Dear Readers,
We are not surprised that that both pregame shows of ESPN College Gameday and FOX Big Noon Kickoff will emanate from Ann Arbor, MI for the Ohio State at Michigan game because both of these teams are the only undefeated teams remaining from Big Ten, which are all from the East Division, and among my top five teams. I am sure fans of both teams were cheering for Tennessee to defeat undefeated Georgia, who was ranked #1 in the nation, to possibly set up the second-ever #1 vs #2 game in the history of this rivalry. The winner will remain undefeated, win the Big Ten East Division title, and play Iowa, who won the Big Ten West Division title, in the Big Ten Championship Game. Something will have to give this SAT afternoon at high noon.
Speaking of the Michigan vs Ohio State rivalry, we finally got to this college football game circled on our sports calendar all year-round. We all remember games such as that 1973 game (10-all tie in which Ohio State entered that game ranked #1 in the nation and eventually won that vote from Big Ten ADs to play in that Rose Bowl win over USC), 1996 (Michigan upsets #2 Ohio State, which cost the OSU Buckeyes a shot at the national championship), 2006 (#1 Ohio State defeating #2 Michigan, 42-39), 2016 (Ohio State beats Michigan in OT and eventually earns a berth in the third annual college football playoffs). and more to name. Last season, the UM Wolverines had a 42-20 road win over the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten East Division title, play in the Big Ten Championship Game (beat Purdue), and earn a berth in the ninth annual college football playoffs. Actually, both teams made the college football playoffs but lost their respective semi-final games to be eliminated from the playoff final last year. The stakes are the same and we could have a repeat from last season.
I know we all love the college football season. One of the saddest parts of each season is a team’s home-finale (at their actual home stadium) is the last home game for each senior player who is eligibility is up and for some 21-year old underclassmen (mostly juniors) who will consider leaving school early to play in the NFL while their draft stock is improving day after day. Now some players who are about to be drafted in the upcoming NFL Draft will choose to sit out to avoid injuries prior to the annual NFL Combine. After this week is over, we will know some of the bowl game pairings prior to Championship Saturday.
One team who is surprising us is Northwestern. Last season, the NU Wildcats went 1-11. This football team won their season-opening neutral-site game (in Dublin, Ireland) over Nebraska before losing out for the remainder of last year. This season, Northwestern is 6-5 and will be eligible to play in a bowl game this year. Last SAT, the Wildcats had a 23-15 home-finale win over Purdue to become bowl-eligible. This football team will have a road game against in-state rival Illinois this SAT (3:30 PM, BTN) to improve their bowl stock.
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 and his UW Huskies hang onto have a 22-20 road win over Oregon State but too many incompletions had me thinking about other deserving selections. I did consider Washington WR Rome Odunze (Received 7 catches, 106 yards, and 2 TDs, including a 32-yard TD), Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II (rushed 25 carries, 164 yards, and 3 TDs, including scoring 2 rushing TDs from 6 yards out), LSU QB Jayden Daniels (506 total offensive yards and 8 TDs responsible for, including 25-30, 413 yards, and 6 TDs), Oregon WR Troy Franklin (received 8 catches, 128 yards, and 2 TDs, including a 45-yard TD), and Tulane QB Michael Pratt (Passed 21-28, 252 yards, and 3 TDs) to be on this weekly ballot. The next two weeks will be intriguing for this annual Heisman Trophy race.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody! sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
(Passed 24-29, 404 yards, and 6 TDs in the Ducks’ 49-13 road win over Arizona State. Currently on a streak of 13 straight games with 2 passing TDs. His 35 passing TDs are second-most for a single-season in school history. His 64 career passing TDs are fourth-most in school history. His 78.1 pass completion percentage leads the nation.)
2. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
(Passed 24-30, 298 yards, and 3 TDs in the UGA Bulldogs’ 38-10 road win over Tennessee. His 255 pass completions are fifth-most for a single-season in school history. His 169.4 pass efficiency rating is third in SEC and eighth nationally.)
3. Malik Nabors, WR, LSU
(Received 80 catches, 140 yards, and 2 TDs of 18 and 40 in the Tigers’ 56-14 home win over Georgia State. His 80 catches, 1,424 yards, and 12 TDs are fourth-most for a single-season in school history. His 2,858 career receiving yards are second-most in school history. His 1,424 receiving yards lead the nation.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Georgia (2)
2. Michigan (1)
3. Ohio State
4. Washington (5)
5. Florida State (4)
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama
9. Louisville
10. Tulane
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Liberty, Toledo, Oklahoma, James Madison, Penn State, and Missouri
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
I have some good news and some bad news for you readers this week. The good news is that all teams, who are ranked in my top ten rankings, won their respective games this week. The bad news is that I had to make changes in my top ten rankings by having two groups of teams trade places like having Michigan switching places with Georgia and Florida State switching places with Florida from the last four weeks.I know someone, such as the EICH won’t like this but I have to tell it the way it is on why I made these ranking changes… I chose to move two-time defending National Champions Georgia up from #2 to #1 after a convincing 38-10 road win over Tennessee to remain on a current 28-game winning streak (including an 11-0 start this season), which is a school record and the longest active streak in the nation. This 28-game winning streak is also tied for second-longest in SEC history (with Alabama, 1978-80). After the UT Volunteers drew first blood with a 7-0 lead, the UGA Bulldogs responded by scoring 24 unanswered points before Tennessee scored one more time (with a 37-yard FG) before Georgia scored the remaining 14 points (2 TDs) of this game. This football team has a road game against in-state rival Georgia Tech this SAT (7:30 PM, ABC)…I chose to move Michigan down from #1 to #2 because of their performance in a 31-24 road win over Maryland in the battle of the UMs. The UM Wolverines had a 23-3 lead on the UM Terrapins until Maryland rallied back and had one last chance to pull off this upset win over Michigan. If this football team wanted to remain ranked #1, Michigan had to keep adding to their 23-3 lead and should’ve at least won by 10 points IF not cover whatever the spread was prior to kickoff. This win helped the Wolverines remain on a 22-game winning streak in Big Ten conference games, which is a school record, and marked consecutive seasons with an 11-0 start for the first time since 1901-03. Now this football team can focus their attention on The Game, which is a home-finale game against Ohio State this SAT (Noon, FOX)…Speaking of the OSU Buckeyes, Ohio State remains ranked #3 after a 37-3 home-finale win over Minnesota to have their first 11-0 start in back-to-back seasons since 2012-13 prior to their long-awaited showdown against Michigan (aka “that team up north”). I don’t like how all of the major polls (i.e: the college football playoff committee rankings) have this football team ranked ahead of the Wolverines, who are on a current two-game winning streak (2021-present) over the Buckeyes for the first time since 1999-2000. I would never rank Ohio State over Michigan until this football team beats the Wolverines this SAT….As you can see, I had Florida State and Washington, who are both remaining undefeated this week, trade places in my rankings. Me moving the FSU Seminoles down a spot is nothing new to me this season because I did that in week three (during September 2023) with them and Penn State. Last SAT, this Florida State football team overcame a shocking 13-0 deficit and scored 58 unanswered points to have a 58-13 home-finale win over North Alabama to remain on a 17-game winning streak (including an 11-0 start), which is the third-longest active streak in the nation. During that game, Florida State QB Jordan Travis, who was the apparent leader for ACC Player of the Year honors, suffered a career-ending (lower leg) injury as he got tackled on a rushing play. The one concern is how can the ‘Noles come together in a road game against in-state rival Florida, who have an upset on their mind, this SAT (7 PM, ESPN). Don’t let the Gators’ 5-6 mark fool you because Florida is 1-2 in close games, including a 33-31 road loss against Missouri (on a late-FG scored) last SAT. Meanwhile, Washington survived a tough-as expected 22-20 road win over Oregon State, who was going to give these UW Huskies all kinds of hell, to remain on a current 18-game winning streak (including their first 11-0 start since their 1991 co-national championship season), which is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation. Believe it or NOT after this game was over, I knew I had to rank this Washington football team at #4 because they have a better shot at beating in-state rival Washington State this SAT (4 PM, FOX) than Florida State beating Florida (with a less-experienced starting QB). The next day, the AP Sportswriters’ Poll followed suit of what I did….Oregon remains ranked #6 after a 49-13 road win over Arizona State.The Ducks keep getting better and better after that road loss against rival Washington five weeks ago. This football team will finally get their hands on in-state rival Oregon State this FRI (8:30 PM, FOX) after blowing a 21-point lead from last year’s road loss against the OSU Beavers, which cost them a second-place berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game last season…Texas remains ranked #7 after a 26-16 road win over Iowa State to remain in first place in the Big 12 standings. Texas RB C.J Baxter did a great job (in his first career start) picking up where star RB Jonathan Brooks left off (after suffering a season-ending torn ACL injury) as the starting RB for this Longhorns offense. If this football team has a home-finale win over Texas Tech this FRI (7:30 PM, FOX), Texas will play Oklahoma or Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game. Likely the OSU Cowboys would play the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship Game because Okie State has a head-to-head home win over the Sooners as that tie-breaker for a second-place berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. If this Texas football team wins their next two games, they will need all undefeated teams to lose prior to Selection Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Remember, Texas has a head-to-head road win over Alabama (from this past September 2023) to state their case for a playoff berth…Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Alabama remains ranked #8 after a 66-10 home-finale win over UT-Chattanooga to remain on a nine-game winning streak. This football team started that game with a 31-0 before the UTC Mocs could score a TD. ‘Bama has some business to take care of with a home game against in-state rival Auburn (in The Iron Bowl) this SAT (4 PM, CBS). The Tide needs to win their next two games and hope that Texas loses another game to still have hopes of returning to the playoffs this season…Louisville remains ranked #9 after a 38-31 road win over Miami to remain on a four-game winning streak streak. The UL Cardinals overcame a tough-as expected trap game and avoided a “Hail Mary” passing attempt to hold onto this road win over the Hurricanes, along with North Carolina having a road loss against Clemson, to earn a second-place berth against undefeated Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. This football team can’t look past a home game against in-state rival Kentucky this SAT (Noon, ABC) for the ACC Championship Game…Tulane remains ranked #10 after a 24-8 road win over Florida Atlantic to remain on a nine-game winning streak. Among all non-power conference teams, if you ask me why I have the Green Wave ranked #10 rather than undefeated Liberty is the quality of competition they get to play. This football team has a home game against UTSA, who is also undefeated in AAC conference play (7-0), this FRI (ABC, 3:30 PM) to determine who gets a berth in the AAC Championship Game. If Tulane wins, the Green Wave will likely have a home game against SMU, who has an 8-2 mark (which also includes a 7-0 mark in AAC conference play), in the AAC Championship Game…Speaking of the Flames, Liberty remains among my OTMs after a 49-25 home win over Massachusetts. Don’t be surprised if this football team remains undefeated after the C-USA Championship Game but are still left out of a berth in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. Liberty will need UTSA to have a road win over Tulane to increase any hope of playing in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. The Flames will have an easy road game against UTEP this SAT (3:30 PM, CBSSN) before a home game against New Mexico State (in the C-USA Championship Game)…Toledo remains among my OTMs after a bye-week. The UT Rockets have surpassed their win total from last season (9-5) to have a 10-1 mark this season. This football team hasn’t lost a game since that season-opening road loss against Illinois (on a late FG). Toledo has a road game against Central Michigan this FRI (Noon, ESPNU)…James Madison remains among my OTMs even after a 26-23 home-finale loss (1 OT) against Appalachian State. The JMU Dukes could have easily won that home game over the App State Mountaineers but that Appalachians State football team scored that much-needed TD to win that game, which ended a 13-game winning streak (including a 10-0 start this season) for this James Madison football team. The Dukes have a road game against Coastal Carolina this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN2)…I brought Oklahoma back in among my OTMs after a 31-24 road win over BYU. The Sooners are back to winning for a second straight week after back-to-back road losses in Big 12 conference play. This football team has a home-finale game against TCU this FRI (Noon, FOX) before learning their fate for the Big 12 Championship Game. Other than hooking those Horn Frogs, Oklahoma needs Texas and Oklahoma State to lose their respective home games this weekend to increase their hopes of playing in the Big 12 Championship Game before the Sooners move to the SEC…I brought Penn State back in among my OTMs after a 27-6 home-finale win over Rutgers. The Nittany Lions have been through tough losses against (at) Ohio State (in October 2023) and Michigan (in November 2023) this season before going back to playing easy opponents. This football team will have a neutral-site game (in Detroit, MI) against Michigan State before finding out which bowl game they will play in…I decided to add Missouri among my OTMs after a 33-31 comeback home-finale win over Florida after scoring a late-FG (with 0:05 remaining). The Tigers are one of those football teams who are better than their 9-2 mark states. Their losses were against highly talented teams such as LSU and (at) Georgia, who were too much for Missouri. This football team has a road game against Arkansas this FRI (4 PM, CBS)…I can’t wait for the games this weekend…
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Florida State- Overcame a 13-0 deficit and scored 58 unanswered points in the FSU Seminoles’ 58-13 home-finale win over North Alabama to remain undefeated.
Florida State QB Tate Rodemaker- Came off the bench after QB Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending (lower left leg injury). Passed 13-23, 217 yards, and 2 TDs in the Seminoles’ home win over North Alabama.
Florida State RB C.J Campbell- Rushed 3 carries, 78 yards, and 1 TD (70 yards) in the Seminoles’ home win over North Alabama.
Florida State DE Patrick Payton- Produced 7 tackles (led team;3 solo), 2 TFLs, 2 PBUs, and 1 QB hurry in the Seminoles’ home win over North Alabama.
Florida State CB Jarrian Jones- Produced 3 tackles (all solo), 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT (3 yards), 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery (3 yards) in the Seminoles’ home win over North Alabama.
Miami RB Mark Fletcher- Rushed 17 carries, 126 yards, and 2 TDs (21 and 1) in the Hurricanes’ 38-31 home-finale loss agianst Louisville.
Miami WR Xaiver Restrepo- Received 8 catches, 193 yards, and 1 TD (15 yards) in the Hurricanes’ home loss against Louisville. Also had a 48-yard catch.
Florida RB Montrell Johnson Jr- Rushed 12 carries for 85 yards, including a 26-yard carry, in the UF Gators’ 33-31 road loss against Missouri.
UCF WR Javon Baker- Received 4 catches, 117 yards, and 1 TD (71 yards) in the Golden Knights’ 24-23 road loss against Texas Tech.
UCF NB Nika Martinez- Produced 6 tackles (5 solo) and 1 INT in the Golden Knights’ road loss against Texas Tech.
