Dear Readers,
In case you are wondering about this SAT, I found out that FOX Big Noon Kickoff will emanate from Austin, TX for the Kansas State at Texas game this SAT (Noon, FOX) while ESPN College Gameday will emanate from Tuscaloosa, AL for the LSU at Alabama.
I can’t believe it started to snow before Halloween during that Air Force road win over rival Colorado State this past SAT.
Sadly for me, Oklahoma had a road loss against Kansas, which was their last game as conference foes from their days in the Big Eight and later Big 12. Sports shows brought up how that Jayhawks win marked their first win over the Sooners since 1997, which was also a home win for Kansas over Oklahoma during that same season. Also, that win for their Jayhawks marked their first win over a top ten team since 2007 (defeated ACC Champions Virginia Tech. Some sources said that win was their first home win over a top ten since 1984. I hope Oklahoma rebounds with a road win over Oklahoma State.
One game I can’t wait for this week is Washington at USC. A lot on the line. For both teams, the winner is likely to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the winning QB will be in the lead in the Heisman Trophy voting. A home win for the Trojans could help USC QB Caleb Williams, who is the reigning and defending Heisman Trophy winner from last season, come back to New York City as a finalist for a second straight season. A road win for the UW Huskies will keep Washington undefeated and maybe move up a spot in the top five rankings. Also consider the Huskies on their way to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Remember this- like all past Heisman Trophy Winners, including those who actively play college and pro football, Williams has an official vote and he may have to give Washington QB Michael Penix Jr his props by putting him among three players on his ballot.
I am back to having a hard time in determining who made my Weekly Heisman Trophy Ballot. I did consider Florida State QB Jordan Travis (388 total offensive yards and 4 TDs responsible for, including passing 22-35, 359 yards, and 3 TDs), Louisville RB Jawhar Jordan (rushed 21 carries, 163 yards, and 2 TDs, including a 23-yard TD), Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II (rushed 25 carries, 271 yards, and 2 TDs, including a 75-yard TD), and USC QB Caleb Williams (passed 23-40, 369 yards, 2 TDs and also scored 2 rushing TDs) to be on this weekly ballot. The next five weeks will be intriguing for this annual Heisman Trophy race!
In case you want to know something about the college football awards. If this 2023 college football season could end today. I know WRs such as Marvin Harrison (Ohio State), Malik Nabors (LSU), and Rome Odunze (Washington) would be finalists for the Biletnikoff Award (best WR in the nation). You would have to give Notre Dame S Xaiver Watts the Jim Thorpe Award (best DB in the nation). The race for the Mackey Award (best TE in the nation) is wide-open with Georgia TE Brock Bowers and Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans are out with injuries. We are less than six away from handing out those national individual honors.
We are less than five weeks away from crowning conference champions.
Sincerely, RICH
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
(Received 6 catches, 123 yards, and 2 TDs of 16 and 19 in the OSU Buckeyes’ 24-10 road win over Wisconsin. Currently on a streak of 21 straight games with receiving a catch. His 13 career games with 100 receiving yards are second-most in school history. His 889 receiving yards lead the Big Ten and sixth nationally.)
2. Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
(Rushed 25 carries, 112 yards, and 1 TD of 9 yards in the Jayhawks’ 38-35 homecoming win over undefeated Oklahoma. Scored that 9-yard rushing TD-on 1st and Goal with 0:55 remaining to eventually win this game. His 24 career rushing yards are fourth-most in school history. His 6.7 rushing yards per carry are second in the Big 12.)
3. Xaiver Watts, S, Notre Dame
(Produced 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INTs for 31 yards, including 23-yard INT return, in the Fighting Irish’s 58-7 home win over Pittsburgh, His 6 INTs lead the nation.)
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Washington (6)
6. Oregon (7)
7. Oklahoma (5)
8. Texas
9. Alabama
10. Penn State
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
Louisville, Mississippi, James Madison, Air Force, and Liberty
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see, the top four remain the same but I have to address some elephants in our room…After Utah and Oregon State lost their respective games this past SAT, I brought Louisville back in among my OTMs. The UL Cardinals used that bye-week to regroup following that upset road loss against Pittsburgh and have a 23-0 homecoming win over Duke. The Blue Devils join Notre Dame as the only ranked teams that this football team has wins over this season, which were all in home games. Louisville RB Jawhar Jordan has recovered from that nagging hamstring injury suffered (during the 1st quarter) of that road loss against the Pitt Panthers. The ‘Ville has a home game against Virginia Tech this SAT (3:30 PM, ACCN)…As you can see, I had to move Oklahoma down from #5 to #7 in my rankings after a 38-33 road loss against Kansas. The Sooners could’ve won that game after DE Ethan Downs had an INT (with 2:29 remaining) but that Jayhawks defense used up all three timeouts to get one more chance for their offense to have one more chance and win that game. All this Oklahoma football team needed was a 1st down on that possession to put this game away and remain undefeated. I have to keep the Sooners ranked ahead of Texas because of their head to head win over the UT Longhorns a few weeks ago. Oklahoma will have a road game against in-state rival Oklahoma State this SAT (3:30 PM, ABC)….Speaking of the UT Longhorns, Texas remains ranked #8 in my rankings after a 35-6 home win over BYU. This football team is starting to become better after that neutral-site loss (in Dallas, TX) against rival Oklahoma. I have to keep Texas where they are at (if not higher than #8) because of their early-season road win over Alabama…Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Alabama remains ranked #9 after a bye-week. The Crimson Tide remains on a current six-game winning streak after that early-season home loss against Texas. This football team has a home game against LSU, who is also coming off a bye-week, this SAT (7:45 PM, CBS). If this defense can’t stop this Tigers offense headlined by that passing combination of QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabors, Daniels should win SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The winner of this game should be playing the two-time defending National Champions Georgia in the SEC Championship Game…I chose to move Washington up from #6 to #5 after a 42-33 road win over Stanford to remain on a current 15-game winning streak, which is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation (behind National Champions Georgia). For a second straight week, the UW Huskies will play a game in the state of CA and sled into the L.A Coliseum for a road game against upset-minded USC this SAT (7:30 PM, ABC). We should see some offensive fireworks in this game and this game could be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game….I chose to
move Oregon up from #7 to #6 after an impressive 35-6 road win over Utah, who was among my OTMs last week. The Ducks did a great job of exploiting all weaknesses of the Utes to dominate that game. This football team has a home game against California this SAT (5:30 PM, PAC-12)…Michigan remains ranked #1 after a bye-week. The UM Wolverines are on a current 20-game winning streak in Big Ten conference games, which is a school record. This football team will have a home game against Purdue this SAT(7:30 PM, NBC)… Defending National Champions Georgia remains ranked #2 after a 43-20 neutral-site win over rival Florida, to remain on a 25-game winning streak (including an 8-0 start this season), which is a school record and the longest active streak in the nation. This 25-game winning streak is also the fourth-longest in SEC history. This UGA Bulldogs offense hasn’t missed a beat after losing All-American TE Brock Bowers to an ankle injury (for the next 4-6 weeks), This football team will have a homecoming game against Missouri, who is ranked #14 in the major polls after coming off a bye-week, this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS)…Florida State remains ranked #4 after a 41-16 road win over Wake Forest.The FSU Seminoles are in a tight race with Louisville and Virginia Tech, who are de facto second-place teams in the ACC standings. behind this football team. Florida State has two more ACC conference games, including a road game against Pittsburgh this SAT (3:30 PM, ESPN), to win before they clinch a first-place berth in the ACC Championship Game. The “Noles can’t look past the PITT Panthers for their home game against rival Miami next SAT….Penn State remains ranked #10 after a 33-24 home win over Indiana. The Hoosiers did a better job than expected because I really thought the PSU Nittany Lions were going to have a field day in that game. This football team has a road game against upset-minded Maryland, who is on a current three-game losing streak after a 5-0 start, this SAT (3:30 PM, FOX). The UM Terrapins are coming off two straight upset losses, including a 33-27 road loss against Northwestern. Penn State better not look past Maryland for their Nov.11 home game against Michigan….Mississippi remains among my OTMs after a 33-27 homecoming win over Vanderbilt. The Ole Miss Rebels are on a current four-game winning streak after a 24-10 road loss against Alabama. This football team will have a home game against Texas A&M this SAT (Noon, ESPN). After their game against the Aggies, Mississippi will have a Nov.11 road game against Georgia… James Madison remains among my OTMs by holding on to have a 30-27 home win over Old Dominion. Like I said in the last two weeks, the undefeated JMU Dukes are playing every game like it is a bowl game because they are playing in their second year of NCAA Division I FBS college football and can’t participate in postseason action until the 2025 season (or something) because of NCAA transition rules. This football team, who is ranked #23 in the AP Sportswriters’ Poll, has a road game against Georgia State, who are 6-2 coming into this game…So far, Air Force keeps surprising us better than you can think each and every week to remain among my OTMS for two weeks straight. The AFA Falcons are on a current 13-game winning streak (including an 8-0 mark), which ties a school record (1984-85). This football team will have a home game against rival Army this SAT (2:30 PM, CBSSN). A win over the Black Knights would give them sole possession of the Commanders-In-Chief Trophy and set a new school record for the longest winning streak in school history….Liberty remains among my OTMs after a 42-29 road win over Western Kentucky. Like I said for the last two weeks,new Head Coach Jamey Chadwell is making his new football team, who are on a 8-0 start, forget about last season as the Flames finished with an 8-5 mark, which ended with a four-game losing streak. Liberty has three straight home games coming up, including a home game against La Tech this SAT (1 PM, ESPN+)… I can’t wait for the games to be played this weekend.
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Florida State RB Trey Benson- 155 all-purpose running yards and 2 TDs in the FSU Seminoles’ 41-16 road win over Wake Forest. Rushed 10 carries, 55 yards, and 1 TD (18 yards). Received 4 catches, 100 yards, and 1 TD (80 yards).
Florida State LB Kalen DeLocah- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo) 2 TFLs, and 1 sack in the Seminoles’ road win over Wake Forest.
Florida State CB Renardo Green- Produced 3 tackles (all solo) and 3 PBUs in the Seminoles’ road win over Wake Forest.
Miami PK Andres Borregales- Scored 11 points in the Hurricanes’ 29-26 home win (1 OT) over Virginia. Scored on all 3 FG, including a 50-yard FG, and 2 XPK attempts. Scored a 48-yard FG (on 4th and 9 with 1:27 remaning) to eventually force OT.
The Miami defense- Produced 10 TFLs (including 6 sacks) in the Hurricanes’ home win over Virginia.
Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr- Produced 7 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs/sacks, 1 PBU, and 1 QB hurry in the Hurrcianes’ home win over Virgina. Made a TFL/sack (on 3rd and 6 with 0:35 remaining) to force a punt and eventually force OT.
Florida Atlantic WR/RS LaJohntay Wester- 185 all-purpose running yards in the FAU Owls’ 38-16 home win over Charlotte. Received 10 catches, 149 yards, and 2 TDs (21 and 26). Also had a 30-yard catch. Return 2 punts for 36 yards, inclduing a 27-yard punt return. His 17 career receiving TDs are second-most in school history.
Florida Atlantic QB Daniel Richardson- Passed 19-26, 218 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT in the Owls’ home win over Charlotte.
Florida Atlantic CB Darius McClendon- Produced 10 tackles (6 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 QB hurry in the Owls’ home win over Charlotte.
Florida Atlantic DT Evan Anderson- Produced 8 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, and 1 sack in the Owls’ home win over Charlotte.
