The Ole College Try

Well, we are back for another edition of The Ole College Try - which as a reminder is my take on college football via a weekly column on college football after each weekend's games.  The column is meant to be a recap of the season to date, with an emphasis on last week's games.

As a reminder, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous (is there any other kind of ludicrous, besides Ludacris?) that the networks, including the World-Wide Leader, nay, especially the World-Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

I cannot promise that I will post every week, but I am going to try.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Darien Mensah - Miami - He did nothing to diminish his spot at the top with a 14/15 for 252 yards and 3 TD performance in Miami's 77-7 massacre of Florida A&M.  For the season he has 8 TDs, and 4 incompletions.  And yes, I know that he cannot keep that up, but it sure will be fun to see how long it takes for his incompletions to catch his TD passes.  

Rising - Lincoln Kienholz - Louisville - He was 16-21 for 332 yards and 2 TDs in the Cardinals 59-13 victory over Villanova, coming off his very impressive 309 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs in a narrow Week 1 loss to Mississippi.  The Louisville/Miami game - with Brohm's mastery over Miami looming - could be a very exciting, interesting, AND IMPORTANT game later this year.

Sleeper - Jayden Maiava - USC - The Trojans are a quiet 3-0, having put up no fewer than 39 points in any of their three games.  Granted, they were against San Jose State, Fresno State, and University of Louisiana, but you have to perform in those games.  He Maiava has thrown for 896 yards and 10 TDs against just 1 interception.

Falling - John Mateer - Oklahoma - So, yes, he was playing against a very motivated Michigan team after their Week 1 loss to Western Michigan.  YES, I TYPED WHAT I TYPED!  But mustering only 10 points on 17/33 passing for 189 yards with 1 TD and 1 pick is not getting the job done.

Running Back Edition

Favorite - Jaden Baugh - Florida - He is on pace to become the FIRST EVER running back from UF to have multiple 1000-yard seasons.  His 136 yards on 14 carries and 2 TDs paced the Gators blowout of the Campbell Camels.  And yes, part of this entry is so I could type "Campbell Camels."  He also lost about 55 yards on two plays due to holding penalties.

Rising - DeSean Bishop - Tennessee - 147 rushing yards on 20 carries as Tennessee's main bell-cow back.  As the focus of the Volunteers offense as First-Year Faizon Brandon develops, he could put up HUGE numbers this season, especially given his current 7.2 yards per attempt.

Falling - Ahmad Hardy - Missouri - Not playing due to injury will do that to you.

Sleeper - Dylan Riley - Boise State - Riley gained 206 yards on just 19 carries to help pace Boise State to a 38-20 victory over Memphis in what many people assume is a College Football Playoff Group of 5 play-in game.

Wide Receiver Edition

Favorite - Malachi Toney - Miami - Listen, we know this is going to be Malachi Toney and/or Jeremiah Smith all year.  Toney's 4 catches 96 yards and 1 TD in one half of work only elevates him (for now) over Smith because Smith's two big drops - although only 1 is probably an official "drop" - in the fourth quarter during Texas' 21-point comeback.

Rising - K.J. Duff - Rutgers - He suffered as the "falling" receiver last week primarily because Rutgers lost to UMass, but he is easily the third-best receiver to date.  Another Rutgers loss, but Duff had 8 catches, 137 yards and 2 TDs against Boston College.

Falling - Jeremiah Smith - Ohio State - Falling only in the most figurative of circumstances.

Sleeper - Donovan Olugbode - Missouri - If - and it is a big IF - Missouri is going to make some noise in the SEC, they will need Ahmad Hardy back - and a big seasons from Olugbode.  He had 6 catches for 121 yards and 1 TD this week against Kansas, and 13 for 228 and 3 TDs on the season.

Defensive Edition

5.  Kingston Lopa - CB - California - Leads the NCAA with 4 interceptions!

4.  Kona Moore - DB Hawai'i - Tied for the lead in the NCAA with 30 total tackles, including 19 solo tackles - AS A DEFENSIVE BACK!!!

3.  Princewill Umanmeilen - DE LSU - Staying on the list as his 5 sacks lead the NCAA!!!

2.  Elijah Kinsler - DL Memphis - He has 3 1/2 sacks this season, but he is not just a pass rusher, as he also has 18 total tackles.  

1.  Anthony Palano - LB - Boston College - He has 22 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  He is literally doing it all for the defense, including 8 tackles, a sack, and 2 picks - one on the last drive of the game - against Rutgers - to seal the Eagles' victory!

Player(s) to Watch

Bo Jackson - RB - Ohio State - Because he is BO JACKSON!

My New Favorite Player

Isaiah Marshall - QB - Kansas - Is he a great QB?  No.  He was 13-30 for 168 and 2 TDs with 2 INTs against Missouri.  Is he possibly the most exciting player in college?  Yes.  On any play you might see something you have never seen before.  LIKE THIS 360 PASS!!!

Players of the Week (Just Week 1)

5.  Arch Manning - QB - Texas - The 23-37 for 195, 1 TD and 1 Int do not jump off the page.  But if you WATCHED that 4th quarter ... Wow!

4.  Anthony Palano - LB - Boston College - For the reasons listed above.

3. Jeremiah Smith -WR - Ohio State - Same top three players as last week.

2.  Malachi Toney - WR - Miami - Seriously, watch this guy!

1. Darien Mensah - QB - Miami - Yes, it was FAMU, but until somebody knocks him off.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Oregon - The entire team!  Losing to Oklahoma State like that deserves it.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Ryan Day - Ohio State - He didn't actually do anything specific that is worthy of being the Goat of the Week, but man, did that Texas 4th quarter comeback sure seems like it should/could have been stopped.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

LSU (1) v. Alabama (4)/ (2) Notre Dame v. (3) Miami

I stand by last week's predictions - even with the Texas win over Ohio State.

Final Unbeatens

Too many to list right now.

Rant(s) of the Week

Went to one of the official Florida Gator alumni-watching bars in West Palm Beach to watch the Florida-Campbell game.  THEY COULDN'T GET THE GAME!!!  As the game was only shown on Disney+, the establishment did not have the business establishment Disney+ package.  It is a shame because they have $1 beer specials during the game to anyone wearing the school colors.  Sorry Roxy's.

Under Performance of the Week

Oregon.  The Ducks were beaten 39-31 by the Oklahoma State Cowboys - who just lost to Tulsa!!!

Last Week's Trivia Answer

The question was:  Malachi Toney set Miami Hurricanes record for most receiving yards in the game against Stanford.  Whose record did he break and how long has that record stood?

The answer is:  Eddie Brown, set in 1984 against Boston College.

Trivia Question of the Week

Oklahoma State broke a 12-game losing streak by beating Oregon.  When was the last time a team broke a double-digit game losing streak by beating a top-10 ranked opponent? 

Match-up(s) to Watch

5. West Virginia v. Virginia - West Virginia is 2-0, but we do not yet know if they are for real.  An away game against a ranked opponent could tell us the answer to the question.

4.  Houston v. Texas Tech- An actual battle of two-ranked teams that could be very fun to watch.

3. Michigan State v. Notre Dame - Two decades ago or so this would have been the number 1 game to watch.  If Michigan State ever wants to get back to that level, the undefeated Spartans have to show up in a game like this now.

2.  SMU v. Louisville - This game has serious ACC-championship implications, as these two teams look like the best-equipped ACC teams to try to handle Miami.  A win here would go a long way toward potential tie-breaking scenarios.

1.  LSU v. Mississippi - If you need me to explain why, then you should not be reading a blog about college football.