Week 7 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, Playoff Projections

College football doesn’t get more exciting than that Michigan-Michigan State game. The absolutely shocking, absurd, and amazing ending had Jim Harbaugh almost weeping in his khakis. This week also showed us that a team is capable of turning the ball over 7 times in the first half. Way to go Boise. Oh, and Baylor was held to just 62 points. Just another week in college football!

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Arizona, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Western Kentucky

Dropped from the rankings: Boise State (16), UCLA (17), Northwestern (18), Arizona State (24)

25 (20). Mississippi (5-2) – Everyone made their loss out to be some big upset, but they were playing on the road in the non-conference in the middle of the season against a borderline elite offense. They were going to lose, and they lost their best player to an injury because they decided to keep playing their DT at RB with a 2 touchdown lead. This team can’t get out of its own way.

24 (NR). North Carolina (5-1) – Their resume is looking stronger each week. This team can really score. Their only loss was an ugly season opener to South Carolina by 4 points.

23 (NR). California (5-1) – IDLE

22 (22). Florida State (6-0) – I cannot buy into this team. They have some real players, but they can’t take over a game. They are the weakest of the unbeatens.

21 (NR). Pittsburgh (5-1) – Pitt has quietly moved up the rankings in the ACC. Their sole loss was against Iowa, which is looking more reasonable with each passing week.

20 (NR). Temple (6-0) – The only time the Owls have appeared to struggle with anyone this year was against Cincinnati. They have one of the most underrated defenses in the land.

19 (21). Houston (6-0) – Any other year, this would be the slam dunk Group of 5 choice. They are dominant in every way. Tom Herman is going to get a great job next year.

18 (23). Toledo (6-0) – Toledo continues to ride the momentum of beating Arkansas to just dismantle every team that steps in their way.

17 (25). Memphis (6-0) – The American Conference is the 4^th best conference in America. Memphis appears to have one of the best offenses in the country, and their defense actually showed up in their whipping of Ole Miss as well.

16 (9). Florida (6-1) – The Gators performed admirably after Will Grier was suspended for a year due to PEDs. Losing in Death Valley is no shame, but their potential going forward looks a little bleak.

15 (6). Texas A&M (5-1) – They simply cannot win big SEC games at home. They rallied in the second half, but Alabama put them away by running the ball down their throat.

14 (3). Michigan (5-2) – There really are no words for their loss. They lead for the entire game...until the last play.

13 (13). Oklahoma State (6-0) – IDLE

12 (15). Iowa (7-0) – Iowa exposed Northwestern on Saturday. Iowa hasn’t really played anyone, and they won’t play anyone. But they are undefeated.

11 (19). Oklahoma (5-1) – Their 55-0 win on the road in Manhattan just shows how much of a fluke losing to Texas was. They played angry, and they took it out on Bill Snyder’s overmatched squad.

10 (14). Notre Dame (6-1) – The Irish looked pretty good against an inspired and upset-minded USC team. They are just going to quietly move along with one-loss until they play Stanford.

9 (11). Alabama (6-1) – They had a mightily impressive win on the road. Their loss to Ole Miss seems less and less like a great loss.

8 (4). TCU (7-0) – TCU simply has no defense. You cannot give up points to Iowa State, especially not 21 in the first quarter.

7 (5). Clemson (6-0) – Clemson struggled a bit with Boston College, which is surprising considering how much they struggle to put any points on the board. They are still one of the best teams out there, and they are probably not going to lose in the regular season.

6 (12). Stanford (5-1) – They are maybe the best team playing right now. That offense has really gotten going. It is just hard to justify their loss to Northwestern given what we now know about both teams.

5 (10). Michigan State (7-0) – Yeah, they won with a lucky last play. They played way better than I thought they were going to, though. Connor Cook is a big game QB.

4 (6). LSU (6-0) – They won differently this week. Fournette did not exactly go off, but Brandon Harris played a strong game at quarterback and proved that this is the team to beat in the SEC.

3 (8). Ohio State (7-0) – The Buckeyes have finally figured it out. Cardale Jones is the starter, and JT Barrett is the red zone guy. They will not lose in the regular season if they keep that up.

2 (2). Utah (6-0) – I was impressed with Utah taking down a pesky, talented, and upset-minded Arizona State squad. They are going to be a force, but they are now the hunted. I would be surprised if they can get through conference play unscathed.

1 (1). Baylor (6-0) – They could drop 50 points on any defense. They can actually stop some people too…not well, but they aren’t giving up 40 points to anybody outside of maybe Oklahoma or TCU. They probably shouldn’t lose, but then again last year I thought the same thing before they got a 14 point loss on the road. This team just seems different.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Western Kentucky at LSU (#4), 4:00PM ESPNU – You know it is a weak slate of games when I am looking for a potentially closer than expected game. WKU can score, and those midseason non-conference mid major games for SEC teams don’t always go as planned.

PREDICTION: LSU 41-27

4. Washington State at Arizona, 1:00PM TBD – The Cougars have been great since getting beat by Portland State to start the year. Arizona has been struggling. This could be a great game, and Gameday said that they will likely be in Pullman on Halloween night if WSU gets past the Cats.

PREDICTION: Washington State 31-28

3. California (#23) at UCLA, THU 6:00PM ESPN – UCLA is still one of the most talented teams out there. They have never been a traditionally good home team. California had a week off after the heartbreaker in Salt Lake. I like this matchup.

PREDICTION: UCLA 24-16

2. Utah (#2) at USC, 4:30PM FOX – I am not sure what else could go wrong for USC. Utah rolls into town, not having exactly been most impressive in recent weeks. Upset?

PREDICTION: USC 35-28

1. Texas A&M (#15) at Mississippi (#25), 4:00PM ESPN – The only matchup of ranked teams has a couple teams coming off tough losses. Ole Miss at home is tough to beat, but A&M can travel.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 34-20

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State – He is the best player on the team, maybe the best player in the ACC. He is single-handedly keeping the team unbeaten when they are not asking the QB to do much of anything.

4. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU – He might not be having the statistical year he had a year ago, but he is still dominant and scoring touchdowns at will.

3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford – He is setting all-purpose records in Palo Alto. His emergence alone has ensured that Stanford will no longer struggle to score. He is a gamebreaker.

2. Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor – He is being put in the same sentence as two-time Biletnikoff winners Justin Blackmon and Michael Crabtree. His first half season has been absolutely unreal.

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – He is the best player in the country. The entire defense keys on him, and he still drops 125. He is unstoppable. Only an injury will prevent him from taking the trophy.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Michigan State over Memphis

Rose Bowl: Utah over Iowa

Fiesta Bowl: Toledo over TCU

Sugar Bowl: Alabama over Florida State

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Ohio State over Stanford

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Baylor over LSU

National Championship Game: Baylor over Ohio State

There you have it! Comment below and give me your take on that Michigan-Michigan State finish, which is, for my money, the craziest walk-off win I have ever seen,

Week 5 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, Playoff Projections

College football is officially bananas. I am going to rip up my previous top 25 polls and start over each week. There is no reason to have preconceived notions about any team. I mean, Ole Miss got spanked by Florida, who could barely take care of East Carolina. Ohio State looks pretty awful every week, yet I still have them #1 for some reason. Michigan State can’t put away freaking Purdue. LSU seemed totally content letting Eastern Michigan put up 20+ points. I’m done with the past. I’m starting fresh.

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Duke, Houston, Kansas State, Toledo, West Virginia

Dropped from the rankings: Wisconsin (15), West Virginia (17), Kansas State (20), Texas Tech (23), Miami (25)

25 (NR). Memphis (5-0) – The Tigers have one of the top offenses in the nation. We will see how true that statement is when they host Ole Miss after their bye next week.

24 (NR). California (5-0) – They struggled with both Washington schools, but they have survived. They are an offense that no one really wants to deal with in the Pac-12.

23 (7). Georgia (4-1) – They got humbled by Alabama at home with all the hype and even gave points in Vegas. Mark Richt will never win the big one.

22 (22). Florida State (4-0) – They still have not lost a game in the ACC since NC State upended the unbeaten Seminoles in 2012. It is a weak conference, but still. They just keep winning.

21 (NR). Mississippi (4-1) – I accidentally left them off last week, so that is how you can get shellacked and move into my top 25. It seemed fluky watching them get dismantled by the Gators, but it was emphatic.

20 (19). Boise State (4-1) – This is a team that will probably not lose the rest of the season. Their loss at BYU seems more and more confusing.

19 (18). Oklahoma State (5-0) – They survived a scare from the well-coached Kansas State squad looking for the upset. No one really knows what to make of this team.

18 (NR). Iowa (5-0) – The Hawkeyes were able to get out of Madison with a win…you can’t say that about many teams in the last decade. It was ugly, but that is how they win.

17 (6). UCLA (4-1) – The Bruins came in thinking of national titles after crushing Arizona on the road under the lights, but then the favor was returned by the seemingly dead in the water Sun Devils.

16 (11). USC (3-1) – IDLE.

15 (2). Notre Dame (4-1) – Their wins do not have the same luster they seemed to previously, but they had a nice comeback attempt against a really good Clemson team.

14 (9). Oklahoma (4-0) – At some point, the defense for the Sooners has got to start playing. West Virginia looked lost, which is rare for them. They were lucky to have such a big win because they really didn’t play all that well overall.

13 (14). Alabama (4-1) – Yes, they stomped all over Georgia, but their loss to Ole Miss loses some of its prestige seeing the Rebels get kicked around by Florida.

12 (10). Stanford (4-1) – This team might be playing at the highest level of any team in the country at this moment. They are going to be right there in the thick of the playoff hunt when all of the teams get a loss (and they all will).

11 (12). Northwestern (5-0) – They are going to be the ones helping Stanford get there if they can keep shutting teams out and winning in that beautiful Big Ten West way.

10 (16). Baylor (4-0) – They simply cannot be held under 8 touchdowns. They are going to terrify every team they line up against.

9 (NR). Florida (5-0) – I am still stunned by the beating they put on the Rebels on Saturday. They aren’t that good, are they? Maybe they are?

8 (1). Ohio State (5-0) – They have flashes of being the team that was the obvious national championship pick, but they just can’t get off to a good start. They will lose one very soon.

7 (24). Michigan (4-1) – After a second straight shutout, it seems clear that Harbaugh has the team right back where it was before Hoke. They might win the conference.

6 (21). Clemson (4-0) – After a couple underwhelming efforts, Clemson proved that they can really play well against elite competition (unless that team is South Carolina).

5 (5). Michigan State (5-0) – You just can’t let Purdue score 21 points in a row in the second half and expect to be able to beat legitimate Power 5 conference teams. They will lose one soon.

4 (8). LSU (4-0) – The Tigers looked pretty bad against Eastern Michigan. If they didn’t have a horse at running back, they would look very ordinary. But they do have him, and he alone makes them maybe the team to beat in the country.

3 (13). Texas A&M (5-0) – You would be hard pressed to find a team that has looked more impressive on paper and on the field than the Aggies. They are incredibly exciting to watch too.

2 (3). Utah (4-0) – IDLE.

1 (4). TCU (5-0) – Oh, Texas hahaha… The Frogs got life from that miracle win last week, and they are going to charge toward a playoff berth the rest of the way.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Navy at Notre Dame (#15) – This is always a good game, and Keenan Reynolds is going for the FBS rushing TD record and is still unbeaten. It should be quite a show.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 24-20

4. Florida (#9) at Missouri – Missouri is not an easy place to play, and Florida is coming off their biggest win in years. This is a sneaky good game here.

PREDICTION: Florida 17-14

3. TCU (#1) at Kansas State – This is the type of overlooked game that could give the Frogs issues. K-State can lull you to sleep with their fundamentals, but they are always somehow in the game. Watch out for this one…

PREDICTION: TCU 27-25

2. California (#24) at Utah (#2) – Utah got a week off to prepare for the high paced Golden Bear attack, but that might slow their momentum as well. It is almost impossible to win in Salt Lake, though.

PREDICTION: Utah 35-24

1. Northwestern (#11) at Michigan (#7) – This is going to be an ugly game offensively, but it is going to be a beautiful football game featuring two teams who have multiple shutouts through five games.

PREDICTION: Michigan 13-9

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia – The loss hurt his team’s chances, but he extended his all time Georgia-best streak of 100 yard games. He is one of the elite players and will be invited if he keeps it up.

4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State – If they have finally figured out that all they need to do is hand the ball to the beast, then he will be in this discussion by season’s end.

3. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma – He is more of a dark horse contender, but he really is rolling in that air raid offense in Norman.

2. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU – He is already setting records at TCU, and his numbers this year are only going to get better the deeper he gets into Big 12 play.

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – Unless he gets injured or completely shut down by someone, he is going to run away with this thing.

 

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Ohio State over Boise State

Rose Bowl: Michigan State over USC

Fiesta Bowl: Texas A&M over Baylor

Sugar Bowl: Stanford over Florida

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): LSU over Clemson

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): TCU over Utah

National Championship Game: LSU over TCU

Thoughts? Comments? Your top 4? Let me know below.

Week 6 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, BCS Projections

There were definitely some interesting developments in week 6. Ohio State flirted with a loss on the road under the lights. Washington lost to Stanford, but maybe proved to the rest of the country that they are a bonafide top 10 team. If not for an opening kickoff returned for a touchdown, I am not sure Stanford would have ever gotten into the end zone. Baylor and Oregon continue their record point scoring. Florida State showed just how schizophrenic college football can be by dropping a 63-0 whooping on recently-ranked Maryland. Georgia cannot catch a break on offense, now having lost their top three receivers and top two running backs. We are almost at the midway point of the season. We are starting to really get to know what these teams are made of. Check out my recap of the action:

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: East Carolina, Houston, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Rutgers, UCF, Wisconsin

Dropped from the rankings: Mississippi (21), Arizona State (24), Maryland (25)

25 (NR). Virginia Tech (5-1) – They have quietly rolled off five wins since their opening season loss to Alabama. They could make a bit of noise in the ACC.

24 (NR). Florida (4-1) – In a game that people were calling for a potential upset, the Gators ended Arkansas early on. If they can score, they will get their share of wins again.

23 (23). Northern Illinois (5-0) – The Huskies pulled another dominating win in the MAC. Look out BCS…

22 (NR). Nebraska (4-1) – The Huskers have been totally solid, even without their starting quarterback. Oh, except for that one half against UCLA. They will get it together with another bye week coming up after an easy trip to Purdue.

21 (20). Oklahoma State (4-1) – They survived a pretty tough matchup with the quietly improving K-State squad. Last week was a fluke.

20 (18). Northwestern (4-1) – The Wildcats were in position to win several times. The program is legit now. They just need that signature win that frequently eludes them.

19 (22). Michigan (5-0) – The bye week treated the struggling Michigan team well, who blew out an inspired Minnesota team in the Big House.

18 (15). South Carolina (4-1) – They somehow can keep winning, while looking less and less impressive doing it. The Cocks won a close one against terrible Kentucky.

17 (19). Fresno State (5-0) – The offense led by future NFL player Derek Carr is scary good. There might not be a team remaining on their schedule who can keep up.

16 (16). Texas Tech (5-0) – This team is so up and down. They could put up 50 on anyone, or they could put up 5 turnovers against anyone. I will just leave them here.

15 (17). Miami (5-0) – The Hurricanes might just be the team that comes out of the ACC if they continue to play offense this way. No one could have expected that coming into the year.

14 (12). Texas A&M (3-1) – IDLE. Next week: at Mississippi.

13 (14). Oklahoma (5-0) – The Sooners seem to take a misstep at this point in the year ever season. It hasn’t happened yet. Red River Rivalry upset next week?

12 (11). Georgia (4-1) – They lose another handful of starters in another win without much defense. I don’t know what to think of this team. Flirting with a loss to Tennessee? Really? Yeah, the SEC is totally better than the Pac-12. *sarcasm*

11 (13). LSU (5-1) – LSU has really developed into one of the more solid and balanced teams in the nation. I think they will eventually take down Alabama.

10 (10). Louisville (5-0) – Yeah, they can score against Temple. Cool.

9 (5). Washington (4-1) – If this were a power ranking, then they would not have dropped. They proved against Stanford that they were the better team overall yesterday.

8 (9). UCLA (4-0) – Playing in Utah is one of the biggest hurdles for any team in the Pac-12. It is just one of those places where teams go to die. The Bruins came out alive.

7 (7). Ohio State (6-0) – A few bounces go their way, and they remain unbeaten under Urban Meyer. They are not losing this season.

6 (8). Florida State (5-0) – Just when people wanted to buy into Maryland, the Seminoles go and do that. Wow. Jameis Winston for Heisman?

5 (4). Clemson (5-0) – They obliterated Syracuse on the road, which is always impressive. That is another one of those sites that favorites seem to struggle.

4 (3). Stanford (5-0) – They just do not lose with Kevin Hogan at QB. I cannot wait for that high-powered Oregon attack to take on the Cardinal.

3 (2). Alabama (5-0) – They had a scrimmage against Georgia State, and they looked good. Nothing really to take away from that.

2 (6). Baylor (4-0) – 73 more points. Wow... I would love to see what they can do when they aren’t up 50 points in the second half.

1 (1). Oregon (5-0) – …just like this team. Will they be tested next week in Seattle? We will see if Washington can lick their wounds after a gut-wrenching loss in Palo Alto. It could be quite s show.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Oklahoma (#13) vs Texas, 9:00AM ABC – The Red River Rivalry is going to be an entertaining game. There is a clear favorite this year, which make me think that there could be a big upset.

4. Missouri at Georgia (#12), 9:00AM ESPN – Does anyone know anything about unbeaten Missouri? Yeah, I didn’t think so. We find out next weekend.

3. Rutgers at Louisville (#10), Thursday 4:30PM ESPN – Louisville has a home game, but these Thursday games are always a little funky. Rutgers has the talent to keep up. Can they?

2. Florida (#24) at LSU (#11), 12:30PM CBS – These types of matchups seem to come weekly in the SEC. People will call for another defensive struggle, but these teams will put up some big numbers. Too bad it is at the same time as…

1. Oregon (#1) at Washington (#9), FS1 1:00PM – This is maybe the best and most physical rivalry in the conference. The teams simply despise one another. If there is any team that could go score for score with the Ducks in the Pac, it is Washington. It’s going to be loud. This is a must-see.

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville – He may not be multi-dimensional like the other quarterback contenders, but if the voters want a throwback pocket passer to win the award again, then this guy is as good as it gets.

4. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – He had the week off, but he still has a bunch of spotlight games this year to remind us how electric and exciting he and his offense are.

3. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State – He has the ESPN hype behind him. His passing numbers are maybe the best ever for a freshman at this point in the season. They might not lose a game.

2. Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor – If he ever has to play an entire game and get 30 carries, then he is going to put up some ridiculous stats. He is a freak, and we are all still wondering what this would look like if he hadn’t screwed up at Oregon…

1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon – He continues to dazzle in every game. Next week he has Washington. Stanford is coming up soon. We will see what he is truly made of against two of the five best defenses in the nation.

BCS Projections

Rose Bowl – Stanford over Ohio State

Orange Bowl – Alabama over Clemson

Sugar Bowl – LSU over Northern Illinois

Fiesta Bowl – Florida State over Louisville

BCS Championship Game – Baylor over Oregon

What did you think of this weekend? What games are you most wanting to see? Let me know!