Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Baker Mayfield -Oklahoma - He was 27-35 for 386 yards and 3 TDs at Ohio State in what is the biggest win to date for any quarterback in college.
Rising - Mason Rudolph - Oklahoma State - Two lightweights to start the season (Tulsa and and South Alabama), but he has taken care of business with two 350+ yard games, and has set up a tremendously potential Bedlam.
Sleeper - Shea Patterson - Mississippi - The Rebel sophomore has been outstanding in his first two games totaling 918 yards passing and 9 touchdowns in his first two starts. The SEC is pretty devoid of good quarterback play, so there could be a chance that Patterson is a truly unique quarterback that could confound defenses enough for Ole Miss to succeed.
Falling - J.T. Barrett - Ohio State - I blame Urban Meyer, who has yo-yoed Barrett with Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones throughout his carrier. Anyone who saw this game against Oklahoma realizes Barrett is not the same player that he used to be.
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Saquon Barkley - Penn State - Only 88 yards against Pittsburgh, but he wasn't needed; he only had 14 carries. He is clearly the running back to watch, if a running back is going to have a chance to win the Heisman.
Rising - Royce Freeman - Oregon - Freeman gained 153 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in Oregon's victory over Nebraska. For the season he has 303 yards and 6 TDs, and for his career he has over 4400 yards and has scored 50 TDs.
Falling - Nick Chubb - Georgia - Although extremely talented, he has to share the backfield with Sony Michel, and was outgained 73-63 (on an equal 13 carries) against Notre Dame as the Bulldogs fell to the Irish.
Sleeper - Bryce Love - Stanford - Has rushed for 340 yards, including 160 yards in a loss against USC.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - James Washington - Oklahoma State - He had only 2 receptions against South Alabama, but he gained 98 yards and scored a touchdown. Limited playing time in a blowout does not hurt his Heisman case.
Rising - Deontay Burnett - USC - He had 9 catches for 121 yards and 2 TDs in the Trojans rout of Stanford. He has 16 catches for 263 yards on the season.
Falling - Calvin Ridley - Alabama - Again, this is truly not a knock on Ridley, but Alabama spreads the ball around too much for anyone other than the quarterback to post spectacular numbers this year. Ridley was the leading receiver for the Crimson Tide, with 5 catches for 45 yards.
Defensive Edition
5. Brody Hoying.- CB - Eastern Michigan - He has 2 interceptions for 106 return yards.
4. Quin Blanding - S - Virginia - One of the best tackling safeties in college, he has 24 total tackles through the first two games.
3. Austin Bryant - DE - Clemson - Not the best of the Clemson defensive lineman, so he will not be in this list long, but for now he has 4 sacks, and deserves mention.
2. Daniel Bitulli - LB - Tennessee - He has 28 total tackles on the season, and in the SEC, he will likely have the opportunities for lots more.
1. Anthony Winbush - DE - Louisville - He has 4 1/2 sacks and 7 tackles for losses.
Player(s) to Watch
Will Grier - QB - West Virginia - He has thrown for 723 yards and 8 TDs - against 1 interception. And we should all know that West Virginia loves to throw it around.
My New Favorite Player
Diocemy Saint Juste - RB - Hawaii - He has 434 yards rushing to lead the NCAA, and he is from Boynton Beach, Florida - just down the street. What a combo!
Players of the Week (Just Week 2)
5. Jacob Park - QB - Iowa State - He threw for 347 yards and 4 TDs as the Cyclones took in-state rival Iowa into double overtime.
4. Akrum Wadley - RB - Iowa - He had a tremendous game, gaining 118 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving, with one TD each on the ground and through the air, including the game tying TD with 1:09 left in the game.
3. Lamar Jackson - QB - Louisville - He had a ho-hum 393 yards passing with 132 yards rushing, with a total of 6 TDs.
2. Mason Rudolph - QB - Oklahoma State - Threw for 335 yards and 3 TDs, and he isn't even the best quarterback in his state.
1. Baker Mayfield - QB - Oklahoma - Torched the vaunted Ohio State defense for 386 yards and 3 TDs, on 27-35 passing as Oklahoma beat Ohio State 31-16 in Columbus.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
J.T. Barrett - QB - Ohio State - He had a QB rating of 21.1 in a showcase battle of two top 5 teams, at home.
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Hurricane Irma - canceling or postponing games with Florida State, Miami, Florida and South Florida, all of which are ranked.
Alabama (1) v. USC (4)/ (2) Oklahoma v. (3) Clemson
Obviously way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive.
Final Unbeatens
Way too many to rank at this point, but this will become fun as more teams start to lose.
Rant(s) of the Week
My rant this week is about Hurricane Irma, and I am sick and tired of talking about her, so I will leave it at that.
Under Performance of the Week
Obviously Ohio State. At home, and they get hammered by Oklahoma. Did I mention they were at home?
Last Year's Trivia Answer (or perhaps even two years ago)
As a reminder, the question was:
Entering this season, Penn State junior running back Saquon Barkley needed only 1,360 yards (or less than he gained just last year) to become the all-time leading rusher in Nittany Lion history. That list is star-studded. Which player is the career rushing leader for Penn State?
Penn State has had a number of terrific running backs who have had stellar careers: Curt Warner, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, D.J. Dozier, Larry Johnson, Ki-Jana Carter, Matt Suhey, John Cappelletti. But, the answer to this question is none of them.
The answer is Evan Royster, who gained 3,932 yards from 2007-2010.
Trivia Question of the Week
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen threw for at least 300 yards for the 12th time in his collegiate career, breaking the school record held by whom?
Match up(s) to Watch
5. LSU v. Mississippi State - Are Ed Ogeron and Matt Canada actually good for Danny Etling? Can Mississippi make a run for the non-Alabama SEC West title? This game will go a long way toward deciding these questions.
4. Illinois v. South Florida - The ranked Bulls return from their Hurricane Irma postponement to take on an undefeated Big 5 conference team.
3. Tennessee v. Florida - Two ranked SEC teams play in the Swam, on the heels of Hurricane Irma's Sherman-esque trek through the Sunshine State. This game is being played on the date, at them, and in the place as originally scheduled. But the real reason I am looking forward to this game is that I will be at my family reunion where my uncle, who used to live in Knoxville, will have the opportunity to watch the game with my wife, a UF alumna.
2. Harvard v. Rhode Island - Opening game for Harvard, as the Ivy League only plays a 10 game season.
1. Clemson v. Louisville - We know that Lamar Jackson can play, but can he play against this devastating defensive line? It will be much more difficult with captain/wide receiver Devante Peete out for the season. Nevertheless, Louisville's offensive can still be spectcular, as can Clemson's defensive. The question will be whether the other units step up. My money is on Clemson's offense over Louisville's defense.
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