Week 11 College Football Recap: November Chaos

Well, that just happened. Three of the top four teams in the CFP rankings got upended in the same day, leaving just Alabama and Western Michigan with a zero in the loss column. But the playoffs were already cut and dry, right? Yeah, people fall into the same trap every season. No one goes undefeated. There will never be five unbeaten conference champs. It was a crazy Saturday, and it was so crazy that the rankings are basically going to look the way they did going in. I love November.

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Florida, New Mexico, Toledo

Dropped from the rankings: North Carolina (19), Texas A&M (21), Wyoming (23), Virginia Tech (24)

25 (NR). Houston (8-2) – The Cougars are stumbling along, setting up one of the most anticipated games of the season, which is this Thursday night against Top 5 ranked Louisville.

24 (NR). Florida State (7-3) – They have probably had the toughest schedule in the nation outside of Wisconsin, and when they are on, they are really tough to beat.

23 (8). Auburn (7-3) – A loss to Georgia is a bit of an embarrassment. They needed that game to have the Iron Bowl mean something. Now, Alabama has clinched a spot in the SEC Championship.

22 (NR). Stanford (7-3) – Their three losses are to top 11 teams, and now that they are getting healthy, they are starting to look like themselves again.

21 (NR). Troy (8-1) – Their lone loss is at Clemson. They haven’t really beaten anyone, but they are still a solid squad.

20 (20). LSU (6-3) – The Tigers definitely rebounded after getting shut out at home last week. Arkansas ran into a buzz saw.

19 (25). Oklahoma State (8-2)* – The Pokes are sitting there with two losses, but that “loss” to Central Michigan shouldn’t be held against them. They are every bit as good as the other teams in the conference, but their loss to Baylor looks a little worse now.

18 (18). Nebraska (8-2) – They played their equal in Minnesota and it came down to the wire. No surprises there.

17 (14). Utah (8-2) – Utah looked sluggish for a little while before opening it up in the second half and blowing out ASU.

16 (17). Boise State (9-1) – Boise is remaining quiet in the MWC, and with another upset of Wyoming, they will sneak into the championship game, setting up a likely 11-1 vs 11-1 matchup against SDSU. Watch out Western Michigan. This team has a win over Washington State on their resume.

15 (15). Penn State (8-2) – They should have lost to Indiana, but they did something that too many teams this week didn’t do. They found a way to get out with a win.

14 (22). USC (7-3) – Their win over Washington in Seattle is one of the most impressive wins of the year. Sam Darnold is an absolute stud.

13 (12). West Virginia (8-1) – After their loss, everyone has written them off. I am not too convinced that they aren’t still one of the better, most complete teams in the country.

12 (13). Oklahoma (8-2) – The Sooners are right in position to make some noise in the CFP after losing two of their first three. Amazing how that works. This sport isn’t predictable or anything.

11 (16). Colorado (8-2) – The Buffs are legit. They still control their own destiny in the South.

10 (10) San Diego State (9-1) – The Aztecs are having a magical season, especially their star RB Donnel Pumphrey. If not for that strange loss to South Alabama, they would be getting a lot more national respect.

9 (11). Washington State (8-2) – The Cougars have had just as impressive of a rebound as Oklahoma. After losing to Eastern Washington and Boise State, they have rattled off eight straight wins. They could be a playoff team.

8 (5). Clemson (9-1) – Losing at home to Pitt finally exposed what we already knew about Clemson. They are fraudulent. They are 2014 Florida State. Thank you, James Conner.

7 (9). Western Michigan (10-0) – They keep winning, but for the first time all year, they looked stale early in the game.

6 (3). Michigan (9-1) – The lost at Iowa, which is not an easy place to play, but it still looked ugly. They could hardly move the ball at all.

5 (2). Washington (9-1) – Not only did they lose to USC, but they were outmatched for most of the game. It was a humbling loss for the Huskies.

4 (7). Louisville (9-1) – They were terrible for about 35 minutes against Wake Forest. Then they rattled off 44 in a row to make it look good.

3 (6). Wisconsin (8-2) – They are absolutely worthy of the playoffs. Their schedule was absolutely ridiculous, and barring an upset from Minnesota in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, they will be sitting pretty.

2 (4). Ohio State (9-1) – The Buckeyes had back-to-back 62-3 wins. Pretty sure that has never happened before.

1 (1). Alabama (10-0) – They are number one. No doubt.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. San Diego State (#10) at Wyoming, 12:30PM CBS Sports – This is one of the most interesting matchups in the MWC. It is a battle of teams that are definitely committed to running the ball, and they are both unbelievably good at it. This should be an entertaining, under-the-radar game.

PREDICTION: San Diego State 28-27

4. Florida at LSU (#20), 10:00AM SEC Network – If LSU wants to keep dreams alive to play in the New Years Six bowl, then they need to take advantage of the venue change and win this game.

PREDICTION: LSU 17-0

3. Oklahoma (#12) at West Virginia (#13), 5:00PM ABC – The Sooners are rolling, and the Mountaineers have the best defense in the conference. This is going to be a war.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 24-22

2. Washington State (#9) at Colorado (#11), TBD – This is one of the biggest games of the year in the Pac-12. The Cougars are the best road team in the conference, and Colorado is the scariest team that no one wants to play.

PREDICTION: Washington State 49-41

1. Louisville (#4) at Houston (#25), THU 5:00PM ESPN – Houston has the talent to make Louisville suffer for their lackluster starts recently. If Greg Ward is healthy…

PREDICTION: Houston 38-34

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Zach Terrell, QB, Western Michigan – If his team continues to win, he is going to be hard to deny a trip to New York with the season he is having.

4. Jake Browning, QB, Washington – It was a bump in the road for Browning. He will be better for it though. His numbers still are as impressive as anyone in the nation.

3. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State – He is going to be the most decorated runner in college football history.

2. Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan – Harbaugh is still doing everything he can to ensure his placement here.

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville – He made it look good. Having a flair for the dramatic, like Johnny Manziel, is good enough to win.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Louisville over Michigan

Rose Bowl: Ohio State over USC

Fiesta Bowl: Washington State over Oklahoma

Sugar Bowl: LSU over Western Michigan

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Alabama over Washington

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Wisconsin over Clemson

National Championship Game: Alabama over Wisconsin

What did you think of week 11’s craziness? Comment below…

Week 9 College Football Recap: Down Go the Unbeatens

Week 9 was the final week before the College Football Playoff Rankings come out. All of the unbeatens were facing tough tests on the road. Except Alabama, who conveniently avoided upset Saturday with a bye. I feel like their schedule is the easiest to manage of any team. Byes before their biggest games, cupcakes before rivalry games, no true road games in the non-conference. Oh well. Only four unbeatens remain in the Power 5, and despite everyone freaking out about what we are going to do with five or six unbeaten teams, the same thing happens that happens every year: unexpected losses! What a concept! Check out the week 9 recap below…

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Florida State, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma State, Troy

Dropped from the rankings: Toledo (17), Navy (19), Florida State (21)

25 (NR). Penn State (6-2) – I resisted putting them in my rankings last week after beating Ohio State out of principle. Any team who loses by 39 doesn’t deserve to be ranked, but there simply aren’t enough worthy teams. Plus, their offense has gotten going recently.

24 (NR). USC (5-3) – Sam Darnold makes them a completely different team offensively. They will be a tough out for any team.

23 (24). North Carolina (6-2) – IDLE

22 (25). Oklahoma (6-2) – The Sooners destroyed the Jayhawks on Saturday. They are really rolling offensively, but unfortunately their loss to Houston is looking less like a quality loss these days.

21 (23). LSU (5-2) – IDLE

20 (22). Colorado (6-2) – IDLE

19 (NR). Wyoming (6-2) – Their monster upset of Boise State really says something about where Craig Bohl has this program. Their only losses were to Nebraska and a much improved Eastern Michigan.

18 (18). Florida (6-1) – It’s difficult to really take too much stock in this team. They have not looked impressive in any individual game, except in the first 3 quarters of their loss to Tennessee. And they postponed their only game that could have been considered a true test.

17 (16). Washington State (6-2) – The Cougars look the part, but they just cannot put teams away. That is going to be detrimental when they face the class of the Pac-12 (Washington).

16 (12). Boise State (7-1) – Boise losing in Wyoming isn’t necessarily a terrible loss, but it is a confusing one. Most of their struggles in 2016 have been at home, not against division rivals on the road. They have typically flexed their muscles in those instances.

15 (10). Utah (6-2) – They hung tight with Washington at home, which shows that they were actually underrated by the polls coming into the week.

14 (6). Baylor (6-1) – The Bears, on the other hand, had a disgusting loss to an awful Texas team.

13 (20). San Diego State (7-1) – The Aztecs have absolutely steamrolled every team they have played, other than during that strange loss to South Alabama. They are our clear Group of Five favorite right now.

12 (15). Auburn (6-2) – Auburn has really gotten going recently. They run game is looking as impressive as it ever has under Malzahn, even though they don’t have a running threat under center.

11 (7). West Virginia (6-1) – Losing at Oklahoma State provides no shame for the Mountaineers. The Cowboys might actually prove to be the most complete team in the conference when all is said and done.

10 (13). Western Michigan (8-0) – IDLE

9 (14). Texas A&M (7-1) – They had a cupcake game this week and benefit greatly by several teams above them getting take down. Their loss to Alabama was not exactly a great showcase for the team, but they are still as good as any other team in the SEC.

8 (8). Nebraska (7-1) – They lost in overtime to Wisconsin, where they actually controlled much of the game in every way except the scoreboard. I have a hard time downgrading them at all, but you can’t really move up for a loss.

7 (9). Ohio State (7-1) – Ohio State avoided back-to-back disasters by sneaking by Northwestern at home, setting up a huge top 10 game next week with Nebraska.

6 (5). Louisville (7-1) – Eventually, Lamar Jackson is going to taste defeat in one of these games. A close game with Virginia is an absolute embarrassment.

5 (11). Wisconsin (6-2) – Wisconsin has now managed the toughest schedule maybe ever with just two losses, one of which was in overtime.

4 (4). Clemson (8-0) – Clemson survived yet another close game with an inferior team. There’s a lot of 2014 Florida State in this team. They might get blasted in the first round of the playoffs by a real team.

3 (3). Michigan (8-0) – No rivalry upsets here. Michigan is as tough as any team, and when their offense is working, they are virtually unbeatable.

2 (2). Washington (8-0) – A ranked win on the road? Winning the game down the stretch? Style points? The Huskies are every bit as worthy of the top ranking as Alabama.

1 (1). Alabama (8-0) – IDLE

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Syracuse at Clemson (#4), 12:30PM TBD – It is a weak slate of games, so this is the type of game that must be highlighted. Cuse is coming off a bye, and following the FSU win for Clemson, this could be a game where they could come out a little sleepy.

PREDICTION: Clemson 21-20

4. Georgia Tech at North Carolina (#23), 9:30AM TBD – Georgia Tech is much better than they were a year ago, and North Carolina is not immune to putting up a stinker.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 34-27

3. Wisconsin (#5) at Northwestern, 9:00AM TBD – After all of those top 10 games that Wisconsin faced, they get a motivated and tough-minded Northwestern team on the road. Watch out, Badgers…

PREDICTION: Wisconsin 14-10

2. Alabama (#1) at LSU (#21), 5:00PM CBS – The game that has become one of the biggest rivalries in the game puts one team up as playing spoiler. LSU is absolutely capable of winning this game the way Leonard Fournette is playing.

PREDICTION: Alabama 23-21

1. Nebraska (#8) at Ohio State (#7), 5:00PM ABC – Nebraska is coming off a heartbreaker, and Ohio State is coming off a near upset. This game will say a lot of about these two teams.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 20-14

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – His team keeps winning, and he was a finalist last year. That should be enough for an invite by the near-sighted Heisman trust.

4. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State – He is the best running back in the nation. He has gone over 200 yards a handful of times this year already.

3. Jabrill Peppers, DB, Michigan – He is padding his stats with goal line touches. Harbaugh is doing everything he can to bill him as Charles Woodson Part 2.

2. Jake Browning, QB, Washington – He is having the most efficient season in college football history. He just doesn’t have the “moments” of…

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville – It is almost like he lets terrible teams hang around so he can have that drive where he showcases his legs and huge arm. It’s almost unfair.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Louisville over San Diego State

Rose Bowl: Ohio State over Washington State

Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia over Penn State

Sugar Bowl: Wisconsin over Texas A&M

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

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Michigan over Washington

National Championship Game: Michigan over Alabama

What does your top 10 look like after all the chaos? Can anyone beat Lamar Jackson in the Heisman race? Comment below.

Week 7 College Football Recap: Road Test Weekend

This past weekend, two of the consensus top 5 teams in the nation went on the road to hostile environments against AP top 10 teams. This created mixed results, but both teams survived their tests. What really came out of this weekend was the uncertainty of the ACC. Clemson (who inexplicably stormed the field) and Louisville looked lousy at home against unranked teams, and the entire Coastal division has multiple losses. An upset of Clemson could mean the elimination of the conference for playoff consideration. Look at how all this breaks down below…

 

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Miami, South Florida, Virginia Tech

Dropped from the rankings: Miami (15), Tennessee (17), Virginia Tech (18), Arizona State (19), North Dakota State (20), Air Force (22), Mississippi (24)

25 (NR). Pittsburgh (5-2) – James Conner and company are really living on the edge, but they are hanging around in the ACC Coastal. This is the type of team that a Clemson or Louisville doesn’t want to see in the ACC Championship.

24 (NR). Arkansas (5-2) – Arkansas is a hard team to figure out. Week by week they are either a top 15 team or a team that should not receive votes.

23 (NR). North Carolina (5-2) – The Tar Heels are as Jekyll and Hyde as any team. They had a nice win over Miami this week.

22 (NR). Colorado (5-2) – Colorado rebounded from getting beat by USC with a whipping of a 5-1 ASU team.

21 (NR). Washington State (4-2) – Just like in 2015, WSU has completely put behind an FCS loss and is a threat in the PAC-12.

20 (23). Navy (4-1) – IDLE

19 (NR). Florida State (4-2) – The Noles look much better these days. I can see them really giving a fight to Clemson in that monster matchup.

18 (25). San Diego State (5-1) – After losing to South Alabama, Donnel Pumphrey has gone off and reestablished The Aztecs as a potential Group of Five representative in the New Years Six.

17 (21). Toledo (5-1) – Toledo is potentially even better this year than last year when they upset Arkansas. This is a team to keep an eye on.

16 (NR). Florida (5-1) – Florida isn’t really a good enough team to be ranked this high, but there really is no one else with 1 loss in the power 5.

15 (14). Houston (6-1) – Houston survived one of their toughest conference matchups by hanging on late against Tulsa.

14 (16). West Virginia (5-0) – I still don’t really buy West Virginia, but their defense really showed something by shutting down Texas Tech in Lubbock.

13 (13). Utah (6-1) – The Utes are flying under the radar, which is exactly where they want to be. They host the Huskies in two weeks.

12 (11). Western Michigan (7-0) – Western Michigan would be an easy Group of Five team any year, but when you have dynamite teams in Houston and Boise State, they might unfortunately get left out, despite two Big Ten wins.

11 (10). Boise State (6-0) – The Broncos aren’t as good as they were under Petersen, but this is the best team they have had since. They should roll through the MWC and get a crazy showdown with San Diego State in the title game.

10 (8). Wisconsin (4-2) – It’s hard to justify dropping them at all, but a second loss is a second loss, even if it was to the best team in the country in overtime.

9 (12). Nebraska (6-0) – Nebraska finally had a decent test on the road, and they survived.

8 (9). Baylor (6-0) – The Bears are a dark horse team for the playoff. No one wants to admit it, but they likely control their own destiny, barring the long shot chance that every conference has an unbeaten team.

7 (7). Louisville (5-1) – They struggled mightily on Friday night against a weak Duke team. They were not the same team they were before their heartbreaking loss at Clemson.

6 (6). Texas A&M (6-0) – IDLE

5 (3). Clemson (7-0) – The Tigers had to hold on and get lucky that NC State has no kicker in order to remain undefeated. The Wolfpack usually close those games out.

4 (4). Michigan (6-0) – IDLE

3 (5). Alabama (6-0) – The Tide absolutely destroyed Tennessee in Knoxville. Finally! We don’t have to hear about that team’s magical comebacks anymore!

2 (1). Washington (6-0) – IDLE

1 (2). Ohio State (6-0) – The Buckeyes had a very impressive win in Madison, despite making a one-dimensional offense look pretty good. If they lose before The Game, I would be shocked.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. BYU at Boise State (#11), THU 7:15PM ESPN – The Broncos need to be careful with BYU. The Cougars have had huge matchups every week, and every single one of them have been nail-biting. They won’t be afraid heading up to the blue turf.

PREDICTION: Boise State 45-42

4. Miami at Virginia Tech, THU 4:00PM ESPN – This is a huge game in the ACC Coastal. It could very well be the game that decides the division. Of course it is on a Thursday night, where crazy things happen each and every week.

PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 17-7

3. Arkansas (#24) at Auburn, 3:00PM ESPN – This is not a game with real SEC title implications, but it is one of the more unpredictable and intriguing matchups of next weekend. The Razorbacks are absolutely the better team, but this game could go either way.

PREDICTION: Auburn 29-23

2. NC State at Louisville(#7), 9:00AM ABC – Does NC State have anything left in the tank after choking away a win in Clemson? We will see when they match up with an angry Louisville team  with an early kickoff.

PREDICTION: Louisville 49-23

1. Texas A&M (#6) at Alabama (#1), 12:30PM CBS – A&M has given the Tide trouble in the past, as has QB Trevor Knight. I can see a potential close game here, but this isn’t where Bama loses.

PREDICTION: Alabama 34-17

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – As long as they keep winning, he will remain in the running, even though this season is much less impressive than his campaign a year ago.

4. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State – He is moving up the all time rushing list and just scorching teams for 200+ seemingly every week.

3. Jabrill Peppers, LB/S/CB, Michigan – Last week, he had a game statistically that will undoubtedly swoon voters. He is getting carries on offense now.

2. Jake Browning, QB, Washington – He is on pace to break the all time passing efficiency record in college football, currently held by Russell Wilson.

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville – He struggled this week with the rest of his team, but he made the plays down the stretch to seal it. He’s the obvious frontrunner.

College Football Playoff Projections

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

Rose Bowl: Ohio State over Utah

Fiesta Bowl: Clemson over West Virginia

Sugar Bowl: Louisville over Texas A&M

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Alabama over Baylor

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Michigan over Washington

National Championship Game: Michigan over Alabama

 

Who are your playoff teams? Heisman favorite? Let me know in the comments.

Week 4 College Football Recap: Trap Game Saturday

This week brought us some really interesting games that probably shouldn’t have been that interesting. With 3 top 10 matchups next week, it would be easy for teams to peek ahead and lay an egg. Washington and Stanford were guilty of this, but the other squads took care of business early (Michigan, Wisconsin, Louisville, Louisville). Next week has one of the most intriguing slates in years. We are even lucky enough to get one of the top 10 matchups on Friday night. I can’t wait. Here’s my breakdown of week 4 in college football…

 

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, South Florida

Dropped from the rankings: Oklahoma State (16), Georgia (17), LSU (19), South Florida (20), California (22), Army (24)

25 (NR). West Virginia (3-0) – They survived a test at home by a desperate BYU squad. Their offense is great, but this is not a vintage WV defense.

24 (NR). Tennessee (4-0) – The Vols came storming back at home to beat their rival Florida. It was a terrible football game, but the Vols improved to the most unimpressive 4-0 of any team.

23 (23). North Dakota State (3-0) – IDLE

22 (NR). TCU (3-1) – Their only loss to Arkansas is looking ok, even though they had that game won before choking it away by poor clock management. They are going to be a tough out in the Big 12.

21 (NR). Miami (3-0) – I am not buying in completely, but there are just not enough deserving teams to fill out a top 25.

20 (NR). Mississippi (2-2) – The Rebels showed their merit by annihilating Georgia. The loss to Florida State still stings, but they showed something putting up 40+ points on Alabama.

19 (NR). Western Michigan (4-0) – They have two wins over the Big Ten, and they just took out the best team in the Sun Belt. They are going to sneak up on national rankings as the weeks tick toward December.

18 (9).  Michigan State (2-1) – Their win over Notre Dame looks less impressive, and they got rolled by Wisconsin. They need a new option at QB if they want to compete in the Big Ten East.

16 (21). Florida State (3-1) – The Noles looked like a different team playing a tricky road game at South Florida. They romped the Bulls almost as bad as they got romped the previous week at Louisville.

15 (18). Nebraska (4-0) – The Huskers won a road game against their budding rival Northwestern in an ugly game filled with mistakes on both sides.

14 (13). San Diego State (3-0) – IDLE

13 (14). Boise State (3-0) – Boise won in Corvallis, which isn’t really a difficult test, but it is their second win over a Pac-12 team this season.

12 (15). Utah (4-0) – The Utes looked shaky against USC, but they have a winning mentality that is going to be tough to shake. They are the best team in the Pac-12 South.

11 (11). Baylor (4-0) – The Bears faced their first good team of the year in Oklahoma State, and the team looks like the best team in the conference after a decisive win.

10 (10). Clemson (4-0) – The definition of a trap game was Clemson heading to GT, where they have struggled over the years. They passed the test by dominating the first half.

9 (7). Stanford (3-0) – Stanford struggled for 3 quarters against an average UCLA before taking over.

8 (6). Washington (4-0) – The first real opponent that the Huskies have played turned into an overtime nail-biter. Arizona typically wins those games, but UW survives to take on Stanford on Friday night under the lights.

7 (8). Texas A&M (4-0) – The Aggies are a scary team right now. Trevor Knight appears to be the best fit for the Sumlin system that he has ever had.

6 (5). Houston (4-0) – The Cougars won by one of the most lopsided scores of the year. It was Texas State, though. Their strength of schedule is going to cause them to keep falling until they play Louisville.

5 (12). Wisconsin (4-0) – The Badgers looked like a different team than the one that struggled with Georgia State a week ago. Hornibrook is definitely a better option at QB than Houston.

4 (3). Alabama (4-0) – Bama beat up on Nick Saban’s alma mater Kent State on Saturday. Impressive? Meh…

3 (2). Ohio State (3-0) – IDLE

2 (4). Michigan (4-0) – Penn State was a trendy pick to give Michigan a fight, the Wolverines ended the game early and look every bit of a national title contender.

1 (1). Louisville (4-0) – The Cardinals did nothing to lose their spot at the top of the rankings after destroying Marshall on the road.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Western Michigan (#19) at Central Michigan, 4:00PM CBSSN – The battle of the two best directional schools will likely be a shootout. Both are good teams, even though CMU had an embarrassing loss to Virginia on Saturday.

PREDICTION: Western Michigan 41-24

4. Kansas State at West Virginia (#25), 12:30PM ESPNU – This is not the sexiest matchup, but Kansas State is a tough team taking on an unbeaten team in the conference. It is an intriguing game nonetheless.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 31-27

3. Wisconsin (#5) at Michigan (#2), 12:30PM TBD – Wisconsin is highly ranked because they do have two top 10 wins, but neither of them are really as impressive anymore. I don’t think they have much of a chance in Ann Arbor, but I’ll be watching.

PREDICTION: Michigan 28-7

2. Stanford (#9) at Washington (#8), FRI 6:00PM ESPN – This has become a mini rivalry over the years, but this is the most consequential game between them in decades. It will likely be a defensive struggle. I don’t usually like these types of matchups during the week, but I’ll take it.

PREDICTION: Washington 17-9

1. Louisville (#1) at Clemson (#10), 5:00PM ABC – Can Louisville win a big road game? Can DeShaun Watson perform like the preseason Heisman favorite he was supposed to be? I can’t wait for this game.

PREDICTION: Clemson 23-21

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Seth Russell, QB, Baylor – His stats are going to continue to impress all year long. If healthy, he will be invited to NY.

4. JT Barrett, QB, Ohio State – He is the technician and only veteran on the most surprising offense in the nation.

3. Jabrill Peppers, LB/CB/S, Michigan – He is being groomed to be Charles Woodson, and he is having just as good of a season as the former Heisman winner did.

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford – He isn’t having quite the season as last year just yet, but his numbers are still just as impressive as any player not named…

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville – He is the most dynamic player in the nation by a mile. His rise to Heisman frontrunner can only be compared to Geno Smith. That didn’t end well, but I would be lying if I said he wasn’t the best at this point.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Utah over San Diego State

Rose Bowl: Stanford over Wisconsin

Fiesta Bowl: Louisville over Baylor

Sugar Bowl: Houston over Texas A&M

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Michigan over Washington

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Alabama over Clemson

National Championship Game: Michigan over Alabama

What did you think of this weekend? Rankings? Heisman predictions? Let me know below!