Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Johnny Manziel - Texas A & M; - He will probably stay in this list for a long, long time; barring a Dennis Dixon. Only 244 yards passing against SMU, but he did have over 100 yards rushing and 3 more touchdowns.
Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville - Against nobody, he still had 4 touchdown passes. I think he only played four plays against FIU.
A.J. McCarron - Alabama - A solid game against Colorado State. Let's remember that nobody really played anyone this week..
Rising - Brett Hundley - UCLA - A solid season with 848 yards and 8 touchdowns, but more importantly, he seems to be settling in. The second half comeback against Nebraska was fantastic, and this week He was 23-35 for 280 and 3 TDs. He does need to watch his interceptions though.
Dark Horse - Blake Bell - Oklahoma - The Sooners were idle, so Bell did nothing to hurt his dark horse status. Plus it gives me the opportunity to post another picture of Lake Bell.
Falling - Devin Gardner - Michigan - From a player who looked exciting against Notre Dame, to a quarterback that has struggled against Akron and UConn on consecutive weeks; including a (not-so) stunning 13-25 for 111 yards and 2 TDs.
Running Back Edition
No change this week in the major runners - why? Nobody played anybody this week. The top 3, are simply the top 3 and that is it. More discussion in those rising/sleepers.
Favorite - Todd Gurley - Georgia
De'Anthony Thomas - Oregon
Lache Seastrunk - Baylor
Rising - Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - The sophomore leads the NCAA with 624 rushing yards. This is made more astounding by the fact that Wisconsin has had 5 other instances this season of running backs gaining over 100 yards per game.
Sleeper - David Fluellen - Toledo - Fourth in the country in rushing yards with 497 yards, but that number seems suppressed because he opened the season against a very stout and stingy Florida Gators defense. As Gordon's numbers will lessen as he enters the Big 10 schedule, Fluellen's is likely to rise as he enters his conference season.
Wide Receiver Edition
Brandin Cooks - Oregon State - Leads the NCAA in receptions with 43 (next best is 33), yards with 639 (next highest is 575), and receiving touchdowns with 7.
Paul Richardson - Colorado - 21 catches for 417 yards, and this despite missing a game due to the flooding.
Jordan Matthews - Vanderbilt - He has 32 catches for 471 yards, and is by far the only offensive weapon that the Commodores have.
Rising - Mike Evans - Texas A & M; - He is averaging over 26 yards per catch (largely thanks to the 95 yard TD play against Alabama, and his strength is making him a go-to receiver in tough situations.
Falling - Quarterback play is killing his chances. Although he is still a likely top 10 draft pick, and has a respectable 23 receptions, he only has 293 yards and 1 Touchdown on the year.
Defensive Edition
3. Keith Smith - LB - San Jose State - Is averaging an astounding 17 tackles per game. I don't care what team you play for, and what teams you play - that is a ton!
2. Martin Ifedi - DL - Memphis - Has 5 1/2 sacks and 9 total tackles for loss (averaging 3 a game). That is the type of production anyone would take for their team.
1. Dominique Easley - DT - Florida - I have been waiting to see when to put him in this list, and today is definitely the day. Florida's defense just stymies its opponents, and it starts in the middle with Easley. He is a converted end, so he has the speed and quickness to go along with his strength. Watch the Toledo game film where he is lined up askew to the center because Toledo was in shotgun formation (when a lineman cannot directly engage the center), and when Toledo runs a receiver under center to accept the snap (no longer shotgun so a lineman can directly engage the center) and Easley just throws the center into the receiver, causing a fumble at the snap. Great athletic ability and the smarts to know the rules. (Just prior to publishing, Florida has announced the Easley will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL. This is a HUGE loss to the Gators)!
Player to Watch
Sean Mannion - QB - Oregon State - Another 367 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions, giving him an NCAA leading 1604 yards passing and 15 total TDs passing, with only 1 interception. If Mannion can lead Oregon State to an upset of either Oregon or Stanford, he will start to get some Heisman hype.
My New Favorite Player Besides Baker Mayfield - the Walk On Freshman
Tyler Murphy - QB - Florida - I am not going to post another cheap picture of Lake Bell, but this selection is not because of his talent. It is so I can post this ...
Players of the Week
I am excusing myself for not picking any of the players from the major schools that ran up huge numbers against absolute cupcakes.
5. Chandler Jones - WR - San Jose State - 7 catches for 193 yards and 3 TDs in a valiant effort against Minnesota.
4. Antonio Andrews - RB - Western Kentucky - Rushed for 213 yards and 5 TDs against Morgan State, in a route.
3. Derek Carr - QB - Fresno State - 460 yards passing for 4 TDs and no interceptions in a 41-40 defeat of Brigham Young to stay undefeated on the season.
2. Melvin Gordon - RB - Wisconsin - 147 yards and 3 TDs for the Badgers against Purdue.
1. Jeremy Hill - RB - LSU - 183 yards and 3 TDs rushing against Auburn, handing the Auburn version of the Tigers its first loss of the season.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Each and every player that was somehow injured in any of the cupcake games.
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition) (Actually - this week its the Administrators)
Each and every Assistant Athletic Director involved in the scheduling of these scams of football games, and every Athletic Director who approved this slate.
Predicted BCS Championship Game Match Up
Alabama v. Oregon - Alabama passed the first of its 3 tests, and Oregon is cruising along. LSU and Stanford seem to be the next two big hurdles for the two teams that otherwise seem on a collision course. I wrote this last week, and it remains true this week. However, Alabama does not look unbeatable, and the Clemson - Florida State match-up could become incredibly huge should the Tide or the Ducks falter.
Rant(s) of the Week
Easy - there is no way that this many ridiculous games are all scheduled for the same week. I understand that if you play in a tough conference, and if you play 1 difficult and 1 moderate out-of-conference game that you deserve two easier games, but for crying out loud teams - spread those games out. They all do not have to come in Week 3.
Interesting Fact of the Week (Even if only to me)
Jarvis Landry of LSU has a 6 game TD streak, and has scored a TD in 8 of his last 9 games.
Under Performance of the Week
Michigan - Yes, they defeated Connecticut on a late field goal, a winless Connecticut by the way. This comes on the heels of a narrow 28-24 victory over now 1-3 Akron, whose only win was against FCS team James Madison. There is not a chance that - at this point - Michigan should be receiving any Top 25 votes, regardless of their records.
Last Week's Trivia Answer
The last college to win 3 consecutive championships was Minnesota from 1934-1936.
Trivia Question of the Week
Earlier we saw that Jarvis Landry of LSU has a 6 game TD reception streak. Who holds the NCAA FBS record for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception, and how many games was the streak?
Match up(s) to Watch
5. UCF v. South Carolina - UCF is undefeated, and it is time to see if they are for real. Their running back, Storm Johnson, was a big-time recruit coming out of high school, and has amassed 305 yards rushing and 6 TDs already this year. Can he do it against an SEC defense.
4. Wisconsin v. Ohio State - The Big 10 is really weak this year, so Wisconsin might be the second best team in the conference, and might be the best opportunity to beat Ohio State. Ohio State has just named Miller and Guiton as "Co-Starters", which could undermine the team's chemistry against the Badgers.
3. Mississippi v. Alabama - With Mississippi's last two recruiting classes, this match-up should be awesome next year. Given that Alabama has rarely dominated teams this year, I am interested to see how they do against Mississippi, but more importantly interested to see how the youngsters like Nkemdiche do against a more established Alabama offense.
2. Arizona v. Washington - Arizona will be a great test for the Huskies, who are quickly looking to assert themselves into the Pac-10 North title conversation. Is it possible that the Pac-10 North - with Oregon, Stanford and Washington (and even Oregon State) - are better than the SEC West?
1. LSU v. Georgia - The best game of the year, and LSU needs a win bad. Why? Because they got the worst of the cross-over matches, having to play Georgia and Florida as their two SEC East games. Having already beaten South Carolina, Georgia can absorb a loss better than LSU can, who still has Alabama, Florida and Texas A & M remaining.
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