REVIEWING WEEK FOUR OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON

RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas(331 total offensive yards and 6 TDs responsible for in the Longhorns’ 63-56 road win over Texas Tech. Passed 27-40, 262 yards, 5 TDs, and 1 INT. Also had a pass received by WR Brennan Eagles on a two-point conversion play-with 0:40 remaining- to force OT. Rushed 16 carries, 69 yards and 1 TD from 2 yards out. Also had a 24-yard carry.)
2. K.J Costello, QB, Miss. State(Passed 36-60, 623 yards, 5 TDs, and 2 INTs in the MSU Bulldogs’ 44-34 upset road win over LSU. His 623 passing yards is a single-game school and SEC record.)
3. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida(Passed 30-42, 416 yards, and 6 TDs in the Gators’ 51-35 road win over Mississippi. His 6 passing TDs are tied second-most for a single-game in school history.)

RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame (4)
4. Georgia (5)
5. Texas (3)
6. Florida
7. UCF (9)
8.  North Carolina (10)
9.  Auburn (OTM)
10. Cincinnati (OTM)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Miami, Memphis and Oklahoma State

RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see, there is a shake-up in my top ten rankings…I can’t believe Oklahoma, who was ranked #8 in my rankings and #3 in the major polls, choked a 35-14 lead to have a 38-35 home loss against Kansas State. With that loss, it shows how overrated the Sooners were. Oklahoma had a few key players returning, the defense can’t make big plays, and so on. The Sooners offense had 3 turnovers (including 2 turnovers that led to TDs scored by Kansas State). If I am Head Coach Lincoln Riley, I’d make the defense (if not all players) run stadium steps for choking this game. If the Oklahoma can’t beat Texas in two weeks, don’t expect the Sooners to be in the Big 12 Championship Game for a fourth straight season. For that performance, nobody should keep the Oklahoma in the top ten. The Sooners better not look past (at) Iowa State this SAT for those Longhorns…Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns had to overcome a 56-41 deficit with less than 5 minutes remaining in that game to force OT and have a 63-56 road win (1 OT) over Texas Tech. I had to drop Texas drop from #3 to #5 because of their poor performance on defense. But these Longhorns better not look past TCU this SAT for those Sooners…Because of Texas’ bad performance, I had to move Notre Dame up from #4 to #3 without playing this weekend. The Fighting Irish were suppose to have a road game against Wake Forest but was cancelled because of several Notre Dame players testing positive for CO-VID19. Notre Dame has another bye-week before a Oct.10 home game against Florida State. Georgia deserves to be ranked #4. After the Bulldogs were down 10-5 during a 37-10 road win over Arkansas, the ‘Dawgs responded, such as scoring 32 unanswered points. Georgia has a home game against rival Auburn, who moved from OTM to #9, this SAT (7 PM, ESPN)…. Another upset that shook up my top ten rankings was defending National Champions LSU, who was ranked #7, suffered a 44-34 home loss against Miss. State (under new Head Coach Mike Leach). Boy, these LSU Tigers really needed All-American CB Derek Stingley (hospitalized) and WR JaMar Chase (opted to sit out this season). That loss marked the first time since 1988 in which a defending national championship football team had a season-opening loss…#6 Florida remains where they are. The Gators are coming off a tough 51-35 road win over Mississippi. A lot of improvements need to be made on defense because they allowed 631 total yards. Florida will play a home game against South Carolina this SAT (Noon, ESPN)…. Auburn moves up from OTM to #9 after a 29-13 home win over Kentucky. The Tigers have a road game against Georgia this SAT. Auburn is currently on a three-game losing streak against the ‘Dawgs and hasn’t had a road win over Georgia since 2005. The Bulldogs may be favored but don’t count the Tigers out…North Carolina moves from #10 to #8 in spite of having two weeks off. The Tar Heels and their high-powered offense will return to the field for a road game against Boston College this SAT (3:30 PM, ABC). The BC Eagles are starting to surprise people with a 2-0 start, including a 24-21 comeback home win over Texas State…Cincinnati moved from my OTMs to #10 after coming off a tough 24-10 home win over then-undefeated Army. The Bearcats have a homecoming game against South Florida this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN+)…After being off for two weeks because of cancelled or postponed games, Memphis will look to take the field for a road game against undefeated SMU this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN 2). The Tigers have owned the Mustangs because of their current six-game winning streak in this series. The winner of that game will at least be among my OTMs if not being ranked…I have Oklahoma State among my OTMs because the OSU Cowboys are expected to win their next three games before an Oct.31 home game against Texas. Oklahoma State will have a road game against Kansas this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN)…Alabama remains at #1 after starting this season with a 38-19 road win over Missouri. I agree with Head Coach Nick Saban that more work has to be done for improvements to be made. The Crimson TIde has a home game against Texas A&M this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS)….#2 Clemson is coming off a bye-week. The Tigers will have a home game against Virginia (8 PM, ACCN). This game is a forgone conclusion in which Clemson will win….I have to put Miami among my OTMs because of the way the Hurricanes dominated rival Florida State (aka their little brother)and off to a good start. The ‘Canes have a bye-week before an Oct.10 road game against Clemson. If the ‘Canes beat those Tigers, I have to put Miami among my top ten rankings…I did consider several undefeated teams to be among my OTMs,who are at least on a 2-0 start, but the jury is still out on these teams, such as BYU, Louisiana (3-0), Marshall, and Pittsburgh.

GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Kansas State- Overcame a 35-14 deficit and scored 24 unanswered points in the K-State Wildcats’ 38-35 road win over Oklahoma. 
Kansas State S Jahron McPherson- Made that game-winning INT (on 2nd and 10 with 0:34 remaining) to seal the Wildcats’ road win over Oklahoma. Also produced 11 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble.
Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn- 174 all-purpose running yards in the Wildcats’ road win over Oklahoma. Received 4 catches for 129 yards, including a 77-yard catch. Rushed 8 carries, 45 yards, and 1 TD (38 yards).
Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson- Scored 3 rushing TDs in the Wildcats’ road win over Oklahoma. Passed 18-25, 334 yards, and 1 TD.
Texas S Caden Sterns- Made that game-winning INT (in the endzone; on 4th and 14 in 1st OT) to seal the Longhorns’ 63-56 road win over Texas Tech. Also produced 4 tackles (all solo) and 1 PBU.
Miss. State WR Osirus Mitchell- Received 7 catches, 183 yards, and 2 TDs (43 and 24) in the MSU Bulldogs’ 44-34 upset road win over LSU.
Miss. State RB Kylin Hill- 192 all-purpose running yards in the Bulldogs’ road win over LSU. Received 8 catches, 158 yards, and 1 TD (75 yards). Rushed 7 carries for 34 yards.
Miss. State PK Brandon Ruiz- Scored 14 points in the Bulldogs’ road win over LSU. Scored on all 3 FG (including a 43-yard FG) and 5 XPK attempts.
Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle- Received 8 catches, 134 yards, and 2 TDs (18 and 23) in the Crimson Tide’s 38-19 road win over Missouri. Also had a 46-yard catch.
Alabama S Josh Jobe- Produced 7 tackles (all solo), 1 TFL/sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 PBU in the Crimson Tide’s road win over Missouri.
Florida TE Kyle Pitts- Received 8 catches, 170 yards, and 4 TDs (1,16,71, and 17) in the Gators’ 51-35 road win over Mississippi.
Florida PK Evan McPherson- Scored 15 points in the Gators’ road win over Mississippi. Scored on all 3 FG (including a 55-yard FG) and 6 XPK attempts.
Miami LB Gilbert Frierson- Produced 5 tackles (2 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 PBU in the Hurricanes’ 52-10 home win over rival Florida State.
Auburn WR Seth Williams- Received 6 catches, 112 yards, and 2 TDs (11 and 4) in the Tigers’ 29-13 home win over Kentucky.
Auburn CB Roger McCreary- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 INT (30 yards), and 1 PBU in the Tigers’ home win over Kentucky. 
Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller- Rushed 8 carries for 117 yards, including a 57-yard carry, in the Aggies’ 17-12 home win over Vanderbilt.
Texas A&M S Leon O’Neal Jr- Produced 7 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 INT (35 yards) in the Aggies’ home win over Vanderbilt. 
Tennessee WR Jimmy Holiday- Made that game-winning fumble recovery (on a muffed punt return with 1:24 remaining) to seal the Volunteers’ 31-27 road win over South Carolina.
Pittsburgh CB Jason Pinnock- Made that game-winning INT (on 4th and 4 with 1:26 remaining) to seal the Pitt Panthers’ 23-20 home win over Louisville. Also produced 1 solo tackle.
Pittsburgh S Damar Hamlin- Produced 2 tackles (1 solo), 1 INT, and 2 PBUs in the Panthers’ home win over Louisville.
Pittsburgh DE Patrick Jones II- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo), 3 TFLs/sacks, and 1 QB hurry in the Panthers’ home win over Louisville.
Louisville LB Yasir Abdullah- Produced 5 tackles (4 solo), 3 TFLs, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles in the Cardinals’ road loss against Pittsburgh.
Oklahoma State LB Amen Ogbongbemiga- Produced 13 tackles (led team; 8 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 QB hurry in the OSU Cowboys’ 27-13 home win over West Virginia.
Oklahoma State P Tom Hutton- Had 6 punts with 44.8 yards per punt in the Cowboys’ home win over West Virginia. Had 3 punts landing inside the 20-yard line, including a 35-yard punt landing on the 5-yard line. Iowa State RB Breece Hall- Rushed 18 carries, 154 yards, and 3 TDs (75,1,and 32) in the Cyclones’ 37-34 road win over TCU.
Iowa State DE JaQuan Bailey- Produced 7 tackles (4 solo), 4 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in the Cyclones’ road win over TCU.
Boston College LB Isaiah McDuffie- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 9 solo), 3 TFLs, and 2 sacks in the BC Eagles’ 24-21 comeback home win over Texas State.
Syracuse S Trill Williams- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 INT (43-yard TD), and 2 PBUs in the Orange’s 37-20 home-opening win over Georgia Tech.
Georgia S Richard LeCounte- Produced 3 tackles (all solo), 2 INTs (including a 38 yard INT return), and 1 PBU in the Bulldogs’ 37-10 road win over Arkansas.
Georgia P Jake Camarda- Had 7 punts with 49.9 yards per punt in the Bulldogs’ road win over Arkansas. Had 5 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 46-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line.
Louisiana PK Nate Snyder- Scored 8 points in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 20-18 comeback home win over Georgia Southern. Kicked 2-3 FGs. Scored a 53-yard FG (on last play) to win this game.
UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin- Received 6 catches, 119 yards, and 1 TD (15 yards) in the Roadrunners’ 37-35 home win over MTSU. Also had a 48-yard catch.
UTSA LB Trevor Hamanson- Recovered that onside kick (with 1:04 remaining) to seal the Roadrunners’ home win over MTSU. Also produced 8 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 QB hurry.
UTSA LB Jamal Ligon- Produced 19n tackles (led team; 8 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 2 QB hurries in the Roadrunners’ home win over MTSU.UTSA PK Hunter Duplessis- Scored 13 points in the Roadrunners’ home win over MTSU. Scored on all 3 FGs (including a 35-yard FG) and 4 XPK attempts.
UTSA P Lucas Dean- Had 6 punts with 49.2 yards per punt in the Roadrunners’ home win over MTSU. Had 3 punts landing inside the 20-yard line, including a 56-yard punt landing on the 4-yard line.
Liberty QB Malik Williams- Passed 24-30, 285 yards, and 2 TDs in the Flames’ 36-34 home win over FIU.
Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner- Produced 2 tackles (all solo), 1 INT (19 yards), and 2 PBUs in the UC Bearcats’ 24-10 home win over Army.
Cincinnati DE Myjai Sanders- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Bearcats’ home win over Army.
Cincinnati P James Smith- Had 5 punts with 46.2 yards per punt in the Bearcats’ home win over Army. Had 3 punts landing inside the 20-yard line, including a 42-yard punt landing on the 6-yard line. UCF WR Jaylon Robinson- Received 9 catches, 150 yards, and 2 TDs (64 and 9) in the Golden Knights’ 51-28 road win over East Carolina.
UCF LB Eriq Gilyard- Produced 6 tackles (all solo), 2 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in the Golden Knights’ road win over East Carolina.
Appalachian State RB Daetrich Harrington- Rushed 32 carries, 211 yards, and 4 TDs (17,2,40,and 5) in the App State Mountaineers’ 52-21 home win over Campbell.
UAB WR Austin Watkins- Received 7 catches, 183 yards, and 1 TD (15 yards) in the UAB Blazers’ 42-10 road win over South Alabama. Also had a 56-yard catch.
UAB LB Noah Wilder- Produced 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 INT (9 yards) in the Blazers’ road win over South Alabama.
La Tech LB Tyler Grubbs- Produced 12 tackles (led team; 5 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Bulldogs’ 66-38 home win over Houston Baptist.
BYU QB Zach Wilson- Passed 23-28, 392 yards, and 2 TDs in the BYU Cougars’ 48-7 home win over Troy.
BYU LB Payton Wilgar- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 PBU, and 2 QB hurries in the Cougars’ home win over Troy.
The Tulane offensive line- Helped this offense have 572 total yards (including 430 rushing yards) in the Green Wave’s 66-24 road win over Southern Miss.
Tulane RB Cameron Carroll- 179 all-purpose running yards and scored 4 TDs in the the Green Wave’s road win over Southern Miss. Rushed 15 carries, 163 yards, and 3 TDs (30,52, and 19). Received 1 catch for 16 yards.