Sunday, September 20, 2015

Week 3 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, Playoff Projections

Ohio State benches their starting QB and almost loses to a MAC team. Alabama was -5 in turnovers home and still had a drive to win in the fourth quarter. Kliff Kingsbury talks smack to Bret Bielema after a win. Just another college football Saturday.
Top 25 Poll
Others receiving votes: Arizona, Boise State, BYU, California, Stanford, Temple, Utah, West Virginia
Dropped from the rankings: West Virginia (18), Arizona (21), Wisconsin (23), BYU (25)

25 (NR). Oklahoma State (3-0) – The Mike Gundy offense is really humming right now. As usual, they are going to be a spoiler in the Big 12.
24 (17). Clemson (3-0) – They nearly lost to Louisville, which would have been a bad loss. I am just not buying into DeShaun Watson.
23 (NR). Texas Tech (3-0) – Kingsbury had some awesome trash talk to the jerk head coach of Arkansas after kicking his ass for four quarters.
22 (22). Florida State (3-0) – The Seminoles are just holding on each week. This team is going to implode if they ever play a decent team.
21 (NR). Miami (3-0) – They blew a 23 point lead at home before surviving in overtime. They are a tough team to read, but Brad Kaaya is the best QB in the ACC by a longshot.
20 (NR). Toledo (2-0) – They had a second straight win over a Power 5 conference team. If they wind up going unbeaten, it is going to be hard to not invite them to the Fiesta Bowl.
19 (20). Kansas State (3-0) – They just keep slugging along under the radar. Bill Snyder seems to love that position.
18 (23). Wisconsin (2-1) – The Badgers didn’t exactly look great against lesser competition, but they were missing their star RB. They are going to be a tough out for anyone.
17 (19). Utah (3-0) – The Utes are one of the biggest surprises for me. The south is so up in the air…Utah is right in the thick of it.
16 (14). Baylor (2-0) – IDLE
15 (8). Georgia Tech (2-1) – I really thought they would be able to run the ball on the Irish, but they proved to be out of sorts as the road favorite. They are still the best team in the ACC.
14 (2). USC (2-1) – Losing to Stanford carries no shame, but losing how they did to a team that looked to have no offense whatsoever is hard to swallow.
13 (13). Oregon (2-1) – The Ducks need to find a defense to have a chance in the Pac-12.
12 (15). LSU (2-0) – Leonard Fournette is a beast. They slaughtered Auburn, who might just be the worst team in the SEC West.
11 (5). Alabama (2-1) – The Tide self-destructed and still should have won. The team is just sloppy, which is uncharacteristic of Nick Saban teams.
10 (12). UCLA (3-0) – They survived a scare against the magical lucky BYU team. Rosen showed his first signs of being a freshman, but they avoided the upset. They can move forward.
9 (11). Northwestern (3-0) – Winning at Duke is a nice win. No one wants to give this team credit, but especially with Stanford’s win, this team is looking great. That defense is relentless.
8 (9). Oklahoma (3-0) – Yeah, they gave up way too many points and yard against Tulsa. That is a veteran offense though. The Sooners should be able to outscore most teams with 2-time walk-on Baker Mayfield at the helm.
7 (7). Texas A&M (3-0) – This team might be the most terrifying team out there. If the eye test mattered, they would be #1.
6 (10). Georgia (3-0) – Georgia is looking better and better. They are still in the national championship picture, but they are flying under the radar.
5 (16). Mississippi (3-0) – There was a fair amount of luck involved in their big win in Tuscaloosa, but Chad Kelly and company can score on anyone.
4 (4). TCU (3-0) – The Frogs are just going to keep rolling along, probably not lose, and then somehow get left out of the playoff.
3 (3). Michigan State (3-0) – They struggled defensively against the triple option attack of Air Force, but their offense really looked sharp.
2 (6). Notre Dame (3-0) – Kizer answered whether losing Zaire would derail their chances. Their win against Georgia Tech, defensively in particular, was mightily impressive.
1 (1). Ohio State (3-0) – They looked sluggish, horrible on offense, shaky on defense, but they won. A lesser team would have folded.


Top 5 Games for Next Weekend
5. BYU at Michigan, 9:00AM – This is more out of curiosity than anything else. Michigan has looked decent, but BYU is almost must-see TV each week.
PREDICTION: BYU 27-24
4. Georgia Tech (#15) at Duke, 9:00AM – Duke is tough at home, and Georgia Tech is coming off a disappointing game. This is a gut check game.
PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 31-24
3. Utah (#17) at Oregon (#13), TBD – The Utes are a team that no one really wants a piece of right now. The Ducks are coming off giving up 4 touchdowns to one of the worst teams in FBS. This is an interesting matchup each year.
PREDICTION: Oregon 42-34
2. UCLA (#10) at Arizona, TBD – Arizona is still just trying to buy time before they get All-American linebacker Scooby Wright back. UCLA is going to need to rebound after a near loss.
PREDICTION: Arizona 27-20
1. TCU (#4) at Texas Tech (#23), 1:45PM FOX – TCU hasn’t really had to deal with a great offense yet. Texas Tech is feeling really good about themselves after whipping an SEC team. Playing in Lubbock is tough.
PREDICTION: TCU 38-35


Heisman Trophy Watch
5. Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State – Sometimes being the most pro ready player in the game makes a difference. If they go undefeated, then he will be invited no matter how unsexy his stats may look.
4. Chad Kelly, QB, Mississippi – He has the flashy offense and has a few Heisman moments already.
3. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma – He is going to shatter every record in Oklahoma’s history. If they make it out of the Big 12 unbeaten, which is really possible, then he might emerge as the frontrunner.
2. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia – Chubb is going to be in the running all year. He is the most talented and consistent back in the SEC.
1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – It shouldn’t really matter that he is going to be one game short of everyone else. He is the most feared player in the land.
College Football Playoff Projections
Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Oregon over Florida State
Rose Bowl: LSU over UCLA
Fiesta Bowl: TCU over Toledo
Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma over Texas A&M

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Michigan State over Mississippi
CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Notre Dame over Ohio State
National Championship Game: Michigan State over Notre Dame


Thoughts? Comments? Feel free to vent below.


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