Dear Readers,
Troy LB Carlton Martial now owns the NCAA Division I FBS record for most career tackles (548). He went from not receiving a scholarship from any NCAA Division I FBS school to being a three-time First team All-SBC selection (2019-21). Now,Martial has the Trojans with an 8-2 mark, including a 5-1 mark in the Sun Belt East Division which ties first place with South Alabama.
A couple conference championship games have their pairings set. Georgia will play LSU in the SEC Championship Game and Clemson will play North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game. Hopefully, we found out which team clinched a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game. TCU has a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Don’t be suprised to see Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr and Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt as finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the nation’s best WR.
Another week in which I had a hard time determining who should be on my Weekly Heisman Trophy Ballot. I really did consider Washington QB Michael Pennix Jr (passed 26-35, 408 yard, 2 TDs, and 1 INT) but I had to vote for better performances. I wish Michigan RB Blake Corrum had something better than a 12-yard carry in their home win over Nebraska. I really believe that Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker will be invited as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy if the UT Volunteers have 10 wins and get an at-large berth in a New Year’s Six major bowl game.
Take care all! Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
(Rushed 21 carries, 138 yards, and 1 TD for a season-long 75 yards in the Horn Frogs’ 17-10 road win over Texas. His current streak of 11 straight games with scoring a rushing TD is second-longest in school history. His 13 rushing TDs co-lead the Big 12 with Baylor Richard Reese and tied eighth nationally with seven other RBs.)
2. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
(405 total offensive yards and 4 TDs responsible for in the UT Volunteers’ 66-24 home-finale win over Missouri. Passed 25-35, 355 yards, and 3 TDs. Rushed 8 carries, 50 yards, and 1 TD of 14 yards. Also had a 28-yard carry. His 55 career passing TDs are fifth-most in school history. His 10.1 passing yards per attempt lead the nation.)
3.C.J Stroud, QB, Ohio State
(Passed 17-28, 297 yards, and 5 TDs in the OSU Buckeyes’ 56-14 home win over Indiana. His 78 career passing TDs are second-most in school history and fifth-most in Big Ten history. His 29 TDs and 188.2 efficiency rating lead the nation among these passing categories.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. USC
6. Tennessee
7. Clemson (OTM)
8. North Carolina
9. LSU (OTM)
10. Alabama (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Oregon (7). UCLA, (10), Utah, UCF, Washington, and Penn State
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see, the top six remain the same because of wins over respective opponents this past weekend and made little changes into my top ten rankings. I now allowed teams with two losses to be among my top ten rankings….I will say that TCU surprised me the most this past weekend and came to play. When the Horn Frogs had a 17-3 lead against Texas, I had no doubt that this football team would hang on to win this game over the Longhorns and clinch a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. TCU is for real. The Horn Frogs have a road game against Baylor (Noon, FOX)..I moved Clemson back into my rankings because the Tigers rebounded from a disastrous 35-14 road loss against Notre Dame, this football team really went back to the drawing board and took a look at everything. Clemson had a 31-16 home win over Louisville to clinch the ACC Atlantic Division title and play North Carolina, who clinched the ACC Coastal Division title, in the ACC Championship Game on Dec.3, 2022. The reason I moved the Tigers past the UNC Tar Heels, who are coming off a tough as expected 36-34 road win over Wake Forest, is because Clemson usually beats North Carolina when they finally play each other to play a football game. But both teams have two games left to play before they play against each other for the ACC title. The TIgers have a home game against Miami this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN) while the Tar Heels have a home game against Georgia Tech this SAT (5:30 PM, ESPN2)…I moved Oregon down from #7 to among my OTMs after their 37-34 home loss against rival Washington. One bad decision cost those Ducks, which was going for it on 4th and 1 when they should’ve punted late in the game which helped the UW Huskies win this game. If this football team won last week, Oregon would’ve clinched a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks have a home game against Utah, who defeated them in the Pac-12 Championship Game last year, this SAT (10:30 PM, ESPN) I have Oregon among my OTMs because of their home win over UCLA a few weeks ago. I have Washington among my OTMs because of their win this past SAT. The Utes are among my OTMs because of their comeback home win over USC a few weeks ago.. UCLA dropped down from #10 to among my OTMs because of a disappointing 34-28 home loss against Arizona. The Bruins let that 3-6 mark of the Wildcats fool them. UCLA has a home-finale game against rival USC this SAT (8 PM, FOX). If the Trojans defeat the Bruins, USC will definitely clinch a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The only reason I have UCLA among my OTMs is because the Bruins deserve the benefit of a doubt and had a decisive road win over the Trojans last year and had home wins over Utah and Washington last month…LSU moved up from among my OTMs to #9 because the Tigers clinched the SEC West Division title and clinched a berth against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game after a 13-10 road win over upset-minded Arkansas. The Tigers will win out before playing the Bulldogs on Championship Weekend (Dec.2-3, 2022). LSU has a home-finale game against UAB this SAT (9 PM, ESPN2)…UCF is back among my OTMs because of their 38-31 road win over Tulane, who was in first-place in the AAC coming into last week. If the Golden Knights have a home-finale win over Navy this SAT (11 AM, ESPN 2) and Cincinnati has an upset road loss against Temple, UCF will have a berth in the AAC Championship Game. The Golden Knights need to win out to have home-field advantage in the AAC Championship Game. Remember, UCF also had a home win over Cincinnati a few weeks ago….Penn State is back among my OTMs because of their 30-0 home win over Maryland. Their only losses were against Big Ten East Division heavyweights such as (at) Michigan and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are a great team but those teams who beat them were just too much and will win out before this football team willI find out who they will play in a bowl game. Penn State will have a road game against Rutgers this SAT (3:30 PM. BTN)… I can’t wait for the games this weekend…
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee- 308 total offensive yards and 3 TDs responsible for in the Golden Knights’ 38-31 road win over Tulane. Passed 17-30, 132 yards, and 1 TD. Rushed 18 carries, 176 yards, and 2 TDs (67 and 1).
UCF LB Jason Johnson- Produced 8 tackles (co-led team; 6 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 forced fumble in the Golden Knights’ road win over Tulane.
The Miami defense- Produced 9 TFLs and 4 INTs in the Hurricanes’ 35-14 road win over Georgia Tech.
Miami S Kameren Kinchens- Produced 8 tackles (led team; 4 solo), 3 INTs (including a 99-yard TD), and 1 PBU in the Hurricanes’ road win over Georgia Tech.
Miami P Lou Hedley- Had 5 punts with 46 yards per punt in the Hurricanes’ road win over Georgia Tech. Had 3 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 40-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line.
The Florida offensive line- Helped this offense have 415 total yards (including 374 rushing yards) in the Gators’ 38-6 home-finale win over South Carolina.
Florida RB Trevor Etienne- Rushed 8 carries, 100 yards, and 1 TD (85 yards) in the Gators’ home win over South Carolina.
Florida LB Ventrell Miller- Produced 4 tackles (all solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 QB hurry in the Gators’ home win over South Carolina.
Florida State RB Trey Benson- Rushed 18 carries for 163 yards, including a 30-yard carry, in the FSU Seminoles’ 38-3 road win over Syracuse.
Florida State LB Amaari Gainer- Produced 4 tackles (all solo), 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble in the Seminoles’ road win over Syracuse.
Florida State P Alex Mastromanno- Had 3 punts with 40.3 yards per punt in the Seminoles’ road win over Syracuse.Had all punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 45-yard punt landing on the 5-yard line.
Florida Atlantic S Armani Adams- Produced 5 tackles (led team; 4 solo), 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble, and 3 PBUs in the FAU Owls’ 52-7 road win over rival FIU.
Florida Atlantic LB Jaylen Wester- Produced 4 tackles (all solo), 2 TFLs, 1 INT (18 yards), and 1 QB hurry in the Owls’ road win over FIU.
Florida Atlantic P Riley Thompson- Had 4 punts 53.8 yards per punt in the Owls’ road win over FIU. Had 3 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 70-yard punt landing on the 5-yard line.
