Dear Readers, We are back for the 154th season of college football.
I am embarrassed-for the last several seasons- that I never called this past week called Week Zero in which that very first weekend (before labor day) had seven college football games being played. I finally followed suit.
I will only do Gameballs and Helmet Stickers for teams from MI and FL for the South Florida Tribune because I don’t have time for everybody these days and other weekday commitments.
I can’t wait for this weekend! sincerely, RICH
PS: If Notre Dame defeats Ohio State in a few weeks, the EICH will make me eat crow.
RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
(Passed 18-25, 278 yards, and 4 TDs in the Trojans’ 56-28 home win over San Jose State.)
2. Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
(Transfer from Wake Forest. Passed 19-23, 251 yards, and 4 TDs in the Fighting Irish’s 42-3 neutral-site win over Navy in Dublin, Ireland. 17th QB in NCAA Division I FSB history with 13,000 career passing yards.)
3. Smoke Harris, WR, La Tech
(Received 11 catches, 155 yards, and 1 TD of 64 yards in the Bulldogs’ 22-17 comeback home win over FIU.)
PRESEASON TOP TEN
1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Georgia
4. USC
5. Clemson
6. Ohio State
7. Clemson
8. Florida State
9. Penn State
10. Tennessee
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):
LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, TCU, Texas, Utah, and Washington
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
As you can see my other teams on the OTM happen to be in alphabetical order. TRUE! I just don’t know how to place them. I always put them in alphabetical order before the first big week (actually after all conferences, such as the ACC, the Big 12, and the SEC, start playing) where every team is playing and see where we go from there. After that labor day weekend, then I will put them in a particular order of how good they are. Keep that one in mind….Teams such as #4 USC and Notre Dame (OTM) got a head start to begin their season to get on a 1-0 start. No surprise their wins were blowout wins over their respective opponents this past SAT. The Trojans will remain undefeated before a Oct.14 road game against the Fighting Irish. If Notre Dame is undefeated past their Sept.23 home game against #6 Ohio State, Notre Dame will be ranked before their Oct. 14 home game against rival USC. If both the Trojans and Irish are undefeated before their annual showdown, people will be scalping tickets. Notre Dame will have their home-opening game against Tennessee State this SAT (3:30 PM, NBC) while USC has a home game against Nevada this SAT (6:30 PM, PAC-12) .. Speaking of the Buckeyes, I have Ohio State ranked #6 because this football team will have another great season. Their only losses will be road games against Notre Dame (Sept. 23) or Michigan (Nov.25). This football team will look to rebound after losing the last two games after an 11-0 start. Remember, Ohio State missed a FG attempt and fell short in a semi-final loss against eventual National Champions Georgia in the Peach Bowl. No surprise that QB Kyle McCord won that battle for the starting QB job for this offense to replace All-Big Ten QB C.J Stroud, who owns more than 10 school records in passing and total offense. This football team will kick off their season with a road game against Indiana this SAT (3:30 PM, CBS)… I have Alabama ranked #1 because this Crimson Tide defense has one of the best LB and DB corps in the nation. The DL corp will be reloaded. The offense will be better than last season. This football team will kickoff this season with a home game against MTSU this SAT (7:30 PM, SECN)… I have Michigan ranked #2 because the UM Wolverines will have a 9-0 start before a Nov.11 road game against Penn State. Regardless of what happens after that game, this football team will win a third straight Big Ten championship. Michigan will kick off their season with a home game against East Carolina this SAT (Noon, Peacock)… Speaking of the Nittany Lions, I have Penn State ranked #9 because this football team will have a 6-0 start before an Oct. 21 road game against Ohio State. After that game, Penn State will win their next two games before a Nov.11 home game against Michigan and should win out after that game. I could see Penn State having a second straight season with a 10-2 mark in the regular season before waiting to find out who the Nittany Lions will play in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. The strength of this football team is having a great pair of RBs in the backfield for this offense. All opposing offenses should look out for LB Curtis Jacobs and S Kalen King…Penn State will kick off this season with a home game against West Virginia this SAT (7:30 PM, NBC)….I have the two-time defending National Champions Georgia ranked #3 because the UGA Bulldogs will win the SEC East Division title for a third straight season. This football team will play their first four games at home before a Sept.30 road game against rival Auburn. All new players should be well-experienced before playing the Tigers. The Dawgs could be undefeated before a Nov.18 road game against Tennessee and play in the SEC Championship Game. I can’t count Georgia out of the playoff picture but there are two teams who have what it takes to beat the Bulldogs and stop them dead at their tracks in pursuit of three-peating as national champions. The Bulldogs will kick off this season with a home game against UT-Martin this SAT (6 PM, ESPN+) ..Clemson, who are ranked #7 in my rankings, will look to get back to winning back to back ACC Championships and make it back to the college football playoffs. QB Cade Klubnik has to be better than you would expect after getting two starts under his belt. The LB corp is the strength of this Tigers defense. This football team will kick off their season with a road game against Duke this MON (8 PM, ESPN)…One other team from the ACC to deal with is Florida State, who I have ranked #8 in my rankings. Head Coach Mike Norvell found got things back up to speed with a surprising 10-3 mark from last season. The FSU Seminoles are back to defeating in-state rival Miami in back to back seasons (2021-22), including a 45-3 road win over the Hurricanes last year which led to a home-finale win over another in-state rival Florida, which ended a three-game losing streak against the Gators. After a Sept.23 road game against defending ACC Champions Clemson, we will know if this football team is back on top of the ACC for sure. QB Jordan Travis and DE Jared Verse are top contenders for national individual honors. Florida State will kick off their season with a neutral-site game (in Orlando, FL) against LSU this SUN (7:30 PM, ABC)… I have Tennessee ranked #10 because the UT Volunteers have a lot of talent coming back. This offense has a great pair of RBs in the backfield to make things happen. Like Alabama, this defense one of the best LB and DB corps in the nation. The big ? is how good can QB Joe Milton be after earning MVP honors from their Orange Bowl win over ACC Champions Clemson to last season with a surprising 11-2 mark. This football team could have losses against (at) Alabama (Oct.21) and Georgia (Nov.18) but also still play in a New Year’s Six major bowl game for a second straight season. Tennessee will kickoff their season with a neutral-site game (in Nashville, TN) against Virginia this SAT (Noon, ABC)… I have LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington among my OTMS. LSU will have a great team but will likely lose to Florida State this SAT and (at) Alabama (Nov.4). If the Tigers win those games, you can see them in a New Year’s Six major bowl game. Texas is expected to do better than a 8-5 mark from last season and play in the Big 12 Championship Game. TCU will have a great team that will have 10 wins but not be apart of the college football playoffs for a second straight season. Pac-12 teams such as Oregon, Utah, and Washington have a lot of talent to have 10 wins and play USC in (what will be the last) Pac-12 Championship Game. ..I can’t for this 2022 season to finally kickoff.
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
FIU RB Shomari Lawrence- Rushed 15 carries, 139 yards, and 1 TD (67 yards on 1st series) in the Panthers’ 22-17 road loss against La. Tech.
FIU NB Jamal Potts- Produced 10 tackles (7 solo), 2 TFLs, and 2 forced fumbles in the Panthers’ road loss against La. Tech.
