Right now, we have pairings for conference championship games set. #1 Alabama (West) will play Florida (East) in the SEC Championship Game. #2 Notre Dame (1st place) will play Clemson (2nd place) in the ACC Championship Game. Those two games will help determine the pairings of the seventh annual college football playoffs. Iowa State (1st place) will play Oklahoma (2nd place) in the Big 12 Championship Game. Cincinnati will play Tulsa in the AAC Championship Game with a location TBD.
So far, no finalists have been revealed for national individual honors, however, we have semi-finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s best LB. http://www.thebutkusaward.com/watchlist/view.aspx?t=c. Finalists for that award will be announced Dec.7, 2020. No telling who will win that award. I can’t count Alabama LB Christain Harris and Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramorah out of the running because they play for great teams. But I want LBs such as North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt, Tulsa LB Zaven Collins, and Arkansas LB Grant Morgan to be considered as finalists because of how well they perform-regardless of how things are going for their teams in every game played.
Speaking of awards, I think Alabama WR DeVonta Smith will win the Biletnikoff Award. Mississippi WR Elijah Moore will be a finalist bec. he currently leads the nation with 86 catches. Two ACC QBs will be finalists for the Davey O’Brien Award. Iowa State RB Breece Hall, who leads the nation with 1,357 rushing yards, has a great chance of being a finalist for the Doak Walker Award but Alabama RB Najee Harris is creeping up on him. I don’t know who the other prospects and candidates for other national individual awards are. Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell is the undisputed Big 12 Coach of the Year for helping the Cyclones earn a first-place finish in a conference since 1912 (shared first place with Nebraska as Missouri Valley Conference Champions).
Happy Holidays!
Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama(Received 8 catches, 231 yards, and 3 TDs of 65,61, and 20 in the Crimson Tide’s 55-17 road win over LSU. First player in SEC history with 4 career games with 200 receiving yards. His 11 career games with 100 receiving yards are third-most in school history. His 1,305 receiving yards lead the nation.)
2. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama(Passed 20-28, 385 yards, and 4 TDs in the Crimson Tide’s road win over LSU. Completed first 12 pass attempts to start this game. His 75.7 completion percentage and 210.8 efficiency rating leads the nation among these passing categories.)
3. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida(Passed 35-49, 433 yards, and 4 TDs in the Gators’ 31-19 road win over Tennessee. His 38 passing TDs are second-most for a single-season in school history and sixth-most in SEC history. His 38 passing TDs lead the nation.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Cincinnati
4. Ohio State
5. Clemson
6. Miami (8)
7. Texas A&M (9)
8. Florida (10)
9. Coastal Carolina (OTM)
10. Tulsa (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):Louisiana, BYU (7), Liberty, and San Jose State
RANKINGS ANALYSIS: As you can see, the top five remain the same…I can’t believe Rice, who is now 2-2, came to Huntington, W.V to pull off a 20-0 road win over then-undefeated Marshall, who I had ranked #5 in my top ten rankings. I didn’t think the Thundering Herd could ever lose a game before finding out who they would play in the C-USA Championship Game. Marshall played so horrible against a so-so team, like Rice- I can’t have them among my OTMs…Coastal Carolina moved up from OTM to #9 because of a tough as expected 22-17 home win over then-undefeated BYU, who was ranked #7 in my top ten rankings. So far this season, the Chanticleers have defeated two ranked teams to become the first football team in SBC history to have a 10-0 start. I am a big advocate of the degree of difficulty to have an argument on anything. Coastal Carolina was supposed to have a home game against Liberty but that game got cancelled because of CO-VID19. The BYU Cougars stepped in and accepted an offer to fly up and play this game after getting a notice within 2 days (or 48 hours). Coastal Carolina will have a road game against Troy this SAT (Noon, ESPN+) while BYU has a home game against San Diego State to redeem themselves this SAT (10 PM, ESPN 2)… No surprise that Alabama had a blowout 55-17 road win over LSU, who are the defending national champions, and had over 500 total yards. The Crimson Tide have clinched the SEC West Division title and a berth in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama will have one last road game, which will be against Arkansas this SAT (Noon, ESPN) before the SEC Championship Game against Florida…. Speaking of Florida, the Gators moved from #10 to #8 after a 31-19 road win over Tennessee. Florida will have one last game to play, which will be a home-finale game against LSU this SAT (7 PM, ESPN) before playing Alabama in the SEC Championship Game…#3 Cincinnati is coming off a second-straight bye-week. The UC Bearcats will have a road game against Tulsa, who is on a current six-game winning streak, this SAT (4 PM, ESPN2) before playing the Golden Hurricanes in a rematch in the AAC Championship Game. Tulsa moved from OTM to #10 after a 19-6 road win over Navy. The winner of SAT’s game will get to host that rematch in the AAC Championship Game…Ohio State remains ranked at #4 after a 52-12 road win over Michigan State. The Buckeyes had to be short-handed, including missing three starters in the OL corp and Head Coach Ryan Day because of CO-VID19. Ohio State will have a home-finale game against rival Michigan this SAT (Noon, FOX) before possibly playing in the Big Ten Championship Game. Should the Buckeyes play and win those next two games, Ohio State should be in the seventh annual college football playoffs…Texas A&M moved up from #9 to #7 after a 31-20 road win over Auburn. The Aggies might have a shot at making the college football playoffs if they win out because they are #5 in the playoff rankings. Texas A&M will have a home-finale game against Mississippi this SAT (8 PM, CBS)….San Jose State is one of the top surprise teams in the nation this season. The SJSU Spartans improved from 5-7 from last season to 5-0 this year. San Jose is coming off a 35-24 road win over Hawaii and will have a home game against Nevada this SAT (10 PM, CBSSN)…Apparently, Liberty has finished it’s regular-season schedule with a 9-1 mark. The Flames’ only loss was a 15-14 road loss against N.C State a couple weeks ago… Louisiana has clinched the SBC West Division title after a 24-21 road win over Appalachian State. The Ragin’ Cajuns are among my OTMs because of their early-season upset road win over Iowa State, who are first place in the Big 12 Championship Game. Louisiana has a bye-week before playing undefeated #9 Coastal Carolina in the SBC Championship Game…
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Indiana, Nevada, Texas, Tulane, and Tulsa- Wins over respective opponents made them bowl eligible this season.
Coastal Carolina RB C.J Marable- Rushed 23 carries, 132 yards, and 2 TDs (6 and 2) in the Chanticleers’ 22-17 home win over undefeated BYU. Also had a 20-yard carry.
Coastal Carolina CB Derick Bush- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 INT (42 yards) in the Chanticleers’ home win over BYU.
Coastal Carolina LB Jeffrey Gunter- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble, and 1 QB hurry in the Chanticleers’ home win over BYU.
BYU RB Tyler Allgeier- Rushed 13 carries, 106 yards, and 1 TD (42 yards) in the BYU Cougars’ road loss against Coastal Carolina.
TCU S Nook Bradford- Made that game-winning PBU (on last play) to seal the Horn Frogs’ 29-22 home win over Oklahoma State.
TCU CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo) and 3 PBUs in the Horn Frogs’ home win over Oklahoma State.
TCU WR Derius Davis- Received 6 catches, 139 yards, and 1 TD (71 yards) in the Horn Frogs’ home win over Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State LB Amen Ogbongbemiga- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 9 solo), 1 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries (including a 7-yard fumble recovery return) in the OSU Cowboys’ road loss against TCU.
Notre Dame QB Ian Book- All-time winningest QB in school history with a 30-3 mark. Victorious in his final home game as a starting QB for this football team. 338 total offensive yards and 5 TDs responsible for in the Fighting Irish’s 45-21 home-finale win over Syracuse. Passed 24-37, 285 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. Rushed 8 carries, 53 yards, and 2 TDs (28 and 17). That 1 INT snapped a streak of 166 straight pass attempts without an INT, which is a school record.
Notre Dame WR Javon McKinley- Received 7 catches, 111 yards, and 3 TDs (21,28,and 26) in the Fighting Irish’s home win over Syracuse.
Notre Dame CB Clarence Lewis- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 10 solo), 1 forced fumble, and 1 PBU in the Fighting Irish’s home win over Syracuse.
Clemson DE Keith Maguire- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 forced fumble in the Tigers’ 45-10 road win over Virginia Tech.
Ohio State RB Trey Sermon- Rushed 10 carries, 112 yards, and 1 TD (64 yards) in the Buckeyes’ 55-12 road win over Michigan State.
Ohio State WR Chris Olave- Received 10 catches, 139 yards, and 1 TD (41 yards) in the Buckeyes’ road win over Michigan State.
Ohio State P Drue Chrisman- Had 5 punts with 53.4 yards per punt in the Buckeyes’ road win over Michigan State. Had 3 punts landing inside the 20-yard line, including a 35-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line.
Alabama RB Najee Harris- Rushed 21 carries, 145 yards, and 3 TDs (14,1, and 11) in the Crimson Tide’s 55-17 road win over LSU. Also had a 28-yard carry. His 20 rushing TDs lead the nation.
Alabama CB Josh Jobe- Produced 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 2 PBUs in the Crimson Tide’s road win over LSU.
Texas A&M S Keldrick Carper- Produced 5 tackles (all solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Aggies’ 31-20 road win over Auburn.
Florida TE Kyle Pitts- Received 7 catches for 128 yards, including a 42-yard catch, in the Gators’ 31-19 road win over Tennessee.
Florida LB Ventrell Miller- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 8 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Gators’ road win over Tennessee.
Missouri PK Harrison Mevis- Scored 20 points in the Tigers’ 50-48 comeback home win over rival Arkansas. Scored on all 5 FG (including a 51-yard FG) and 5 XPK attempts. Scored a 32-yard FG (on last play) to win this game.
Missouri RB Larry Roundtree- Rushed 27 carries, 185 yards, and 3 TDs (2,6, and 9) in the Tigers’ home win over Arkansas. Also had a 46-yard carry.
Stanford RB Austin Jones- Rushed 31 carries, 138 yards, and 2 TDs (3 and 1-each scored in the 1st quarter) in the Cardinal’s 31-26 road win over Washington.
Texas Tech RB Xaiver White- Rushed 14 carries for 135 yards, including a 30-yard carry, in the Red Raiders’ 16-13 home-finale win over Kansas.
Texas Tech LB Colin Schooler- Produced 8 tackles (6 solo), 1 TFL/sack, 1 PBU, and 1 QB hurry in the Red Raiders’ home win over Kansas.
Utah LB Devin Lloyd- Produced 7 tackles (6 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in the Utes’ 30-24 home-finale win over Oregon State.
Utah RB Ty Jordan- Rushed 27 carries, 167 yards, and 1 TD (from 1 yard out) in the Utes’ home win over Oregon State.
UCLA LB Caleb Johnson- Produced 10 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 2 TFLs/sacks, and 1 fumble recovery in the Bruins’ road win over Arizona State.
California LB Muelu Iosefa- Made that game-winning fumble recovery (on 1st and 10 with 0:52 remaining) to seal the Cal Golden Bears’ 21-17 home-finale win over Oregon. Also produced 5 tackles (4 solo).
California LB Cameron Goode- Produced 7 tackles (4 solo), 3 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 PBU in the Golden Bears’ home win over Oregon.
California LB Kuony Deng- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, and 2 forced fumbles in the Golden Bears’ home win over Oregon.
Indiana P Haydon Whitehead- Had 5 punts with 40.2 yards per punt in the Hoosiers’ 14-6 road win over Wisconsin. Had 4 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 40-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line.
N.C State LB Payton Wilson- Produced 11 tackles (led team; 4 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry in the Wolfpack’s 23-13 season-finale home win over Georgia Tech.
N.C State NB Tyler Baker-Williams- Produced 9 tackles (6 solo), 2 PBUs, and 2 QB hurries in the Wolfpack’s home win over Georgia Tech.
N.C State PK Christopher Dunn- Scored 11 points in the Wolfpack’s home win over Georgia Tech. Scored on all 3 FG (including a 40-yard FG) and 2 XPK attempts. His 56 career FGs scored is a school record.
Nebraska S Deontai Williams- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 10 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Cornhuskers’ 37-27 road win over Purdue.
Colorado RB Jarek Broussard- Rushed 25 carries for 301 yards, including a 75-yard carry, in the Buffaloes’ 24-13 road win over Arizona.
Colorado LB Nate Landman- Produced 16 tackles (led team; 12 solo), 3 TFLs, and 1 sack in the Buffaloes’ road win over Arizona.
Colorado LB Carson Wells- Produced 11 tackles (7 solo), 4 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in the Buffaloes’ road win over Arizona.
Colorado P Josh Watts- Had 5 punts with 45 yards per punt in the Buffaloes’ road win over Arizona. Had 3 punts landing inside the 20-yard line, including a 49-yard punt landing on the 5-yard line.
Virgina LB Matt Gahm- Produced 5 tackles (4 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 PBU in the Cavaliers’ 43-22 home-finale win over Boston College.
Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong- 417 total offensive yards and 2 TDs responsible for in the Cavaliers’ home win over Boston College. Passed 1927, 287 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Rushed 17 carries, 130 yards, and 1 TD (60 yards).
Oklahoma DT Isaiah Thomas- Produced 6 tackles (4 solo), 3 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and 1 QB hurry in the Sooners’ 27-14 home-finale win over Baylor.
Penn State LB Jesse Luketa- Produced 10 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 fumble recovery in the Nittany Lions’ 23-7 road win over Rutgers.
Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez- Rushed 14 carries, 139 yards, and 3 TDs (1,2, and 79) in the UK Wildcats’ 41-18 season-finale home win over South Carolina.
Kentcuky DE Jamar Watson- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 2 TFLs, and 2 forced fumbles in the Wildcats’ home win over South Carolina.
USC QB Kedon Slovis- Passed 25-32, 287 yards, and 5 TDs in the USC Trojans’ 38-13 home-finale win over Washington State.
USC WR Amon Ra- St. Brown- Received 7 catches, 65 yards, and 4 TDs (7,22,4, and 2-each scored in the 1st quarter) in the Trojans’ home win over Washington State. His 4 receiving TDs tied an NCAA Division I FBS record for most receiving TDs scored in a quarter.
USC S Talanoa Hufanga- Produced 9 tackles (led team; 5 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 INT (37 yards) in the Trojans’ home win over Washington State.
Iowa State QB Brock Purdy- Passed 20-23, 247 yards, and 3 TDs in the Cyclones’ 42-6 home-finale win over West Virginia. Also scored a 10-yard rushing TD.
Iowa State S Greg Eisworth- Produced 6 tackles (4 solo) and 2 PBUs in the Cyclones’ home win over West Virginia.
Texas RB Bijan Robinson- Rushed 9 carries, 172 yards, and 3 TDs (12, 30, and 75) in the Longhorns’ 69-31 road win over Kansas State.
North Carolina RB Micahel Carter- Rushed 8 carries, 73 yards, and 3 TDs (17,22, and 5) in the Tar Heels’ 49-9 home-finale win over Western Carolina.
Miami DE Quincy Roche- Produced 6 tackles (4 solo), 3 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in the Hurricanes’ 48-0 road win over Duke.
Louisiana LB Chauncey Manac- Produced 6 tackles (1 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 INT in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 24-21 road win over Appalachian State.
The Rice defense- Held the Marshall offense to 245 total yards (including 80 rushing yards) in the Owls’ 20-0 upset road win over undefeated Marshall. Also produced 5 INTs.
Rice LB Blaze Allredge- Produced 10 tackles (led team; 3 solo), 1 INT (14 yards), and 1 PBU in the Owls’ road win over Marshall.
New Mexico LB Brandon Shook- Produced 13 tackles (led team; 4 solo), 1 TFL, 1 INT, and 1 forced fumble in the Lobos’ 17-16 neutral-site win (in Las Vegas, NV) over Wyoming.
La Tech RB Israel Tucker- Rushed 37 carries, 161 yards, and 2 TDs (2 and 1) in the Bulldogs’ 42-31 road win over North Texas. Also had a 24-yard carry.
La Tech CB Zach Hannibal- Produced 2 tackles (all solo) and 4 PBUs in the Bulldogs’ road win over North Texas.
Eastern Michigan RB Darius Boone- Rushed 25 carries, 148 yards, and 1 TD (from 4 yards out) in the EMU Eagles’ 53-42 upset road win over Western Michigan.
Eastern Michigan PK Chad Ryland- Scored 17 points in the Eagles’ road win over Western Michigan. Scored 4 FG (including a 46-yard FG) and 5 XPK attempts. Scored a 20-yard FG (on 4th and Goal with 1:14 remaining) to win this game.
Eastern Michigan DE Jose Ramirez- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 PBU in the Eagles’ road win over Western Michigan.
San Jose State RB Tyler Nevens- Rushed 16 carries, 152 yards, and 2 TDs (72 and 10-each scored in the 1st quarter) in the SJSU Spartans’ 35-24 road win over Hawaii.
Nevada WR Tory Horton- Received 5 catches, 148 yards, and 3 TDs (17,85, and 32) in the Wolfpack’s 37-26 home-finale win over Fresno State.
Nevada NB Jordan Lee- Produced 11 tackles (co-led team; 10 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 fumble recovery in the Wolfpack’s home win over Fresno State.
The Tulsa defense- Held the Navy offense to 153 total yards (including 126 rushing yards) in the Golden Hurricanes’ 19-6 road win over Navy.
Tulsa DT Jaxon Player- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 10 solo), 4 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks in the Golden Hurricanes’ road win over Navy.
San Diego State PK Matt Arazia- Scored 11 points in the Aztecs’ 29-17 home-finale win over Colorado State. Scored on all 3 FG (including a 40-yard FG) and kicked 2-3 XPKs.
San Diego State LB Caden McDonald- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, and 2 PBUs in the Aztecs’ home win over Colorado State.
Tulane S Macon Clark- Produced 5 tackles (4 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Tigers’ 35-21 home-finale win over Memphis.
Toledo LB Dyontae Johnson- Produced 7 tackles (4 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in the Rockets’ 41-24 road win over Northern Illinois.
Toledo WR Danzel McKinley-Lewis- Received 6 catches, 110 yards, and 1 TD (21 yards) in the Rockets’ road win over Northern Illinois. Also had a 43-yard catch.
Georgia Southern CB Derrick Canteen- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 INT, and 1 PBU in the Eagles’ 20-3 home win over Florida Atlantic.
Western Kentucky LB Kyle Bailey- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 3 TFLs, and 1 QB hurry in the WKU Hilltoppers’ 37-19 road win over Charlotte.
Western Kentucky PK Brayden Narveson- Scored 13 points in the Hilltoppers’ road win over Charlotte. Scored on all 3 FG (including a 49-yard FG) and 4 XPK attempts.
Ball State WR Jalen McGaughy- Received 3 catches, 100 yards, and 2 TDs (39 and 34) in the Cardinals’ 45-20 road win over Central Michigan.
Troy S T.J Harris- Produced 9 tackles (6 solo), 1 TFL/sack,1 INT, and 1 QB hurry in the Troy Trojans’ 29-0 road win over South Alabama.
Air Force RB Kadin Remsberg- Rushed 11 carries, 107 yards, and 1 TD (21 yards) in the AFA Falcons’ 35-7 road win over Utah State.
Air Force LB Matthew Malloy- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 INT (6 yards) in the Falcons’ road win over Utah State.
Akron RB Teon Dollard- Rushed 26 carries, 185 yards, and 2 TDs (9 and 50-each scored in the 4th quarter) in the Zips’ 31-3 home-finale win over Bowling Green.
Akron LB Bubba Arslanian- Produced 16 tackles (led team; 11 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in the Zips’ home win over Bowling Green.
Arkansas State WR Corey Rucker- Received 9 catches, 310 yards, and 4 TDs (55, 30, 66, and 31) in the Red Wolves’ 48-15 home win over UL-Monroe.
Arkansas State LB Caleb Bonner- Produced 6 tackles (all solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Red Wolves’ home win over UL-Monroe.
