Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Chad Kelly -Mississippi - I suspect that this will be the last time I write about Kelly, but he has cored 149 points in two games. TWO GAMES. Yes, they may have been against inferior opponents, which is why I do not suspect he will stay here, but you are supposed to beat inferior opponents - right Arkansas?.
Rising - John Wolford - Wake Forest -He has thrown for at least 323 yards in each game, and I thought it would be interesting to have him here, since Sinickal can comment on how Syracuse beat Wake despite Wolford throwing for 373 against the Orange.
Sleeper - Matt Johnson - Bowling Green - He has thrown for 915 yards and 8 TDs, with only 1 interceptions, all while playing Tennessee and Maryland. If he can keep this up, he might actually sneak his way into the conversation.
Falling - Taysom Hill - BYU and Malik Zaire - Notre Dame - You cannot win if you do not play. I especially feel bad for Hill who has had 3 separate season-ending injuries in the past 4 years. Notre Dame was looking fantastic until Zaire was hurt. I do not expect a good season from the Irish this year.
Seriously Falling - Brandon Allen - Arkansas - He can put up as many numbers as he wants, no player has ever won the Heisman during a year in which they lost to Toledo. (Not actually fact checked).
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Nick Chubb - Georgia - He has rushed for 100 yards in each of the past 10 games. He would likely have more if not for the presence of Sony Michel, who could be a stud starter in his own right.
Rising - Derrick Henry - Alabama and Leonard Fournette -LSU - The SEC is absolutely loaded at the running back position. Third team All-SEC tailback could easily be third team All-American tailback.
Falling - James Conner - Pittsburgh - You cannot win if you cannot play, as Conner, the reigning ACC player of the year, is out injured for the rest of the season.
Sleeper - Dalvin Cook - FSU - An FSU player as a sleeper? It happens when the SEC is loaded at tailback. If not for Cook, South Florida likely beats the Seminoles. Plus, I don't want to give him credit after his "incident" this year. He does have 422 yards rushing in his first two games.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - Isaiah Jones - East Carolina - Lit up Florida's supposedly stout secondary. Yes, you can tell me that Vernon Hargreaves, Jr. didn't play, but I saw Hargreaves get toasted on at least 5 occasions in Florida's opener against New Mexico State, but the Aggies could not capitalize. Jones did. He is for real.
Rising - Christian Kirk - Texas A and M - He only has 10 catches on the season, but watch him play. He is the best receiver on the best receiving corps in the country not in the NFL.
Sleeper - None, as of yet. The true sleepers are likely still sleeping.
Defensive Edition
5. Todd Kelly, Jr. - DB - Tennessee - He had 2 interceptions against Oklahoma, a game that should have been won by the Volunteers.
4. Nick Holt - LB - Western Kentucky - Game saving tackle on the 2 point conversion try by Vanderbilt to win the game 14-12.
3. Skai Moore - LB - South Carolina - Two interceptions in the end zone to save South Carolina's first victory over North Carolina while also amassing 10 tackles. He followed that up with 8 more tackles and another interception in the loss to Kentucky.
2. Kentrell Brothers - LB - Missouri - Sixteen total tackles in EACH of his first two games, to go along with 2 interceptions in the fourth quarter of the Tigers victory over Arkansas State
1. Leonard Floyd - LB; Jordan Jenkins - LB - Georgia - As devastating a pair of outside linebackers as we have seen in college football in quite some time, at least since the 2008 USC trip of Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga.
Player to Watch
Joseph Yearby - RB - Miami - A high school teammate of Dalvin Cook (imagine that high school backfield), he is quickly establishing himself as the solid starter in Miami, and once he is comfortable in that role, could take a lot of heat off Brad Kaaya.
Will Likely - KR - Maryland - 315 yards in punt returns already this year, including 233 in the opening game, and touchdowns in both. Seems like another candidate to make the NFL from the Belle Glade, Florida, the birthplace of more current NFLers than any other city.
My New Favorite Player
Pat Mahomes - QB- Texas Tech - Only because I can say Pat McGroin every time he drops back to pass.
Players of the Week (Just Week 2)
5. Dak Prescott - QB - Mississippi State - He threw for 352 yards in a valiant comeback against LSU, which likely keeps him at the top of the QB list in the SEC.
4. Ray Lawry - RB - Old Dominion - He rushed for 215 yards and 2 TDs as Old Dominion moves to 2-0.
3. Kentrell Brothers - LB - Missouri - Sixteen tackles! Following up a game in which he had 16 tackles.
2. Cody Kessler - QB - USC - He passed for 410 yards and 3 TDs as USC annihilated the Idaho Vandals.
1. Dalvin Cook - RB - FSU - Rushed for 233 yards in a game in which Florida State needed every single one of them.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Kelvin Taylor - RB - Florida - Who throat slashes anymore?
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Brett Bielema - Arkansas - If you are going to publicly make fun of Ohio State for their weak schedule (and it is atrocious by the way), you better make sure you beat Toledo. Bielema didn't.
Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups
Ohio State (1) v. Michigan State (4)/TCU (2) v. (3) Georgia
Ohio State (4) v. Georgia (3)
Obviously way too early to tell, but TCU has a lot of returning talent, Michigan State looked strong in defeating Oregon and Georgia has a lot on both sides of the ball.
Final Unbeatens
Way too many to rank at this point, but this will become fun as teams start to lose.
Rant(s) of the Week
Florida coach Jim McElwain is the head coach of a football team. He can yell and curse at his players if he thinks that is the best way to get through to them. Kelvin Taylor tweated out the next day to McElwain and he were alright. Get off his back. Physical abuse might be another thing, but the football field is not corporate America, so stop treating it as such.
Under Performance of the Week
Auburn - Barely winning in overtime against the immortal Jacksonville State. That is right, Jacksonville State.
Last Year's Trivia Answer
The original Name of Mississippi State was The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi (Mississippi A and M).
Trivia Question of the Week
An easy one to start off the season. Florida coach Jim McElwain was caught chastising running back Kelvin Taylor on the sideline after Taylor was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after performing a throat slash upon scoring a touchdown. Who was the last Florida coach to noticeably explode on the sideline during a game?
Match up(s) to Watch
Honorable Mention goes to Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Yes it is a matchup of top 10 teams (or 15 depending upon which polls you look at), but with Notre Dame's starting QB, RB, TE and DT all out for the season, it has lost some of its cache.
5. Air Force v. Michigan State - Air Force, with its unique playing style, can be a difficult matchup for anyone, and with Michigan State's defeat of Oregon, it is seriously in the conversation for the playoffs.
4. Mississippi v. Alabama - An early SEC west matchup that could propel the winner toward the division title. Only ranked here, because of number 1.
3. Northwestern v. Duke - Undefeated smart schools. How can this be bad? Oh, wait, never mind.
3. Harvard v. Rhode Island - Time for the Ivy League teams to start their season.
2. BYU v. UCLA - Two of the top four teams in the west (along with Oregon and USC). Two top ranked teams playing in week 3 is never a bad thing.
1. Auburn v. LSU - Easily the best matchup of the early part of the season. Lots of speed on both sides of the ball. This could be a great game if Auburn's problems last week was because they were looking forward to this week. If Jacksonville State just exposed Auburn and Jeremi Johnson, then this game will not live up to the hype.
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