Week 8 - The Best Games and My Top 5 Heisman Candidates

Rankings based of AP Poll

  1. (7) Penn State @ (3) Ohio State - If you thought Oregon-Washington has been the game of the year so far, then you still might be right. This game is going to be a good, no doubt, but can it reach that firepower that Oregon-Washington did? Both of these teams have top 5 defenses, so it probably won’t be as high scoring, but even without the points, it’s going to be a close one. GameDay is coming to this game, and Big Noon Kickoff is also making their first trip to Columbus this weekend. Unless your team plays during the early window of games, you’re probably going to be watching this one. Starting with Penn State, they allow 8 points per game and 194 yards per game. The yards allowed per game is first in the entire country, while the points allowed per game is second. They’ve shut out 2 opponents, and while they are Iowa and UMass, you would still expect one of those teams to at least get a field goal. As for Ohio State’s defense, they allow 9.7 points per game, which is .1 less points allowed than the team in 4th place, which is Duke. OSU allows 263.5 yards per game, 7th in the country. Penn State has 13 turnovers forced, while Ohio State only has 7. That’s going to be a big factor in determining the win in this game. Penn State has only turned the ball over 3 times, while Ohio State has done that 5 times. Penn State is lead by their two running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen has 78 carries for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Singleton has 89 carries for 362 yards and 6 touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also running for 3 touchdowns. Allar is the only starting quarterback in the Big Ten that hasn’t thrown a pick, while Kyle McCord has only thrown one. Allar has been inconsistent at times, but as long as he manages the game well, Penn State can run the ball and take the ball out of Ohio State’s hand, and when Ohio State has it, it’s most likely going to Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison has caught 31 passes for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had a slow start in week one, but has had only one game under 100 receiving yards since. He went for 105 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s 41-7 win over Purdue. Paired with his counterpart, Emeka Egbuka, who has 303 yards, and the second best Tight End in all of college football, Cade Stover, and you get one of the best receiving core. McCord has thrown for 1,650 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing the 1 interception. For how good Ohio State has been in the passing game, you would expect them to be good in the running game as well. They’re not bad, but leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson only has 295 yards off 44 carries. He does have 5 touchdowns, while Chip Trayanum has even more carries, 51 of them, for less yards, 235 to be exact. He also has 3 rushing touchdowns. These two and Miyan Williams didn’t play all game last week, and neither did Egbuka. Trayanum was the only one who played some of the game, and he was injured in the second quarter, not returning. In order to win this one, Ohio State is going to need all 4 of these guys to be 100%. If all 4 can’t go, Penn State will have an easy game. But Ohio State is still going to be competitive. Penn State is more of a complete team, with a slightly better defense and a good offensive, so they get the 24-17 upset. Odds: OSU -4, O/U 46
  2. (17) Tennessee @ (11) Alabama - This game was a classic last year, but with both teams not looking their best the whole season, will this one live up to last year’s-and the hype? Obviously, it won’t live up to last year’s game. Tennessee was a surprise team, and even though people knew they were going to be good, no expected them to be that good. Alabama had the reigning Heisman winner, and were to the SEC west before the game. 1,136 total yards were put up, while Tennessee scored 52 points in just 22 and a half minutes. With both starting quarterbacks and a bunch of other players gone, this is a whole new game. Joe Milton III has thrown for 1,264 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s also ran for 4 touchdowns.  His completion percentage drops from 61.1% to 48.1% as Tennessee reaches the red zone. Obviously there is less room to throw it, but that is still a big drop off. For comparison, Jalen Milroe goes from 63% to 60%. Milton and Tennessee have to score more through the air in the red zone, as Alabama has only allowed 5 passing touchdowns in the red zone, while Milton has thrown 7 touchdowns in the red zone. Tennessee is a much better rushing team, as they average 231 rush yards per game and 212.5 pass yards per game. Jaylen Wright has ran the ball 80 times for 571 yards and a touchdown. Jabari Small has been spilling carries with Wright, as Small has 65 carries for 2 touchdowns and 359 yards. Milton has 4 rushing touchdowns, but he doesn’t even have the most rushing touchdowns on the team. That’s Dylan Sampson, who has 6. He also has 45 carries and 273 yards. No other player has a rushing touchdowns, 10 or more yards, and 5 or more carries. If even one of the running backs go down with an injury, Tennessee could look to a third option at running back. As for the defense, Milroe is going to be hustled by Tennessee’s defensive line. James Pearce Jr. has 6 sacks, while Tyler Baron has 5. Jalen Milroe has already been sacked 26 times, but he could’ve been sacked more times if he played against USF. Speaking off Milroe, he’s thrown 11 touchdowns and 4 picks, and 1,400 yards. He’s also taken off 68 times for only 138 times, but 5 touchdowns. Alabama’s offensive line woes are even more evident when you know that Bama averages 148.4 rush yards per game. Their leading rusher, Jase McClellan, does have 454 yards, which ranks 8th. He’s done this on 95 carries, which is 4.8 yards per carry. Even when they can’t run it, all Milroe has to do is find Jermaine Burton, who has 446 yards and 4 touchdowns, all on 19 catches. Against Texas A&M Alabama had a total of 23 rushing yards. Jermaine Burton had the best game of his career that game, with 9 catches for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. This one is going to be close, but Tennessee had some struggles that Alabama exposes even further, and Bama gets the 28-24 win. Odds: ALA -9, O/U 47.5
  3. (14) Utah @ (18) USC - USC has had 4 bad games in a row, and Kyle Whittingham said that medical redshirts are on the table for Cam Rising. That’s not good news, because Rising had the best season of his career last year. Without him, Utah’s offense has been stagnant, averaging only 149.5 pass yards per game. Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson has spilt time as the quarterback, with Barnes throwing for 400 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Johnson has thrown for 500 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Johnson has ran 56 times for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Barnes has 23 carries for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns. They’ve been able to run the ball well, but that’s not impacted by Rising not playing. They average nearly 173 rush yards per game, which is still low because you would think that for how bad Utah throws the ball, they would run it more. Their leading rusher, Ja’Quinden Jackson, only has 333 rushing yards, which ranks 12. Coming in at 15 is Jaylon Glover, who has more carries than Jackson, but only 249 yards. Because Utah can’t throw the ball, their leading receiver only has 202 yards. Utah had an offensive explosion last week, putting up 34 points and 445 yards. Sione Vaki, Utah’s starting safety played both ways last week, and led the them to those points and yards. He had 15 carries for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, and will continue as a two way player. Utah’s defense has been good all season, as they have 10 turnovers and 22 sacks. 9 of those sacks have came from Jonah Elliss, which ranks second in the nation and first in the Pac 12. Tied for second in the Pac 12 and 9th in the country is USC’s Jamil Muhammad. He has 6 sacks, while Solomon Byrd has 5. Even though they have good numbers, USC’s defense has been torn apart. Against Arizona State, in game in which they were supposed to destroy ASU, they allowed 28, and at one point they led by only 3. The next week against Colorado, every thing was going right at halftime. They were up big, 34-14. But in the second half, Colorado came back, but USC still won, 48-41. The next week against Arizona, they were down by 17-0 for more than 5 minutes into the second quarter. USC did come back and win, but in 3 overtime’s, 43-41. Then, last week against Notre Dame, everything fell apart. They lost 48-20, but the defense only conceded 251 yards and 13 first downs. USC also held the ball for 34 and a half minutes. Caleb Williams numbers dropped big time, as he entered the week with 72% of his passes completed, 303.7 passing yards per game, 11 yards per attempt, 3.7 pass touchdowns per game, and 1 interception. Against Notre Dame, he completed 62% of his passes for 199 yards, had 5.4 yards per attempt, 1 passing touchdown, and 3 interceptions. That game was his first 3 interception game of his career, and it came at a bad time, as USC’s loss left Washington as the only undefeated team in the Pac 12. That’s the first game this year where USC’s offense has been truly bad, and they still average lots of yards and points. They average 492 yards per game and 47 points per game. Caleb Williams has thrown for 2,021 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He’s also ran for 6 touchdowns. He leads the team in rushing touchdowns, but Marshawn Lloyd leads the team in rushing yards, with 565 yards. Lloyd also has 5 touchdowns, and 75 carries. Austin Jones has 4 touchdowns. Williams’ main targets have been Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice. Washington has 25 catches for 5 touchdowns and 500 yards, while Rice has 23 catches for 452 yards and 8 touchdowns. The 8 touchdowns are tied for first in the Pac 12, and is tied for fifth in the country. ISC hasn’t done a good job at bouncing back this season, but Utah’s offense without Rising is just too bad, so USC gets the 30-21. Odds: USC -7, O/U 52
  4. (16) Duke @ (4) Florida State - Duke has been one of the surprise teams so far, while Florida State has surprising, but in a different way. Riley Leonard is day to day, so we might see Henry Belin IV make his second start. People knew Florida State was going to be good to start the season, and contend with North Carolina and Clemson in the ACC. Florida State won against LSU last week, while Clemson lost. A few weeks later, FSU and Clemson played into overtime, with Florida State coming out on top. Florida State now sits 4th in the country and atop the ACC standings. They’re led by star quarterback Jordan Travis, who’s thrown for 1,482 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. He’s also ran for 4 touchdowns. Travis got banged up last week, but he will be ready to play in this one. Johnny Wilson will also play in this one, and he’s caught 20 passes for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns in just 4 games. Travis can also throw to one of the best transfers this year, which is Keon Coleman. Coleman has 29 receptions for 418 yards and 7 touchdowns, including 3 against LSU. Florida State doesn’t have a bad running game either, averaging 177 rush yards per game. Trey Benson has 65 carries for 463 yards and 6 touchdowns. He ran for 200 yards back in the Virginia Tech game, and should have another big game against another team that runs the ball well. Riley Leonard is on the up and up, and very well could play on Saturday. But if he can’t go, Jordan Waters can carry the load. He has 65 carries for 426 yards and 9 touchdowns, which ranks first among ACC players. Duke’s defense is no slouch either, allowing 298.5 yards per game. Trey Benson is going to have a hard game, as Duke allows 134 rush yards per game. The most points the Blue Devils have allowed is 21, in their loss to Notre Dame. That’s leads to them allowing 9.8 points per game, which is 4th in the country and first in the ACC. The question of if Leonard can play or not is a big one, as he’s thrown for 912 yards and ran for 326. Last week, Henry Belin IV threw for 107 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. However, he went 4/12, which is horrendous. Also, Belin can’t run the same as Leonard, running for 28 yards off 5 carries last week. Even if Leonard plays, FSU is still a better team and wins, 31-27. Odds: FSU -14.5, O/U 48
  5. Washington State @ (9) Oregon - Washington State was riding high coming into the UCLA game, but since then everything has fallen apart. As for Oregon’s the Washington loss only pushed them back one spot in the rankings, and are still alive in the CFP race. Starting with Washington State, their main problem has been their defense, or lack thereof. The defense allows 420 yards per game, and 28.5 points per game. They allowed 44 in the loss to Arizona, 35 in a close win over Oregon State, and 21 to an FCS school. Those 21 points were the least amount of points they’ve allowed in a game. But it didn’t really matter, as they put up 64 points. Going into more about last week, Washington State started up 6-0, with a failed 2 point conversion. The next 44 points were all Arizona, and Wazzu didn’t score again. Washington State could not stop the pass, allowing 342 yards. Washington State has to do a better job at not only stopping the other team, but moving it and scoring on offense. Cam Ward still has good numbers, with 1,779 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 3 picks. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. In their first four games, Ward had thrown for 300+ yards in 3 of them, but in the past 2 games, he hasn’t reached 200. All 3 of his picks have also came in these two game, which is concerning. With Washington State now being able to run the ball well, averaging 93 rush yards per game. Nakia Watson has only 153 yards, but had 770 of them last year. Washington needs to move away from the air raid, because Watson is a talented back. As for Oregon, they weee driving late, and were set up to kick a game-tying field goal. However, Camden Lewis missed the kick, giving Washington in the win.  But as I stated earlier, Oregon is not eliminated from the CFP. Bo Nix has thrown for 1,800 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He’s second in my Heisman race, and for good reason. Nix has taken the running game out of his play. Not completely, but he had 14 rushing touchdowns last year, and only 1 so far this year. Nix’s main target is Troy Franklin, who has 40 receptions for 690 yards and 8 touchdowns. Franklin is tied for first in receiving touchdowns and is second in receiving yards for the Pac 12. Franklin is the second best wide receiver in the conference, at least in my eyes. Oregon, unlike Washington State, can run the ball pretty well. Bucky Irving is fifth in rushing yards in the Pac 12, with 520 yards. He also has 5 touchdowns and 72 carries. Even with the 5 touchdowns, Irving doesn’t lead the team in rushing touchdowns. That’s Jordan James, who has 8. He also has 44 carries for 360 yards. Not that it’ll matter, but Oregon allows only 101.5 rush yards per game. They also allow 181 pass yards per game, so Ward is going to be tested. Washington State is still a good team, but Oregon wins, 33-24. Odds: ORE -20, O/U 60
  6. Clemson @ Miami - Clemson was supposed to bounce back from a sub par 2022 season, at least in their eyes. Miami had upset Texas A&M earlier this season, but one bad play call has changed their season since. That one play call was a running play at the end of the Georgia Tech. All Miami had to do is take a knee, but they ran the ball and fumbled it. Georgia Tech recovered and then scored a touchdown, winning the game. Miami followed that game up with a matchup against North Carolina. UNC is a great team, but Miami got destroyed. Even thought they scored 31 and lost by 10, they were dominated in the second half, only scoring twice, both in the 4th quarter. Tyler Van Dyke has thrown for 1,721 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 6 picks. The interceptions are a bit of a concern, as he’s thrown 5 in the last 2 games. van Dyke has only 3 main targets, those bing Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, and Colbie Young. Restrepo has caught 47 passes for 574 yards and 4 touchdowns. George has caught 29 passes for 462 yards and 5 touchdowns. Young has 23 receptions for 3 touchdowns and 318 yards. Clemson allows only 175.5 pass yards per game, so this going to be fun to see which group comes out on top. Clemson also allows 86 rush yards per game, and has one of the best defenses in the country. Miami averages 502 yards per game. Clemson’s offense isn’t on the same level as Miami’s, but is still pretty good. Cade Klubnik has thrown for 1,370 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. Clemson runs the ball slightly better, with Will Shipley and Phil Mafah. Shipley has 91 rushes for 450 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Mafah has 4 touchdowns and 341 yards off 52 carries. If Clemson wants to take the ball out of Miami’s hands, they should run the ball more. Regardless of if they do or not, they still win, 27-21. Odds: CLEM -3, O/U 47
  7. Oklahoma State @ West Virginia - Oklahoma State was looking pretty bad, as it took 3 games for Mike Gundy to decided on a starting quarterback. As for West Virginia, the season started out bleak with a loss to Penn State, but then won 4 straight before losing on a crazy Hail Mary to Houston. West Virginia isn’t perfect, but they are in the top 5 in the Big 12. 3rd in the Big 12 is Oklahoma State, with their only conference loss coming to Iowa State, who 3-1 in conference play. They did have that bad loss to South Alabama, but that game had a huge impact on their season, because it made Mike Gundy pick a quarterback. He picked Alan Bowman, who’s thrown for 1,084 yards, but 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Obviously he didn’t play all of the first 3 games, but has played the last 3. However, in their surprising win over Kansas last week, it was Running Back Ollie Gordon II who carried the game, literally. He had 29 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown, while catching just 6 passes, but turned that into 116 yards, and another touchdown. That game made him the 5th player in Big 12 history to have 150 rush yards and 100 receiving yards in a game. Gordon now has 87 rushes for 534 yards and 4 touchdowns. West Virginia also has a good running back, that being CJ Donaldson Jr., who has 103 carries for 414 yards and 5 touchdowns. Those two are going to have a battle, and was pretty good for the team while Garrett Greene was out with injury. In only 4 games, he’s thrown for 935 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He’s only completed 52.8% of his passes, dead last for starters in the Big 12. WVU has home field advantage and a slightly better defense, giving them the 28-20 win. Odds: WVU -3, O/U 48.5
  8. UCF @ (6) Oklahoma - UCF has had a roller coaster of a season, while Oklahoma’s win over Texas has catapulted them to new heights. Starting with UCF, they were looking like the best newcomer in the Big 12, and after their first Big 12 loss, they were up by 27 against Baylor. They blew the leading, losing 36-35, and got destroyed the next week against Kansas. They had a bye week next week, and John Rhys Plumlee will be starting this game. He started the last one, but was pulled in the first quarter after hobbling off the field. Hopefully he can play this whole game, and UCF needs him. Plumlee has only played in 3 games, including the Kansas game. He’s thrown for 586 yards, but 3 touchdowns and 4 picks. UCF hasn’t beat a FCS team since Plumlee went down. Just like most of the other Big 12 teams, UCF runs the ball really well. They average 270 pass yards per game and 246 rushing yards per yards per game. RJ Harvey, their leading rusher, has 89 carries for 511 yards and 6 touchdowns. Harvey shares a bulk of his carries with Johnny Richardson, who has 53 carries and 441 yards. Plumlee isn’t that bad of a runner either, as he had 862 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last year. Defensively, they’ve been torched the past 3 games. Against Kansas, they allowed 51, 36 against Baylor, and 44 against Kansas State. They allow 28 points per game, 3rd worst in the Big 12. Even though their defense isn’t the best, Kobe Hudson has the second most receiving yards in the conference, with 473. the defense is going to face Dillon Gabriel, a former UCF quarterback. so far this year, he’s thrown for 1,880 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. He’s also ran for 208 yards and 5 touchdowns. I talk more about him in the Heisman section of this post, so go check that out. He will be without Andrel Anthony, his top receiver, for not just this game, but the rest of the season. Anthony has 27 receptions for 430 yards and a touchdown. The next closest receiver in yards to Anthony is Jalil Farooq, who has 415 yards, so not far off. Drake Stoops still leads the team in catches, with 29 of them. He also has 258 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nic Anderson leads the team with 6 touchdowns. Even without Andrel Anthony, Dillon Gabriel still has targets to throw to. Gabriel also leads the team in rushing touchdowns, and the next closest is Tawee Walker, with 4. Walker also leads the team with 239 yards. Danny Stutsman leads the defense in tackles with 58, and has been a beast all season. He has 2 sacks, a pick six, and a fumble recovery. He’ll have a big game, and Oklahoma wins, 56-34. Odds: OU -17, O/U 67.5
  9. Mississippi State @ Arkansas - Arkansas is without a doubt, the best 2-5 team in the nation. Sure, they’ve lost 5 straight games, but a 7 point miss to BYU, a 3 point loss to LSU, 12 against Texas A&M, 7 points to Ole Miss, and 3 points to Alabama last week. Other than the BYU game, all of them were either on the road or a neutral site game. They averaged 237 rush yards per game. So far this year, they’ve averaged 110. Raheim Sanders has been injured, but came back for the Texas A&M and Ole Miss games. He missed last week, and won’t play in this one either. In his place has stepped up AJ Green and Rashod Dubinion. Green has 38 carries for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dubinion has 65 carries for 213 yards and only 1 touchdown. Green is tied for the most rushing touchdowns with Sanders. KJ Jefferson has also not been able to run the ball well, with 65 carries for 213 yards and a touchdown. He had 640 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns last year. He’s thrown for 1,450 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 6 picks so far this year. Last year, Jefferson threw only 5 interceptions. There is still room for improvement, but Sam Pittman needs to improve this offense. Zach Arnett’s offense is fine, not like it was under Mike Leach, but for someone who’s a defensive minded coach, you would expect them to have a better defense. They allow 395 yards per game and 29.5 points per game. They allowed 41 to LSU, 37 to South Carolina, 40 to Alabama, and 28 to Western Michigan. They’ve got some problems, and that’s not going to do well in a complicated SEC west. Will Rodgers has taken a step down, throwing for 1,275 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 picks. his main target has been Lideatrick Griffin, who has 29 catches for 474 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s the only player in the team with 20 or more catches, 200 or more yards, and 3 or more catches. Jo’Quavious Marks leads the team in rushing with 458 yards. He also has 4 touchdowns. Mississippi State’s offense is good, unless they run into a good defense. However, they only mustered 14 points against LSU, who haven’t been able to stop anybody. Arkansas gets that win back at home, 28-13. Odds: ARK -6.5, O/U 46.5
  10. (13) Ole Miss @ Auburn - Ole Miss’ loss to Alabama might’ve sealed their SEC west chances, but this win can also boost their chances. Alabama has a tough game, although it is against a SEC east opponent. However, Auburn is an easier matchup, and Auburn’s head coach is High Freeze, former Ole Miss head coach. He left in the back of a big scandal, but that’s not the concern right now. The concern is his team, who’s 3-3, non of the losses coming in SEC play. That means they’ve lost 3 straight, and Payton Thorne has not been playing well. He’s thrown for 745 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 picks. against Texas A&M, he threw for 44 yards off 50% of his passes being completed. In SEC play, he’s hasn’t thrown or ran for a touchdown. He’s ran for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the team in yards. Auburn’s leading receiver is Jay Fair, who has 21 catches for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns. Only 1 other player has 10 or more catches, and 2 of them have 100 or more yards. No other player has 2 or more touchdowns. Both the offense and the defense are going to have a tough time against Ole Miss this week. The Rebels average 489 yards per game, including 706 against LSU. Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,638 yards. 12 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He’s also ran for 302 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jordan Watkins has caught 36 balls for 536 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins started slow, but has gotten back to his 2022 form, with 108 rushes for 443 yards and 6 touchdowns. Not much to say about Ole Miss other than the their offense is really good, and their defense can be inconsistent at times, but they still get the 35-17 win. Odds: MISS -6.5, O/U 55.5
  11. TCU @ Kansas State - Kansas State was supposed to be one of the best Big 12 teams this year, and contend with Oklahoma and Texas for the Big 12 crown, especially because they won the conference last year. They are still 2-1 in conference play, but Will Howard has struggled. It could be because of his injury, but also his play could just of changed. He’s thrown for 1,310 yards,  9 touchdowns, and 7 picks. He’s also ran for 6 touchdowns.  K-State’s play lands on how well Howard plays, so don’t be surprised to see him pulled due to injury, which ruins his play. As for TCU, their quarterback, Chandler Morris, is also injured. He will probably miss this one, so both Quarterbacks will probably not play the whole game. Morris has thrown for 1,513 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 picks. He’s also ran for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Losing Morris will have a big impact on this offense. In his spot has been Josh Hoover, who’s played in two games, throwing for 608 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 picks. TCU, much like the other teams in the Big 12, can run the ball very well. Emani Bailey has 134 carries for 751 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kansas State’s leading rusher, DJ Giddens, has 94 carries for 541 yards and 4 touchdowns. Both Bailey and Giddens will help out their quarterbacks, but the home field advance lifts Kansas State to a 27-20 win. Odds: KSU -6, O/U 59.5
  12. Northwestern @ Nebraska - After week one, if you looked at this game, you would think that this is the worst game of the year. However, both teams have improved, especially Nebraska. After Jeff Sims got injured, Heinrich Haarberg has stepped in, and has not looked back. Haarberg has thrown for 631 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He also leads the team in running, with 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mind you, this is only in 4 games, but one of his passing touchdowns came against Colorado. The leading running back is Anthony Grant, who has 64 carries for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. Grant and Haarberg are both big reasons why Nebraska averages 200.5 rush yards per game. Nebraska’s defense has also been good, allowing 76 rush yards per game. Northwestern doesn’t run the ball well, so they probably won’t be able to do the same in this one. They average 103 rush yards per game, and 203 pass yards per game. Their leading rusher, Cam Porter, only has 309 rushing yards. Ben Bryant has thrown for 926 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 picks. Northwestern’s offense doesn’t really have an identity, which leads to a Nebraska win, 21-14. Odds:  NEB -10.5, O/U 40
  13. Wisconsin @ Illinois - With Tanner Mordecai out, Wisconsin turns to Braedyn Locke. Mordecai has thrown for 1,127 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 picks. He’s also ran for 4 touchdowns, so with him out Wisconsin’s passing offense will be ravaged. Chez Mellusi is still out, and he won’t play for the rest of the season. Braelon Allen isn’t injured, as he has 91 carries for 560 yards and 7 touchdowns. Allen’s ran for more than 1,200 yards twice, and he will probably hit that mark against this year. Wisconsin had a bad game last week, only scoring 6 points. Locke went 15/30 for 122 yards and an interception. If Locke plays like that again, Illinois will have a good chance to win. However, if he plays better, Braelon Allen won’t have to take a lot of carries, risking more injuries for Wisconsin. As for Illinois, their quarterback, Luke Altmyer, has struggled. He’s thrown for 1,570 yards, but 8 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. With a lack of a rushing game for Illinois, the spotlight is on Altmyer. He’s had bad games, like when he threw 4 picks against Penn State, but he’s also had good games, like last week. He threw for 206 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. He set up Illinois to kick the game winning field goal to beat Maryland, and hopefully he can do the same this week. However, Wisconsin’s defense is really good, and they win, 24-13. Odds: WIS -3, O/U 40.5
  14. Pitt @ Wake Forest - 2 years ago, these two teams were playing each other in The ACC championship game. Kenny Picket led the Panthers to a win, and made a new rule change out of it. Now, they’ve both been struggling this year. They both weren’t bad last year, but Pitt is 2-4 and Wake is 3-3. For Pitt, Phil Jurkovec has thrown for 818 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 picks. However, Pittsburgh’s defense allows more yards than they’ve put up. They average 305 yards per game, but allow 323 yards per game. That’s 5th in the ACC, but it really shows how bad that Pitt offense is. They also allow 25 points per game, and score 26 points per game. As for Wake Forest, Mitch Griffis has thrown for 1,211 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 picks. Wake’s defense allows even more yards, but the offense also puts up more. The line is even, and Wake is a very basic and boring team. However, Pitt’s defense does just enough to stop Wake Forest, and they win, 24-14. Odds: EVEN, O/U 45.5
  15. Minnesota @ (24) Iowa - I’m convinced that this game is going to have the final score of 2-0. Iowa’s offense has bad for a while, while Minnesota had some success in the past. Both rank near the bottom of the Big Ten in yards per game and points. Minnesota averages 313 yards per game and 22 points per game, while Iowa averages 247 yards per game and 21 points per game. For Iowa, both Cade McNamara and Erick All are out for the rest of the season. McNamara was the starting quarterback, and threw for 505 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 picks in 4 games before the injury against Michigan State. All was the leading receiver, with 21 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. All is a tight end, so another tight end, Luke Lachey, will step up in the first tight end spot. Only 1 wide receiver has 10 or more catches, and none of them have 100 yards. In place of McNamara has been Deacon Hill. Hill has thrown for 311 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 picks. However, Hill cannot complete a pass to save his life. Against Michigan State, he completed 40.7% of his passes. He completed 28.6% of his passes against Purdue. He completed 42.9% of his passes last week against Wisconsin. Iowa won all 3 of this games, mainly because of their defense. Unlike Iowa, Minnesota hasn’t been ravaged by injuries, but their defense isn’t the best. Athan Kaliakmanis has thrown for 800 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6 picks, Iowa can run it too, but not as good as Minnesota. Darius Taylor has 87 carries for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the receiving game, Daniel Jackson has 5 of the 6 touchdowns, so Iowa needs to shut him down to completely immobilize this offense. Iowa has won the last 8 games in this rivalry, and 9 of the last 10. Iowa’s defense can’t carry them to a win, and Minnesota wins, 14-9. Odds: Iowa -3.5, O/U 30.5
  16. South Carolina @ (20) Missouri - Missouri is one of the feel good, surprise teams of the season. Brady Cook has thrown for 2,054 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 3 picks. Most of his yards and touchdowns have gone to Luther Burden III. Burden has 56 catches for 808 yards and 5 touchdowns. I would consider Burden a top 5 receiver in the country, and top 2 in the SEC. I would rank Xavier Legette right behind him. South Carolina’s top pass catcher has 37 receptions for 716 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s helped out Spencer Rattler, because the running game can’t. It’s gotten better throughout the weeks, but SC is one of the 7 power 5 teams in the country averaging less than 100 rush yards per game. Unlike South Carolina, Missouri can run the ball. Cody Schrader has 114 carries for 648 yards and 7 touchdowns. Mizzou’s defense isn’t bad either, allowing 344 yards per game. For comparison, South Carolina allows 451.5 yards per game. 322 of those are passing yards, and they are going to struggle against a good quarterback. Missouri wins an easy one, 38-17. South Carolina plays close, but I don’t think they can keep up with Mizzou’s offense. Odds: MIZ -7.5, O/U 58 
  17. (8) Texas @ Houston - Texas’ loss to Oklahoma, must like Oregon’s loss to Washington, will move them back in the rankings, but will not knock them out of the CFP. Quinn Ewers has thrown for 1,700 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 3 picks. With talented pass catchers like Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Ja’Tavion Sanders, Ewers can very well put together a Heisman winning season, because he’s also ran for 5 touchdowns. Texas can run it too, Jonathan Brooks is 3rd in the Big 12 in rushing yards, with 726. He also has 108 carries for 6 touchdowns. Texas’ defense isn’t bad, but not crazy good.  They should have an easier day, because Houston is a team where they either put up a lot of points, or put up very little. Last week, it was a lot, scoring 41 to beat West Virginia. Donovan Smith has thrown for 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also thrown 3 picks, but ran for 4 scores. Houston averages 410.5 yards per game, but let up 429. That’s going to be a problem in this one, but Houston has taken the ball away 5 times this season. If they can force multiple turnovers in this one, they will have a good shot to win, especially because it’s at home. However, Texas is still really good, as Ewers and Brooks lead the offense to a 45-17 win. Odds: TEX -23.5, O/U 60.5
  18. Baylor @ Cincinnati - Baylor and Cincinnati is going to be either a really weird game, or a high scoring affair. Cincinnati can put up points, as they scored 66 in week one. Since then, they haven’t been able to score as well, with the most points they’ve put up since has been 27, twice. But they’ve also scored 6 and 10, so it’s a different Cincinnati every week. They now average 27 points per game, 4th last in the Big 12. Both of Cincy’s wins came in the first two weeks, so the momentum is definitely not on their side. Emory Joe s has thrown for 1,322 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 8 picks. He’s ran for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. I really want Jones to be good and succeed at this big of a level, but at Florida and Arizona State he was also very mediocre. He’s talented, but whether it be the coaching, injuries, his teammates, or just bad play, he hasn’t been able to put it together. Xzavier Henderson has been able to capitalize off Jones’ good play when he has his moments. Henderson has 30 catches for 414 yards and a touchdown. Corey Kiner leads the rushing game, with 87 carries for 434 yards and 2 touchdowns. Unlike Cincinnati, Baylor doesn’t run the ball effectively. Cincy averages 203 rush yards per game, while Baylor averages 121.5. Their leading rusher, Richard Reese, has 49 carries for only 229 yards. Last game, he had only 4 carries. Baylor’s had a roller coaster at quarterback, with Blake Shapen being injured, so Sawyer Robertson stepped in. Shapen came back in the UCF game. Shapen has now thrown for 920 yards and 4 touchdowns while also adding 2 scores on the ground. Even though Cincinnati doesn’t throw it the best, they have a better rushing game which leads to their 22-17 win. Odds: CIN -3, O/U 50.5
  19. (2) Michigan @ Michigan State - With news of a scandal rocking the campus of Michigan, Michigan State has some momentum, and the crowd will be saying some crazy things. So much things are going on in this scandal, but I’m only you going to talk about the on field play. Offensively, Michigan has been fantastic, averaging 414 yards per game and 39 points per game. On defense, they’re even better. Allowing 233 yards per game, and only 91 rush yards per game. They also allow 7 points per game, first in the country. However, this could be a result of Michigan’s best opponent being Rutgers. On offense, they have 3 main players. JJ McCarthy has thrown for 1,512 yards, 14 touchdowns and 3 picks. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. Blake Corum is one of the best running backs in College Football, with 12 touchdowns and 546 yards. The third player is Roman Wilson, who has 400 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. Those touchdowns are tied for first in the country. As for Michigan State, they’ve been bad all season. Their coach was fired due to a scandal, and most of the bad play has came from Quarterbacks Noah Kim. Kim has thrown for 1,090 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6 picks. Other than one game, he hasn’t completed more than 60% of his passes. That one game was against Richmond, a FCS team. 5 of his passing touchdowns came in week one and week 2. He hasn’t been able to play well, and I honestly don’t know why he’s still starting. MSU is really bad and are big underdogs. This game brings out the best in them, but Michigan still wins, 34-14. Odds: MIXH -24.5, O/U 46
  20. Texas Tech @ BYU - This is going to be dubbed my “Big 12 Mid Game of the Week”. Most of them are during the evening/night time game slot, like Kansas State and Texas Tech last week, TCU and Iowa State the week prior, and West Virginia and TCU. There are obviously more, but unless you’re a fan of the two teams playing, it’s not going to be a game you sit down and watch. Both of these teams sit at alright records, with TTU at 3-4 and BYU at 4-2. They’re both coming off losses, and the BYU got destroyed. BYU put up 11 points, and let up 44. BYU had 243 yards, TCU had 584. Both teams turned the ball over twice, which is something BYU can look forward to, and have 11 turnovers so far this year. On the offense, Kedon Slovis has played pretty well, not like his 2019 year, but better than last year. He’s thrown for 1,400 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4  picks. He’s also ran for 3 touchdowns. His main target has been Chase Roberts, who has 27 catches for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s tied for first on the team in receiving touchdowns with Darius Lassiter, who has 19 catches for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even though BYU averages 67.5 rush yards per game, LJ Martin still has 4 touchdowns, while also having 345 yards. As for Texas Tech, their running game is a complete flip of BYU’s Tahj Brooks has 786 yards and 5 touchdowns on 131 carries. The yards are first in the Big 12, while the carries are second, but only by 3. Behren Morton, who replaced Tyler Shough, aggravated an injury, so in the second half, Freshman Jake Strong replaced him. Strong played bad, throwing for 173 yards, completed 57.1% of his passes, 1 touchdown, and 3 picks, but did have a run for 54 yards. If Strong does have to play, BYU’s defense is going to have an easy day. Regardless of what happens, Tahj Brooks can’t carry this offense and BYU wins, 28-17. Odds: TTU -3, O/U 51
  21. (25) UCLA @ Stanford - UCLA upset Washington State at home two weeks ago, but then followed that up with a loss to Oregon State. As for Stanford, they had an electric comeback from 29 points down last Friday against Colorado. They were down that much by halftime. They scored the first four scores of the second half, including a 97 yard touchdown. Elic Ayomanor caught 13 passes for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns. That might be the best receiver stat line we’ll see this season. Ayomanor now has 28 catches for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. No one has benefited from that game more than Quarterback Ashton Daniels. Daniels has now thrown for 957 yards, 7 touchdowns and 2 picks. Last week, he threw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. Stanford has had some quarterback struggles this year, but last week’s game should solidify Daniels as the starter. As for UCLA, the two losses to Utah and Oregon State gives them a bad reputation, and that they can’t play well against better opponents. We obviously saw that not be true against Washington State, and other than the Oregon State game, UCLA’s defense has been one of the best in the country. They allow 281 yards per game and 16 points per game. On top of that, they have 14 turnovers and allow only 76 rush yards per game. Their defense has been fantastic, but can it stand with Stanford’s offense if they play this week like they did last? As for UCLA’s offense, Dante Moore has been helped out a lot by Carson Steele. Steele has 93 carries for 523 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 22 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown last week. Moore has completed 50.9% of his passes for 1,300 yards, 10 touchdowns, but 7 picks. He’s obviously a freshman, but he started off really strong last year, but threw 3 picks in the loss last week and 2 against Washington State. It’s a Pac 12 after dark game, but no upset happens and UCLA wins, 42-17. Odds: UCLA -17, O/U 52
  22. Arizona State @ (5) Washington - Another Pac 12 after dark game, Washington is riding high, but can they avenge their loss to ASU from last year. In fact, Arizona Staye has won 2 straight in this matchup. Washington hung on to win last week against Oregon, in what was a fantastic game. Penix had a great game, Dillon Johnson ran for 100 yards for the first time this season, and Rome Odunze dominated once again. I talk more about Penix in the heisman section of this post, so check that out to see me go a little more in depth. Odunze now has 40 catches for 736 yards and 6 touchdowns, with the yards being 1st in the Pac 12 and 3rd in the country.  Along with Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk is also no joke, with 32 catches for 586 yards and 5 touchdowns. Jalen McMillan was returning last week against Oregon, but reaggravated his injury in the first quarter. Hopefully he’ll be back for this one, but Washington and Penix will still have a good game. Dillon Johnson broke through 3 weeks ago against Arizona, and after a big game last week, he has 61 carries for 340 yards and 5 touchdowns. Hopefully he can continue the momentum he has into this one. As for Arizona State, their only win this year came in week one against a FCS team, and that was by 3. They’ve lost 5 straight, but nearly beat Colorado 2 weeks ago. Jaden Rashada, was rumored to beat out 4-6 weeks about a month ago, so we’ll see if he can go in this one. Replacing him has been Trenton Bourguet, who’s thrown for 726 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 picks. Outside of Cameron Skattebo doing pretty much everything in the offense for ASU, they’ve been pretty bad. Washington takes care of business, winning 45-10. Odds: WASH -27.5, O/U 60.5
  23. Toledo @ Miami of Ohio - The MACtion is real this season. Even though this game isn’t on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, this matchup features two teams that are at the top of their division, Miami of Ohio in the West and Toledo in the East. Both are 3-0 in conference play and 6-1 overall. This very well could be a preview of what we see in the MAC Conference championship game. Starting with M-OH, Brett Gabbert has looked pretty good this season with 1,455 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 2 picks. He’s also ran for 2 touchdowns. His main target has been Gage Larvadain, who has 23 receptions for 487 yards and 6 touchdowns. For their defense, Caiden Woullard has 6 sacks, first in the MAC. Brian Ugwu is 4th with 4.5 sacks. Their leading tackler, Matt Salopek, is 3rd with 69 tackles. Gabbert is first in passing yards and Larvadain is also first in receiving yards in the MAC. Just like M-OH, Toledo also has some players high up on the list for MAC players. Quarterback Dequan Finn has thrown for 1,265 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 picks. That’s third on the list in the MAC for passing yards. That’s also the second most passing touchdowns in the conference, only behind Gabbert. Finn also shows up on the top 5 for rushing yards, with 438. He also has 4 rushing touchdowns. Topping that list is Peny Boone, who has ran the ball 107 times for 792 yards and 8 touchdowns for Toledo. Junior Vandeross III has 377 receiving yards, third in the conference. Both of these teams have studs anywhere you look on the field, and Toledo wins, off the back of a big game from Boone, Toledo scores 38, while Miami of Ohio scores 21. Odds: TOL -1.5, O/U 46.5
  24. Boston College @ Georgia Tech - Boston College and Georgia Tech were both picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC in the Preseason. However, Georgia Tech is 5th and Boston College had a slow start, but have won 2 straight. Starting with Georgia Tech, they had that magical win over Miami two weeks ago, but Haynes King had been electric all season. King has thrown for 1,630 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 6 picks. Hems ran the ball 51 times for 22 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s played the best he’s ever had in college, plus he’s only been sacked 7 times. Defensively, they have 13 turnovers, including 5 last week in the win against Miami. As for BC, Thomas Castellanos has been their whole offense. He’s thrown for 1,143 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 picks. But BC doesn’t pass the ball that much, he had 9 passes thrown in they won over Army 2 weeks ago. This is because Castellanos leads the team in rushing with 500 yards and 7 touchdowns. Castellanos has ran the ball 98 times, while completing only 87 of his passes. All Georgia Tech needs to do is force him to pass and they win. All but one BC’s games have been 3 points or less, but I think Georgia Tech wins, 31-17. Odds: GT -6, O/U 56.5
  25. Georgia State @ Louisiana - Georgia State beat Marshall, one of the best Group of 5 teams last week, and are now looking to win the Sun. Let, but still have undefeated James Madison left on the schedule. As for UL, they’ve only played 2 conference games, spitting them. Quarterback Zeon Chriss hasn’t been stopped yet. He’s thrown for 800 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s ran 40 times for 327 yards and 5 touchdowns. Mind you, this is only in 4 games, as he’s taken over for Ben Wooldridge. Georgia State’s better at running the ball than Louisiana, as Marcus Carroll has 143 carries for 742 yards and 10 touchdowns. All 3 stats are second in the Sun Belt. Although Georgia State can run the ball well, don’t sleep on their passing game either. Robert Lewis has caught 30 passes for 536 yards 5 touchdowns. Georgia State is more of a complete team, and they get the 27-17 win. Odds: UL -3.5, O/U 62


My top 5 Heisman candidates


  1. Michael Penix Jr. - Penix has pulled ahead after engineering a game winning drive to beat Oregon. Penix threw for 302 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 pick. He now has 2,300 yards, 20 touchdowns and 3 picks. Washington has Arizona State this week and Stanford the next week before taking on 3 straight ranked opponents. If Penix can keep up this level of play, he will walk away with the trophy.
  2. Bo Nix - Usually after a team loses, their Heisman contender falls on the list. However, Caleb Williams had a bad game and Jordan Travis didn’t wow me enough the stay above Nix. Nix threw for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, and also led Oregon down the field and got them in position to kick a field goal, which was missed. Nix has thrown for 1,800 yards, 17 touchdowns and only 1 pick. He hasn’t ran as much or as well as last year, but Nix got it done when he needed to last year. Oregon has Wazzu and Utah this and next week, so hopefully Nix can keep on playing like this against 2 good opponents.
  3. Caleb Williams - Williams had the worst game of his career last week. He threw for 199 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 picks. He ran for 3 touchdowns the week prior against Arizona, but was sacked 6 times and has -8 rush yards, and no rushing touchdowns. USC lost 48-20, and with Utah, Washington, Oregon, and UCLA left on their schedule, Williams has to play well if he wants to make the Pac-12 championship, CFP, and win the Heisman again. Williams has 2,020 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 4 picks, while also having 6 rushing touchdowns. USC’s loss wasn’t his fault and his fault only, but it’s still a big reason why they lost.
  4. Drake Maye - Maye fell off my list early this season after a bad game against App State, but has slowly been creeping up on this list, and is now in the top 5. He went off last week, throwing for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of them to Tez Walker. Maye now has 1,900 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 4 picks. He’s also ran for 4 touchdowns. I wish he had more passing touchdowns, and if he had even 3 more, he might be top 3. UNC has 3 easy games before a matchup with Duke, so hopefully Maye can continue this level of play.
  5. Dillon Gabriel - Gabriel stays at 5 after an OU bye week, but have tough opponents this week, and the two after. He’s thrown for 1,878 yards, 16 touchdowns and two picks. Gabriel has also ran for 208 yards and 5 touchdowns. He has completed 72.3% of his passes, which is 10th in the country, but some players above him haven’t played all season. He also leads the Big 12 in passing yards. Gabriel faces his old team this week, UCF. Emotions are going to be high, but there’s no doubt he’ll perform well. 
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