(Rankings based off CFP Poll)
- (9) Ole Miss @ (2) Georgia - GameDay’s returning to the SEC for what will certainly be a great game. The Rebels from Oxford travel east to take on the Dawgs in Athens. Those Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since the 2021 SEC Championship game, and haven’t lost at Sanford Stadium in nearly 1,500 days. That was back in 2019. They’ve won 26 straight, the longest streak in all of football. As for Ole Miss, they’ve rattled off 5 straight wins since their only loss to Alabama. Ole Miss is looking for history, while Georgia is looking to extend their streak. They are in a stretch off tough games, and it stops after the Tennessee game next week, so we’ll see if Georgia overlooks this one and their play is affected. Regardless of how he’s had, however, Carson Beck has looked like a potential Heisman winner. Maybe not this year, but I could see him winning it next year. He’s thrown for 2,716 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 4 picks. In the two games without Brock Bowers, he’s thrown for 570 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s because players like Ladd McConkey, Oscar Delp, and Dominic Lovett. Starting with McConkey, he’s only played in 5 games due to an injury, but has gotten back to his 2022 form. He’s caught 22 balls for 337 yards and a touchdown so far this year. That touchdown came against Florida, angered he also had 135 yards. He had a near 100 yards game again last week with 95 yards. With Bowers out, Delp should get more targets as the new starting tight end. He’s caught 18 passes for only 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. He caught a key touchdown last week that separated Missouri and Georgia, at least for a little bit. Lovett also caught a touchdown last week. He has 39 catches for 400 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s only 2 catches behind Brock Bowers. Bowers has missed the last two games, but still leads all SEC tight ends with 567 yards. He also has 4 touchdowns. On top of the passing game for Georgia, their running game is potentially as good. Daijun Edwards leads the team with 633 yards and 8 touchdowns, all on 111 carries. Kendall Milton adds more depth to the Georgia offense, with 300 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. If Georgia goes into a two running backs formation, the Landsharks are going to struggle. They allow 366 yards per game, fourth worst in the SEC. However, they allow only 23 points per game. Georgia is the exact opposite, being at the top for both yards per game and points per game allowed. They allow 282 yards per game and 15.4 points per game. They’ve only sacked the quarterback 19 times this season, fourth worst in the SEC. That’s one stat Ole Miss’ defense is better at than Georgia, as they have 31 sacks, second in the conference and are tied for seventh in the country. However, Georgia are going to get plenty of opportunities to sack Jaxson Dart this game. He’s been sacked 20 times. However, Dart is a very good runner, so if Georgia gets close to him, it might not always come out to be a sack. He has 334 rush yards and 7 touchdowns, while throwing for 2,467 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. Dart’s been throwing darts to 3 different receivers, all of which have 600 or more yards. Tre Harris has 38 receptions for 750 yards and 7 touchdowns. He had some acrobatic catches last week in the win, and should jump into the top 5 receivers in the SEC. The second player is Jordan Watkins, who has 3 touchdowns and 627 yards off 44 receptions. While Tre Harris missed some time, Watkins stepped up. The third and final player over 600 receiving yards is Dayton Wade. Wade has 40 catches for 602 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dart has an array of receivers that are good, and he can also check it down to both backs, Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV. Both have a receiving touchdown, and Judkins has 119 yards. Judkins has 169 carries for 793 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Bentley has 388 and 3 touchdowns on 67 carries. Judkins leads the SEC in carries, while also being fourth in yards. Both Judkins and Bentley combined with Dart’s rushing production, Ole Miss is one of the better balanced teams on offense in the country. They average 479 yards per game, 298 through the air and 181 on the ground. All three stats are top 5 in the SEC. We’ve seen this scenario lots of times before. A team riding high takes on either Georgia or Alabama and they got the doors blown off them. It feels like Alabama does that to Ole Miss every year. That being said, Ole Miss makes it competitive, but Georgia still wins, 27-24. Odds: UGA -10.5, O/U 58.5
- (13) Tennessee @ (14) Missouri - With Missouri losing to Georgia, Tennessee needs to beat both in order to clinch the East. That’ll be a tough tasks, as Missouri’s only losses have came to ranked teams, while Tennessee has already been upset once this year. that could happen again this week, as Missouri has one of the best offenses in the SEC. They average 434 yards per game, fifth in the conference. The offense also averages 285 pass yards per game, which has the same ranking as the overall offense. Although their rush yards per game, which is 149 per game, isn’t top 5 in the SEC, Cody Schrader leads the conference in rushing yards. He has 919 yards and 10 touchdowns on 162 carries. He’s scored at least one touchdown in the last 6 games, and that’s should continue this week. Along with Schrader, two other players are on the top 5 in the conference for yards at their respective positions. One of those players is Brady Cook, who’s thrown for 2,470 yards. He also has 16 touchdowns to 5 picks. He’s also tacked on 5 rushing touchdowns. He played pretty good in this game last year, but the rest of the team did not. Cook threw 3 touchdowns and ran for 106 yards, but Missouri lost, 66-24. Cook had similar numbers to what he has now last season, so Cook is one of the reasons why Missouri has made this turnaround. Perhaps the biggest reason why Mizzou has made this turnaround is Luther Burden III. Burden has caught 64 passes for 958 yards and 7 touchdowns. It’s impressive to get one player in the top five for their position in their conference, let alone 2. But when you get 3, you know you’re doing something right. The Mizzou offense averages 32.4 points per game, fifth in the conference. Their defense isn’t half bad either. They allow 343 yards per game and 24 points per game. With standouts like Kris Abrams-Draine, Johnny Walker Jr., and Darius Robinson, Mizzou’s defense is scary. Abrams-Draine has 11 passing deflections and 4 picks on the year, and the pass deflections are tied for third in the country. Walker has 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, while Robinson leads the team with 5 and a half sacks. He also has 1 forced fumble. Tennessee has a potentially better defensive, allowing 18.4 points per game and 319.6 yards per game. They also have 30 sacks to Mizzou’s 27. Tennessee is the only team allowing less than 100 rush yards per game, at 97.3. However, two teams allow exactly 100 rush yards per game. In return, Tennessee has the best rushing offense in the country. They average 228 rush yards per game, first in the SEC and third in the country. They’re also the only team in the SEC with 2,000 total rushing yards. They have four main rushers, and all four of them are the only ones with double digit carries or triple digit yards. Jaylen Wright leads the team with 100 carries and 826 yards. He also has 3 touchdowns. Jabari Small has 82 carries for 415 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Dylan Sampson leads the team with 7 touchdowns. He also has 71 carries and 404 yards. The fourth and final player is Joe Milton III. Milton has ran for 265 yards and 5 touchdowns. All this rushing hasn’t taken away from Milton’s passing, as he’s thrown for 2,020 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. With the kind of arm strength he has though, if Tennessee was more of an air raid system, then Milton could easily have better numbers, but if it’s not broke, then don’t fix it. Squirrel White has been on a hit streak, with 46 catches and 560 yards. He only has 2 touchdowns, but they both came in the past three games. Both offenses and defenses are elite, and in a power struggle for second in the SEC East, both teams are going to be hungry for a win. Missouri gets that win behind a big game from Cook and Burden, 38-30. Odds: TENN -2.5, O/U 58.5
- (3) Michigan @ (10) Penn State - Just like the Ole Miss-Georgia game, it feels like every year, Penn State is rising up the rankings are have a good shot at beating either Michigan or Ohio State. However, they rarely do. Under James Franklin, Penn State is 13-23 against AP Top 25 teams. Two of those wins are on the road. It seems like the team is good, but not good enough. As for Michigan, their scandal has been the main talking point of their season, and with suspension looming for Jim Harbaugh, how well will Michigan be able to shut out the outside noise and deliver? Harbaugh has been suspended for the rest of the year, and because he was suspended in Friday, I doubt it affects much this week, but against Ohio StateStarting with Penn State, their main strength in offense is their duo of running backs that have looked like the best duo all season. Kaytron Allen has 119 carries for 573 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Nicholas Singleton has 121 carries for 480 yards and 7 touchdowns. Even though both have great numbers, Singleton’s longest rush is 20 yards, and Allen’s is 19 yards. Penn State has one of the best offensive lines in the country, but these backs aren’t able to break free for a big rush. They’ve been able to help out young quarterback Drew Allar, as Allar hasn’t been the most consistent this season. He’s thrown for 1,895 yards, and 20 touchdowns to only 1 pick. Even though he hasn’t turned it over that much, he’s had some games with his completion percentage being below 50%. One of those games was the matchup with Ohio State. If Allar can stay calm under pressure in this one, Penn State will have a very good chance at an upset. Penn State’s defense is also one of the better ones in the Big Ten, allowing only 12 points per game and 234.4 yards per game. Both are top 3 in the conference. Penn State also leads the conference in sacks, with 38. In second place is Nebraska, and they have 10 less at 28. One main player in the sack department is Chop Robinson, who was injured against Ohio State and hasn’t played since. James Franklin said he was hopeful for Robinson’s return this week, so hopefully he can go for this one. Jalen King is one of the best defensive backs on the country, while Penn State has one of the best secondaries. They allow 174 pass yards per game, which is fifth in the Big Ten, but 12th in the country. They also have allowed only 7 passing touchdowns all year, and have picked off opposing quarterbacks 10 times. Michigan might have a better secondary, leading the country in pass yards allowed. They allow 141 pass yards per game and have allowed 1,272 total pass yards this season. On top of that, they’ve allowed only 4 passing touchdowns and have 12 interceptions. Mike Sainristil leads the way with 3 picks, 2 of them going back for touchdowns. If Michigan can get after Drew Allar, Sainristil and others could have a field day. Michigan also allows only 6.7 points per game, best in the country. Michigan also has one of the best offenses in the country, with JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum. McCarthy is in consideration for the Heisman, but we’ve seen him have bad games against bad opponents, and Michigan hasn’t had a true test yet. McCarthy has thrown for 2,134 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 3 picks, while also running for 3 touchdowns. A majority of his passes have been going to Roman Wilson, who has 36 catches for 590 yards and 10 touchdowns. He started the year out hot, with 8 touchdowns throughout 5 games. He’s since cooled down, and while 10 touchdowns is still good, it’s not what we thought he has going to have at this points after his fast start. He did have his first game with 100 or more yards last week. As for Blake Corum, he’s been the second best running back this year, with 126 carries for 650 yards. That might not look like much, but he has 16 touchdown. Do you remember how good Donovan Edwards was last year? I do, but that’s feels like a fever dream at this point. He had 16 rushes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns last year in this matchup, but only has 230 yards and 2 touchdowns this year. Hopefully he can explode again this game like he did last season, because Michigan’s going to need all the help they can get. Penn State is going to make Michigan sweat, as this is Michigan’s first real test of the season. However, Michigan holds on after a clutch performance from Blake Corum, winning 42-35. Odds: MICH -4, O/U 44.5
- (18) Utah @ (5) Washington - Washington had some weird weeks prior to last week, but they delivered when they needed to most. As for Utah, we know that Cam Rising won’t play this year. Against Oregon, they struggled. Will that be the same case against Washington, or will the Utah that beats USC come out. Starting with Utah, Bryson Barnes is coming off a career performance. He didn’t have the yards, with only 161, but threw 4 touchdowns and no picks. he’s only played in 7 games this year, and has thrown for 930 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 picks. We all know how bad Utah’s offense has been without Cam Rising, and we say this even more evident against Oregon. Utah was held to just 6 points and 241 total yards. Barnes threw two picks. However, Utah came out and destroyed Arizona State, with 55 points and 513 yards. Utah also held the ball for 36 and a half minutes, allowing just 3 points and 83 total yards. ASU also had only 6 first downs. If Utah can have another dominant performance this week, they will definitely win, as Washington has a bad defense. However, I doubt Utah can hold Washington down to the levels of Arizona State, as Michael Penix Jr. is the frontrunner for the Heisman. I talk more about him in the Heisman section of this post, so go check that out. He leads the country with 3,200 yards, and is the only player with 3,000 or more passing yards. He also has 26 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He didn’t have to do a whole lot last week, as Dillon Johnson went off. It seems like Washington was just going to be one-dimensional this entire season, but as of late, the running game has been clicking. He had 26 rushes for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns, trouncing over the USC defense. On the year, Johnson has 113 carries for 686 yards and 10 touchdowns. Washington does most of their damage through the air, and I already talked about Michael Penix Jr. Rome Odunze has 56 carries for 990 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Ja’Lynn Polk has 51 catches for 888 yards and 8 touchdowns. They should both continue to have big games, as Penix doesn’t look like he’s slowing down. Jalen McMillan has been banged up, and is questionable for this one. Germie Bernard has been a up-and-coming player, and is only a sophomore, so he can be on Odunze levels by potentially next year. He has 21 catches for 290 yards and 1 touchdown, but has ran for two. As for Washington’s defense, it’s not as good as Utah’s. They allow 413 yards per game, but 23 points per game. Utah leads the Pac 12 in both of those stats, with 282 yards per game and 15.9 points per game. That’s .1 less points per game than second place, Oregon. At the end of the day, Washington’s offense is pretty much unstoppable, and the Huskies win, 45-39. Odds: WASH -8.5, O/U 49.5
- USC @ (6) Oregon - It finally happened. When I was thinking about writing this matchup, I was going to pose a certain question. It was, who’s the worst coordinator in college football? Brian Ferentz or Alex Grinch? We knew that Ferentz wouldn’t be coming back to Iowa after the season, but Grinch still had his job. He was fired on Sunday after a 52-42 loss to Washington at home. USC has allowed 436 yards per game and 34.5 points per game. Both are bottom three in the Pac 12. USC has allowed 34 or more points in their last 6 games, including the 52 last week. USC’s defense was bad last year, but not nearly as bad, and that’s why Caleb Williams won the Heisman. He hasn’t been the best in every try game this year, but still very good numbers. He’s thrown for 2,960 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s also ran for 10 touchdowns, tied for the most between FBS quarterbacks. Williams had 4 total touchdowns in the loss last week, and I think that only one loss is his fault, and that was the Notre Dame loss. He threw for 199 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 picks. He was also sacked 6 times that game, the most he’s been sacked this season. With players like Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice, Williams should continue to have good numbers. Washington has caught 43 passes for 830 yards and 6 touchdowns. Rice has 32 catches for 560 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rice has caught at least one touchdown in all but two games this season, so Oregon are going to want to slow him down to slow down USC’s offense. Another play Oregon is going to want to stop is Zachariah Branch. Even though he does have a lot of yards, with only 239, he has scored 4 different ways. He has 2 receiving touchdowns, 1 rushing, 1 punt return, and 1 kickoff return touchdown. He’s practically like a Swiss Army knife when it comes to scoring. Oregon has a great receiver of their own. That’s Troy Franklin, who’s caught 58 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns. The next closest player to Franklin is Tez Johnson, who has 600 yards. He also has 46 receptions and 6 touchdowns. He’s being teaming up with high school teammate Bo Nix all season, as this is Johnson’s first year I. Eugene. Nix has thrown for 2,720 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He’s also ran for 5 touchdowns. Franklin and Johnson are big reasons why Nix is in my Heisman candidates list, and I wrote more about him in that section, so go check that out. Both teams are pretty balanced, as Oregon averages 330.6 pass yards per game and 209 rushing yards per yards per game, third and first in the Pac 12, respectively. USC is fourth and sixth, averaging 327 pass yards per game and 159 rush yards per game. For Oregon, Bucky Irving is third in the conference with 821 yards. He also has 119 carries and 9 touchdowns. On top of that, he has 35 catches for 286 yards and a receiving touchdowns. He’s the fourth highest receiver for Oregon in terms of yards. Jordan James has 70 carries for 545 yards and 9 touchdowns. When Oregon gets down into the red zone, James does most of his damage. He has 18 carries for 106 yards and 7 touchdowns in the red zone. As for USC, Marshawn Lloyd is fourth in the Pac 12, with 766 yards. He also has 99 rushes and 8 touchdowns. Austin Jones is the RB2, with 61 carries first 385 yards and 5 touchdowns. He might have to step up again, as Lloyd missed last week and is day to day for this matchup. Jones did a pretty good job last week, with 127 yards off 11 carries. He didn’t have a touchdown, but he needs to get into the end zone in this one for USC to stay in the game. He’s going to have a tough time getting in though, as Oregon only allows 97 rush yards per game and have allowed 4 rushing touchdowns all year. In total, Oregon allows 302 yards per game and 16 points per game, second and third in the Pac 12, respectively. As this is the first time under Lincoln Riley that USC is not ranked, combined with the fact a coaching change won’t solve their defensive struggles overnight is a driving reason for me picking Oregon to win, 45-40 Odds: ORE -16, O/U 76.5
- (8) Alabama @ Kentucky - This might seem like a little too high of a placement, but I think otherwise. After 3 straight tough losses, Kentucky demolished Mississippi State last week, 24-3. Ray Davis has carried the Kentucky offense, with 148 carries for 900 yards and 9 touchdowns. He’s second in the SEC for rushing yards, and third for carries. He’s been doing most of the work on offense, because Devin Leary has not looked like his old self. He’s thrown for 1,905 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He’s completed 57.4% of his passes, which is the worst of his career since his freshman year. In his past 5 games, he’s only thrown for more than 200 yards once. He’s been banged up a little bit, but will be starting this week. Players like Tayvion Robinson and Dane Key have struggled based off Leary’s recent play. Robinson has 31 catches for 460 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Key has 28 catches for 430 yards and 4 touchdowns. In those 5 games, Robinson had 15 catches for 200 yards and no touchdowns. Key had 18 catches for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense is pretty mediocre, allowing 347 yards per game, which is seventh in the SEC, and 22 points per game, sixth in the conference. Malik Hairston leads the SEC in picks, with 5. He’s returned 3 back for touchdowns. Alabama’s defense is much better, allowing 18 points per game, second in the conference, and 325.4 yards per game, fourth in the conference. Bama is fourth in the conference with 29 sacks. Dallas Turner is tied for second in the conference with 7 sacks, while Chris Braswell is right behind him with 6.5. On offense, Jalen Milroe is a Heisman candidate, at least in my opinion. I talk more about him down there, so go check that out. He’s thrown for 1,836 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 picks. He does most of his damage on the ground, however. He’s ran for 300 yards, but 9 touchdowns. If he can put together a few more solid games, he can be a Heisman finalist. Most of his passes have gone to Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond, who both have really came into their own as of late. Burton has caught 26 passes for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns, but had a slow game against LSU last week. He caught 3 passes for only 29 yards, but Bond stepped up. Bond caught 5 passes for 60 yards. He has 28 catches for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year. Depending if Milroe beats Kentucky’s defense with his arms or legs, Bond and Burton will either have a big game, or a mediocre game. It won’t matter how Milroe, Bond, or Burton play, as Alabama’s defense gets the job done, 24-13. Odds: ALA -11, O/U 47.5
- Duke @ (24) North Carolina - This game was a fun one last year, and shouldn’t disappoint this year either. Duke was on top of the world after upsetting Clemson back in week one, and since star quarterback Riley Leonard suffered an injury at the end of the Notre Dame game, Duke has struggled. The Notre Dame game was Duke’s first loss, and they’ve lost two since. They were shut out against Louisville, and Riley Leonard looked horrible. I stated earlier that he got injured after the Notre Dane loss, but he actually played two more games afterwards. Those just so happened to be the two other losses for Duke. Against Florida State, he threw for 69 yards and 1 pick before going out after reaggravated the same injury. He completed only 43.8% of his passes, but if you think that’s bad, wait for his stats against Louisville. He did have 121 yards, but a pick and completed only 39.1% of his passes. For the past 3 games that Leonard has played in, he’s completed less than 45% of his passes, as he had a 44.4% completion percentage against Notre Dame. He also ran for a combined 26 yards on 11 carries against FSU and Louisville. Leonard is expected to miss some time with the toes injury, so he won’t be playing in this one, just like last week. Grayson Loftis started last week, throwing for 86 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. He also struggled when it came to completing passes, with a 36.8% completion percentage. Henry Belin IV started in a game earlier this season, and he completed 33.3% of his passes. Duke has a quarterback problem, but North Carolina doesn’t. Drake Maye is on the best quarterbacks in college, as he’s thrown for 2,800 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 5 picks. The yards are fourth in the country and first in the ACC. Maye would be in my Heisman candidates, but he started off slow, and didn’t always look the best in the two upset losses. Maye’s also ran for 254 yards and 6 touchdowns. Last year, Maye led UNC in rushing yards. This year, it’s Omarion Hampton. He’s ran for 1,070 yards, leading the ACC in rushing yards. Just like Maye, he’s also fourth in the country. Hampton also has 12 touchdowns on 175 carries. Duke also has great running back, and that’s Jordan Waters. Waters has 101 carries for 564 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s had a bit of a slump the past few weeks, and that’s indicative of Duke’s season since the Notre Dame loss. Maye and Hampton run all over Duke’s defense, which hasn’t happened a lot this year. They allow only 150 rush yards per game, and 16 points per game, best in the ACC. UNC wins, 34-26. Odds: UNC -13, O/U 51.5
- Florida @ (19) LSU - After two straight losses, Florida looks like they don’t have a shot at a bowl game. They got destroyed by Georgia, and most people have this season. However, they followed that up with a 3 point loss to a 2 win Arkansas team. They have a ranked LSU team this week, and have Missouri and Florida State up next. That’s a very low shot at making a bowl game, but with the way Graham Mertz has been playing, they might have a shot at pulling at least one upset. He’s thrown for 2,410 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only 2 picks. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. The past two years, Mertz threw double digit picks both seasons. He’s having the best year of his career, and it’s not even close. Even in the losses, he hasn’t played that bad. He’s been one of the most underrated players in an all of college football, and another one is Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall has caught 55 passes for 770 yards and 4 touchdowns. Eugene Wilson is tied with Pearsall in touchdowns, and he also has 45 catches for 416 yards. Arlis Boardingham also has 4 touchdowns. The Florida rushing game is also good, as the duo of Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne have been one of the best. Johnson has 106 carries for 555 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Etienne has 88 carries for 530 yards and 4 touchdowns. Florida averages only 134.4 rush yards per game, but has 14 rushing touchdowns. LSU, however, averages 212 rush yards per game, and has 24 touchdowns on the ground. Jayden Daniels, a Heisman candidate, has 6 of those rushing scores. He also has 684 yards on the ground. Along with Daniels, Logan Diggs makes this rushing offense click. He has 113 carries for 635 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s thrown for 2,790 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 4 picks. I talk more about him in the Heisman section of this post, so go check that out. He has two top tier receivers, those being Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Nabers has 66 catches for 1,150 yards and 19 touchdowns. Thomas uas 45 catches for 768 yards and 11 touchdowns. They are big reasons why LSU averages 544.6 yards per game, best in the country. The defense doesn’t have the same story, as they allow 407.4 yards per game and 28 points per game, both third worst in the SEC. This should be a high scoring game, but LSU’s offense is just slightly better, and they win, 38-28. Odds: LSU -15, O/U 67.5
- (7) Texas @ TCU - After surviving 2 straight weeks with backup quarterback Maalik Murphy, Texas will look to survive and advance again. Ewers will return for this game, however. They won the first game, 35-6. Murphy didn’t play bad, but Jonathan Brooks had a big game. He had another one last week, and both Brooks and TCU’s back should have a big game. Brooks has ran for 1,035 yards and 8 touchdowns on 166 carries. While Quinn Ewers has been out, he’s carried most of the load on offense. For TCU, it’s been Emani Bailey, who has 165 carries for 910 yards and 4 touchdowns. While Chandler Morris has been out, he’s been carrying the load on offense. Josh Hoover has been starting in place of Morris, throwing for 1,150 yards, but 7 touchdowns to 7 picks. Morris was available to use last week against Texas Tech, but only in an emergency situation. The same thing is probably going to happen this week. Hoover struggled last week, throwing for 350 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks. He could have a lot more, as the Texas Tech defense dropped some and had one pick called back from a penalty. He doesn’t have bad receivers, but not the best either. JP Richardson leads the team with 440 yards. He also has 2 touchdowns on 33 catches. Unlike TCU, Texas has a great group of receivers. Xavier Worthy leads the team with 620 yards, and he also has 4 touchdowns on 49 carries. On top of that, he returned a punt for a touchdown two weeks ago. Adonai Mitchell has 37 catches for 576 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jonathan Brooks is also a good pass catcher out of the back field, with 212 yards and a touchdown on 22 catches. Along with Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Whittington having solid numbers, TCU’s secondary is going to have a tough time keeping up. Texas wins, 30-20. Odds: TEX -12, O/U 55.5
- Miami @ (4) Florida State - Florida State have already clinched a spot in the ACC championship game, and look like a lock for the playoff. However, they need to avoid upsets this week, and in the ACC title game to make it there. Miami is the toughest team left in their regular season schedule, but have been slipping as of late. They had a stupid playcall that costed them the Georgia Tech game, then lost by 10 to North Carolina. They then had 2 overtime wins over Clemson and Virginia before getting destroyed on the road last week. They stay on the road this week, and Tyler Van Dyke has struggled on the road. When away from home, he’s thrown for 784 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. At home, he’s thrown for 1,273 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. That means that he’s thrown for 2,057 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He was horrible last week, with 21/38 passing, 173 yards, and 3 picks. In total, Miami turned the ball over 4 times, and lost 20-6. His completion percentage that game, which was 55.3%, was the worst of the year. But it’s not like he has bad receivers. Xavier Restrepo has 60 catches for 680 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Jacolby George has 41 catches for 554 yards and 5 touchdowns. There’s also Colbie Young, who has 36 catches for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns. All 3 are big reasons why Van Dyke is fifth in passing yards in the ACC. Miami is an old and experienced team, and another example of that is Henry Parrish Jr. He has 77 carries for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns. This is his fourth year in college, and second at Miami. Florida State is also a very experienced team. Jordan Travis is in his sixth year of college, while Akron Coleman is in his third. Johnny Wilson is in his fourth, while Trey Benson is also in his third. Benson has 97 carries for 640 yards and 8 touchdowns. Combined with his play and mediocre games from Travis, he’s been knocked out of my Heisman contention, but he still has good numbers. He’s thrown for 2,470 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also has 7 rushing touchdowns. Keon Coleman, one the best transfers in college football, has caught 48 passes for 540 yards and 9 touchdowns. He’s teamed up with Johnny Wilson, who has 25 catches for 415 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wilson has only played in 5 games, and hasn’t played since the Duke win. Coleman also didn’t play last week in the win over Pitt. It looks like they won’t play this game, and that’s hurts their chances in this rivalry game. Florida State’s defense will also help out, and they allow only 17 points per game. Both have top 5 offenses in the ACC, and I think Miami gets the advantage there with FSU’s injuries. But Travis works his magic, and FSU’s defense does just the right amount, and gift after Van Dyke all game. Florida State wins, 33-17. Odds: FSU -14, O/U 51.5
- West Virginia @ (17) Oklahoma - After two straight losses, OU is looking to bounce back against a sneaky good West Virginia game. WVU are 6-3, and are looking to cause chaos. Garrett Greene hasn’t played in 2 games, but he’s thrown for 1,545 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He’s also ran for 430 yards and 8 touchdowns. Along with CJ Donaldson Jr., WVU has one of the best rushing attacks in the Big 12. Donaldson has ran for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns on 147 carries. West Virginia averages 218 rush yards per game, third best in the Big 12. However, that comes at a cost. I wrote earlier about Greene’s passing stats, but WVU averages 201.4 pass yards per game, worst in the conference. They do have the lowest picks as a team in the conference. On the other side of that, they have the lowest completion percentage in the conference, with 54.9%. West Virginia’s leading receiver, Devin Carter, has only 414 yards. WVU has a top 5 defense in the conference as well, allowing 367 yards per game and 24 points per game. As for Oklahoma, they also have a great defense. They allow 20 points per game and 382.6 yards per game. Danny Stutsman didn’t play last week, but still leads the team with 73 tackles. That’s third in the Big 12. He should play this week. On offense, Dillon Gabriel is barely holding on to his Heisman hopes. He’s thrown for 2,646 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 5 picks. He’s also ran for 290 yards and 8 touchdowns. In the two losses, he’s struggled. He’s thrown 1 touchdown to 2 picks, but has ran for 3 touchdowns and 515 yards, but the touchdown to interception ratio is not where you want it to be. He has talent receivers too. Jalil Farooq, Drake Stoops, and Nic Anderson, all have around 500 yards, or more. Anderson has 8 touchdowns, while Stoops has 52 catches. Farooq leads the team in yards with 550. OU gets back to their old ways, 27-17. Odds: OU -11.5, O/U 59.5
- Georgia Tech @ Clemson - Georgia Tech and Clemson are both looking for bowl eligibility, and Georgia Tech has been the upset king this year. They’ve nearly beaten Louisville back in week one, and have upset both Miami and North Carolina. They have a king of their own, and he’s been lighting up the scoreboard. Haynes King has thrown for 2,330 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 10 picks. He also has ran for 545 yards and 5 touchdowns. King still has two years of eligibility, so he could potentially be in Heisman talks come next season. He has two main targets, Eric Singleton Jr. and Malik Rutherford. Singleton has 33 catches for 552 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Rutherford has 37 catches for 432 yards and 3 touchdowns. I wrote earlier about Hayne’s rushing stats, and even though he has good numbers, he doesn’t lead the team. That’s a different Haynes, Jamal Haynes. He’s ran for 664 yards and 6 touchdowns on 115 carries. He had a big game last week, with 17 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. It’s going to be a battle of running backs, between Haynes and Clemson’s Phil Mafah. Mafah has 109 carries for 625 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’s been one of the best duo’s in the country at running back with Will Shipley, but he didn’t play last week, and should play this week. Shipley has 112 carries for 515 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also has 2 receiving touchdowns. Shipley hasn’t scored as much as he did his first two years, but Phil Mafah wasn’t as good this year as he was the last two. They’ve helped out young quarterback Cade Klubnik, who’s struggled at times. He’s thrown for 2,056 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. He played very bad game last week, going 13/26 for 109 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. However, the rest of the team stepped up and won the game for the Tigers. Mafah had two touchdowns, while Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned an interception for a touchdown. He’s been a standout on defense for the Tigers, leading the team in total tackles, with 65. He also has 3.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, and 2 picks. He also has 2 forced fumbles. Clemson allows only 264 yards per game, which is first in the ACC. They also allow 21.2 points per game, sixth in the conference. Clemson’s defense is one of the best in the ACC, and Haynes King is going to struggle. However, his supporting cast catapults the Yellow Jackets to another upset, 24-14. Odds: CLEM -14, O/U 54.5
- Maryland @ Nebraska - Maryland has been on a tilt since starting 5-0, and both teams are looking for one more win for bowl eligibility. After starting out hot, they took on Ohio State on the road, and lost. They have lost 3 more games afterwards, including a 51-15 loss to Penn State last week. Taulia Tagovailoa hasn’t played bad, with 2,470 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 7 picks. He’s also ran for 4 touchdowns. He threw for 286 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 pick in the blowout loss last week. He wasn’t the problem, as it was the rushing game that couldn’t get anything going. They had -49 yards on 16 attempts, and the leading rusher, Bill Edwards Jr., had only 4 yards. He’s also the backup quarterback, and threw a pick last week as well. Roman Hemby, the leading rusher, had 5 attempts for no yards last week. He has 93 carries for 440 yards and 4 touchdowns. The rushing game needs to be better this game if Maryland wants a shot at bowl eligibility. Nebraska is the exact opposite of Maryland, as they are primarily a rushing team. Heinrich Haarberg took over for Jeff Sims after an injury, and hasn’t played exceptional, but not bad either. He’s thrown for just 970 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 6 picks. However, he’s the leading rusher for Nebraska, with 118 carries for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s coming off of three bad games, at least in my opinion. He threw 1 touchdown and 2 picks in the win over Northwestern, but did run for 72 yards and a touchdown. He threw for only 85 yards. He then threw 2 touchdowns in the win over Purdue, but lost a handful of fumbles. He then threw 2 picks last week in a loss. He hasn’t had a game in which he’s completed 60% or more of his passes, including 3 games where he’s completed less than 50%. Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 185.4 rush yards per game, while Taulia Tagovailoa leads the conference in passing yards. Maryland gets it done a stop their four game skid, 27-10. Odds: MD -2.5, O/U 42.5
- Iowa State @ BYU - For the third straight matchup, both teams are 5-4 and looking for bowl eligibility. Both have tough matchups after this game, so this will probably be one team’s last chance to get to a bowl game. BYU are coming off two blowout losses to Texas and West Virginia, and 3 of their 4 losses were blowouts. Iowa State’s defense is one of the best in the Big 12, so if they get up, it’s going to be harder for BYU to come back. Kedon Slovis has thrown for 1,716 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, and has ran for 3 touchdowns. However, he’s done most of this on a 57.5% completion percentage. Because BYU doesn’t run the ball that much, Slovis is practically the whole offense. BYU has 247 total carries for only 717 yards and 80 rushing yards per yards per game. All three stats are at the bottom of the Big 12. LJ Martin leads the team in rushing with 438 yards and 4 touchdowns on 96 carries. I doubt that their rushing struggles will change this week, as they allow 330 yards per game, best in the Big 12, and 21 points per game, fourth in the conference. Jeremiah Cooper leads the Big 12 with 5 picks. They’re not the worst on offense either. Rocco Becht is top 5 in the conference in passing yards, with 1,920 yards. He also has 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. At the end of the day, ISU’s defense is one of the best, and they shut down BYU, winning 37-16. Odds: ISU -8, O/U 40.5
- (21) Arizona @ Colorado - Once the center of college football, Coach Prime and Colorado have fallen flat on their faces. Everyone knows about Colorado’s season, so I’m not going to go over it here. Shedeur Sanders has the third most passing yards, with 2,880 yards. He also has 24 touchdowns and 3 picks. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. He’s done all of this on 45 sacks, the most in the country. He’s made Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. go from talented new arrivals to stars. Weaver has 60 catches for 780 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Horn has 52 catches for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. There’s also Travis Hunter, the best two way player in the country. He’s caught 40 passes for 460 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also totaling 3 picks. However, the defense has mainly struggled. They allow 469 yards per game and 34 points per game, both bottom three in the Pac 12. They’ve also struggled in the rushing game. Dylan Edwards leads the team in rush yards, with 270 yards. However, He has 250 receiving yards. When your top back is a better receiver than rusher, you know you have a problem. As for Arizona, their defense and rushing game is not nearly as bad. Jonah Coleman leads the team with 565 yards. He also has 3 touchdowns on 93 carries. In defense, they allow 20 points per game and 335 yards per game, both top 5 in the conference. Jacob Manu has 75 total tackles, second most in the Pac 12. He also has 3.5 sacks. Taylor Upshaw has 7.5, third in the conference. They should both get multiple sacks against Sanders. Back to the offense, Noah Fifita has been great since taking over for Jayden de Laura. Fifita has thrown for 1,520 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He only a freshman, and could make noise for the Heisman later in his career. He also has a great pair of receivers, Tetairoa McMillan and Jacob Cowing. McMillan has 52 catches for 750 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Cowing has caught 69 passes for 510 yards and 9 touchdowns. Cowing has gone for over 1,000 yards twice in his career, and although it looks like he won’t make it to that mark this season, he’s still very talented. Arizona has had an incredible rise, and are bowl eligible for the first time since 2017. Arizona pushed Colorado’s back to the walls, and the Wildcats win, 37-24. Odds: ARIZ -10, O/U 54.5
- Auburn @ Arkansas - After 7 long weeks, Arkansas finally won a game. It was also their first ever win in the swamp. They won 39-36, and it was their sixth one score game this season. Raheim Sanders has only played in four games, and that’s destroyed this offense. He came back last week, and ran the ball 18 times for 103 yards. Along with the offensive coordinator being fired, Arkansas went from scoring 3 points in week 8 to 39 two weeks later. While Sanders has been out, KJ Jefferson has taken over and leads the team in rushing. He has 290 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s thrown for 1,800 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. In 2021 and 2022, he threw a combined 9 picks. This year, he’s one away from tying that mark. Those numbers need to be lowered if Arkansas wants a chance at bowl eligibility. As for Auburn, they’re on a two game winning streak, and much like the rest of their season, the rushing game has reigned supreme. Jarquez Hunter has 636 yards and 7 touchdowns on 108 carries, while both quarterbacks have also added to the rushing game. Payton Thorne has 337 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Robby Ashford has 188 yards and 5 touchdowns. Thorne is the starter, and he’s thrown for 1,270 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 6 picks. He’s improved as of lately, but he’s had only one game before this recent winning streak where he went over 200 yards, and that’s was against a FCS team. This has hurt no other player or group of players more than Auburn’s receivers. Jay Fair leads the team in both catches and receiving yards, with 28 and 284, respectively. Only three other players have more than 100 yards. Both offenses have been bad this season, but Arkansas’ resurgence coming from last week gives them the 24-10 win. Odds: ARK -2, O/U 48.5
- Rutgers @ (22) Iowa - Iowa is looking to keep their lead in the Big Ten West, while Rutgers have already clinched a bowl game, and can just cause chaos at this point. We all know how bad Iowa’s offense has been. Their top 3 players are out for the rest of the year, and that’s just made it tougher. Deacon Hill, the new quarterback after Cade McNamara went down, hasn’t played well. He’s thrown for 490 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s completed only 41.6% of his passes, including a game where he went 6/21. That’s a completion percentage of 28.6%. With the top 2 pass catches out, Diante Vines has been the rare Iowa receiver catching a pass. He has 12 receptions for 134 yards and 1 touchdown. The leading rusher for Iowa, Leshon Williams, has 110 carries for 550 yards. However, he has only 1 touchdown. Iowa’s defense has been carrying the Hawkeyes, but how far can they get them? They’re going to have a tough time against Kyle Monangai and Gavin Wimsatt. Monangai has 168 carries for 900 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Wimsatt has tacked on 410 yards and 7 touchdowns. Monangai leads the Big Ten in both carries and yards, and is tied for third with Wimsatt and two other players for the most rushing touchdowns. Wimsatt has thrown for 1,260 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 picks on the year. He has completed only 49% of his passes, but outside of that, he’s been pretty good. Rutgers also allow only 18 points per game and 282.6 yards per game, both are top 5 in the Big Ten. They’re going to have a big game, and Rutgers’ offense does just enough to give them the upset win, 17-8. The under, by the way, is scary. Odds: IOWA -1.5, O/U 28.5
- Mississippi State @ Texas A&M - In what could be the most depressing game of the SEC slate this Saturday, as Will Rogers is day to day, but Texas A&M is fighting for a bowl appearance. They started out 4-1, but have since fallen to 5-4. They came back last week, and were close to upsetting Ole Miss. However, their game tying kick at the end of the game was blocked. Max Johnson has taken over for Conner Weigman, and he’s thrown for 1,450 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He’s also ran for 2 touchdowns. Johnson threw for 305 yards last week, along with 1 touchdown and 1 pick. He also ran for a touchdown. Unlike their other two losses, this loss for Texas A&M still hurts, but not as much as the others. He has two great receivers, Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart. Smith has caught 39 passes for 650 yards and a touchdowns but he’s also returned a punt for a touchdown. He has 17 punt returns for 267 yards, both the best in the SEC. Stewart has 37 catches for 506 yards and 4 touchdowns. The reason I call this game the most depressing one in the SEC this week is because of Mississippi State. Without Will Rogers, they’ve scored a total of 23 points in 3 games. Mike Wright has thrown for 385 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 picks. The offense will definitely be better if Rogers plays, but we will have to wait and see. Rogers has thrown for 1,275 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 picks. Lideatrick Griffin has caught 38 passes for 554 yards and 3 touchdowns, and should help out either Mike Wright or a potentially still injured Will Rogers. As for the defense, Mississippi State’s defense is nowhere near Texas A&M’s. The Bulldogs allow 362 yards and 26 points per game, both bottom 5 in the SEC. As for A&M, they allow just 297 yards per game and 21.6 points per game. Both stats are top 5 in the conference. On top of that, they have 34 sacks, top of the SEC and is tied for third in the country. A&M’s defense is going to get after whoever the quarterback is for Mississippi State all night, and the Aggies win, 35-14. Odds: TA&M -17.5, O/U 42.5
- Virginia Tech @ Boston College - Both of these teams have found their identity since the start of the season, and all though it hasn’t always worked out, it’s been pretty good. For Virginia Tech, that’s been letting the offense play through Kyron Jones. He’s thrown for 1,305 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He’s also ran for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns. Along with Bhayshul Tuten, who has 121 carries for 535 yards and 4 touchdowns, Virginia Tech averages 152 rush yards per game, but Boston College is even better. They average 210.6 rush yards per game, best in the ACC. Thomas Castellanos leads the team with 760 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also thrown for 1,714 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 7 picks. BC started out 1-3, and their only win was by 3 points over a FCS opponent. Along with Castellanos, Kye Robichaux makes a scary BC offense. He has 122 carries for 565 yards and 6 touchdowns. Both teams are going to do what they do best, and that’s running the ball. BC gets it done, and advance to 7-3. They win, 27-21. Odds: VT -1.5, O/U 49.5
- Northwestern @ Wisconsin - Wisconsin is very close to breaking their streak of 21 straight years without a losing season. They’re sitting 5-4, with 2 straight losses and have lost 3 of their last 4. Running back Chez Mellusi has been out for the rest of the year since the injury against Purdue. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai hasn’t played the past 3 games either with a hand injury that he had surgery for. Braedyn Locke threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss to Indiana last week. However, he only completed 51.2% of his passes. On the year, he has a 50% completion percentage, but 777 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 pick. He’s played in only 4 games. Braelon Allen also didn’t play last week. He has 130 carries for 754 yards and 8 touchdowns. Hopefully both Allen and Mordecai can play this week, but if they can’t, it’s going to be a whole lot easier for Northwestern’s defense. They allow 331 yards and 24 points per game, which are both around the middle of the Big Ten. They’re coming off a close loss to Iowa, but Northwestern’s offense didn’t reach the end zone until 1 minute and 50 seconds remained. The Wildcats had only 170 total yards and went 6/17 of third downs. Notyhwent played at Wrigley Field last week, and 17 combined points were scored. That was the seventh highest scoring game at Wrigley Field in 2023, and the top 6 came from Cubs games. Northwestern has to turn around their offensive production in this one, because otherwise Wisconsin will win another game. Regardless of if Northwestern turns it around and who plays for Wisconsin, the Badgers still win, 24-10. Odds: WIS -11.5, 0/U 42.5
- Cincinnati @ Houston - The “Big 12 Mid Game of the Week” is back. Both are newcomers to the conference, and neither have been good, or even competitive in one team’s case. That team is Cincinnati, who are the only winless team in Big 12 play. On top of that, Cincy is one of three teams in Power 5 that have yet to win a game in conference. The thing is, Cincinnati has playmakers on offense. Corey Kiner has ran for 756 yards and 8 touchdowns on 138 carries, while Xzavier Henderson has 46 catches for 630 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. However, one of the reasons why they haven’t won a conference game yet in Emory Jones. He’s thrown for 1,818 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He occasionally has good games, but they’re very rare. Another big reason is their defense, allowing 28 points per game. Both Jones and the defense have much to improve on, but unlike Cincinnati, their quarter isn’t the problem. Donovan Smith has thrown for 2,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 7 picks. He’s also ran for 253 yards and 5 touchdowns. His passing yards are second in the Big 12. Their defense is the problem, allowing 416 yards per game. That’s second worst in the Big 12. They also allow 31.6 points per game, worst in the conference. Both teams have to fix things, but the fate of your game is based off your quarterback, and how well they play. If you have a good quarterback, you’re most likely going to play better. That being said, Houston wins, 31-20. Odds: HOU -2.5, O/U 53.5
- NC State @ Wake Forest - NC state is one of the more underrated teams in the ACC, while Wake Forest can’t catch a break. Starting with the Wolfpack, they’re 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play. While they have practically no shot at making to the ACC Championship game, they are bowl eligible. Their offense is in a weird spot though. MJ Morris took over for Brennan Armstrong before the Marshall game, and Armstrong hasn’t been put back in as the starter yet. However, Armstrong still leads the team with 971 yards. Morris has only 719, 7 touchdowns, and 5 picks. Armstrong has been getting active in the running game, and still leads the team with 337 yards. He hasn’t thrown a pass since he was benched, but has ran for 56 yards. NC State averages 318 yards per game, second worst in the ACC. Their offense needs to be turned around, because NC State needs every win they can get. Wake Forest is also in that same boat, trying to reach bowl eligibility. They’re 4-5, but have lost 5 of their last 6. A big reason why is Mitch Griffis. He’s thrown for 1,534 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He’s also been sacked 32 times, which is tied for the seventh most in college football. Henry was alright last week, throwing for 241 yards and a pick, while running for 2 touchdowns on the ground. wake was close to beating Duke, but folded near the end of the game. Their defense allows 24.4 points per game, which isn’t too bad, but is bottom fifth in the ACC. Wake only averages 22 points per game on offense. In only 24 minutes and 44 seconds, NC State dominated Miami, forcing 4 turnovers. They should do the same this week, as they win, 24-17. Odds: NCSU -2, O/U 42.5
- (15) Oklahoma State @ UCF - Oklahoma State must be on top of this world. They started 2-2, but have won 5 straight, including a win over rival Oklahoma last week. Ollie Gordon is the main reason for this turnaround, leading the country in rushing yards, with 1,224. I talk more about him in the Heisman candidates section of this post, so go check that out. A more underrated reason why is Alan Bowman. He hasn’t been the flashiest, but what he does works. After being picked as the starter after Mike Gundy played all 3 in the first three games, it looks like Gundy made the right decision. He’s thrown for 1,914 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 picks. He didn’t throw for any touchdowns or an interception last week, but had 334 yards and a rushing touchdown. If Bowman can keep doing what he’s been doing, Oklahoma State will be in the Big 12 title game. However, their defense isn’t as good as the offense. They allow the most yards per game, at 418.4. However, they allowed only 24 points per game, fifth best in the league conference. As for UCF, they also have a great running back. RJ Harvey has ran for 876 yards and 9 touchdowns on 146 carries. He’s not on the same level as Ollie Gordon, but he’s still pretty good. John Rhys Plumlee missed some time with injury, and has been inconsistent since coming back. He’s thrown for 1,270 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He’s also ran for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns. Both Harvey and Plumlee should give Oklahoma State’s defense a headache, but the inconsistency from Plumlee and great play from Ollie Gordon gives Oklahoma State the 37-13 win. Odds: OKST -2.5, O/U 66.5
- Washington State @ Cal - Of all teams so far this season, I think Washington State might’ve had the worst fall off. They started 4-0, with upset wins over Wisconsin and Oregon State, but have since lost 5 straight. Their last two losses are probably the worst, as they lost to a then 1-6 Arizona State team and were nearly 14 point favorites over Stanford. Cam Ward hasn’t been the best through the stretch, but definitely not the worst. He has thrown for 2,770 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He’s also ran for 5 touchdowns. He hasn’t had a multiple touchdown game in the 5 losses, and didn’t even throw a touchdown in the loss to Arizona. Something of note is that Ward is sixth in the country in pass attempts. That takes away from the running game, as Nakia Watson has only 68 carries. Ward leads the team with 85. Watson also has 204 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wazzu has a bottom five defense in the Pac 12, allowing 420.6 yards per game and 28.6 yards per game. Cal has an up and down offense. They’ve scored a lot of points against teams much better than Wazzu, but have also scored low amounts of points to other teams. They’ve scored 49 against USC, 32 against Washington, and 49 against Oregon State. However, they’ve also put up 14 against Utah, 19 against Oregon, and only 10 to Auburn. All of these games have been losses. It feels like any week, high scoring Cal could show up, or low scoring Cal could. Jaydn Ott has ran for 847 yards and 9 touchdowns on 145 carries, while Isaiah Ifanse has 7 touchdowns. It looked like Cal was going to contend with Oregon all game, but the Ducks pulled ahead, leaving Cal in the dust. Cal has a worse defense, allowing 427.6 yards per game and 37 points per game. Ward and Washington State finally bounce back, winning 34-17. Odds: CAL -2.5, O/U 59.5
- Baylor @ (25) Kansas State - Both teams are looking to bounce back after close overtime losses. For Kansas State, they had some questionable calls, but still played well enough to come back from down 20 at one point in the third quarter. Will Howard had a great game, throwing for 330 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. On the year, Howard has 1,955 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 8 picks. He’s also ran for 300 yards and 6 touchdowns. He spilt some time with Avery Johnson before this week, but Johnson only threw one pass last week. Things should look more like this the rest of the season. K-State also runs the ball pretty well. DJ Giddens leads the way with 744 yards and 7 touchdowns on 125 carries. Look for him to have a big game. as for Baylor, they lost on a two point conversion in overtime. Even though the game wasn’t high scoring, Baylor put up a lot of yards. they had 413, and 292 of them came from Blake Shapen. Shapen has only played in 6 games due to injury, but has still thrown for 1,740 yards. He also has 8 touchdowns to 2 picks. On top of that, he’s ran for 3 touchdowns. Their defense struggled, but they’ve done that a lot this year. They allowed 395 yards per game, fifth worst in the Big 12. They’ve allowed 29.4 points per game, which is third worst. This is one of those games that are on ESPN+ and you won’t watch unless you’re a fan of either team. Baylor fans are also going to turn off the TV, as Kansas State wins, 38-10. Odds: KSU -21, O/U 54.5
My top 5 Heisman candidates
- Michael Penix Jr. - Penix has been Heisman front runner for most of the season, and it’s not hard to see why. Penix is the only player in all of college football to throw for 3,000 or more yards so far. He has 3,200 of them, 26 touchdowns, and 7 picks. He’s the commander of one of the best offenses in the country, and even when he doesn’t need to do much, he is still exceptional. He threw for 256 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick last week as Washington leaned heavily in the running game. Penix got in on that action, getting his first rushing touchdown of the year. The Heisman is his to lose, and I don’t he’ll lose it.
- Bo Nix - Nix is the most experienced player on this list, and we say his experience last week. Oregon got into a close game with Cal, and nearly blew a 14 point lead. However, Nix ran for a touchdown and threw for 2 more to separate the gap, and finished with 386 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 pick. He also had 2 rushing touchdowns. On the year, Nix has thrown for 2,723 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. He’s also ran for 5 touchdowns, and has 37 career rushing touchdowns. With Oregon’s only loss coming to Michael Penix Jr. and Washington, Nix isn’t out of the Heisman race and Oregon isn’t out of the CFP race.
- Ollie Gordon II - It seemed like whichever team won Bedlam, their Heisman candidate would stay or move up on my list. Oklahoma State won, with Ollie Gordon leading the way. He ran the ball 33 times for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Through their winning streak, Gordon has ran the ball 20 times or more, and has 174 carries on the year. All of those carries have payed off, as he has 1,224 rush yards and 12 touchdowns. He has tacked on 220 receiving yards as well. He leads the country in rushing yards, and leads the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns. Oklahoma State has easy schedule for the rest of the season, and if Gordon stays on course, he could end up with the Heisman.
- Jayden Daniels - Daniels suffered an injury near the start of the 4th quarter, and went into concussion protocol. So if he can’t play this week, he’ll fall off this list. Hopefully he can play, but we’ll see. He’s thrown for 2,792 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He leads the team in rushing yards, with 684. He also has 6 rushing touchdowns. Last week, he threw for 219 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also had 163 rush yards and a rushing touchdown. His Heisman fate rests on if he can play this week and how he will play, but for right now, he stays on this list.
- Jalen Milroe - Milroe has had an up and down season, but since coming back, he’s been on a tear. He was benched for the USF game after a bad showing against Texas, so he’s played one less game than everybody else on this list. He’s thrown for 1,836 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He has possibly the best deep ball in all of college football. He’s also ran for 300 yards and 9 touchdowns. 4 of his 9 rushing touchdowns came last week, and he also ran for 155 yards. On top of that, he threw for 219 yards. He’s been sacked 32 times, which is 7th in the country, but he was only sacked twice last week. If Alabama’s offensive line can keep up that level of play, Milroe will be able to play better and potential rise on this list.