023, he struggled in Week 1. He threw for just 91 yards, no touchdowns and one interception while completing 55.0% of his passes before leaving with a concussion late in the third quarter. Another poor performance could lead to the sixth-year senior losing his starting job to true freshman DJ Lagway.
#3: Payton Thorne
Payton Thorne initially joined the Michigan State Spartans as a three-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. He joined the Auburn Tigers via the transfer portal ahead of the 2023 season and struggled in his first year in the SEC. That has continued in 2024 as he has thrown for 487 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions while completing just 56.3% of his passes.
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