Dear Readers,
In case you are wondering about this SAT, I found out that FOX Big Noon Kickoff will emanate from College Park, MD for the Michigan at Maryland game while ESPN College Gameday will emanate from Harrisonburg, VA for the Appalachian State at James Madison game. If both Michigan and Ohio State remain undefeated past their respective opponents this SAT, both pregame shows will emanate from Ann Arbor, MI for this matchup between the OSU Buckeyes at the UM Wolverines. If Alabama and Georgia win out for the next two games, ESPN College Gameday will emanate from Atlanta, GA for the SEC Championship Game between the Crimson Tide vs. the UGA Bulldogs.
The coaching carousel is starting to take place. This past SUN, Texas A&M officials have announced the firing of Head Coach Jimbo Fisher. Fish gets to retire on his $76 million buyout. Also, Miss. State, San Diego State, and Boise State are searching for a new head coach. More coaching changes are yet to come-STAY TUNED!
We have several teams who are surprising us. One team I want to mention is UNLV under new Head Coach Barry Odom, who was the Missouri head coach (2016-19), surprising the MW. The Rebels went from a 5-7 mark from last season to an 8-2 mark this season. After a 35-7 road loss to Michigan, this football team went on a five-game winning streak before a 31-24 road loss against Fresno State. Right now, UNLV and Air Force are in first place in the MW thanks to San Jose State having a decisive upset over Fresno State this past SAT.
This week has been the hardest week in determining who should be on my Weekly Heisman Trophy Ballot. I had to think about the rankings and win-loss record of each selection’s team, their standings in statistics nationally, and so-on. It was a no-brainer for me to have Oregon QB Bo Nix as my first selection on this weekly ballot. I know a fraction of the nation was watching Washington QB Michael Penix Jr lead his UW Huskies to a 35-28 home win over Utah but too many incompletions (including that 1 INT) had me thinking about other deserving selections. I did consider Oregon State RB Damien Martinez (rushed 15 carries, 146 yards, and 4 TDs, including a 59-yard TD) and LSU QB Jayden Daniels (606 total offensive yards and 5 TDs responsible for, including rushing 12 carries, 234 yards, and 2 TDs of 85 and 51 yards). If Pac-12 WRs Rome Odunze (Washington) and Troy Franklin (Oregon) could receive one or two more catches in their wins from this past SAT, they could’ve been considered for this week’s ballot. The next three weeks will be intriguing for this annual Heisman Trophy race.
(All Nix’s career total offensive yards include his playing days at Auburn from 2019-21 before transferring to Oregon)
We are less than three weeks away from crowning conference champions and determining the pairings for the bowl games (including the tenth annual college football playoff). Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
(Passed 23-31, 412 yards, and 4 TDs in the Ducks’ 36-27 home win over USC. Currently on a streak of 12 straight games with 2 passing TDs. His 258 pass completions are fourth-most for a single-season in school history. His 15,479 career total offensive yards are eighth-most in NCAA Division I FBS history. His 77.7 pass completion percentage leads the nation.)
2. Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
(168 all-purpose running yards and scored 3 TDs in the OSU Buckeyes’ 38-3 home win over Michigan State. Received 7 catches, 149 yards, and 2 TDs of 26 and 9 yards. Also had a 57-yard catch. Rushed 1 carry for a 19-yard TD. First player in school history with back to back seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. His 29 career receiving TDs are fourth-most in school history. His 12 receiving TDs lead the Big Ten and second nationally.)
3. Cody Schrader, RB, Missouri
(321 all-purpose running yards in the Tigers’ 36-7 home win over Tennessee. Rushed 35 carries, 205 yards, and 1 TD from 7 yards out. Also had a 35-yard carry. Received 5 catches for 116 yards, including a 43-yard catch. His 321 all-purpose running yards are second-most for a single-game in school history. His 197 carries lead the SEC and sixth nationally.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama
9. Louisville (10)
10. Tulane (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Liberty, James Madison, and Toledo
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see, the top eight remain the same but I have to address some elephants in our room…Penn State, who was ranked #9 in my rankings, suffered their second loss of this season to Michigan, who remains #1 in my rankings after finally playing a ranked team this season. This loss moved the PSU Nittany Lions out of my rankings and I decided not to add them among my OTMs because of bad decisions made on offense and couldn’t force that UM Wolverines offense to pass that ball in the 2nd half. Michigan will have a road game against Maryland, who are coming off a 13-10 road win over Nebraska (on a last play FG), this SAT (Noon, FOX) while Penn State has a home-finale game against Rutgers this SAT (Noon, FS1). This Wolverines defense will have their hands full with this UM Terrapins offense led by Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa. Michigan should not look past Maryland, who were on a 5-0 start before going on a four-game losing streak, for their Nov.25 home game against fellow undefeated Ohio State for their annual showdown…I chose to move Tulane up from among my OTMs to #10 in my rankings after a tougher than expected 24-22 home win over Tulsa. If you ask me why I added the Green Wave rather than those two undefeated teams from the non-power conferences, such as Liberty (C-USA) and James Madison (from the SBC), who are both on a 10-0 start, is because of the quality of competition they get to play in the AAC and so on.This football team is on a current eight-game winning streak after a 37-20 home loss against Mississippi and became a better football team since that loss. Tulane has two tough games in front of them, including a road game against Florida Atlantic this SAT (Noon, ESPN+), before finding out who they will play in the AAC Championship. The Green Wave better not look past the FAU Owls for their Nov.24 home-finale game against UTSA, who is also undefeated in AAC conference play with a 6-0 mark. Don’t forget about SMU, who is also undefeated in AAC conference play….Speaking of the Ole Miss Rebels, I had to remove Mississippi from among my OTMs after a 52-17 road loss against the two-time defending National Champions Georgia, who were too much for this Mississippi football team. The Rebels should be able to win their next two games, including an easy home game against UL-Monroe this SAT (Noon, SECN), and possibly play in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. Meanwhile, this home-finale win for this Georgia football team helped them clinch an outright SEC East Division title for a third straight season. But the Dawgs can’t look past their next two opponents, including a road game against Tennessee this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS), for their SEC Championship Game against Alabama…Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Alabama remains ranked #8 after a 49-21 road win over Kentucky, which helped them clinch the SEC West Division title and remain on an eight-game winning streak. The Crimson Tide started that game with a 21-0 lead before the UK Wildcats could score a TD. This football team has an easy to win home-finale game against Chattanooga this SAT (Noon, ESPN+) before a Nov.25 road game against in-state rival Auburn….Ohio State remains ranked #3 after a 38-3 home win over Michigan State. This OSU Buckeyes defense didn’t miss a beat after having All-American LB Tommy Eichenberg and two other DBs being forced to sit out that game because of injuries and should be back for their Nov.25 road game against Michigan. This football team will have a home-finale game against Minnesota this SAT (4 PM, BTN)….Florida State remains ranked #4 after a tougher than expected 27-20 home win over rival Miami. We all thought the FSU Seminoles would have a decisive win over the Hurricanes. You gotta take your helmets off to Miami because the ‘Canes played tougher than you would expect against this Florida State football team because the ‘Noles were favored to win by 20 points or more. The only reason that I have Florida State remaining ranked #4 is because they will have an easy home game against North Alabama this SAT (6:30 PM, The CW) before their Nov.25 road game against rival Florida…Washington remains ranked #5 after a tough as expected 35-28 home win over Utah to remain on a current 17-game winning streak (including their first 10-0 start), which is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation (behind National Champions Georgia) The Utes gave all kinds of hell before Washington QB Michael Penix Jr had a 33-yard passing TD (received by WR Rome Odunze with 4:09 remaining) to eventually win that game, which marked their first 10-0 start since their 1991 national championship season. This football team will have a competitive road game against Oregon State this SAT (7:30 PM, ABC). If Washington wins, the UW Huskies will clinch a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game regardless of what happens in their Nov.25 home-finale game against in-state rival Washington State…Oregon remains ranked #6 after a 36-27 home win over USC. The Ducks keep getting better and better after that road loss against Washington four weeks ago. This football team has a road game against Arizona State this SAT (4 PM, FOX) before their Nov. 24 home-finale game against in-state rival Oregon State….Texas remains ranked #7 after a 29-26 road win over TCU to remain in first place in the Big 12 standings. The big ? is how good will this UT Longhorns offense be after star RB Jonathan Brooks suffered a season-ending (torn ACL) injury during that road win over the Horn Frogs. One concern about this football team is for the last two weeks, Texas had a 20-point lead before their opponents had one last chance to have a comeback win over the ‘Horns, who held on to remain on a four-game losing streak after that neutral-site loss against rival Oklahoma. This football team has a road game against Iowa State this SAT (8 PM, FOX)…I chose to move Louisville up from #10 to #9 after a 31-24 home win over Virginia. The UL Cardinals scored a late-TD (with 3:24 remaining) to beat the Cavaliers and remain on a three-game winning streak. This football team has a road game against Miami this SAT (Noon, ABC). Should the “Ville win, the Cards will clinch a second-place berth against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game…Liberty remains among my OTMs after a 38-10 home win over Old Dominion, which helped them clinch a first-place berth in the C-USA Championship Game against New Mexico State. Don’t be surprised if the Flames remain undefeated after the C-USA Championship Game but are still left out of a berth in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. This football team has a home game against Massachusetts this SAT (1 PM, ESPN+) before a Nov.25 road game against UTEP….James Madison remains among my OTMs by having a 44-6 home win over Massachusetts.The undefeated JMU Dukes have a lot on the line, such as winning a second straight SBC East Division title and remaining on a current 13-game winning streak (including a 10-0 start this season). This football team, who is ranked #18 in the AP Sportswriters’ Poll, has a home game against Appalachian State this SAT (2 PM, ESPN+)….I decided to add Toledo among my OTMs after their 32-31 home win over Bowling Green to win the MAC West Division title for a second straight season. The UT Rockets haven’t lost a game since that season-opening road loss against Illinois (on a late FG). This football team has a bye-week before a Nov.24 road game against Central Michigan…I can’t wait for the games to be played this weekend.
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Florida State S Jarrion Jones- Made that game-winning INT (on 4th and 10 with 0:40 remaining) to seal the FSU Seminoles’ 27-20 home win over in-state rival Miami. Also produced 1 assisted tackle.
Florida State P Alex Mastromanno- Had 7 punts with 49 yards per punt in the Seminoles’ home win over Miami. Had 5 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 52-yard punt landing on the 2-yard line (on 1st series).
Florida State LB Kalen DeLoach- Produced 10 tackles (led team; 5 solo), and 2 TFLs/sacks in the Seminoles’ home win over Miami.
Florida State CB Renardo Green- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo) 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Seminoles’ home win over Miami.
Miami WR George Jacolby- Received 5 catches, 153 yards, and 2 TDs (3 and 85) in the Hurricanes’ road loss against Florida State.
Miami LB Wesley Bissaninthe- Produced 5 tackles (4solo), 3 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry in the Hurricanes’ road loss against Florida State.
Miami LB Francisco Mauigoa- Produced 9 tackles (5 solo) and 2 TFLs/sacks in the Hurricanes’ road loss against Florida State.
UCF RB R.J Harvey- Rushed 24 carries, 206 yards, and 3 TDs (1,92, and 2) in the Golden Knights’ 45-3 upset home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee- 373 total offensive yards in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF WR Javon Baker- Received 4 catches for 112 yards, including a 38-yard catch, in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF WR Kobe Hudosn- Received 3 catches, 96 yards, and 3 TDs (7,75, and 14) in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
The UCF defense- Held the Oklahoma State offense to 27 total yards (including 52 rushing yards) in the Golden Knights’ home win over Okahoma State. Held Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon to 25 rushing yards in 12 carries. Also produced 12 passes defended (including 9 PBUs).
UCF DT Lee Hunter- Produced 7 tackles (led team; 5 solo) and 2 TFLs in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF LB Jason Johnson- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 2 PBUs in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF S Demari Henderson- Produced 4 tackles (2 solo), 2 INTs, and 1 PBU in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
UCF CB Corey Thornton- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo) and 3 PBUs in the Golden Knights’ home win over Oklahoma State.
The South Florida defense- Produced 10 passes defended (including 7 PBUs) in the USF Bulls’ 27-23 home win over Temple.
South Florida CB Aamanis Brown- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 2 INTs, and 2 PBUs in the Bulls’ home win over Temple.
South Florida DE Tramel Logan- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 INT (22-yard TD) in the Bulls’ home win over Temple.
South Florida QB Byrum Brown- Passed 18-26, 316 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT in the Bulls’ home win over Temple. Also scored a 7-yard rushing TD (on 1st series).
South Florida WR Sean Atkins- Received 9 catches for 169 yards, including a 40-yard catch, in the Bulls’ home win over Temple.
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