Small disclaimer: 3 of the games on my list, VT-Miami, Colorado-UCF, and Stanford-Clemson could be impacted this week based off Hurricane Helene. Regardless of what happens with the games, either they get postponed pr even cancelled, I’m still going to have them on my list. If they are postponed, I will do another prediction on the game in the week that it will be played. If that does happen, expect 1 bullet point for each team.
My Week 4 Record: 15-10
Closest (Or Exact) Pick: Georgia Tech @ Louisville, my pick was a Louisville win, 31-24, final score was a Louisville win, 31-19.
Excited I Got This Pick Right: Tennessee taking down Oklahoma
Ashamed I Got This Pick Wrong: Cal beating Florida State
Reactions: Last week was the worst week that I’ve picked in a long time, but one consolation was that most of the picks that I got wrong were closer to the top. 2 of those game were not near the top, and those were Cal @ Florida State and Kansas State @ BYU. I’ll start with the Cal game, and I think I only picked them because of what has happened with FSU. I thought the momentum could carry Cal to the win, and although they made it close, the Golden Bears didn’t get it done. As for the Kansas State game, they got blown out. I picked them to win 28-7, and the Wildcats fell 38-9. They had 3 turnovers, 2 of them from Avery Johnson. They have a lot to change this week, and they have another Big 12 ranked loser, Oklahoma State coming to town. As for the closet pick, it was between the Louisville game and UCLA @ LSU. The LSU game finished in favor of the Tigers, winning 34-17. I picked them to win 38-14. For that to have happened, UCLA would’ve had to miss a field goal, and LSU would have to score 4 less points, most likely on a missed field goal and PAT. As for the GT-Louisville game. Louisville scored the same number of points that I thought they would score, while GT would have to score 5 less points. They would have to do that by not making a field goal or not getting a safety. The funny thing is, however is that GT did get a safety. If they didn’t get the safety, Louisville would’ve won, 31-17. If that happened, all GT would have to do is score a touchdown before the end of regulation. This week has a lot of tough matchups, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my record is a lot closer than last week.
(Rankings based off of the AP Poll)
1. (2) Georgia @ (4) Alabama – Whenever the Dawgs and the Tide come together to play, you know it’s going to be a good one. The last time these 2 teams met in the regular season was in 2020, where Bama took down Georgia 41-24. Alabama has won 2 of the past 3 since then, but Georgia has the national championship game win. Its no surprise the GameDay is coming to Tuscaloosa, where Alabama has won 8 of the 10 matchups. Both of these teams are led by Heisman caliber quarterbacks, and you can easily see that they have overcame struggles to be this highly ranked. Georgia struggled on the road against Kentucky, while Bama had a tough first half against South Florida. I’ll start with the home team as well.
• Did you know that Ryan Williams is only 17 years old? I know, crazy, right? That’s what every college football announcer, journalist, anchor, etc. has said when it comes to Williams. However, when we talk about Williams, the first thing shouldn’t be his age. It should be the incredible play he’s had on the small number of catches. Williams has come down with just 10 catches, but had 285 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s averaging 28.5 yards per catch, 8th in the nation. However, you could argue that he leads the country in yards per catch because he’s the only one in the tip 8 with double-digit catches. Willimas season started with a bang against Western Kentucky, catching just 2 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. The touchdowns were 84 and 55 yards long. Against USF, he had 4 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown were 43 yards long. On the road at Wisconsin, Williams once again had 4 catches for 10 more yards and another touchdown that was 31 yards long. However, that wasn’t Williams longest catch of the day. He also came down with a 47-yard catch right before halftime. That led to another touchdown for the Crimson Tide. Williams started that game off on a sour note, too. He lost 1 yard on his first catch, but rebounded nicely and his next catch was his touchdown. Williams has potentially the toughest matchup for him this year, as Georgia has a really good secondary. Williams’ ability to get yads after catch and his speed should be able to cause the Georgia secondary struggles as well. It isn’t all Williams in the passing game as well. Kobe Prentice and Josh Cuevas have been reliable pass catchers for Milroe, while Germie Bernard finally broke out. He followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama, and has caught 8 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Expect him to make a difference again.
• We all know about Milroe, but the rest of Alabama’s rushing game is talked about less. As always, Milroe is in my Heisman candidates’ section, so I’m not going to talk that much about him here. Milroe is the third leading rusher on Bama, but because of his 6 rushing touchdown and him leading the Crimson Tide in rushing yards, everyone is talking about Milroe as the leading rusher on Bama. But he’s not. The leading rusher is Jam Miller, who's carried the ball 29 times for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. Miller caught a touchdown pass in this game last year, but didn’t make much of an impact. He ran the ball 9 times for just 23 yards, and his 28-yard touchdown catch was his only reception of the game. However, with Jase McClellan gone to the NFL and Roydell Williams transferring to Florida State, Jam Miller has had to step up into the RB1 spot, and he hasn’t disappointed yet. Although he lost a fumble against USF, Miller ran 15 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. Miller has scored a touchdown in all 3 games so far, and I think he can continue that streak this week. Another back that has had to step up is Justice Haynes. Haynes was a freshman last year, so it’s no surprise that he barely played. He had 25 carries for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 6.7 yards per rush as well. He’s nearly surpassed all of those marks, as he has 19 carries for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns, while averaging 8.7 yards per rush. Haynes had an underwhelming performance 2 weeks ago, getting only 2 carries for 17 yards. He did catch 3 passes for 16 yards, however. I would expect Haynes to be a lot more involved in this game, as Alabama is going to need all the help they can get against Georgia.
• Bama’s defense is going to pose a real problem for Georgia. The Crimson Tide defense is near the top of the SEC in both yards allowed and points allowed per game. They allow 248 yards per game and 8.7 points per game, 7th and 5th, respectively. Across the nation, that’s the 13th and 6th most, respectively. Alabama forced 2 turnovers against Wisconsin, turning both into touchdowns. They also forced 2 turnovers against Western Kentucky. One of the keys to this game for the Alabama defense is to force turnovers, and Keon Sabb is going to have to come up big. He has both of the picks for Alabama, while deflecting 3 other passes. Alabama has 7 sacks as well, 3 of them coming from linebacker Que Robinson. Robinson also has a forced fumble that he recovered, and Bama is also going to need a big game out of him. If Alabama can slow down Carson Beck, they have a pretty good shot at winning. However, Georgia’s offense…
• Georgia’s offense is much more than just Carson Beck. When you first look at the Georgia offense, eyes immediately go to Beck. And why wouldn’t they? He is the quarterback, but when you look at other teams that ranked as high as Georgia, some people might think of wide receivers or running backs before the quarterback. One of this teams is Ohio State. For me personally, I think of Emeka Egbuka or Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson before Will Howard. However, that isn’t the case for Georgia. Beck is in the Heisman watch, but I would contribute the reason why everyone thinks of Beck is because of the lack of star power on the Georgia offense. Yes, there is Trevor Eitenne, but he hasn’t done much this season. He didn’t play against Clemson because of his arrest in the offseason, and although he is Georgia’s leading rusher now, he has just 157 yards, on 24 carries. He hasn’t found the end zone, either. Nate Frazier looked like he was going to make noise this season after rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown against Clemson, but has slowed down, and has 20 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. In the receiving game, there isn’t standout receiver. Dominic Lovett is the leading receiver, with 12 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. He was stifled against Clemson, catching 3 passes for 33 yards. Alabama should do something similar. Arian Smith is right behind Lovett, with 11 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Bell and others have mixed in here and there, but haven’t done anything that’s helped them break out. Although there aren’t crazy good players on the offense, Beck has still got it done, which shows how impressive he has been this season. The offensive line has been pretty good, only allowing Beck to be sacked once.
• If you think Bama’s defense is great, Georgia’s is even better. They allow just 6 point per game, third in the SEC and the country. They also allow 202 yards per game, second in the conference and fourth in the FBS. Against Kentucky, when Georgia’s offense struggled, their defense flourished. They held Kentucky to just 12 points, forced a fumble that turned into a field goal, and, most importantly, didn’t get too tired while playing 35 minutes. When your defense is out there a lot, injuries can build up and fatigue can set in, and that leads to letting up big plays and touchdowns. However, Georgia’s defense bended, but did not break. They’ve forced just 3 turnovers this season, but have sacked opposing quarterbacks 8 times. They should get home plenty of times, as Milroe has been sacked 5 times thus far.
• How does Georgia not do that again? 2 weeks ago, Georgia was set to travel to Lexington to play Kentucky. Georgia were 21.5-point favorites, and I though Georgia was going to steamroll Kentucky so bad that I left it off this list. However, that was clearly not the case and Kentucky proved everyone wrong. Georgia was outgained by 22 yards, and had 11 less first downs. UGA had 9 penalties for 85 yards, which really did not help their case. Beck had his first game where he threw for 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions since the SEC Championship game last year. This game was also the least amount of passing yards beck has ever had as a starter. Although they averaged 3.4 yards per rush, Trevor Eitenne had a pretty good game, rushing 19 times for 80 yards. Dominic Lovett also had a good game, catching 6 passes for 90 yards. Like I stated previously, Georgia’s defense shined, and they should shine when Georgia faces adversity on offense.
Since 2021, Georgia is 1-2 vs Alabama, and 44-0 against every other team they’ve played. After this week, Georgia will be 2-2 against Bama. Beck will be able to will Georgia to the win, and the defense comes up with big plays at Jalen Milroe’s expense. Georgia wins, 28-24.
2. (15) Louisville @ (16) Notre Dame – Louisville shocked a then 10th ranked Notre Dame team in this game last season. They won by 2 scored, rushed the field, and moved up 11 spots in the AP Poll. However, Louisville has a much tougher task this time around. They have to go to Notre Dame, who wants – and needs – to take down every team they have left. The fighting Irish have won 2 straight in blowout fashion, while Louisville just took down Georgia Tech. I’m going to start with Notre Dame, however.
• Riley Leonard, future NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback. Ok, maybe not. However, Leonard finally looked like a quarterback, throwing his first touchdown of the year. He went 16/25 through the air for 154 yards, and the previously stated touchdown. He added 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, one of which was 50 yards long. On the year, Leonard has thrown for 587 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks. Both of those picks came against NIU, where Leonard had his worst rushing performance as well. He had just 16 yards on about 9 carries. He did get a touchdown, but it was 11 of his 16 yards. He did get injured somewhere during that game, and that hindered his rushing ability for the rest of the game. Leonard has ran for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He’s tied with Jalen Milroe for the second most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Blake Horvath is first with 7. If Leonard can continue to play the quarterback position at this level, he can lead Notre Dame back to the playoffs.
• Don’t count out Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. All eyes are on Riley Leonard in every Notre Dame matchup, but opposing teams need to not overlook Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Love is the leading rusher, with 46 carries for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s scored a touchdown in every game, and also has caught a pass in every game. Although he has just 6 catches for 40 yards, there’s not one game where Love can’t make a big difference through the air. Leonard just has to get him the ball. As for Jadarian Price, he’s ran the ball 26 times for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s the third option when it comes to running the ball, but because Notre Dame averages 238.3 rush yards per game, Price sees a lot of action. He has 26 rushes for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. Price should have another game like his performance against Miami of Ohio, where he ran for 40 yards on 6 carries. He saw limited action in that game, mainly because Leonard and Love played very well. I don’t expect Price to be used that much this game – barring an injury – because this is such a big game. Then again, he had 8 rushes for 44 yards and the first touchdown of the game against Texas A&M.
• Notre Dame’s defense has been one of the best in the country. They most points they’ve allowed in a game is just 16, and 3 of the 4 scores in that game were from field goals. They allowed 13 against Texas A&M, who scored 52 the next week and 33 the following, and held Purdue and Miami of Ohio to just 1 score. Notre Dame has allowed 9.8 points per game and 256.3 yards per game. They also have 9 sacks. Its no surprise that all of these stats rank first in FBS Independents, as UConn and UMass are the other 2 FBS Independents. However, those stats are 16th, 10th, and tied for 8th, respectively. Although they have not recovered a fumble yet, ND has picked off opposing quarterbacks 6 times, returning 1 for a touchdown. That interception return came from defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, who also leads the team in sacks, with 3. He should cause a lot of trouble this week.
• Louisville has a three-headed monster at running back. It’s between Isaac Brown, Duke Watson, and Kayjuan Brown, and they’re leading the fifth best rushing offense in the ACC. Louisville is averaging 194.3 rush yards per game, and also average 6.4 yards per rush, tied for the best in the conference. Louisville’s rushing game looks very similar, yet very different than their rushing game last year. Jawhar Jordan ran for 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Isaac Guerendo added 810 yards and 11 touchdowns. Both of them left for the NFL, so Louisville had to scrap together an all-new rushing room. Brown was the only one of the three to be at Louisville last year, as he red shirted. He got 11 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. He has 19 carries for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns thus far. Both Brown and Watson are true freshman, with Brown being named to ESPN’s Preseason True Freshman All-America Team. And so far, he's lived up to the hype. He’s ran the ball 16 times for 173 yards and a touchdown. Brown did struggle last week, gaining just 7 yards on 3 carries. No one on Louisville really made any noise last week, including Duke Watson, who had 2 carries for 3 yards. On the year, he has 12 carries for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Louisville averaged 2.6 yards per rush, and gained just 63 rushing yards. Donald Chaney was the leading rusher, with 23 yards. He had 10 carries. On the year, Chaney has just 44 yards. Louisville’s running game is convoluted, but in way that’s a good thing. Its going to be a lot harder for Notre Dame to stop every back.
• Tyler Shough has been amazing this season. After 2 years at Oregon, and 3 years at Texas Tech, Shough has finally found consistency, and it’s been reflected in his play. Leading Louisville to a 3-0 start, Shough has thrown for 850 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’s completed 68.45 of his passes, and haven’t turned it over once. He’s also only been sacked once, which came back in week 1. If Shough can keep his near flawless game going this game, Notre Dame’s defense is going to have some problems. Shough has had a great group of receivers as well, led by Ja’Corey Brooks. Brooks has caught 17 passes for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had the best game of his season last week, catching 4 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Chris Bell has also been a solid pass catcher, with 6 receptions for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had the best game of his season last week, catching 2 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Both of these guys should have a big game.
• Louisville’s defense is going to be tough to beat. The Cardinals rank second in the ACC in points per game allowed and third in yards per game allowed. They’ve allowed 11 points per game and 268.7 yards per game. They have 9 sacks as well, with Tramel Logan leading the team with 3. Jared Dawson and Tamarion McDonald are both tied with 2. Louisville hasn’t forced that many turnovers, picking off opposing quarterbacks 2 times, and have recovered 2 fumbles as well. Notre Dame, and more specifically Riley Leonard, have had struggles with turnovers in the past. We’ll see if Louisville’s defense can attack them this week.
I think whoever controls the ground game can get this win, and that team is going to be Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish win, 21-16.
3. (19) Illinois @ (9) Penn State – After upsetting Nebraska on the road last week, Illinois stays on the road to play Penn State, who’s undefeated, but practically played no one. I’m going to start with the Fighting Illini, and…
• Luke Altmyer had his breakout game. Altmyer was great in Illinois first 3 games, but he stepped it up another notch last week when leading Illinois to a win over Nebraska. He went 21/27 for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns, including a key touchdown in overtime. Most of his touchdowns came in the red zone as well, where it’s much harder to throw. His first touchdown was a 27-yard strike, which gave Illinois an early lead. His next touchdowns were 3, 6, and 4 yards long. In fact, 6 of Altmyer’s 10 touchdowns have come in the red zone. So far this year, Altmyer has thrown for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns. He stepped his completion percentage up, completing 71.4% of his passes this year. He had a completion percentage of 64.8% last year, which wasn’t bad, but through 10 picks. He has none right now. He hasn’t been as lethal on the ground, but he’s playing well, so there’s no reason to fix anything. With Pat Bryant, who’s caught 20 passes for 309 yards and 6 touchdowns, and Zakhari Franklin, who's caught 21 passes for 243 yards, Altmyer should continue to have games like that one. He has great momentum, and now has a tougher opponent. If Illinois is going to get this win, he’s going to have to capitalize on that momentum.
• Illinois needs a groove in their running game. Although Altmyer played amazing last week, it came at a price. Illinois got just 166 rushing yards on 39 carries, which is 4.3 yards per rush. Kaden Feagin was the leading rusher, with 12 carries for just 69 yards. Josh McCray and Aiden Laughery followed win with 38 and 30 yards, respectively. No one had any rushing touchdowns, but because of Altmyer’s great game, it didn’t matter. Altmyer has gone down 7 times thus far, and Illinois’ poor o-line play continues into the rushing game. On the year, Illinois has just 626 yards and 4 touchdowns. They’re averaging 156.5 rush yards per game, which is about middle of the road. However, their 4 touchdowns are tied for the second least. Feagin is the leading rusher, with 54 carries for 242 yards and a touchdown. Laughery has 120 yards, and both McCray and Calil Valentine have 105 yards. If Feagin or someone else can have a good game this week, whether win or lose, Illinois would be very close to being complete.
• Illinois' defense has been great. They let up 24 points to Nebraska last week, and that was the greatest number of points they let up so far this season. They shut out Eastern Illinois and gave up just 9 against Central Michigan. In between those games, Illinois let up 17 points against Kansas. On average, they let up 294.3 yards per game, but 12.5 points per game, which is tied for the fourth most in the Big Ten. They’re also tied with Minnesota for the most picks in the conference, with 7. 3 of them came from Xavier Scott, who returned 1 for a touchdown against Kanas. Miles Scott and Torrie Cox Jr. both have 2. All 3 of them should pose big problems for Drew Allar. Speaking of Allar…
• Allar has cut out the clutter from last year. Although Penn State has a great tandem of running backs, Allar still threw the ball 390 times last year. That was second in the Big Ten. This year, Allar has thrown 58 times, tied for 18th in the conference. This has led to his completion percentage going way up, from 60% to 70.7%. He’s thrown for 730 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 1 pick thus far. He’s also ran for 2 touchdowns. Penn State has had favorable competition, taking on West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Kent State. Allar has looked great in all of these games, but the…
• The rushing game is still the heart and soul of Penn State’s offense. Like I stated earlier, Penn State has a great tandem of running backs, those being Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Singleton is the leading rusher, with 37 rushes for314 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen is right behind him with 35 carries, but just 187 yards. He has no touchdowns. He does have a touchdown catch, however. Singleton has 2. Penn State averages 255 rush yards per game, which is second in the conference. Penn State’s rushing game should be able to stifle Illinois’ defense, and will help them control the clock.
• Penn State’s defense had the best defensive showing we might see all year. Yes, they were playing Kent State, but at least it wasn’t against an FCS team. They held the Golden Flashes to just 67 yards and 6 first downs. Penn State held the ball for nearly 36 minutes as well. They held Kent State to just 18 passing yards, and forced Kent State’s collective quarterbacks to go 2/13. Penn State did not get any turnovers, but they didn’t need them. They also forced Kent State to go 1-11 on third downs. Now, Penn State defiantly won’t have a performance like that again this week, but just like Luke Altmyer, they have great momentum, and just have to make it work with that momentum.
Penn State should use their dominate ground game to grind out a close win, but Altmyer does just enough to keep Illinois in the game. Penn State wins, 31-27.
4. (20) Oklahoma State @ (23) Kansas State – Both of these teams lost last week. For Oklahoma State, some people thought it could happen. I was not one of them, but we move on. As for Kansas State, practically no one thought they were going to lose. I was one of them. Clearly, they did not win. Both teams now need a rebound win, one that will not only keep them alive in the Big 12, but will send the other one out of the rankings. I’ll start with the Pokes, and…
• Oklahoma State is going to need the biggest game out of Ollie Gordon. We all remember Gordon’s magical 2023 season, and we thought he could come into this season, and make a case for 2,000 rushing yards. Just 4 weeks in, and I’ve already written that off. He’s sitting at 260 rushing yards on 73 carries. He has 4 touchdowns, but they came in the first 2 weeks. Gordon started the season off the way we all thought, rushing 28 times for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was stopped against Arkansas, getting just 50 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. We all thought he would bounce back against Tulsa, but he didn’t. He had 17 carries for 41 yards. Against Utah, he had just 11 carries for 42 yards. His 11 carries are the least amount of carries he’s had in a game since Oklahoma State’s loss to South Alabama last year. We saw him bounce back from bad games last year, as he ran for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns after rushing for just 25 the week prior. It’s not like Gordon is being used less by a staggering amount, but if he can’t get back to his old ways, not only is Oklahoma State going to have a hard on offense, but he’s going to be used less and less. His struggles on the ground last week had a big impact on Oklahoma State’s time of possession, as Oklahoma State held the ball for just 17 and a half minutes. There's a lot of work Ollie Gordon has to put in if Oklahoma State will get back to their old ways.
• Alan Bowman also did not look good last week. Bowman went 16/33 for 206 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 picks. You might say to yourself, Oh, well that’s not that bad. Sure, his completion percentage could be a little bit higher, and the picks are bad, but he still threw for 2 touchdowns. However, both of Bowman’s touchdowns came late in fourth quarter, where no matter what Oklahoma State din, Utah could just run the clock before punting. Oklahoma State’s leading receiver was De’Zhaun Stribling, who had 3 catches for 50 yards. On the year, Bowman has thrown for 1,173 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s completed 62.8% of his passes, he's averaging 8.1 yards per throw, and has only been sacked once. If Bowman can move past that bad game, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about when it comes to Bowman. If not, Oklahoma State’s season could be flipped on its head.
• Oklahoma State needs to fix their defense. Ever since Jim Knowles left for Ohio State, Oklahoma State’s defense has not been the same. They went from the best to the worst just like that, and things aren’t looking up this year. They’re allowing 461 yards per game, worst in the Big 12, and 20.8 points per game, which is still in the second half of Big 12 teams. They have gotten to the quarterback, with 9 sacks. They have 8 turnovers as well, but when it comes to stopping opposing offenses, they have problems. They’re going to need to fix those problems this week because…
• Even though they struggled last week, the K-State offense can still rebound. Remember, it was just 2 weeks ago that Kansas State scored 31 in a win over Arizona. It does look like Kansas State struggles a lot more when they go on the road. Obviously, they were blown out last week, 38-9. Back in week 2, Kansas State went on the road to Tulane, and needed a fumble recovery and then a clutch late interception in the end zone to win, 34-27. Its also no surprise that both of these games were Avery Johnson’s worst. Lucky for Kansas State, this game is at home. The rest of Kansas State’s schedule is pretty favorable, with Iowa State being their only ranked team left on their schedule. That is on the road, but it’s a long way until Farmageddon. K State actually out gained BYU last week, and held the ball for 33 minutes. However, they turned the ball over 3 times and let up a ridiculous punt return touchdown. Johnson went 15/28 for 130 yards and 2 interceptions. He did add 74 rushing yards, and Kansas State actually did pretty good on the ground. They ran the ball 43 times for 228 yards, with DJ Giddens leading the way. He had 19 carries for 93 yards. As a team, Kansas State averaged 5.3 yards per rush. Giddens did lose a fumble, however. K-State never put it in the end zone, which made it a lot harder to come back. I think Kansas State’s offense should be able to rebound, because like I said, this game is at home.
• Kansas State needs to find their WR1. We are to far into the season for you to not have your wide receiver one figured out. Jayce Brown is the leading receiver, with 13 catches for 200 yards. Kansas State had a similar problem with their pass catchers last year, but it still worked out. With a new quarterback under center, you can’t use the same strategy as last year. Right behind Brown is Keagan Johnson, who has 10 receptions for 110 yards. Neither Brown of Johnson have touchdowns. Brayden Loftin ahs the third most yards, with 93. He has 7 catches, 2 of them for touchdowns. Kansas State is a rushing team, but they can’t be one dimensional on offense. Whoever it will be will need to take off from here to achieve 1,000 receiving yards.
• What happened on defense last week? Coming into Kansas State’s game last week, they held Arizona to just 7 points, shutting them out in the last 3 quarters. They forced a turnover as well. However, Kansas State’s defense completely turned around. Yes, they held BYU to just 240 yards and 14 first downs, but let up so many quick scores, including a 90-yard punt return. K-State didn’t force a single turnover, and let up 38 points. Just with Avery Johnson and the offense, K-State’s defense plays a lot better at home. That should give them a big boost this week. They’ve also sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 times, tied for first in the conference. They’re going to have to sack Alan Bowman this week for a win.
Kansas State should be able to bounce back, but its not enough for them to get the win. Oklahoma State wins, 34-29.
5. Arkansas Vs. (24) Texas A&M – Played every year in Jerry World, this rivalry was renewed when Texas A&M joined the SEC. Through another wave of realignment, this rivalry has continued. Historically, Arkansas leads the rivalry, 42-35-3. Going back to 2012, Arkansas is 1-11 in this game. However, they’ve led in 10 of these 12 games. Many of these are close, but Arkansas has had a tough time holding onto these leads. Arkansas is coming off a gutsy road win against Auburn, while Texas A&M barely survived against Bowling Green. I’ll start with Arkansas, and last week I said…
• Last week I said there should be a QB controversy, and I stand by that. Taylen Green once again played poorly, going 12/27 for 150 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks. His lone touchdown was an incredible play, one where he spined away from a sack before barely getting the throw off, finding Isaiah Sategna who made an amazing catch to score a 58-yard touchdown. Now, the throw was underthrown, but I’m not going to fault him too much, as he barely got that pass off. Green did lead the Hogs in rushing yards, with 80. But like I always say, quarterbacks shouldn’t excel at running back, they should excel at the position they play. On the year, Green has thrown for 957 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 picks, while completing 53.7% of his passes. He’s ran for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns as well. Green got bailed out by Ja’Quinden Jackson, who scored 2 touchdowns, and was undoubtedly the MVP of Arkansas’ offense last week. Every thing I said about Malachi Singleton last week is the same this week, and if Green struggles again this week, more and more people will start calling for him to be benched.
• Just let Ja’Quinden Jackon do everything. I’m not an expert coach or anything, but from the outside, Arkansas should lay back on the amount of times they throw the ball, and run it even more with Jackson. Yes, Taylen Green does have incredible athleticism, but when his play is not translating, you need to switch something up. Now, Jackson already runs it a lot. He had 22 carries last week, and 24 against Oklahoma State. Last week, Jackson had 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. They were both 1 yard long, with his first being the first score of the game, and the second iced the game for the Razorbacks. On the year, Jackson had 69 carries for 472 yards and 8 touchdowns. His yards are fourth in the country, and his touchdowns are tied for the third most. Jackson already plays well with the amount of carries he has, and if he gets more, he could have an Ollie Gordon type season.
• Arkansas forced a lot of turnovers last week, and need to do the same this week. Hank Brown, Auburn’s quarterback, was rolling into his game with a lot of momentum, but Arkansas stifled him. They picked him off 3 times in the first half, turning one into their first touchdown. They also forced a fumble in that first half. Auburn benched Brown in the second half, but still picked off Payton Thorne once. They turned that into a field goal. This helped Arkansas hold the ball for 36 and a half minutes, and ultimately win. Arkansas did let up 431 yards from Auburn’s offense, and let Thorne throw for over 200 yards in just 1 half. Arkansas’ defense is going to have to do a better job this week, especially now that conference play has started.
• Its going to be interesting how Conner Weigman does this week. Weigman was the preseason starter, and played the first 2 games. Before the Florida game, Weigman injured his shoulder, and hasn’t played the past 2 weeks. Weigman is listed as the starting QB on the depth chart for this game, but Mike Elko has also said that he could be a game-time decision. Because of his status on the depth chart, I think he should start. However, I wouldn’t rule out that Marcel Reed could play this week. Weigman has thrown for 225 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He’s also ran for 65 yards. As for Reed, he's thrown for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s also ran for 217 yards and a touchdown. Now, he did play in more games than Weigman, as he got into the McNeese State game, but that was in garbage time. Reed’s first start came on the road, which is always hard. He played very well, however, going 11/17 for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 83 yards and a touchdown. Even though Texas A&M struggled in general against Bowling Green, Reed didn’t. He threw for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns, while rushing for 91 yards. If Weigman does truly start, this will be his first game since week 2, but with a shoulder injury, it’s always harder for quarterbacks to bounce back. Regardless of who plays most of the snaps, they’re going to have a seemingly easy time because…
• Texas A&M has a great ground game. The Aggies have one of the worst passing offenses in the SEC, averaging just 161.8 passing yards per game. By contrast, Texas A&M has one of the best rushing offenses in the conference, and in the country. They’re averaging 256 rush yards per game, second in the SEC and 8th in the country. They’re led by Le’Veon Moss, who has 63 carries for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had Texas A&M’s lone touchdown in their loss to Texas A&M. His other 2 touchdowns came the next week. He hasn’t scored since week 2, but his yards have gone up. However, it hasn’t been all good. He lost a fumble last week as well. It was a key one as well, as it gave Bowling Green the ball back with 1 and a half minutes left. Moss still finished the game with 16 carries and 90 yards. Amari Daniels is the second leading back, with 39 carries for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s taken a smaller role now that Marcel Reed has been playing, and he upgrades the rushing game as well. If he plays, Texas A&M can outrush Arkansas to the win.
• How does Texas A&M not have that happen again? After rebounding nicely following a week 1 loss at home to Notre Dame, Texas A&M had a seemingly easy game against Bowling Green. It was at home, and they went into the half up 1303. They let up 2 long touchdowns in the third quarter, while only scoring one of their own. They got 2 field goals in the fourth, giving them a 26-17 lead. Once they picked of Connor Bazelak in their own red zone, it looked like Texas A&M had the game wrapped up. However, Le’Veon Moss put it on the ground, and Bowling Green recovered. BGSU had the ball on Texas A&M’s 35, and although it was a 2-score game, it was looking pretty favorable for BGSU. TAMU forced them to kick a field goal, and then recovered the onside kick. Outside of the obvious answer, which is don’t turn the ball over on your own 35, but what Texas A&M needs to do is pull ahead. If they can control the clock this week like I think they can, then TAMU can correct their mistakes.
I think Texas A&M can do that, and they win another game where Arkansas leads, but not without it being a close game. Texas A&M wins, 21-13.
6. Washington State @ (25) Boise State – After having an amazing performance in week 1, Ashton Jeanty nearly led Boise State to an upset win over Oregon. After a bye week, they destroyed Portland State, and are now ranked 25th in the nation. They take on Washington State, who's’ continued to stack on consistent wins. I’ll start with the Cougars, and…
• Wazzu barely survived last week. Washington State is coming off a 54-52 win over San Jose State last week in double overtime. They came back from down 38-24 to force overtime tied 46-46. They outscored San Jose State in the fourth quarter 22-8. Neither team scored in the first overtime, and Dylan Paine started the scoring in overtime for Wazzu. He ran it in from 7 tards out, and John Mateer ran for the 2-point conversion. Emmett Brown threw another touchdown to Nick Nash. However, Washington State stopped San Jose State on their 2-point conversion attempt to win. John Mateer once again carried the offense, throwing for 390 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also ran for 111 yards and a touchdown. That means that he contributed for 501 of Wazzu’s 627 yards. Mateer usually has to do everything for the offense, and so far, that’s worked out for Washington State.
• Someone is going to have to break out. It all comes on the ground as well, as outside of Mateer, no one is doing much on the ground. Wayshawn Parker is the leading rusher for the running backs, with 51 carries for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s caught a touchdown as well. Although Parker hasn’t performed in every game, he’s still been very serviceable. And it all comes down to Parker, as no one else on Washington State outside of him and Mateer have over 100 rushing yards. Parker has about the same number of carries as Mateer too, so it’s been a struggle with him, and not Mateer taking away carries from him.
• Ashton Jeanty, Ashton Jeanty, Ashton Jeanty. Whenever it comes to talking about Boise State this season, its not their move to the Pac-12, it’s not their increasing odd to make the college football playoff or win the Mountain West, its their star running back Ashton Jeanty. Its for good reason, too, as he had an incredible week 1 performance, where he ran 20 times for 267 yards, and 6 touchdowns. He continued that with 192 yards and 3 touchdowns the following week. After a bye, Jeanty came back onto the field, and although he didn’t put up the same numbers, it showed that Boise State can win without a good game from Jeanty. Jeanty ran just 11 rimes for 127 yards last week in a 56-14 win. Jeanty has ran 56 times for 586 yards and 9 touchdowns this year. The yards are the second most in the country and the touchdowns are tied for second. I hate to keep saying that someone could have an Ollie Gordon type-of-season this year, but I truly feel Jeanty has a shot at hitting similar marks, and maybe even run for 2,000 yards. Even though he didn’t have a game last week like he did for his previous 2 games, Jeanty should get back on track this week, as they’re going to need him against a quality opponent.
• Madux Madsen has been a great quarterback. Madsen is overlooked a lot when it comes to Boise State, mainly because of Jeanty. However, Madsen is actually one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West. Although 200 yards away from the quarterback in 5th place, Madsen is ranked sixth in pass yards in the conference. However, everyone ahead of Madsen has played 4 or more games, while Madsen has played just 3. He also barely played in the second half of Boise State’s game last week. On the year, Madsen has thrown for 616 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 pick, while rushing for a touchdown as well. All though he has been a game manger this season, he is definitely better than one. Remember, now Arkansas QB Taylen Green was benched last season for Madsen, and Madsen played pretty well. If Jeanty is either having a slow game or is injured or something else, Madsen is more than capable to step up and lead Boise State to the win.
Ashton Jeanty once again runs wild, but John Mateer and the Washington State Cougars keep it close in a high scoring game. Boise State wins, 56-52.
7. Virginia Tech @ (7) Miami – Miami has led a blazing trail behind them since taking down Florida, and they now take on Virginia Tch, who had high expectations going into the season, although they haven’t lived up to them. I’ll start with the Hurricanes, and this game…
• This game might not be as close as you might think. Miami are big favorites to win this game, and for good reason. The game is at home on a Friday night, its in Miami, so you know Hard Rock Stadium is going to be rocking. Miami is riding high, ranked 7th in the nation, and their quarterback very well could win the Heisman. However, Miami struggled for the first time this season, taking down USF 50-15. That might seem like Miami didn’t struggle, but Miami only went into the half up 22-15. Cam Ward led the offense to the win however, and Miami finally got a somewhat good performance out of Damien Martinez. The rest of their rushing game stepped up, and that should carry over to this week. Then you look at Virginia Tech, and you might be quick to write them off. They’re 2-2, but both of their losses were close. I’ll talk more about VT later, so I don’t want to talk about them too much here. The one thing Miami was lacking in prior weeks was a good performance out of Damien Martinez. He ran for 3 touchdowns last week, and helped pull Miami out of their slump. If Miami finds themselves in a rut once again, count on him.
• We all know about Cam Ward, but how about the receivers. As always, Cam Ward is in my Heisman section, so go read that if you want to see me go more in detail over there. Xavier Restrepo is the leading receiver, catching 20 passes for 362 yards and 5 touchdowns. That’s tied for fourth in the nation and first in the ACC. He’s caught a touchdown in every game, and should continue that streak this week. Isaiah Horton has the second most yards on the team, with 278 yards, He also has 19 catches for a touchdown. Tight end Elijah Arroyo has 9 catches for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Samuel Brown has 14 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. Jacolby George was coming off a big season last year, but has gotten out to a slow start. He has just 12 catches for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had 57 receptions for 864 yards and 8 touchdowns last year. George had just 1 catch last year, and 3 against Florida A&M. George has the talent, but he just has to get the ball. Elija Lofton is the second tight end to go over 100 yards so far this season, and he has 7 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chris Johnson Jr. also has 2 touchdown catches. As you can see, Ward spreads the ball out, which doesn’t help just him, but also Miami as a whole. It makes it a lot harder for opposing defenses to guard everyone. Someone will beat this Virginia Tech defense; I guarantee you that.
• Kyron Drones is one of the most disappointing college football players this season. I thought Drones was going to be a pleasant surprise this season after a promising 2023. But so far this year, Drones hasn’t lived up to my expectations. He’s thrown for 765 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He’s matched his mark of 3 picks last year in just 4 games, which isn’t a good sight. Drones has ran for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns as well. Drones had his worst game of his season last year, throwing for 137 yards and a pick on a 48% completion percentage. He ran for just 60 yards. He made a really braindead mistake in the second half, where he was sacked and when he was going down, threw the ball out of the end zone. Because he was sacked in the end zone, it was already a safety for Rutgers. But him throwing the ball made it look even worse, and it hurt his completion percentage. That was a key play as well, because it gave Rutgers a 2-score, 9-point lead going into the half. VT lost 26-23. If Drones can change his play for the better this week, he can still be great, and could cause chaos. But for right now, I don’t trust him to lead VT to the season we all thought they could have in the preseason.
• VT’s defense has been interesting. Although 2-2, Virginia Tech’s defense has shined. They’re tied for the third most sacks in the ACC, with 13. Antwaun Powell-Ryland leads the team with 5.5 sacks, which leads the conference. VT haven’t gotten a lot of turnovers, with 2 picks and 2 fumbles. They’re going to have to force turnovers this week to get the upset. However, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows on defense. They’re allowing 341 yards per game and 22.8 points per game, both of which are middle of the road in the ACC. Miami has one of the best offenses in the country, and they’re going to push VT to their limits.
Virginia Tech is going to have a tough time stopping Miami’s offense, but I think they should be able to put Miami on upset alert. USF dd something similar last week, and VT does the same off the back of their great ground game. Miami wins, 34-24.
8. (21) Oklahoma @ Auburn – Theres a problem on offense for Oklahoma, and I don’t think benching their quarterback was where to start. The team that Oklahoma is literally playing this week, Auburn, benched their quarterback a few weeks ago. Their backup came in, and played badly in one half, and the original starter was once again starting, and he played well. Time will tell how this switch works out for OU. I’ll start with the Sooners, and…
• Michael Hawkins Jr. is the new QB for Oklahoma. Yes, Jackson Arnold struggled in other games, but it was less than 1 half into the Tennessee game before Brent Venables pulled the plug. Arnold went 7/16 for 54 yards and a pick in hi time against Tennessee, and then put in Hawkins. Hawkins Jr. played pretty well, going 11/18 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He led OU on another touchdown drive. Every quarterback has a bad game, but that doesn’t mean you should bench them. You lack consistency by making this move, and what do you do if Hawkins struggles? Then you go back to Arnold, and he already knows that you don’t trust him. That’s the worst-case scenario, but the best is that Hawkin Jr. turns into the next Caleb Williams. If Hawkins can step in and play well, that’s great. However, the odds are stacked against him. His’ first start comes on the road in the SEC, and Auburn is going to do whatever they can to make this game even harder for him.
• OU’s defense has been great at forcing turnovers. Do you remember in 2019 when Oklahoma had a ridiculous time forcing turnovers? They had 11 turnovers on 14 games that season, but that is even farther behind them now. OU has forced 12 turnovers already, with 8 of them being fumbles. Even though the defense mostly struggled last week, they forced 2 turnovers. They were both fumbles, but the kicker was that OU fumbled it right back both times. That problem falls more on the OU offense more than the defense, however. All of these games have been at home, so I would expect Oklahoma’s defense to take a small step back, but they should still force at least 1 turnover.
• Who's going to start at QB for Auburn? We know about Oklahoma’s quarterback conundrum, but Auburn has one as well. Hugh Freeze doesn’t even know who to start this week. Payton Thorne was the original starter, but struggled in Auburn’s loss to Cal. He went 14.27 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 picks. He ran for a touchdown as well. The fallout from that game cost Thorne the starting spot, and Hank Brown took over against New Mexico. He played amazing, going 17/25, and throwing for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had great momentum coming into the Arkansas game, but that was immediately snapped on Auburn’s first drive, where Brown threw a pick. Brown threw 2 more picks in the first half, and finished the half with a 53.8% completion percentage and 72 yards. Brown was benched for the second half, and Thorne took over. Thorne looked pretty good, throwing for just 213 yards in 1 half. He added on 2 touchdowns, but went 13/22 and threw a pick. If I was Freeze, I would personally start Throne. Brown looked very bad in how first SEC play, and I wouldn’t start him against this Oklahoma defense. Then again, Hugh Freeze ha a mind of his own, and could do pretty much what ever he wants to this week.
• Keandre Lambert-Smith has been on a tear this season. Lambert-Smith was one of the biggest wide receiver transfers this offseason, coming in from Penn State. He came down with 53 catches for 673 yards and 4 touchdowns this year. He’s already surpassed the number of touchdowns he had last year, as he has 5 touchdowns. He’s also caught 12 passes for 340 yards. He should pass all of his marks that he had last year, and is well on his way to a 10+ touchdown season. He’s got a tough task this week going up against a good OU defense, but he should be able to still have a good game.
Both teams have a problem at quarterback, but Oklahoma’s defense carries them to a win, 17-9.
9. Colorado @ UCF – Although the media only seems to talk about Colorado, UCF has gone under the radar, but are sitting with one of the best odds to win the Big 12. They’re 3-0, and already have a conference win. Colorado is coming off a game where they needed late game magic to win. I’ll start with the Knights, and they’re…
• UCF is led by a great ground game. In fact, they’ve got the best in the country. They’re averaging 375.7 rush yards per game, the best in the nation. That’s helped them average 570.7 yards per game, which is third in the country. That’s more than teams like Tennessee, Ohio State, and Penn State. UCF is averaging 6.8 yards per rush, fourth in the nation, and their 13 rushing touchdowns are tied for the sixth most in the country. They both lead the Big 12 as well. RJ Harvey is the leading the team, with 59 carries for 448 yards and 8 touchdowns. This is in just 3 games as well. Harvey obviously had great stats in UCF’s first 2 games, as UCF was playing an FCS team and Sam Houston State. However, in Harvey’s first real test, he looked great. He had 29 carries for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught a 29-yard touchdown. Harvey had 16 rushing touchdowns last year, and he already has half of that in just 3 games. If he stays on pattern, Harvey should finish the regular season with 32 touchdowns. That probably won’t happen, but he should pass his touchdowns from last season. Peny Boone and Myles Montgomery have combined for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns on 44 carries. They’ve been nice, quality options when Harvey is not on the field. KJ Jefferson, the starting quarterback, has ran for 135 yards and a touchdown as well. We all know how bad Colorado’s defense is, and UCF should be able to run all over them.
• KJ Jefferson might be back to his old self. Now, I would consider him a game manager, but that’s just because of how good UCF’s rush game is. Gus Malzahn hasn’t needed Jefferson to do much, and that’s made his play a lot better. KJ Jefferson’s first 2 seasons as the starting quarterback at Auburn were great, but Jefferson struggled last year. He transferred away in the offseason, which has helped him regain his play from 2021 and 2022. Jefferson has thrown for 563 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 pick so far this year, on a 62.7% completion percentage. He’s ran for 135 yards and a touchdown as well. Jefferson mainly struggled last year because he was sacked 42 times. But so far this year, he’s been sacked just 3 times, which has made him a lot more successful. Kobe Hudson, who has caught 13 passes for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, has also helped Jefferson play well. I would continue Jefferson to play well this week when Malzahn calls on him.
• How did Colorado win that game? Colorado did not get out to a good start last week, falling down 24-10 in the second quarter. Shedeur Sanders did find Omarion Miller right before the half to make the score 24-17 going into the half. Colorado got a rare rushing touchdown in the third quarter, but Sawyer Robertson connected with Hai Presley for a touchdown to give Baylor the 31-24 lead. Colorado got the ball back, but punted. That gave Baylor the ball back, but CU lucked out as Baylor missed a field goal. This gave the Buffs the ball back with 2 minutes and 15 seconds left, on their own 28. Colorado got 2 big penalties from Baylor, which moved them up to their 45. Sanders fumbled the next play, but Colorado recovered. A few plays later, Colorado got down to Baylor’s 43. Sanders then threw 2 incompletions, before finding LaJohntay Wester for a 43-yard touchdown with no time left. Colorado made the extra point, and sent the game into overtime. Colorado got the ball first, and ran it in for a touchdown. When Baylor got the ball, the CU defense unsurprisingly folded, letting Baylor get down to Colorado’s 2. They ran the ball, and it seemed like they were going to score and tie or win the game. However, Travis Hunter went low, and forced the fumble that won Colorado the game. They did get an insane amount of luck, yes, but they were still in the game, and that is one of the best things Coach Prime has given us from his time at Colorado. Great games.
• How will Colorado’s defense stop UCF’s rushing offense. One thing that Coach Prime hasn’t given us from his time at Colorado is a good defense. They were atrocious last year, allowing 453 yards per game and 35 points per game. This year, they’re out to a better start, but they’re still playing pretty bad. They’ve allowed 360.3 yards per game and 23.5 points per game. Colorado is allowing 150.8 rush yards per game, which hasn’t allowed them to control the clock. This has been the most evident in the Nebraska and Baylor games. They lost he first game, and nearly lost the second.
I don’t think Colorado’s defense is going to be able to stop UCF’s rushing game, and UCF gets the win, 30-26. Colorado is going to have a tough time throwing the ball this week in the rain, but I think they should keep it close.
10. Cincy @ Texas Tech – Both teams are rolling into this game at 3-1, both coming off 2 wins, and both have great quarterback play. Cincy blew a late lead to Pitt a few weeks ago, but came back with wins over Miami of Ohio and Houston, while Texas Tech beat North Texas and Arizona State after a loss to Washington State. I’ll start with Cincinnati, and…
• Brendan Sorsby has been lights out thus far. I feel that every week, I talk about how great Brendan Sorsby has been, but it needs to said. Sorsby had very little experience at Indiana, but transferred to Cincy this offseason, and looked great. He showed flashes of potential last year, but has put it all together this year. He’s thrown for 1,055 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also rushing for 3 touchdowns. Sorsby has the most passing yards out of anyone that hasn’t thrown a pick yet, and he only has a 65.3% completion percentage. He might not always be the most accurate, but he rarely puts the ball in harm’s way. That’s been a reason why Sorsby has been so well, but he’s had great wide receivers to help him out as well. Xzavier Henderson leads the team with 25 catches for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, while tight end Joe Royer has 14 receptions for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both should have big games this week.
• Cincy finally won a Big 12 game at home, and it couldn’t have come in a better way. Although this is Cincy’s second in the Big 12, they had just 1 Big 12 win last season, and it came on the road. That game was coincidentally also against Houston, who Cincy took down last week. The Bearcats shut out Houston last week, scoring 34 points of their own. The defense forced 3 turnovers, and their offense held the ball for 33 and a half minutes. Sorsby had an insanely good completion percentage, going 12/15. He also threw for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Corey Kiner added 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Cincy played a near perfect game, and they’re going to try to perfect it this week.
• Texas Tech brings the offense. We knew this since their first game of the season, when Texas Tech went to overtime with Abilene Christian. They scored 52 points, with Behren Morton going 30/42 for 380 yards and 5 touchdowns. Texas Tech had a down week in week 2 against Washington State, scoring 16 points. Morton struggled, throwing 2 picks, while TTU’s leading rusher had 70 yards. They changed it around the next week, scoring 66 points. Texas Tech hung 52 points in the first half against North Texas, with Morton throwing for 4 touchdowns, and Tahj Brooks rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown. Although it was a much closer game, Texas Tech still had a pretty good day on offense. Morton threw for 2 touchdowns, while Brooks added 117 yards on the ground. That leads us to this week, where Texas Tech is averaging 487.5 yards per game and 41 points per game. Both are second in the Big 12. Behren Morton has thrown for 1,175 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just 2 picks. Tahj Brooks has ran for 380 yards and 2 touchdowns. It’s as simple as when Texas Tech’s offense struggles, Texas Tech loses. When they play well, Texas Tech wins. But…
• Texas Tech does not bring the defense. Whereas it’s simple for Texas Tech’s offense, no matter what Texas Tech’s offense does, TTU’s defense will struggle. Like I stated in the first sentence of the last paragraph, Texas Tech went to overtime with Abilene Christian. Yes, Abilene Christian, an FCS school. Texas Tech let up 51 points, and would’ve lost if not for a rare defensive stop on a 2-point conversion. Texas Tech’s defense let up 37 points the next week, but did do a good job the following week against North Texas. They let up 21 points, and forced 3 turnovers. Against Arizona State, Texas Tech let up 22 points, which was a step in the right direction, and let up 376 yards. If Texas Tech’s defense can keep playing like they have for the past 2 weeks, they can change things around. However, I can’t get over the Abilene Christian game, which has tanked their stats. TTU is allowing 440 yards per game and 32.8 points per game, second worst and worst in the Big 12, respectively. Something that Texas Tech’s defense has done well is force turnovers, and they’ve forced at least 1 in each game. They should get at least 1 this week, which could keep them on the path that they’ve been on the past 2 weeks.
Regardless of how well the defense does, I think the Texas Tech offense does just enough to beat Cincinnati, and they win, 38-28.
11. Wisconsin @ (13) USC - 2 weeks since losing at home against Alabama, Wisconsin has another tough opponent, that being USC. USC did start their season on a high note, taking down LSU 27-20. However, they fell to Michigan on the road last week, and are looking to rebound against Wisconsin. I’ll start with the Trojans as well.
• Miller Moss had his first struggles last week. Moss was great through his first 2 weeks, throwing for 607 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had a completion percentage of 72.7% as well. However, his play soured after the bye week. He did throw 3 touchdowns, all of which were clutch ones. All 3 of them came in the second half, and either kept the game at a one-score difference, or giving USC the lead. Moss threw a ridiculous number of passes, however, which led to his completion percentage of 55%. Moss went 28/51. Moss did throw for 283 yards, but also his first pick on the season. That was returned for a touchdown, giving Michigan a 20-10 lead. We do know that Moss can still play a pretty good game against good competition, like his LSU game. On the year, Moss has thrown for 890 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 pick. He should be able to bounce back from his rut last game, and USC is going to need it because…
• USC does not have a good rushing offense. Although USC leads the Big Ten in pass yards per game, with 318.7 pass yards per game, USC is near the bottom of the Big Ten in rush yards per game, averaging 138 rush yards per game. That’s fourth worst in the conference. Although USC has played just 3 games, meaning that they haven’t had the same amount of time to increase their rushing stats compared to most of the rest Big Ten schools, their rushing offense is still pitiful. USC’s leading rusher is Woody Marks, who has 42 carries for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has had 100 yards in his last 2 games, both on 13 carries. If he can build even more on that, he could change USC’s rushing offense around. Only 1 other player on USC has over 100 yards rushing, that being Quinten Joyner. He has 17 carries for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had just 3 carries last week, and I don’t see him getting that many carries this week. Woody Marks is going to need to carry the USC rushing offense this week, and he’s going to have a tough time doing so.
• How will Braedyn Locke fair? Tyler Van Dyke was the preseason starter, and after playing OK in Wisconsin’s first 2 games, he got injured after a good start in the first 4 minutes of the game against Alabama. He’s now out for the rest of the season, so Locke will be the starter for the rest of the year. Locke took over from there on out, and played alright. He threw for 125 yards and a touchdown, completing 50% of his passes. He was obviously going to struggle, going up against Alabama’s defense, but he did do pretty well. Now, this wasn’t Locke’s first action. When Tanner Mordecai got injured last year, Locke had to step in for 4 games, and played pretty well. Although he only went 1-3, with Wisconsin’s only win being a 4-point win over Illinois. Locke did keep Wisconsin in the Ohio State game, and came up with all of Wisco’s points against Indiana, which was 2 touchdowns. Locke should be able to play pretty well, and should be Wisconsin’s future starter once Van Dyke leaves.
• Chez Mellusi couldn’t do anything against Alabama. I hyped Mellusi up prior to the Alabama game, but he let me down big time. He had 11 carries for 66 yards and 1 fumble. The fumble is obviously bad, but Mellusi was averaging 6 yards per rush, what’s the problem? However, Mellusi couldn’t help out Locke from the backfield, and his fumble just added to it. Mellusi has 46 carries for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year, and is going to need to have a big game this week to bring Wisconsin to the win.
I don’t think Mellusi is going to do that, and Wisco’s defense is going to get exposed by Miller Moss, and USC wins, 27-14.
12. Washington @ Rutgers – This is the game that we all knew was going to be the problem for the new Big Ten when the schedules came out. Washington, a team located in Seatle, just 96 miles away from the Pacific Ocean, is going to take a flight to Rutgers, just 36 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Theres about 2,800 miles in between the 2 schools, and the flight is about 5 hours and 15 minutes. I would assume that Washington is going to be very jetlagged this game, and that could lead to another loss for the Huskies. UDub is coming off a win, however, taking down Northwestern 24-5. As for Rutgers, they’re 3-0, and are just coming off a road win over Virginia Tech. I’ll start with the home team as well, and…
• Rutgers is going to show Washington real Big Ten football. None of that pass-happy, high-flying offense from the Pac 12 is going to work Friday night. Kyle Monangai has the second most rushing yards in the Big Ten, with 457. He accompanied that with 5 touchdowns on 72 carries. Rutgers and Virginia Tech are both run-happy teams, and when they squared off last week, Rutgers won the battle. They ran the ball 52 times, and Rutgers held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, letting them win the game. Behind Monangai are Samuel brown V and Antwan Raymond, and they’ve combined for 51 carries for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns. They have both been quality backs when Monangai has to come off of the field for whatever reason. Rutgers holds the ball on average for 35 minutes, and if they can do that this week, they’ll win.
• Rutgers’ defense is going to have to come up big once again this week. Although they were only on the field for 20 and a half minutes, Rutgers defense folded. They let up 320 yards and 23 points, but changed it around quickly and held VT to just 14 first downs, and forced 3 turnovers. This game was very sloppy, but Rutgers defense came up clutch in the final minutes, when they picked off Kyron Drones, and that iced the game for the Scarlet Knights. The secondary are going to have to be ball hawkers again this week, going up against Will Rogers. I think it will be a battle, and either side has a really good chance of winning.
• 2021 Will Rogers might be back. I’m sue that if you’ve been a college football fan for a few years now, you know about Will Rogers’ 2021 season. HE had by far the best completion percentage of his career, at 74%. He threw for 4,739 yards and 36 touchdowns, both of which are career highs. He also did have career highs in interceptions, with 9, and sacks, with 34. Compared to this season thus far, Rogers’ completion percentage is back up in the70s, at 75.7%. He’s thrown for 1,048 yards, second in the Big Ten. He’s also thrown for 8 touchdowns, and no picks. He’s taken just 6 sacks as well. Although Rogers hasn’t thrown for a crazy number of yards in 1 game, he’s been efficient and accurate, just like he was in 2021. Like I stated earlier, I think Rogers is going to have a tough time against a good Rutgers secondary, but he very well could beat them.
• UDub’s defense has been pretty good. Third in the Big Ten in points allowed per game, fifth in yards allowed per game, and tied for fourth in sacks, Washington’s defense is one of the main reasons why they’re 3-1. They allow 10.3 points per game, 237.5 yards per game, and have 11 sacks. They were lights out last week, allowing just 3 points, and forced a safety. Those 3 points only came because Will Rogers fumbled the ball on Washington’s 33. They held Northwestern to just 112 yards and 12 first downs, and also forced 2 turnovers. Washington has also slowed down one of the best offenses in the country, that being Washington State’s. If Washington can stop Rutgers ground game, Washington will win the game.
I think the Huskies will be able to overcome the potential jetlag to get a win, 28-17.
13. North Carolina @ Duke – We all know that this is a historic college basketball rivalry, but with where these 2 teams stand right now, this game could be an intriguing on-field matchup. UNC got the brakes beat off them last week, falling to James Madison 70-50. Duke’s undefeated, but the best team they’ve played is Northwestern, and it took double overtime for Duke to win. I’ll start with the Blue Devils, and…
• Maalik Murphy has looked great so far. I had some doubts about Murphy coming into the season. He didn’t look the best in the time that he played last season, and transferring in to a defensive-focused coach wasn’t the best move in my eyes. However, Murphy has erased my doubts, as he's thrown for 1,017 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s thrown for 3 touchdowns in all of his last 3 games, but has thrown a pick in every single one as well. He had 2 touchdowns and a pick in Duke’s week 1 win. All Murphy needs to do is cut down on the turnovers, and he will be a great quarterback. If he can make that leap in season, that’s great. If he can’t he’s still got a few more years to do so. The future is bright for Murphy, and it can get even brighter if he leads Duke to a rivalry win.
• Murphy has some great receivers to throw to as well. Jordan Moore is the obvious WR1, catching 24 passes for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although he had just 1 catch last week, it went for 34 yards and a touchdown. He’s caught a touchdown in his last 3 games, and should bounce back with more catches this week. Eli Pancol has come down with 15 catches for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns. Just like Moore, Pancol had a down game last week, catching just 2 passes for 28 yards. Someone who didn’t have a down game last week was tight end Nicky Dalmolin, who had 4 catches for 100 yards. 2 of his catches went for touchdowns. They were 71 and 7 yards long. Que’Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans have combined for 27 yards for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns. They’ve been solid options for Murphy as well.
• I can’t tell if Jacolby Criswell played well or not last week. He threw for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns, but completed 58.3% of his passes, and threw 2 picks. He also lost a fumble. Criswell was one of the reasons why UNC scored 50 points, but his turnovers didn’t help North Carolina’s chances of getting back into the game. 1 of his picks was returned for a touchdown, and the other fumble turned into a touchdown. Criswell’s untimely turnovers really cost UNC that game, and he’s going to have to turn that around this week.
• At least Omarion Hampton had a good game. UNC has had 3 starting quarterbacks, but Omarion Hampton has been able to help all of them out, and keep them somewhat comfortable. On the year, Hampton has 86 carries for 555 yards and 6 touchdowns. His yards are the third most in the country, and first in the ACC. Last week, Hampton had 19 carries for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with 3 catches for 34 yards. His touchdowns were 28, 15, and 2 yards long. While Criswell’s turnovers hurt UNC, Hampton did nothing but help. He didn’t have any fumbles, and his contribution in the pass game was also helpful. Hampton should once again be a big force in the game this week.
Maalik Murphy and his great group of wide receivers should be able to beat North Carolina through the air, and Omarion Hampton won’t be able to do enough in order to carry UNC to the win. Duke wins, 30-14.
14. Maryland @ Indiana – Indiana is 4-0 for just the eighth time in school history, and are looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1967. As for Maryland, they’re 3-1, falling to Michigan State by 3. They have a 2-game win streak, taking down Virginia and Villanova in the process. I’ll start with Indiana, and the reason why they’ve been so good is because…
• The reason why Indiana has been so good is because of their defense. They’re allowing 9.3 points per game and 199.3 yards per game, both of which are second in the Big Ten. Ohio State are ahead of them in both statistics, but Indiana is tied for second in sacks, with 12. That’s 3 more than Ohio State. Mikail Kamara leads the team with 3 sacks, but its mostly a team effort. 7 different players have just 1 sack, and another one has half a sack. Indiana has just 7 turnovers, with Amare Ferrell having 2 picks. I think Indiana should be able to get some turnovers this week, as they forced 2 in their Big Ten opener against UCLA.
• Their success isn’t just because of their defense. They’ve broken single-game school records for total offense and scoring, and are top 3 in yards per game and points per game in their conference. They’re averaging 513.8 yards per game, and 50.5 points per game, third and second in the Big Ten. Kurtis Rourke ha thrown for 1,013 yards and 8 touchdowns, completing 75.55 of his passes. He hasn’t thrown a pick and has only been sacked twice. Now, IU has had a very easy schedule, with their toughest opponent thus far being UCLA. We’ll see if Indiana’s offense can keep up their play against one of their first real competition. On the ground, Justice Ellison leads the Hoosiers, with 38 carries for 290 yards and 5 touchdowns. That might not seem like the best, but as a team, Indiana is averaging 225.5 rush yards per game. That’s 5th in the Big Ten, and the reason why they’ve been doing so well is because of the mount of carries they have. No one has stacked up a bunch of carries, and IU has 18 touchdowns as a team. That’s by far the first in the conference. The same thing with the carries goes with the receptions for the receivers. The most receptions one receiver has is just 15.
• Billy Edwads Jr. and Tai Felton are still the best QB-Wide Receiver duo in the nation. Edwards has been great since taking over for Taulia Tagovailoa, as he’s thrown for 1,155 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 2 picks on the year. He’s also ran for 2 touchdowns. Now, when he did get into games in prior seasons, he was usually in there to run. He had 7 rushing touchdowns last year, and 136 rush yards 2 years ago. If he does become a real dual-threat, he can take his play to another level. Most of Edwards’ passes have gone to Tai Felton, who’s caught 41. His 41 catches have turned into 604 yards and 5 touchdowns. His catches are second in the nation and his yards are third. His touchdowns are tied for fourth. Felton has gone over 150 receiving yards in 3 of his four games, and the one game he didn’t, he had 117 yards. He’s caught at least 1 touchdown in every single one of his games, and should get another touchdown this week. If the Indiana defense is able to shut down either Edwards or Felton, then Indiana should be able to get the win. They would be able to be the first to team to figure out the Maryland offense as well.
• Maryland’s been pretty good on the ground. They’ve got a three-headed monster at running back, but none of them have been able to truly break out. Roman Hemby is the leading back, with 50 carries for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. The most rushing yards he’s had in a game is just 67, but that was last week, so I think he could break out this week. Nolan Ray is right behind him, with 29 carries for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. Although he had just 5 carries for 25 yards last week, he did score his second touchdown. The third running back is Colby McDonald, who has 22 carries for 134 yards. He’s slowly gotten better, gaining more yards per week. However, he had his first fumble last week, but should be able to bounce back this week. If Billy Edwards Jr. can break out in the rushing game, Maryland will be a complete team on offense, and win this game.
Although Indiana is rolling high, I think they lose this week to a high-flying Maryland offense, 28-12.
15. Arizona @ (10) Utah – After Arizona started off 2-0, they fell to Kansas State, and now have to go on the road to Utah, who's coming off a top 15 road win with their backup quarterback. I’ll start with the Utes as well, and…
• Speaking of their backup quarterback, he might start again this week. It’s looking like Cam Rising will once again be a game-time decision, which still gives us hope that he can start, but you never know. Rising has thrown for 346 yards and 7 touchdowns, although 5 of them came against Southern Utah, so not exactly quality competition. We all know what Rising brings to the table. He’s been pretty accurate throughout his career, and has a nice rushing ability as well. With his injury being to his fingers, he’ll have a tough time grasping the ball, and if he does play, we will see him take off more. As for the backup, that’s Zach Wilson’s little brother, Isaac Wilson. This Wilson has thrown for 550 yards and 5 touchdowns, but also 5 picks while completing 58.5% of his passes. Although Utah still got the win last week, Wilson threw 2 picks, but Utah’s defense bailed him out by not allowing any points. Wilson’s first pick came at Utah’s 18. If Wilson does get the start, he should have another game like he did last week. If Rising gets the start, Utah will run the ball a lot more.
• Micah Bernard has been doing everything right. He missed a ton of time last season, 11 games to be exact. However, he’s been one of the main reasons why Utah has stayed undefeated through the changing quarterback play. Bernard has 66 carries for 456 yards and a touchdown this year. The O-line has been a big reason why he’s broken out, and he could be well on his way to a 1,000 rushing yard season. Bernard has career highs in both rushing yards and carries last week, running 25 times, piling up 182 yards. That game also marked his third straight 100-yard game, which hasn’t happened since Ty Jordan did it in 2020. I think Utah will move to a run focused scheme this week if Rising starts, and Bernard will be at the center of it.
• The magic of Noah Fifita is gone. When I saw magic, I don’t mean Fifita’s play. Its just gotten really easier for defenses to figure out how he plays and move accordingly. Fifita took over for Jayden de Laura after a few games last year, and played amazingly. He threw for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 6 picks on a 72.4% completion percentage. Si far this season, his completion percentage has dropped to 63.6%, and he’s already thrown for half the number of interceptions he did last year. Fifita has thrown for 863 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 picks. Although Fifita should be able to pass up his yards and touchdowns from last year, that’s more so because he’s going to play for longer this year. Fifita went 26/42 for 268 yards and a pick last week, by far his worst game. He’s thrown a pick in every game as well. Maybe Fifita will be able to change things around because of the bye week, but no matter how good Tetairoa McMillian is, it’s not going to save him.
• Someone else is going to have to break out. Like I just stated, Tetairoa McMillian can’t do everything for Fifita, and Fifita can’t get better if no one else is going to be open enough for him to throw it to them. McMillian has 23 catches this year for 453 yards and 4 touchdowns. That means the rest of Arizona’s receivers have combined for 40 catches, 410 yards, and 1 touchdown. The receiver with the second most receiving yards this year is Montana Lemonious-Craig, who has 8 catches for 94 yards. The only other touchdown in the receiving game went to Jeremiah Patterson, who has just 5 catches for 47 yards this year. Losing both Jacob Cowing and Tanner McLachlan, Arizona’s second and third leading receivers from last year, has really hurt Fifita, and maybe Fifita only looked good last season because of his wide receivers.
Theres a lot of uncertainty with Arizona right now, and Micah Bernard leads Utah to the win, 35-17.
16. TCU @ Kansas – You know it, you love it, it’s the Big 12 Mid Game of the Week. TCU is 2-2, while Kansas is 1-3. Kansas has blown leads, and have really questionable quarterback play. TCU is great at the quarterback position, and really just need to work on their defense. It’s a battle of mid that can only be rivaled by old Big Ten west games, and the Horned Frogs will be the first team I talk about.
• Will TCU get a defense? That’s been their one main gripe this season, allowing 326,8 yards per game and 32 points per game, seventh and second worst in the Big Ten. They allowed 66 points from SMU last week, with Sonny Dykes being ejected early in the second half. The funny thing, however, was that TCU outgained SMU, but their 5 turnovers all turning into points for SMU. 3 of them were returned for touchdowns right off the bat, with 2 of them being fumble returns. They happened on back-to-back drives as well. Although you can say something about the TCU offense there, the defense should be able to hold opposing offenses when they turn it over in plus territory. We’ll see if TCU can do that this week.
• Lance Leipold, its time to bench Jalon Daniels. In fact, I think this is long overdue. I think Daniels should’ve been benched before the West Virginia game, but then again, Daniels did do just enough to keep Kansas in that game, and the UNLV game. That’s precisely why Daniels won’t get benched, too. He does just enough for Leipold to trust him, but it his stats just end up getting worse and worse. He’s thrown 7 interceptions this year, tied for second in the nation. He’s ran a lot less, probably so that he stays healthy, but that was one of the reasons why Daniels was so good las year, and exciting to watch. Without him rushing, Daniels mainly just throws the ball all around the field, and that ends up in an interception. Leipold needs to make the right call, and bench Daniels. If he doesn’t, his seat will be very warm come seasons end.
I have absolutely no trust in Kansas offense, but at the same time I have very little trust in TCU’s defense. However, TCU’s defense is getting a little trust, and that little amount of trust is enough to carry them to the win, 26-14.
17. Florida State @ SMU – Even though FSU finally got a win, that hasn’t restored my trust in the Seminoles. They travel to SMU this week to take on a 3-1 Mustangs squad who just won a rivalry game, and are now playing in their first ACC game. I’ll start with the Noles, and…
• DJ Uiagalelei still did not look good. We knew his struggles after FSU’s first 3 games, but usually when the team wins, the quarterback looks good. I mean, they obviously had to play well enough to get the win, right? Well, that obviously did not happen last week, as DJ U went 16/27, a completion percentage of 59.3%, for 177 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. He was sacked 3 times as well. Although DJU still looked bad, he actually played really well for FSU. Because he mostly didn’t mess anything up, FSU won the game. DJU will still have to improve in order to lead FSU back to bowl eligibility.
• Brashard Smith was a scoring monster last week. After starting his season off with 3 touchdowns in 2 games, Smith was held scoreless against BYU, and SMU lost. However, he scored multiple times last week, and SMU blew out their rivals. Smith had 18 carries for 127 yards and 2 catches for 24 yards, and 4 total touchdowns. # were on the ground, and the other was through the air. He didn’t start scoring until the second quarter as well, which add s to his impressive game. His touchdown runs were 25 and 1 yard(s) long. He had 2 1-yard rushing touchdowns. Through the air, his touchdown reception was 24 yards, and he caught the two-point conversion for good measure. On the year, Smith has 53 carries for 380 yards and 6 touchdowns, while catching 8 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Smith should once again be a big force both on the ground and through the air, and he leads SMU to their first ACC win in their first every ACC game, 35-10.
18. Minnesota @ (12) Michigan – I doubted Michigan a lot last week, but they proved me wrong and took down USC at home, 27-24. They’re now 3-1, and their loss is a quality one, falling to Texas. I was quick to count out Michigan from the CFP after their loss to Texas, but now have a great chance to build their resume with a nice win over USC. As for Minnesota, they’re coming off a rivalry loss to Iowa, and now have another in their first road game.
• You can’t expect to win games when you throw for 32 yards. Yes, you read that right. Michigan threw for just 32 yards last week, and beat 11th ranked USC. Alex Orji went 7/12, and didn’t have any touchdowns or picks. It might not happen this week that they lose because of it, but it will eventually happen. Michigan is basically playing as if they have no quarterbacks, and that’s a big problem. What if you face a long third down, and you’ve established no rhythm through the passing game yet? Michigan is playing football like they’re one of the service academies, and that will be a problem for them down the line.
• You have to learn how to stop the run. This bullet point might be the most Michigan friendly thing I’ve written for Michigan so far this year. We know they like to run the ball, and Minnesota could not stop Kaleb Johnson last week. The Golden Gophers let Johnson run the ball for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries, letting him beat them on short, medium, and long runs, although it felt like every run Johnson had was a long one. Minnesota let up 272 rush yards, and only gained 70 of their own. There is no way that Minnesota is going to be able stop Michigan’s run if they can’t run the ball themselves, as they can control the clock that way. If Minnesota controls the clock, they force Michigan to pass, and that’s how they win.
Minnesota won’t be able to do any of that, and Michigan tramples Minnesota on the ground, 45-13.
19. Fresno State @ UNLV – Well, we got some interesting news about UNLV this week, and that has completely switched my outlook on this game. Matthew Sluka is practically quitting on his team because of unpaid NIL money, $100,000 to be exact. However, what’s important to note is that it was a verbal offer, and nothing was signed. When I put this game on my list, I though UNLV would be able to grind out a close win, and advance to 4-0. However, with Sluka not playing, that’s shifted my perception of this game a bit. Anyways, the Rebels’ new starter is…
• UNLV’s new starter is another FCS transfer, Hajj-Malik Williams. Williams was a prolific passer at Cambell, throwing for 8,200 yards and 58 touchdowns in his time there. This was his last season of eligibility, and decided to transfer to UNLV this offseason and compete for the starting job. That obviously didn’t happen, but Willaims now gets that starting spot. Just like Sluka, Williams can run, so UNLV will still get rushing production from their quarterback. Sluka was their leading rusher. Williams should struggle, as its his first action as the QB at an FBS level. Now, will he do horrible, I don’t think so, but Fresno State’s defense is definitely going to be able to confuse him at least a few times.
• Mikey Keene has turned it around. Keene didn’t start his season off on the right foot, as he threw 4 touchdowns in his first 2 games. He had 3 touchdowns and 593 yards to accompany it. However, he flipped a switch going into the New Mexico State game, as he threw for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now, he did complete 54.5% of his passes, going 12/22. He changed that last week, as he completed 78.8% of his passes, his best so far this year. Keene also threw for 226 yards and a touchdown. That means that on the year, he’s thrown for 1,040 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. In fact, his stats look kind of normal once you mention that Fresno State played Michigan. If Keene can keep the completion percentage up and his picks down like he did last week, he can lead Fresno State to the win.
I think he can, and Williams’ lack of evidence leads Fresno State to a 28-7 win.
20. (22) BYU @ Baylor – After surprising the college football world and giving us the first Big 12 after dark upset, taking down Kansas State 38-9, BYU focuses their attention on their road game ahead, taking on Baylor, who just lost to Colorado is crazy fashion.
• Sawyer Robertson played very well against Colorado. Robertson shined against Air Force in his first start, but last week would really show how well Robertson was going to be as a starter. Although he completed 52.4% of his passes, he threw for 150 yards,2 touchdowns, and also ran for 82 yards and a touchdown. Robertson kept Baylor is that game, and if Travis Hunter didn’t get one of the luckiest fumbles I have ever seen, Robertson would’ve been MVP of that game. The road does get tough for Robertson, as BYU has one of the best defenses in the Big 12, allowing 12.8 points per game and 269 yards per game, second and third best on the conference. We’ll see if Robertson can beat the BYU defense and lead the Bears to a win.
• How did BYU win last week? They were out gained, had fewer first downs, and held the ball for 27 minutes. Well, the simple answer was turnovers. BYU forced 3 turnovers, returning 1 for a fumble. The next drive, BYU picked off Avery Johnson, an turned it into points 2 plays later. Finally, to start the second half, BYU once again picked off Avery Johnson, and once again turned it into a touchdown 2 plays later. Once Kansas State got the ball back, BYU forced a punt, and it seemed like they had a turnover of their own, as they muffed the punt. However, Parker Kingston corrected his mistake by picking it up, and returning it 90 yards for a touchdown, adding on to the craziness of it all. Because BYU was able to score fast, that kept their time of possession down. BYU obviously wants to score fast, and they have shown that they can do jus that. If they do it again this week, they have a win.
I think BYU is able to score fast once again, and win, 34-20.
21. Stanford @ (17) Clemson – Just like I did with Michigan, I wrote off Clemson too early. I thought they were down after losing badly to Georgia, but they regrouped after the bye week, and have since on an impressive offensive performance. We saw them put up 66 points against App State, and 59 points against NC State. Both of those games were at home, and guess where this game is? Yep, at home. As for Stanford, they need a last second field goal to take down Syracuse, but they got it to win their first ACC game. I’ll start with Stanford, and…
• Stanford overcame Ashton Daniels’ struggles. Daniels is off to a slow start this season, and that was evident last week, when the threw for 178 yards, 1 touchdown, and had 2 picks. He completed 60.5% of his passes as well. However, Stanford ran the ball 32 times, gaining 173 yards, while holding Syracuse to just 26 yards, helping Stanford control the clock for 32 and a half minutes. Both their running backs and defense clutched up, which gave Daniels the confidence to lead Stanford on the game winning drive, where he went 5/7 for 54 yards, and tacked on 2 rushing yards to set Stanford up at Syracuse’s 16. After a false start penalty, Emmet Kenney, the Stanford kicker, made the kick to give Stanford the 26-24 win. Daniels obviously can’t play like he did overall, but if he can manage to play the full game like he did on the last drive, things would be looking up for Stanford and their season.
• The Cade Klubnik comeback needs to be studied. In week 1, Klubnik threw for 142 yards and a pick, while being sacked twice. Since then, he’s thrown for 587 yards, 8 touchdowns, no picks, and hasn’t been sacked once, allowing him to run for 3 touchdowns. One of his touchdown runs was 55 yards as well. He completed 92.3% of his passes against App State, and 66.7% against NC State. Klubnik did have to go up against one of the best defenses in the nation in week 1, but all of a sudden turned it around, and all I’m asking was, where was this type of play from Klubnik last year? It looked like he destined to become another DJU, or just a glorified game manager, but what he’s showed me in the past 2 weeks are neither of those things.
Klubnik has another outstanding performance this week, and Clemson wins, 55-27.
22. (3) Ohio State @ Michigan State – We see this every year. A big dog, whether it be Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, whatever team that’s been one of the best in modern times, goes on the road to a team that’s playing well, but 9 times out of 10, the big dog still wins. Ohio State is 3-0, playing nothing but cupcakes thus far. Michigan State was 3-0, but just fell last week on the road to Boston College. I’ll start with Ohio State, and…
• The 2 running back system has actually been working. When I first heard the news that Quinshon Judkins was going to transfer to Ohio State, I thought it was interesting. I knew that Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson would spilt the carries, because it wouldn’t make sense for Henderson to transfer away. However, I didn’t think it was going to work. I though one would just fade into the background, and Ryan Day would just continually use which ever one didn’t. However, the Buckeyes have been managing it well. The most amount of carries one of them has had is just 14, which came from Judkins last week. On the year, Judkins has 36 carries for 336 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Henderson has 24 carries for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ohio State’s offense runs through these 2 backs, and they should once again take over on offense for Ohio State.
• It’s time to bench Aiden Chiles. Perhaps we had too high of expectations for Chiles this year, as he’s practically a true freshman starter. He obviously hasn’t looked good, throwing for 891 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He has ran for 3 touchdowns. Chiles went 17/35 and threw 3 picks last week, contributing to MSU’s loss. Now, I’m not going to drill into Chiles, as this is just his first season starting, but Jonathan Smith and Michigan State have way too much trust in their quarterback. Chiles should struggle going up against a great defense, but if he does really bad, Smith should start thinking about putting in backup QB Tommy Schuster.
Ohio State rolls to an easy win over Michigan State, 49-7.
23. Northern Illinois @ NC State – NIU were the darlings of the college football world after beating Notre Dame, but they lost in their next game to Buffalo. As for NC State, they have 2 close wins, and 2 big losses. They got blown out by Clemson last week, but return back home this week. I’ll also start with the Wolfpack.
• NC State’s offense turned it over a lot, and their defense could not stop Clemson. NC State got destroyed last week, simply said. They gave up 59 points, and were down 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. They were down 45-7 at halftime. Outside of that, they gave up 524 yards and 24 first downs in just 27 minutes. NCSU also didn’t force any turnovers. On offense, NCSU did score 35 points, but 21 of those points came in the fourth quarter when Clemson had in the game all wrapped up. NCSU also had 3 turnovers on offense, all of which turned into points for Clemson. Now, I don’t know if this game is because of how good Clemson is or because of how bad NCSU is, but I think it’s a mix of both.
• NIU had an interesting game. We all know that they lost, but if you look at the stat sheet, it looks like they dominated. They held the ball for 36 minutes, and gained 360 yards and 24 first downs. They held Buffalo to just 184 yards and 9 first downs. Remember, this game went into overtime too, so NIU had another period of play to increase their stats. Now, the Huskies did commit 2 turnovers, but forced 1 out of Buffalo. The NIU defense forced 3 straight 3-and-outs to start the game, which should’ve been a good sight. NIU’s second turnover, which was an interception, gave Buffalo the ball on the Huskie’s 20. They kicked the game-leading field goal, and NIU then needed to drive down the field to kick the game-tying field goal. Buffalo brought the game into overtime, and they won there. Northern Illinois is going to need another statistic performance like that to even stay in the game, but they’re going to need a better execution to get the win.
I don’t think NIU can get that down, and NC State wins, 17-7. Although this is a 2-score, 10-point game, I think this is going to be an ugly one, and it lands third last on my list.
24. Nebraska @ Purdue – After a big week 1 win, Purdue has dropped 2 straight in embarrassing fashion, while Nebraska is looking to bounce back after their first loss of their season. I’ll start with the Cornhuskers, and…
• We all though Nebraska could come into the Ohio State game 7-0. Key word is thought. They lost last week in overtime to Illinois, but they could come into that Ohio State game 6-1, at least. Obviously, they have to get past Purdue this week, but you first have to reflect on your prior week. Dylan Raiola still looked pretty good last week, throwing for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. He did throw a pick, however. One big flaw of Nebraska’s last game last week was not scoring in key places. The times they did score were still important, but they had a multitude of chances to improve their lead. After punting on their first drive, Nebraska got a field goal and a touchdown on their next 2 drives, but then Raiola threw his pick. The game was tied at 10 at that point, but If Nebraska scores there, they have more momentum. They did score on their first drive following the interception, giving them a 17-10 lead at half. If they scored instead of throwing the pick, Nebraska would have a 2-score lead going into the half, which would’ve been incredibly important in this game. Nebraska punted on 2 of their next 3 drives, and scored a touchdown on the other. They let Illinois tie the game up at 24 in that time. After Nebraska’s second punt, the Cornhuskers, forced an Illinois fumble, but then missed a key field goal. Illinois punted, and Nebraska took it into overtime, where they lost. There were many drives where if Nebraska scored, that probably could’ve won them the game. Nebraska should do a better job this week, but then again, you never know.
• Purdue was hideous at stopping the run last week. In fact, they’ve had a hard time stopping the run all season. They’re allowing 269 rush yards per game, last in the Big Ten. They’re also the only team in the Big Ten that’s allowing rush yards per game in the 200s. Purdue has the third worst rush defense in the nation, and the teams that have a worser rush defense is Kent State and FAU. Purdue gave up 341 rush yards last week, which helped Oregon State control the clock for 40 and a half minutes. That made Purdue fall behind early, and they struggled even more through the air, and that kept them down.
Purdue is not going to be able to stop Nebraska’s offense, and the Cornhuskers win, 31-10.
25. Kentucky @ (6) Ole Miss – After beating Ohio and rebounding after 2 straight losses, Kentucky has their first road game this week. Ole Miss has steamrolled all of their opponents, but they haven’t played anyone so far. They’re 4-0, and don’t have the token last season SEC cupcake on their schedule. How will they do against a team that pushed the number 1 team in the nation to the brink of losing?
• Ole Miss has the best offense in the nation. We all know that Jakson Dart has been playing some of his best ball, but I talk about him the Heisman section, so I’m not going to talk about him here. The Ole Miss offense averaged 670.8 yards per game and 422.8 passing yards per game, both first in the nation. They average 248 rush yards per game as well, 12th in the nation and third in the SEC. Henry Parrish Jr. leads the Rebels on the ground, with 57 carries for 430 yards and 7 touchdowns. 4 of his touchdowns came back in week 2 as well. Matt Jones has added 200 yards and 3 touchdowns on 30 carries. Through the air, Tre Harris is the obvious standout. He’s caught 38 receptions for 630 yards and 4 touchdowns. The catches are the third most in FBS, and his yards are second. Both are first in the SEC. Antwane Wells Jr. and Cayden Lee have also been major power players through the air. Both have 14 catches, and Wells has 274 yards and 4 touchdowns. Lee has 256 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Watkins and Caden Prieskorn both have 140 yards as well. Like Always, Ole Miss’s offense is going to put up a lot of points, and Kentucky’s offense…
• Kentucky’s offense is going to fall behind if they can’t control the clock. Kentucky does not have the best rushing game, averaging 165.8 rush yards per game, which is 6th worst in the SEC. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye leads the team with 59 carries on 274 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although he gained just 47 yards last week, Sumo-Karngbaye had 2 two rushing touchdowns and 3 catches for 40 yards. He was also one of the lone bright spots on offense for either team in the Georgia game. He had 22 carries for 100 yards, making him gain the most yards on either team outside of the quarterbacks, of course. Ole Miss does have a pretty good defense, but if Sumo-Karngabye can get out to a good start, Kentucky will have a nice shot at an upset win.
When it comes down to it, I think Ole Miss’s offense will be able to beat Kentucky to the punch and force them to throw the ball, where the Landsharks were be able to carry Ole Miss to the 56-14 win.
My top 5 Heisman Candidates:
1. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon – This week is exactly the same as last week, and that because 3 quarterbacks had bye weeks, including Gabriel, while Miami and Ole Miss had easier games. Gabriel has thrown for 914 yards and 6 touchdowns, while adding 2 rushing touchdowns. Gabriel has by far the best competition percentage of his career, at 84%. Although he’s played 1 less game than most of the other quarterbacks, Gabriel leads the country in completion percentage. He’s also the only quarterback with a completion percentage in the 80s. Oregon has a seemingly easy game this week, taking on UCLA. However, it’s on the road, and anything can happen when a team this highly ranked goes on the road.
2. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia – Just like Gabriel, Beck had a bye week. He’s thrown for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns. He doesn’t have a crazy good completion percentage, as he's completed 68.3% of his passes. He hasn’t added anything to the rushing game, but he hasn’t had to move around in the pocket that much. He’s been sacked just once, which has led to his great play. Georgia has a big gam this week against Bama, and if Beck can lead Georgia to a win, he’ll have a great case for number 1.
3. Cam Ward, QB, Miami – Ward and Miami went into USF, who gave Bama struggles earlier this season. Miami struggled in the first half, going into halftime up 22-15. Miami was down 14-9 at the end of the first quarter as well. Miami scored 5 straight touchdowns after USF made it a 1-point game near the end of the second quarter. Ward went 24/34 for 404 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 pick. Ward added 43 rushing yards. On the year, Ward has thrown foe 1,440 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He has the second most passing yards in the country, and the most passing touchdowns in FBS. He’s done all of this on a 72.4% completion percentage as well, which is not bad. Miami has Virginia Tech this week, and VT has not lived up to the expectations. Still, Ward is going to have to play very well to get the win.
4. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama – Milroe, just like Gabriel and Beck, had a bye week in week 4. That was coming off a 5-touchdown performance against Wisconsin. On the year, Milroe has thrown for 590 yards and 8 touchdowns, while rushing for 156 yards and 6 touchdowns. Out of all of the quarterbacks on this list, all of them have a bit of a rushing ability. However, none of them do it like Milroe. His rushing ability puts another wrinkle into this offense, one that Georgia will have a top time stopping. Even if Bama loses, Milroe will have plenty of more opportunities to show why he should win the Heisman. Bama still has Tennessee and LSU on the road, and host Mizzou.
5. Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss – Another week, another dominant Ole Miss offensive performance led by Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss took down Georgia Southern 52-13, with Dart going 22/31 for 382 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 pick. On the year, Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He’s added 3 rushing touchdowns. Dart leads the country in passing yards and is tied for the third most passing yards in the country as well. It’s not like he's just throwing it all over the field as well, as he’s completed 79.8% of his passes. Ole Miss should take care of business this week, as they play Kentucky at home.