Dear Readers,
First and foremost, I apologize for an error I made last week. I left off something when mentioning Baylor’s 36-35 comeback road win over UCF. The Golden Knights blew a 35-7 lead. I left off that number of 7 last week. Forgive me for that error.
I am not surprised that that both pregame shows of ESPN College Gameday and FOX Big Noon Kickoff will emanate from Columbus, OH for the Penn State at Ohio State game because both of these teams are among three undefeated teams from Big Ten, which are all from the East Division, and among my top five teams. This game should be considered a major rivalry.
Speaking of rivalries, this week, we have some more rivalry games being played such as Michigan at Michigan State, UCLA at Stanford, AND Tennessee at Alabama.
I still can’t believe that Colorado blew a 29-0 lead to have a 36-33 home loss against Stanford this past FRI. I turned my attention to something else. An hour later, I find that the Cardinal is catching up to the Buffaloes. I can tell Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders is raising his voice like never before and making his players do tortuous work, such as running up and down bleacher stadium steps.
This past week I had an easy time determining who should be on my Weekly Heisman Trophy Ballot. Oregon QB Box Nix (passed 33-44, 337 yards, and 2 TDs) played great in that epic road loss against Washington and could’ve made this weekly ballot regardless but I had to be loyal to key players on winning teams. Had the Ducks beat the UW Huskies, WR Troy Franklin (received 8 catches, 154 yards, and 1 TD of 30 yards) would’ve been on this week’s ballot along with Nix.. I know the EICH will be pissed at me for not having Notre Dame S Xaiver Watts (produced 7 tackles, 2 INTs for 62 yards, including a 38-yard TD, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery for a 15-yard TD, and 1 PBU), who was the only player I considered but left him off this week’s ballot If he keeps up the good work, who knows?. Watts could be a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (best DB in the nation) and a National Defensive Player of the Year award (i.e; the Bednarik Award being presented at the annual college football awards show). Michigan QB J.J McCarthy was also considered a good option but he performed great (passed 14-17,222 yards, and 3 TDs) in an easy home win over Indiana.
Alabama PK Will Reichard now owns that SEC record for most career scoring points (486 points). He scored 6 points (scored a 30-yard FG and scored on all 3 XPK attempts) in a 24-21 homecoming win over Arkansas.
Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
(Passed 22-37, 302 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT in the UW Huskies’ 36-33 home win over Oregon. His 6,942 career passing yards are fifth-most in school history. His 383.5 passing yards lead the nation)
2. Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
(Received 8 catches, 128 yards, and 2 TDs of 17 and 18 in the Huskies’ home win over rival Oregon. Scored that 18-yard receiving TD-on 1st and 10 with 1:38 remaining-to eventually win this game. His 2,368 career receiving yards are third-most in school history. His 736 receiving yards lead the Pac-12 and third nationally.)
3. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
(418 total offensive yards in the Tigers’ 48-18 home win over Auburn. Passed 20-27, 325 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. Rushed 11 carries for 93 yards, including a 26-yard carry. His 54 career TDs responsible for are fifth-most in school history. His 2,809 total offensive yards lead the nation.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Penn State
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington (8)
8. North Carolina (10)
9. Oregon
10. Texas (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Alabama, Tennessee, James Madison, Duke, and Liberty.
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see, the top six remain the same but I have to address some elephants in this room…To address what needs to be addressed, Louisville was among my OTMs after being mentioned for two straight weeks. I really thought the UL Cardinals were going to remain undefeated until they played a Nov.18 road game against Miami. This football team will use this bye-week to regroup for an Oct.28 home game against Duke…USC is no longer ranked #7 in my rankings after a disappointing 48-20 road loss against rival Notre Dame. All throughout that game, the Fighting Irish remained a step ahead of the then-undefeated Trojans. USC will have a home game against Utah this SAT (8 PM, FOX) while Notre Dame has a bye-week before an Oct. 28 home game against Pittsburgh…I had to move Washington up from #8 to #7 because of their 36-33 comeback home win over rival Oregon, who I decided to remain ranked #9 in my rankings and on a current 13-game winning streak (including a 6-0 start this season), which is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation (behind two-time defending National Champions Georgia) The Ducks outplayed the UW Huskies but it took a few mistakes that cost them, including going 0-3 on 4th down conversions, such as choosing to go for something else than scoring a FG. I can’t see these two teams losing a game until their November games against USC but you can’t out Oregon State and Utah. Washington will have a homecoming game (on HOF day) against Arizona State this SAT (10:30 PM, FS1) while Oregon will have a home game against Washington State this SAT (3:30 PM, ABC) . .Michigan will remain ranked #1 after a 52-7 home win over Indiana. The UM Wolverines responded by scoring 52 unanswered points after the Hoosiers had a 7-0 lead on them. After Indiana drew first blood, Michigan scored on the remaining eight possessions, including scoring a TD on five straight possessions before scoring a FG, of this game. This football team has a road game against Michigan State this SAT (7:30 PM, NBC)… Georgia remains ranked #2 after a 37-20 road win over Vanderbilt. This win marked their 24th straight win, which adds to their school record and remains the longest-active winning streak in the nation. The UGA Bulldogs will have a bye-week before their annual neutral-site game (in Jacksonville, FL) against rival Florida for that game, which is nicknamed “the world’s largest cocktail party”…Ohio State remains ranked #3 after a 41-7 road win over Purdue, which was their third road trip in the state of IN. And hopefully eight later, the OSU Buckeyes will be back in that state for the Big Ten Championship Game (in Indianapolis, IN). This football team had a 34-0 lead before the Boilermakers could score in this game. Ohio State will finally play their long-awaited home game against rival Penn State, who is coming off a 63-0 home win over Massachusetts to remain ranked #5 in my rankings, this SAT (Noon, FOX). The winner of this game should definitely have a great chance of playing a New Year’s Six major bowl game–IF NOT a berth in semi-final playoff bowl game…Florida State remains ranked #4 after a 41-3 home win over Syracuse to remain on a current 12-game winning streak (including a 6-0 start this season). Also, the FSU Seminoles are on a current streak of 12 straight games with scoring 30 points, which is second-longest in ACC history. This football team will play a homecoming game against Duke this SAT (7:30 PM, ABC)…Speaking of the Blue Devils, I added Duke among my OTMs because of their 5-1 mark, including a 24-3 home win over N.C State this past SAT, and moved on after star QB Daniel Jones suffered an injury that meant he had to miss action for a period of time. This football team has enough talent to be given the benefit of a doubt..Oklahoma remains #6 in my rankings after a bye-week. The Sooners equaled their win total (6) from last season after that neutral-site win (in Dallas, TX) over Texas two weekends ago. This football team has a homecoming game against UCF, who is also coming off a bye-week, this SAT (Noon, ABC)…I had to move North Carolina up from #10 to #8 after a 41-31 home win over Miami. The UNC Tar Heels are on their first 6-0 since 1997. Like I have said a few times about this football team, I can’t see this football team losing until an Oct. 28 road game against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels have a home game against Virginia (6:30 PM, The CW)…Finally, I have decided to rank once-beaten teams. I choose to move Texas up from among my OTMs to #10 after a bye-week. The UT Longhorns used this bye-week from last weekend to regroup from that neutral-site loss (in Dallas, TX) against Oklahoma. This football team will have a road game against Houston this SAT (4 PM, FOX)…I choose to keep Alabama and Tennessee among my OTMs after home wins over their respective opponents. Now these two rivals finally meet up for the annual showdown this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS). Remember last season, the UT Volunteers had a 52-49 home win over Alabama (on a last play FG scored to prevent OT) to end a 15-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide. Like the Penn State at Ohio State game, the winner of this game should definitely have a great chance of playing in a New Year’s Six major game-IF NOT a semi-final playoff bowl game….I added James Madison among my OTMs after a 41-13 home win over Georgia Southern this past SAT. The JMU Dukes are playing every game like it is a bowl-game because they are in their second year of playing NCAA Division I FBS college football and can’t participate in postseason action until the 2025 season (or something) because of NCAA transition rules.This football team has a road game against Marshall this THURS (7 PM, ESPN)…I added Air Force among my OTMs after a 34-27 home win over Wyoming. The AFA Falcons are on their first 6-0 start since 2002 and their first-ever 4-0 start in MW conference play and first 4-0 start in conference play since 1997 (them members of the WAC). This football team has a road game against upset-minded Navy this SAT (Noon, CBS). After this game, Air Force will have more games that can be challenging before they could earn a berth in the MW Championship Game…I added Liberty among my OTMs because the Flames are on a 6-0 start, including a 31-13 road win over Jacksonville State this past TUES, after ending last season on a four-game losing streak. There is no doubt that this football team will be better than an 8-5 mark. If Liberty has an Oct.24 road win over Western Kentucky, the Flames should be on their way to the C-USA Championship game because three of the next four games after playing the WKU Hilltoppers should be winnable…I can’t wait for the games this weekend.
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Florida State WR Keon Coleman- Received 9 catches, 140 yards, and 1 TD (58 yards) in the FSU Seminoles’ 41-3 home win over Syracuse.
Florida State S Shyhem Brown- Produced 7 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Seminoles’ home win over Syracuse.
Florida S Miguel Mitchell- Made that game-winning INT (on 1st and 10 with 0:20 remaining) to seal the UF Gators’ 41-39 comeback road win over South Carolina. Also produced 5 tackles (4 solo).
Florida WR Ricky Pearsall- Received 10 catches, 166 yards, and 1 TD (21 yards) in the Gators’ road win over South Carolina. Scored that 21-yard receiving TD (on 2nd and 15 with 0:47 remaining) to eventually win that game. Also had a 26-yard catch.
Florida DE Princely Umanmielen- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry in the Gators’ road win over South Carolina.
Florida Atlantic WR Tony Johnson- Received 8 catches, 131 yards, and 1 TD (23 yards) in the FAU Owls’ 56-14 road win over South Florida. Also had a 47-yard catch.
Florida Atlantic S Amari Wansley- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 fumble recovery, and 1 PBU inthe Owls’ road win over South Florida.
