Week three of the NCAA football season saw no highly anticipated games on the slate. Many teams, such as WSU, played lower-level opponents as Conference play looms just one week away. 

Despite the lack of marquee matchups, there were still fireworks nationwide Saturday. Tempers flared throughout and near the end of games from Pullman to the Swamp of Florida. 

It could be something in the air on a random Saturday in the middle of September or something more like in the Colorado matchup. Regardless, the three notable fighting matchups of the weekend.

No. 19 Colorado vs. Colorado State 

Pac-12 after dark will be missed and this game proved that. After a circus of a week of back-and-forth between players and coaches alike, the new in-state rivals finally got after it. Before the game even started it was obvious that this was not a normal game. 

The two teams had to be separated at midfield before the game even started. Throughout the game, Colorado State had momentum and a multiple-possession lead late in the game, but with their 16 penalties throughout the game, Deion Sanders’ team stayed in it. 

Many people believed that the Rams played dirty, specifically when a defensive back took what looked like a cheap shot against Colorado’s Travis Hunter in the first quarter, leading to the receiver/defensive back hybrid taking a trip to the hospital. 

Not even a full minute later, a fumble led to offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The potentially dirty play ended up going both ways, with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders appearing to try to poke a Colorado State player in the eye later in the same game. 

After it was all said and done, the Buffs came out on top in double overtime 43-35 and kept their undefeated season up for one more week. 

No. 23 Tennessee vs. No. 25 Florida 

Florida, a preseason top 25 team, and Tennessee, one of the biggest surprises from 2022, was easily the best matchup going into the week, and the actual game did not disappoint. Playing at home, the Gators rode a 20-point second quarter to a big 29-16 upset victory. 

Trevor Etienne had 174 yards on the ground for Florida on 23 carries, proving far to elusive for the Volunteers to stand a chance in The Swamp. 

At the end of the game when it was already decided and over, a Tennessee player hit Florida QB Graham Mertz, which led to an altercation of just about everyone on Florida’s offense coming after the player. 

No. 21 WSU vs. Northern Colorado 

The Cougs took care of business in week three to start the year 3-0 and up to No. 21 in the AP Poll. Despite the ease of the win, there were some extra pushes and more aggressive blocking by players of both times at parts of the game. 

Late in the fourth quarter, with the game long decided, the biggest instance of extra shoving and even what appeared to be an attempted slap came out from the WSU sideline. 

Far from as serious as the two previous matchups fights, there was still some level of animosity between the two sidelines despite the result on the field.