Week 3 - The Best Games and My Top 5 Heisman Candidates

Rankings based off of AP Poll)

  1. (14) LSU @ Mississippi State - LSU and Mississippi State takes the one spot, and this could be a pivotal SEC West matchup with Alabama losing to Texas last week. Mississippi State is in an interesting spot here, after Alabama and Texas A&M losing, the doors to the SEC West were blown wide open. Ole Miss is the only ranked and undefeated team in the division, but Mississippi State is right on their tail. They face a tough LSU team who’s trying to get back to Atlanta for the second year in a row. Mississippi State’s first two games under Zach Arnett both resulted in wins, including a 31-24 overtime win last week over Arizona. They torched South East Louisiana in week one, 48-7. In these two games, Will Rodgers has thrown for 389 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Jayden Daniels has thrown for a little over 200 more yards, notching 615 yards, 6 touchdowns, and pick through two games for LSU. Mississippi State has gotten 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 4 picks in two games, while LSU has only gotten 1 sack, no forced fumbles and 1 pick, so it’s safe to say that the Mississippi State defense is a little better. They picked off Arizona Quarterback Jayden de Laura 4 times, and got another fumble. As for LSU, they lost to Florida State week one which might destroy their Playoff chances, but then destroyed Grambling State 72-10 last week. They tumbled from 5th in the AP Poll to 14, but last week, They put up 622 total yards, recovered a fumble and picked off Grambling State, looking like a good, complete team. Mississippi State is trying to break through, but LSU and Brian Kelly are here to stay, and they win for the 3rd year in a row, 27-21. Harold Perkins should get after Will Rodgers and the backfield. Odds: LSU -9.5, O/U 54
  2. (11) Tennessee @ Florida - This should be a fun one in the swamp, as Joe Milton and his rocket arm take on Florida, who’s allowed 382 total yards of offense tho season. They allowed 112 last week to McNeese, and 270 in a 24-11 loss against Utah. Graham Mertz has 526 passing yards, but only 2 touchdowns and a pick. He also has a rushing touchdown, but is definitely playing like a game manager, which isn’t what Mertz started his career to do. For the rest of Florida, the two running back thing has worked, with Montreal Johnson Jr. running the ball 18 times for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Trevor Etienne also has 18 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown. Even a third running back, Treyaun Webb has 15 carries for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns. From the receivers, there’s one main guy, and that’s Ricky Pearsall. He has 14 catches off Graham Mertz’s 45 completions for 215 yards, and a touchdown. The closest player to Pearsall is Marcus Burke, who’s caught 2 balls for 61 yards. Mertz’s other touchdown fell into the hands of Caleb Douglas against Utah. The defense has been fantastic m, even if the offense has been lackluster. As for Tennessee, Joe Milton has this team ranked just outside the top 10, but are the second best team in the SEC. Milton has thrown 428 yards, 4 touchdowns, and  3 rushing touchdowns. He also hasn’t thrown a pick in a game since his 2020 season at Michigan. They’ve allowed 13 points in both off the game, but their opponents have had the ball for much longer than them, as Austin Peay controlled the ball for 39 minutes. This could lead to injuries and their stamina depleting. Florida can take advantage of that, but Tennessee’s defense is elite, already having 11 sacks, and two different defensive lineman have 3 sacks. Tennessee is good from top to bottom, and Florida was inconsistent at times against Utah. Tennessee wins, 31-21. Odds: Tennessee -5.5, O/U 56.5
  3. Minnesota @ (20) North Carolina - North Carolina got into a double overtime game against App State, in which they were huge favorites in, as the game was at home. They did win, but fell back from 17 to 20 in the rankings. Drake Maye started the year as my second pick for the heisman, but now he isn’t in my top 5. Maye threw for 208 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He did rush for the winning touchdown, but that was all the way in double overtime. He need to play better throughout the whole game, but especially good in the clutch moments, which he did. Omarion Hampton had a great game, totaling 234 yards for 3 touchdowns on 26 carries. He already has 5 rushing touchdowns this year, and he had 6 rushing touchdowns last year. On the defensive side, they haven’t been too good. They let up 17 points against South Carolina and 34 to App State. They allowed nearly 500 total yards against App State and 353 passing yards against South Carolina. Unlike North Carolina, Minnesota’s defense has been much better than their offense. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has thrown for 313 yards, one touchdown, and 2 picks in two games. Much like years before, Minnesota has leaned in their rushing game. Running Back Darius Taylor has 34 carries for 196 yards and a touchdown. Sean Tyler has 27 carries for 134 yards and 0 touchdowns. Minnesota had nearly 300 rushing yards last week against Eastern Michigan in a 25-6 win. We’ll see how well they fair against North Carolina. Minnesota’s defense, like I said earlier, has been stellar. They’ve allowed 16 points through 2 games, and forced 4 turnovers against Nebraska. Against EMU, Minnesota only let the Eagles get 152 total yards of offense and 9 first downs to Minnesota’s 28. Minnesota also controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes. I think Minnesota should do a good job at slowing down North Carolina, but at the end of the day, Drake Maye is still a good, quality quarterback. North Carolina wins, 17-14. Odds: North Carolina -7, O/U 51
  4. (15) Kansas State @ Missouri - This should be a good one, as Will Howard and K-State travel to Columbia to play to Brady Cook and Missouri. Kansas State destroyed Troy 42-13 last week,  with Howard throwing for 3 touchdowns and running for another two. Howard went 21/32 for 250 yards, the 3 touchdowns, and a pick. He also ran 33 yards. They’ve had a pretty good balance of running and passing. Against South East Missouri, they had 360 passing yards and 228 rushing yards, while last week they had 250 passing yards and 147 rushing. K-State’s offense has been elite, and so has their defense. They allowed 227 total yards in week one 13 first downs, while only allowing 15 first downs against Troy and getting 2 turnovers against the Trojans as well. Everybody’s talking about Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, but Kansas State is one of the better Big 12 teams, and they are going to be sneaky hood in the Big 12, especially because they won the conference last year. Missouri has been a bottom feeder in the SEC for years. They’re last year with a winning record was 2018, and haven’t won a bowl game since 2014. They haven’t been as bad as teams like Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and South Carolina. Those teams all did alright last year, and so did Missouri. Mizzou beat South Dakota in week one and just barely beat MTSU last week. I. That game, Brady Cook threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another. He went 14/19 for 204 yards as well. Leading running back, Cody Schrader, has 41 carries for 222 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, Missouri has only allowed 181 pass yards per game and 58.5 rushing yards per game. Missouri is going to try their best to control Will Howard and K-State, but I think Kansas State gets it done after a slow start, winning 28-14. Odds: Kansas State -3.5, O/U 49
  5. BYU @ Arkansas - This game should not disappoint, just like last year. Last year, Arkansas beat BYU 52-35, with KJ Jefferson throwing 5 touchdowns and Raheim Sanders rushing for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Then-quarterback Jaren Hall threw for 3 touchdowns as well for BYU. BYU now has Kedon Slovis, who’s on his 3rd team in 3 years. Slovis played alright last year for Pitt, and has played pretty good in 2 games for BYU. He’s thrown for 483 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a pick. He also rushed for 3 touchdowns, all in 2 games. They scraped by Sam Houston in week one off of 2 Slovis rushing touchdowns. He threw for the 4 touchdowns and ran for another last week against Souther Utah in a 41-16 win. The defense was good in week one, forcing 3 turnovers. They only allowed 185 yards and 11 first downs, along with keeping Sam Houston to 2-14 on 3rd downs. Against Souther Utah, they got 2 turnovers, but allowed 346 yards, while BYU got just under 400. Both of those games were at home, so this is not only BYU’s first actual test, but also their first road game. They go to Arkansas, who’s still going to be missing Raheim Sanders. AJ Green has stepped up though, as he ran the ball 15 times for 82 yards last week against Kent State. Arkansas has one of the best returning quarterbacks in the SEC, and he’s shown it in the first 2 games. So far, he’s thrown for 382 yards for 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. KJ Jefferson has also stepped up in the running game, as he has 18 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. Wide Receiver Andrew Armstrong has caught 9 balls for 99 yards and 3 touchdowns, while the defense has 5 picks already. The defense lost Bumper Pool, their star linebacker to the league, so this is still good numbers for a defense that lost a great player. They also have 9 sacks. Arkansas is another team that’s looking to win the wide open SEC West, and they pick up a much needed Power 5 victory. Arkansas wins, 35-25. Odds: Arkansas -8, O/U 47
  6. South Carolina @ (1) Georgia - This is the first SEC game on CBS this year, so it should be a fun game. Georgia is still the number one team in the country, but had slow starts in both week 1 and 2. In week 2 against Ball State, the score was 0-0 at the end of the first. Georgia did end up pulling away in the second, but South Carolina needs to capitalize on Georgia’s slow starts if they want a chance. I don’t know if they’ll be able to do so, as Georgia’s defense picked off Ball State 3 times and only allowed a field goal, while they stopped UT Martin very well on 3rd down, as UT Martin went 2-14 in 3rd down. Carson Beck has looked good in his first season as the starter, throwing for 577 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. He has also rushed for a touchdown. Georgia’s offense isn’t their focal point, especially this season as Brock Bowers has 6 catches for 81 yards and no touchdowns against 2 easy opponents. He does have a rushing touchdown though. Unlike Georgia, South Carolina’s focal point is their offense. Spencer Rattler has thrown for nearly 700 yards already, 3 touchdowns, and has rushed for another touchdown. It’s going to be interesting to see how Rattler evades Georgia’s defense, as he was sacked nine times against North Carolina. Rattler struggled in this game last year, going 13/25 for 118 yards and 2 picks in a 48-7 loss where SC’s only score came from backup Luke Doty. Running Back Dakereon Joyner has 23 carries for 65 yards, but does have 2 touchdowns. Rattler’s main target is Xavier Legette, who’s caught 15 balls for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown. If Georgia wants to shut down the Gamecocks, they have to hone in on Legette. Georgia should lock him up, and Carson Beck does just enough to get Georgia the win, 34-17. Odds: Georgia -27, O/U 54.5
  7. (8) Washington @ Michigan State - Some pretty heinous things were accused of Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker, but I’m not here to talk about that. He was suspended, and that’s just going to ruin MSU’s season. Ever since the 2021 season where Michigan State went 11-2 and won the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl, they have not looked good. They went 5-7 last year, and got destroyed by Washington in the road. They Joe have a chance for revenge as they take on the 8th ranked Huskies in a game that could make or break their season. Michigan State played Central Michigan and Richmond, two easy opponents for the Spartans. led by Quarterback Noah Kim, who’s thrown for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns, Michigan State is 2-0. He got some playing time last year, but this is his first real test. They’re running back, Nathan Carter already has 37 carries for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns. Their defense has been pretty good, but they have only played cupcakes. We’ll see how they play against one of the nations best offenses. In the two games, they’ve put up a combined 1,131 yards, 944 of them being passing and 99 points. I can’t tell if Michael Penix Jr or the trio of wide receivers is better. Penix has thrown for 859 total yards, 8 touchdowns, and an interception. For the trio of wide receivers are probably the best in all of college football. Ohio State is up there, but Washington has the quarterback to complete it. Rome Odunze has 14 catches for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jalen McMillan has 16 catches for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ja’Lynn Polk has 8 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown. Obviously this offense is good, but what about their defense? The defense has had trouble getting after quarterbacks, as they only have 3 sacks. Washington wins, 34-13. Odds: Washington -16.5 O/U 56
  8. TCU @ Houston - This should end up being a nice rivalry in the Big 12, but for right now, we get to watch it start and simmer. TCU started the year ranked 17, but lost to Colorado in week one, fell out of the rankings, but bounced back against Nicholls. Chandler Morris has navigated through week one well, as he went 26/30 for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns against Nicholls. So far he’s thrown for 542 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Emani Bailey has 33 rushes for 231 yards. The defense sacked Shedeur Sanders 4 times, but let up 45 points and 565 yards in a loss. The offense did go toe-to-toe with Colorado, but their defense gave in. TCU’s defense played well against Nicholls, holding them to only 86 rushing yards on 39 attempts, which is 2.2 yards per rush. They also got a pick and forced a fumble. TCU did the same, and also went 4-12 on 3rd downs and 2-4 on 4th downs. TCU needs to do a better job on converting these 3rd and 4th downs so they can keep the ball, as they only had the ball for 24 minutes and 34 seconds. Houston is coming off of a loss to Rice in double overtime, in a game where Houston needed a two point conversion to tie it up, but they couldn’t get it. Quarterback and Texas Tech transfer Donovan Smith passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 3 in the loss, and basically did everything on offense for them. He had 260 passing yards and had 16 rushes for 57 yards, which was second in the game by just 3 yards. Houston did good on offense, but let up 470 total yards to JT Daniels and the Rice offense. Daniels had 491 passing yards, and in week one, Houston let up 209 passing yards to Frank Harris, but did pick him off 3 times. Houston has stop Chandler Morris, but I think he goes off and TCU wins 38-28. Odds: TCU -7.5, O/U 64
  9. Pittsburgh @ West Virginia - The Backyard Brawl is back on, and after last year’s game, this one should be good as well. Pitt won last year’s game 38-31 after a pick six with just under 3 minutes left. Both quarterbacks aren’t at West Virginia and Pitt anymore, so this game is going to feel different on offense. Phil Jurkovec is starting at Pitt, and he played subpar last week in a loss. Against Cincinnati, Jurkovec went 10/32 for 179 yards, but did throw 3 touchdowns. That’s not good, especially because Wet Virginia can capitalize on it and win big. Pitt didn’t run the ball that well, as they had 29 rushing attempts for 83 yards, which is 2.9 yards per carry. Pitt should turn to the running game, because the passing game did not work last week. As for West Virginia, they got destroyed by Penn State in week one, but Quarterback Garrett Greene went 10/18 for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns last week against Dusquesne. Greene has to play well if West Virginia wants to win, but if he plays like he did in week one, Pitt should have this in the bag. Pitt wins, 24-17. Should be a close game. Odds:  West Virginia -2.5, O/U 48
  10. Georgia Tech @ (17) Ole Miss - Georgia Tech lost a close game in week one against Louisville, and destroyed South Carolina State last week. Tech is good, and can still be good, but they’ve been dealt a bad hand to start the season. Haynes King has thrown for 603 yards, 7 touchdowns, and only one pick. King already has the same touchdowns as he did last year, and King’s played a pretty sizable amount of games last year. Tech has to play better defense, because against Louisville, they allowed 474 total yards and 21 first downs. Tech did get more yards and first downs than the Cardinals, so it shows who well the offense is. Last week against SC State, Tech allowed 291 yards, 195 of them coming from SC State running the ball. Tech needs to stop the run, but it might not matter, as Ole Miss could not run the ball last week. Jaxson Dart ran the ball 14 times for 41 yards, while star Running Back Quinshon Judkins ran the ball 18 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. This is a problem because even with Ole Miss coming back to beat Tulane, the running game might halt their chances at making it to Atlanta. Jaxson Dart did play well, as he went 17/27 for 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. They did run the ball well against Mercer, but that’s a FCS team, so of course Ole Miss is going to run the ball well. As for the defense, they’ve gotten 8 sacks, and got 2 turnovers against Tulane, including a scoop and score to seal the win. Ole Miss has Alabama next week and LSU the week after. I think Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss are looking ahead to those two games, so Georgia Tech puts them on upset alert, as the Yellow Jackets start strong, but fizzle to the end. Ole Miss wins 27-24. Odds: Ole Miss -17.5, O/U 63
  11. Virginia Tech @ Rutgers - Last week was horrible for VT. They had to suffer through a 5 hour delay, just ti lose 24-17 to Purdue. Quarterback Grant Wells was stinking the field up, as he went 16-33 for 243 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He was injured, and backup Kyron Drones came in for the last drive, but he went 2/7 for 32 yards. If Drones starts, there will certainly be some growing pains. There will be even more growing pains because their top wide receivers, Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane, are both out for this game. The defense was also bad, as they let up 427 total yards to the Boilermakers. Purdue also had the ball for a little over 38 minutes, so the Hokies have to do a better job at getting their opponents off the field. As for Rutgers, they dominated Northwestern in week one and did the same against Temple. They’ve dominated mainly through the running game, as Kyle Monangai has 42 carries for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. Last week against Temple, he had 28 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Wimsatt has had some troubles, as he went 10/21 for 198 yards and a touchdown last week. Overall he has 361 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the ground he has 17 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. This is Rutgers first real test, but I think the first two weeks are going to hold up, and Rutgers wins 24-14. Odds: Rutgers -7, O/U 37
  12. Syracuse @ Purdue - Purdue was apart of that 5 hour delay that I talked about earlier, but they pulled out the win. They suffered a close loss to Fresno State in week one, but they’re looking for redemption as Syracuse pulled out a 32-29 win in the final seconds. Garrett Shrader threw a 25 yard touchdown to Oronde  Gadsden II with 7 seconds left. Shrader and Gadsden are still at Syracuse, while things have changed at Purdue. Syracuse is 2-0, but unlike Purdue, they’ve played cupcakes. They’ve beaten Western Michigan and Colgate, and Shrader was thrown for 543 yards, 5 touchdowns, and a pick. He’s also rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Orange’s leading rusher is Lequint Allen, who’s ran the ball 24 times for 127 yards, but has 4 touchdowns through the 2 games. Those 2 games were at home, so this is their first road game and first test of the season. As for Purdue, they’ve already been through a lot. The week one loss, the delay last week, and now get ready for a very good Syracuse team. Hudson Card has 502 yards through the air, 45 on the ground, and has 2 touchdown. Card also has a rushing touchdown. Devin Mockobee was a dog against Virginia Tech last week, running 21 times for 95 yards and a touchdown. Another talented back for Purdue is Tyrone Tracy, who came over from Iowa as wide receiver, but played pretty well as a running back these pass two weeks. He has 7 rushes for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 21 yard touchdown rush last week. Purdue has to do a better job on 3rd downs, as they went 7-17 last week and in week one they went 3-12. The defense was pretty bad against Fresno State, as they let up 39 points and 487 total yards. They did better against VT, but they got to keep in playing like that this week. I think Purdue puts them in upset alert, and wins 28-21. Odds: Syracuse -2.5, O/U 56.5
  13. SDSU @ (16) Oregon State - Oregon State, part of the Pac 2, are ranked just outside of the top 15, , and are trying to shoot ups to the top 15 with a win over the 2-1 Aztecs. SDSU has beaten Ohio and Idaho State, but lost to UCLA pretty badly last week. Quarterback Jalen Mayden has thrown for 445 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 picks. He also has 26 rushes for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s their leading rusher. Last week against UCLA, Mayden threw the 3 picks, and SDSU let up 550 total yards and 26 first downs to a first time starter at quarterback in Dante Moore. That game was at home, and they looked really bad. SDSU need a to play good defense if they want to win this game, but Oregon State has scored 97 total points this season, so SDSU especially needs to play better. DJ Uiagalelei has 346 yards and 5 touchdowns through his first 2 games at Oregon State. Damien Martinez has 25 carries for 249 yards and a touchdown, and the Beavers have 466 rushing yards as a team. There’s really only guy at receiver for Oregon State, and that’s Silas Bolden, who has 10 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. On defense, ORST has 4 forced fumbles, and only allowed 454 yards on 123 plays, which is an average of 3.69 yards per play. Oregon State are heavy favorites and win, 42-17. Odds: Oregon State -25, O/U 48
  14. Northwestern @ (21) Duke - Northwestern is horrible. They lost 23-7 in week one, had a slow start last week, but pulled ahead. That was against UTEP, but they still allowed 319 total yards and 18 first downs. They did force 3 turnovers. Ben Bryant has thrown for 285 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks. There’s nothing to really gush about with Northwestern, so I won’t. Duke upset Clemson in week one, got ranked, and destroyed Lafayette last week. Riley Leonard has thrown for 311 yards, 1 touchdown, has rushed for 111 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Their running game is strong, as Jordan Waters has 22 carries for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jaquez Moore has 18 carries for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns. Duke got 2 turnovers last week and 3 against Clemson. Duke is obviously the better team, and they win 35-10. Odds: Duke -17, O/U 48.5
  15. (10) Alabama @ USF - Alabama suffered their first double-digit loss at home since 2004, which was to South Carolina. Jalen Milroe went 14/27 for 255 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 picks, and was sacked 5 times in a 34-24 loss to Texas. Milroe is also Alabama’s leading rusher this year, with 22 carries for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. They played good on offense against MTSU, and in defense they played phenomenal. They got 2 turnovers and let MTSU only get 211 yards of offense and 13 first downs. Alabama is still really good and can still make it to the SEC championship game. Tyler Buchner might be starting this game, but we’ll see. As for USF, they’re huge underdogs in this game, and Byrum Brown is pretty much their whole offense. He’s thrown for 362 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also has 42 carries for 183 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against Western Kentucky, Brown scored all 3 of their touchdowns, including a 84 yard passing touchdown. Against FAMU they forced 5 turnovers, so if they can do the same this week, Alabama could be on upset alert. Alabama should run and throw all over them, as they win 38-14. Odds: Alabama -33.5, O/U 61
  16. (7) Penn State @ Illinois - Penn State and Illinois meet for their first Big Ten games. The last time these two teams met was 2021 in Beaver Stadium. That was the first 9 overtime game in the history of college football, with Illinois pulling out the 20-18 win. Now Penn State has two great running backs and a new freshman quarterback in Drew Allar. Allar has balled out, throwing for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns through two games. He also has a rushing touchdown. Kaytron Allen has 29 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown. Nicholas Singleton has 25 carries for 117 yards and 4 touchdowns. The offensive line is also good, as Allar has only been sacked 1 times while the running backs have been phenomenal. Wide Receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith has 10 catches for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns and 123 yards came against West Virginia. The defense shut down Delaware last week, holding them to 140 yards and only 5 first downs. They also got 2 turnovers. They also stopped West Virginia on 3rd down a lot, as West Virginia went 4-14 on 3rd down, and 3-6 on 4th downs. Unlike Penn State, Illinois could not stop Kansas last week. They let up 539 total yards, 27 first downs and 34 points. They did get two turnovers, but when Luke Altmyer throws 2 picks, it doesn’t look so good. Altmyer went 19/28 for 202 yards, 1 touchdown and the 2 picks. He also had a 72 yard touchdown run. In week one against Toledo, they let up 416 yards and 27 first downs. Illinois had one of the best defenses last year and a huge talent departure, but you would expect them to still be good. Altmyer is also Illinois leading rusher, so all Penn State has to do is shut him down and they should have a nice and easy win. Penn State wins, 37-20. Odds: Penn State -14, O/U 48
  17. Louisville @ Indiana - The Louisville Cardinals are in their first year under Jeff Brohm, while Indiana is in their 7th year under Tom Allen. Jack Plummer has played great at Louisville, as he’s thrown for just under 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has thrown 3 interceptions, but he also has 13 rushes for 56 yards. His main target has been Jamari Thrash, who has 10 receptions for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns. Something a little concerning is their defense, as they’ve only gotten two sacks this year. Against Murray State, they allowed only 166 yards and 8 first downs, while getting two fumbles and an interception. Just like Louisville, Indiana’s defense has been inconsistent, but also bad at other times. Against Ohio State. They only let up 23 points, but they did let up 389 yards and 22 first downs while they only got 153 yards and 8 touchdowns. They allowed Indiana State to get 93 yards and 8 first down in a 41-7 win where they started Tayven Jackson at quarterback and he went 19/26 for 260 yards. Jackson is starting this game, and he should have the offense rolling. Louisville prevails, winning 28-14. Odds: Louisville -10, O/U 50.5
  18. Fresno State @ Arizona State - Another installment of Pac-12 after dark, Mikey Keene and Fresno State take on freshman Jaden Rashada and Arizona State. Keene and Fresno State have played two close games, against Purdue and Eastern Washington, needing 2 overtimes to beat Eastern Washington. They won both, and Mikey Keene has 600 passing yards and 6 touchdowns through the two games. He also has 2 interceptions. Running Back Elijah Gilliam has 40 carries for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. Erik Brooks is in the top 10 of receiving yards, with 17 receptions for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. The offense has been good, but the defense only has one sack and two turnovers. They let up 366 yards, 22 first downs, and 31 points to Eastern Washington. They allowed Purdue to gain 363 yards, 19 first downs, and 35 points. This defense needs to play well against the freshman. They have an 11 game winning streak on the line, which is second in FBS to just Georgia. Arizona State barley survived week one against Southern Utah and lost by 12 to Oklahoma State. Rashada has 403 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception in his first two FBS games. Their secondary has been pretty bad, as they haven’t gotten a pick yet, and let up 191 passing yards against Oklahoma State and 139 to Southern Utah. That might not seem like a lot, but those were both more that Oklahoma State’s and Southern Utah’s rushing yards. Fresno State plays everybody close, and I think this is another close game, with them pulling out a 34-27 win. Odds: Fresno State -3, O/U 49
  19. Iowa State @ Ohio - Iowa State lost their rivalry game, while Ohio’s offense has looked dormant after exploding last year. Last year, they led the MAC in points per game, yards per game, and offensive efficiency. They put up 13 points against SDSU, 27 against Long Island, and 17 against FAU. Quarterback CJ Harris threw 3 picks against SDSU, and didn’t play last week due to Kurtis Rourke coming back from injury. He tossed 18 complete balls for 203 yards and 1 touchdown, but did throw 2 picks. Running Back Sieh Bangura has 51 carries for 217 yards, while O’Shaan Allison has 41 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown. Their defense has 7 sacks, 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. The defense also shut down FAU in the second half, and helped turn the tide after starting down 10-0. They picked off Casey Thompson twice and held FAU to 175 yards and 13 first downs. Iowa State has been shook by a gambling scandal, but they’re 1-1 and are trying to cut it in the Big 12. Quarterback Rocco Becht has 316 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Becht went 23/44 for 203 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 pick. His favorite target is Jayden Higgins, who has 9 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. He did most of that last week, catching 8 balls for 95 yards and a touchdown. Not much to say about Iowa State other than they’re really average. They have a tough conference schedule, and they have Oklahoma State next week, so they might be looking ahead a little bit. Iowa State gets the dub as the Ohio offense continues to struggle against an Iowa State defense that has 6 sacks and 3 picks. I think it will be close at the start, but the Cyclones  pull ahead 28-17. Odds: Iowa State -2.5, O/U 42.5
  20. Northern Illinois @ Nebraska - This game should be either really good or really boring. Nebraska has been looking worse than Northwestern in the Big Ten West, and Northern Illinois was upset by an FCS team as 6.5 point favorites. They lost 14-11, but they beat Boston College in week one 27-24, and that was on the road. Rocky Lombardi has thrown for 462 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 picks.  Jeff Sims is even worse, as he’s thrown for 220 yards, a touchdown and 4 picks. Sims also leads all Big Ten players with 37 career turnovers. Matt Rhule kept Sims in for the whole first half, where he went 6/10 for 71 yards, and 3 turnovers. Sims does have an injury, so he might not play this game. Sims is also the rushing leader, as he has 29 carries for 158 yards and  Nebraska’s only rushing touchdown. Their defense has looked good, as they have 11 sacks and slowed down Colorado’s explosive offense early, as Colorado scored their first points with 4:20 left in the second quarter. As for Northern Illinois, they had the ball for 39 minutes last week and lost. They held Southern Illinois to 219 yards and 11 first downs. He threw 3 key interceptions in the loss, and was sacked 4 times. Against Boston College, NIU held the ball for 37 minutes. They did win, but it went to overtime and Boston College nearly matched NIU’s offensive yards with 14 less minutes. NIU can hold the ball for long, and we see that with Running Back Antario Brown having 38 carries so far, 22 of them coming last week. He also has 117 yards, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. NIU will keep this game close, but I think Nebraska gets their first win, 21-17. Odds: Nebraska -13 O/U 42 
  21. FAU @ Clemson - It’s weird to not a have a number next Clemson’s name. The last time they were unranked was 2021, where they weren’t ranked for 7 games. They lost to Duke in week one in embarrassing fashion, and blew out Charleston Southern 66-17 last week. They were down 14-7 at one point in the first half, but pulled ahead  in the second half. Cade Klubnik has 524 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Something of interest is that Will Shipley doesn’t have a rushing touchdown yet. He had 15 of them last year and 11 in 2021. He does have a receiving touchdown. Phil Mafah had 2 rushing touchdowns while Jay Haynes also had one. After the horrendous week one, Clemson bounced back nicely, and now they take on FAU. FAU looked horrible against Ohio last week. Casey Thompson went 23/42 for 180 and 2 interceptions. FAU’s only touchdown came from a pick six. This FAU team is not good, and Clemson steamrolls them, 56-14. Clemson has Florida State next week, so this might be a trap game, but I don’t buy it. Odds: Clemson -24.5, O/U 51.5
  22. Colorado State @ (18) Colorado - GameDay is coming to Boulder for the Rocky Mountain Showdown! This game is at 9:00 p.m. Central Time. Spurred by an explosion of Talent on Offense, Colorado is ranked inside of the top 20, and Shedeur Sanders in my Heisman race and he should be for others. Sanders has 903 passing yards and 6 touchdowns, while adding one on the ground. He has the second most passing yards in the country, more than Caleb Williams, Tyler Van Dyke, and Michael Penix Jr. Their receivers are even better, with Xavier Weaver having 16 catches for 288 yards and a touchdown. Travis Hunter has 14 catches for 192 yards. Jimmy Horn Jr. has 19 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. The running back, Dylan Edwards has 8 catches for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns, not including his rushing touchdown. As for Colorado State, they did not play last week and got blown out by Washington State in week one 50-24. They’re starting Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi at quarterback, and should stay around at the start, but Colorado keeps on winning, 48-17. Odds: Colorado -23.5, O/U 63
  23. James Madison @ Troy - James Madison might be the best football team in Virginia. They came back to beat Virginia last week and destroyed Bucknell in week one. Led by Jordan McCloud, he went 20/31 for 224 yards  and a touchdown. Like I said, Virginia is 0-2(at the time of writing) and VT is  1-1. Other teams like Old Dominion is 1-1 and Liberty is also 2-0, but they played cupcakes. Troy has this game at home after getting destroyed on the road against Kansas State last week. Running Back Kimani Vidal has been on a tear this season, with 42 carries and 331 yards. The defense only has one sack, compared to James Madison’s 7. JMU’s offensive line has only let up 2 sacks this year, so a bad pass rush going up against a good offensive line is not good at all for Troy. James Madison gets the dub 24-17. Odds: Troy -2.5, O/U 46.5
  24. Vanderbilt @ UNLV - This should be a tough game for Vandy, as they try to stay afloat in the SEC East. AJ Swann has thrown for 766 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 picks. Vandy has played 3 games, but those are still incredible numbers. Will Sheppard has 20 catches for 217 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Jayden McGowan has 18 catches for 214 yards. UNLV doesn’t even have a wide receiver over 100 yards. Quarterback Doug Brumfield has thrown for 186 yards and a pick, while the running game also hasn’t been that strong. They were destroyed by Michigan last week, and their leading rusher had 2 rushes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Vanderbilt steamrolls to a 34-7 win. Odds: Vanderbilt -5, O/U 58
  25. (3) Florida State @ Boston College - Florida State has looked like the second best team in the nation so far, they’re ranked at 3rd, but might be on the move up after this one. Jordan Travis is my second pick to win the Heisman behind Caleb Williams, but he has thrown for 517 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a pick. He’s also rushed for a touchdown. As for Boston College, they are not good and are going to be at the bottom of the ACC. They lost to NIU by 3 in overtime and barley beat Holt Cross last week. Florida State steamrolls, 48-13. Odds: FSU -24.5, O/U 47


My top 5 Heisman candidates


  1. Caleb Williams - Williams is still number one after winning the Heisman last year. Williams has thrown for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for a touchdown. USC’s first real test comes in week 5 against Colorado. USC and Caleb Williams have looked pretty good, and that should continue. 
  2. Jordan Travis - Jordan Travis has been electric all season, with the upset win over LSU and blowing out Southern Mississippi. Travis has 517 yards and for 6 touchdowns and a pick so far. He also has a rushing touchdown. After beating LSU, I think FSU will be in the College Football Playoff. They start ACC conference play this week, and have Clemson next week.
  3. Shedeur Sanders - Sanders kept up his week one heroics last week, throwing for 393 yards and 2 touchdowns. Colorado has Colorado State this week, and then go to Oregon to face the Ducks. The week after that they play USC at home. I have no doubt Sanders will do great this week, but we’ll see in those two games how well he plays.
  4. Michael Penix Jr. - Penix played amazing against Tulsa last week. He went 28/38 for 409 yards, 3 touchdowns and a pick. On the season he has 859 yards 8, touchdowns, and only one pick. Washington takes on Michigan State, and their secondary has been below average. Penix should destroy, and he will have Washington in the CFP conversation at the end of the year.
  5. Blake Corum - Corum jumps Drake Maye after rushing for 3 touchdowns and 80 yards of 15 carries last week against UNLV. He has 25 carries for 153 yards and 4 touchdowns this year. In my eyes, he’s the best running back in college football and should have Michigan in the College Football Playoff.
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