By Rich Eldridge
Dear Readers,
I had to wait until TUES morning to contemplate which teams should be ranked (between #5-10) or mentioned (among my OTMs) from this week after Duke’s 28-7 upset home win over Clemson.
I am disappointed by the Labor Day eve game in which Florida State had a season-opening 45-24 neutral-site game (in Orlando, FL) over LSU. I hope those schools can do another series in which they play games at their actual home stadium. I like it when schools do a two-game series away from their home stadium.
Before SAT was over, I found out that FOX Big Noon Kickoff will emanate from Boulder, CO for the Nebraska at Colorado game this SAT (Noon, FOX) while (not surprisingly) ESPN College Gameday will emanate from Tuscaloosa, AL for the Texas at Alabama game.
Take Care All! Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State
(380 total offensive yards and 5 TDs responsible for in the FSU Seminoles’ 45-24 season-opening neutral-site win over LSU in Orlando, FL. Passed 22-31, 342 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT. Rushed 7 carries, 38 yards, and 1 TD from 1 yard out. Also had a 13-yard carry. His 49 passing TDs are tied sixth-most with past QB Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, in school history)
2. Michael Penix, QB, Washington
(Passed 29-40, 450 yards, and 5 TDs in UW Huskies’ 56-19 season-opening home win over Boise State. His 450 passing yards are third-most for a single-game in school history.)
3. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
(Passed 38-47, 510 yards, and 4 TDs in the Buffaloes’ 45-42 upset road win over TCU. His 510 passing yards is a single-game school record.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Georgia
4. USC
5. Ohio State (6)
6. Florida State (8)
7. Penn State (9)
8. Tennessee (10)
9. Washington (OTM)
10. Oregon (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Notre Dame
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
First and foremost, I apologize for messing up last week on my top ten rankings. I accidentally ranked Clemson at both #5 and #7. MY APOLOGIES. I meant to have LSU ranked #7 before their neutral-site loss against Florida State, who moved up from #8 to #6 in my rankings. Regrettably, I had the Tigers ranked ahead of the FSU Seminoles. It was no surprise that the ‘Noles could win that game but what surprised me is that Florida State won by 20 points and the Seminoles put that game out of reach for the Tigers to have a comeback win. LSU will rebound and grow from this loss starting with a home-opening game against Grambling this SAT (7:30 PM, SECN+). Florida State will carry on their momentum with a home-opening game against Southern Miss this SAT (8:30 PM, ACCN). This Seminoles defense will have a tough time contending with Southern Miss RB Frank Gore Jr…Clemson was ranked #5 to not being ranked or mentioned after a disappointing 28-7 road loss against Duke. This Tigers offense needs to reopen up their competition to determine the starting QB for this offense. This football team will rebound with a home-opening game against Charleston Southern this SAT (2:15 PM, ACCN)…Alabama showed me why they deserved to be #1 in my rankings after a 56-7 season-opening home win over MTSU. The Crimson Tide will face a tough home challenge against Texas, who are favored to earn a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game this season, this SAT (7 PM, ESPN). If the Longhorns defeat the Tide, don’t call it an upset but I will have to rank Texas somewhere in my top ten for sure… Michigan remains ranked #2 in my rankings after a 30-3 season-opening home win over East Carolina. The UM Wolverines will coast through their non-conference slate (in Big Ten play) like nothing while Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is serving his self-imposed suspension because of recruiting violations. This football team will have a home game against UNLV this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS)… Defending National Champions Georgia remains ranked #3 after a 48-7 season-opening home win over UT-Martin. New starting QB Carson Beck is off to a good start in picking up where his predecessor QB Stetson Bennett (2021-22 season Playoff Final MVP) left off as the starting QB for this UGA Bulldogs offense. This football team will have a home game against Ball State (Noon, SECN)…USC is on a 2-0 start after a 66-14 home win over Nevada this past SAT to remain ranked #4 in my rankings. The defending Heisman Trophy winning QB Caleb Williams is off to a great start in his pursuit of being a repeat Heisman Trophy winner. The Trojans have a home game for a third straight week against Stanford this SAT (10:30 PM, FOX)….Penn State moved up from #9 to #7 after a 38-15 season-opening home win over West Virginia. The Nittany Lions are talented enough to go through all tough challenges before an Oct.21 road game against Ohio State. This football team will play a home game against Delaware this SAT (Noon, Peacock)… After two top ten teams lost, I have Washington and Oregon moved up from among my OTMs in my top ten rankings. I think the UW Huskies and the Ducks are talented enough to remain undefeated until Oct.4 in which Washington plays a home game against Oregon. I have the Huskies ranked ahead of the Ducks because of Washington having a road win over Oregon last year (with both teams having a lot of talent coming back from last year) AND the Huskies having that home field advantage over the Ducks but you can’t count Oregon out of anything. Both teams will have road games that could still be a trap game for an upset before their Oct.4 showdown. The Huskies have a home game against Tulsa this SAT (5 PM, PAC-12) while the Ducks have a road game against upset-minded Texas Tech this SAT (7 PM, FOX)…I kept Utah among my OTMs after their 24-11 season-opening home win over Florida, which was a revenge game for that heartbreaking loss for the eventual Pac-12 Champions Utes from last year’s meeting. This football team should be able to welcome back starting QB Cameron Rising back into the starting lineup this week. This football team will have a road game against Baylor this SAT (Noon, ESPN). The Bears are coming off a 42-31 upset home loss against Texas State, who are the weak links of the SBC West Division… I had to add North Carolina among my OTMs after a 31-17 neutral-site win (in Charlotte, N.C) over South Carolina. This UNC Tar Heels defense produced 8 sacks on South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler and there was mention about last season in which that defense produced 17 sacks last season. I hope all opponents for these Heels were watching carefully and taking notice. This football team has a home game against Appalachian State this SAT (5:15 PM, ACCN). Everybody remembers last year’s epic game in which North Carolina held on to have a 63-61 road win. The Tar Heels can’t look past the App State Mountaineers for a Sept.17 home game against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota… Notre Dame made a statement with a 56-3 home-opening win over Tennessee State, which is an NCAA Division I FCS football team that easily made them look like a force to be reckoned with. You can bet everybody on the Fighting Irish dresslist got playing time. This football team has a road game against upset-minded N.C State this SAT (Noon, ABC). Like I said EICH, I can’t buy the Irish as a top ten team until they remain undefeated past their Sept.23 home game against Ohio State…Speaking of the Buckeyes, Ohio State moved up from #6 to #5 after a 23-3 season-opening road win over Indiana. It looks like the OSU Buckeyes didn’t cover the spread, which favored them by 30 points, over the Hoosiers. This football team has a season-opening home game against Youngstown State this SAT (Noon, BTN)…I can’t wait for the games this weekend.
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Florida State WR Keon Coleman- Received 9 catches, 122 yards, and 3 TDs (40,21, and 7) in the FSU Seminoles’ 45-24 neutral-site win (in Orlando, FL) over LSU.
Florida State CB Azareye’h Thomas- Produced 4 tackles (2 solo), 1 fumble recovery, and 2 PBUs in the Seminoles’ neutral-site win over LSU.
Florida State CB Renardo Green- Produced 4 tackles (all solo), 1 INT, and 1 PBU in the Seminoles’ neutral-site win over LSU.
FIU WR Kris Mitchell- Received 9 catches, 201 yards, and 2 TDs (19 and 62) in the Panthers’ 14-12 home-opening win over Maine.
FIU LB Donovan Manuel- Produced 14 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 2 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 QB hurries in the Panthers’ home win over Maine.
FIU CB Brian Blades- Produced 8 tackles (4 solo), 1 fumble recovery, and 4 PBUs in the Panthers’ home win over Maine.
Miami WR Colbie Young- Received 4 catches, 79 yards, and 1 TD (44 yards on 1st series) in the Hurricanes’ 38-3 season-opening home win over Miami (OH).
Florida Atlantic QB Casey Thompson- Passed 20-25, 280 yards, 5 TDs, and 1 INT in the FAU Owls’ 42-30 season-opening home win over Monmouth.
Florida Atlantic CB Darius McClemson- Produced 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Owls’ home win over Monmouth.
UCF RB Johnny Richardson- Rushed 12 carries for 100 yards, including a 42-yard carry, in the Golden Knights’ 56-6 season-opening home win over Akron.
UCF DE Tre’Mon Morris-Brash- Produced 3 tackles (1 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 QB hurry in the Golden Knights’ home win over Akron.
