The Ole College Try

Welcome to the weekly installment of the almost weekly perspective of college football.  As a refresher, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race this early in the season.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Marcus Mariota - Oregon - The guy has not had the huge statistics of some of the other favorites simply because he has not had to play that much after wins.  This week he showed what he could do against the 16th ranked Washington Huskies.  24-31 for 366 yards and 3 TDs, and 88 yards and 1 more TD rushing.

Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M - Still the betting line favorite, and as I stated last  year, but as I stated last week, I am keeping him here until I see what he does against LSU game.  Plus, 346 yards passing and 124 yards rushing is phenomenal from this week, considering it seemed to be an "off" week against Mississippi.

Tahj Boyd - Clemson - In a possible Heisman elimination game this week against Jameis Winston, but did not suffer a letdown against BC before that; 334 yards and 1 TD and another rushing TD..

Rising - Jameis Winston - FSU - 1,441 yards, 17TDs and only 2 Interceptions on the season, including an absolute pasting of the then 25th ranked Terrapins with 393 yards and 5 TDs.  A bye week before his Heisman showdown against Tahj Boyd and Clemson.

Falling (1) - Aaron Murray - Georgia - Because he has literally lost everyone of his weapons.  He put in as good a display as he could against Missouri, but even that was not enough.

Falling (2) - Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville - Given the Cardinals schedule, Bridgewater needed to put up huge numbers an win games by a lot of points.He did throw for 310 yards and 2 TDs against Rutgers, but also threw an interception in only a 24-14 win.

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 - Andre Williams - Boston College - Only 70 yards rushing, but kept Boston College in the game against Clemson.  846 yards total.

Bishop Sankey - Washington - 167 yards and 2 TDs against Oregon, for a total of 899 yards rushing on the season.  He is the nations second leading rusher, and his name is Bishop.  Seriously, the Fish that Saved Pittsburgh is awesome.

Rising - Antonio Andrews - Western Kentucky - His 1036 yards leads the nation by 137 yards.  His only non-100 yard rushing game was the first game of the year, in which he rushed for 99 yards.

Sleeper - David Fluellen - Toledo - Had a bye week this week, so he had to move from "Rising" to "Sleeper".

Wide Receiver Edition

Brandin Cooks - Oregon State - Leads the NCAA in receptions with 63 and yards with 944 (next highest is 691), and receiving touchdowns with 11.  To say that he is Sean Mannion's favorite target is an understatement.

Mike Evans - Texas A & M; - He only has 32 catches, but for 737 yards (23 ypc).  Right now he is the best receiver in the SEC, and is projecting as a Top 10 pick.

Jordan Matthews - Vanderbilt - He has 70 catches for 709 yards, and has only had 1 game under 100 yards this season.  He is giving Evans a run for best receiver in the SEC.

Sleeper - Nick O'Leary - Florida State - Only 11 catches for 132 yards - but 5 of those catches have been for TDs.  That is a pretty good ratio, especially on a team that has so man offensive weapons.

Rising - Odell Beckham - LSU - 37 catches, 733 yards, and is one of the many weapons at Zach Mettenberger's disposal.

Falling - Jarred Abbrederis - Wisconsin - An injury may keep him from a stellar season, despite 35 catches for 646 yards.

Defensive Edition

3.  Tyler Matakevich - LB - Temple - Has 82 total tackles average out to 13.7 tackles per game, but 65 of those tackles are solo tackles.  I don't care what team you play for, and what teams you play - that is a ton!

2.  Vic Beasley - DL - Clemson - He has 9 sacks, but now we get to see if he gets to Jameis Winston when they play Florida State.

1.  Michael Sam - LB - Missouri - I had only heard about how good he was until I saw him play against Georgia.  He is the best linebacker that I have seen play this year, with all due respect to CJ Mosley.

Player to Watch

Maty Mauk - QB - Missouri - The Freshman QB from Missouri is on here for one simple reason, his 3-3 against Georgia, and 6 total pass attempts in his career are now the starter for the remainder of the year because James Franklin has been lost for the rest of the season due to injury.  Right now Missouri is undefeated at 6-0 and ranked 15th in the country, with consecutive games against Florida and South Carolina.  How does Mauk perform?

My New Favorite Player Besides Baker Mayfield - the Walk On Freshman

Bryce Petty- QB - Baylor - Because he is like an orchestra conductor leading this track meet of an offense.  Last week against Kansas State Petty was 12-21 for 322 yards.  Yes 322 yards on only 12 completions.

Players of the Week

5.  Bryce Petty - QB - Baylor - See above.

4.  Melvin Gordon - RB - Wisconsin - Rushed for 172 yards and 1 TD against Northwestern, as Wisconsin won handily.

3. Davis Webb - QB - Texas Tech - 35-56 for 45 yards and 3 TDs as Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 42-35.

2.  Michael Sam - LB - Missouri - Thoroughly dominated the game against Georgia, leading the way to a 41-26 victory.

1.  Marcos Mariota - QB - Oregon - See above.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Blake Bell - QB - Oklahoma - Had a total QBR of 4.2 as the Texas Longhorns thoroughly dominated the Sooners.  Plus, I get to show another picture.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops - So, you are sitting at 5-0, ranked 12th, and you play Texas that is absolutely reeling.  I know that it is a rivalry game, but 36-20 doesn't even come close to showing how bad Oklahoma was beat in this game.

Predicted BCS Championship Game Match Up

Alabama v. Oregon - More contenders falling out of contention, but Alabama and Oregon still going strong.  This week's FSU/Clemson winner will be ready to pounce should the Tide or Ducks lose.

Rant(s) of the Week

Targeting.  I am not going to get too in detail, as everything has already basically been said, but if you can review a video to see if a guy should be ejected for targeting and find out that there was no targeting, how do you still enforce the 15 yard penalty?

Interesting Fact of the Week (Even if only to me)

Missouri has forced a turnover in 36 straight games.

Under Performance of the Week

Easy - Oklahoma.  And it isn't even close.  Georgia might be some people's answer, but they have 147 injuries, and they lost to an undefeated SEC team.  Texas - they stink.

Last Week's Trivia Answer

The two FBS conferences with three remaining undefeated teams were, and I stress were, the Pac-12 and ACC.  Stanford's loss knocks the Pac-12 out of this neighborhood now.

Trivia Question of the Week

The Georgia-Vanderbilt game can see 3 conference records broken; Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray can break the records for TD Passes and total offense, while Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews can break the record for career receiving yards.  Who currently holds those 3 records, and how many TD passes, total yards and receiving yards do Murray and Matthews need to set the record?

Match up(s) to Watch

5.  Auburn v. Texas A&M - It is time to see if Auburn is actually a good team, or if they are a pretender.  They do have wins against Washington State, Mississippi State and Mississippi, which are all decent teams.

4.  Florida v. Missouri - Thanks to Missouri beating Georgia, Florida has a better chance to win the SEC East, if they can beat the Tigers themselves.  This is the second of three consecutive tough games for the Gators (LSU, Missouri, South Carolina), that could go a long way to determining if this is a good season or a bust for the Gators.  Florida must find some offense to avoid Michael Sam and the Tigers opportunistic defense.

3.  UCF v. Louisville - Central Florida's lone loss was a 3 point squeaker to South Carolina.  Louisville pulled out a close one against Rutgers last week, and this could be the Cardinals' toughest game yet..  UCF's star running back was recruited by some big schools, and actually signed with Miami before transferring to UCF.  Let's see how Charlie Strong's team handles the Knights.

2.  UCLA v. Stanford - This should have been a battle of unbeatens, until Stanford's loss last week to Utah.  UCLA has Rose Bowl aspirations - or at least Pac-12 championship game.  Brett Hundley is one of the hottest players in college football.

1. Florida State v. Clemson - Any questions that this is the game of the week?  Winner sits in third position waiting for Alabama and/or Oregon to slip up.

The Ole College Try

Welcome to the weekly installment of the almost weekly perspective of college football.  As a refresher, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race this early in the season. After all, who knew who Johnny Manziel was at this time last year.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Johnny Manziel - Texas A & M - OK, OK, OK - it is time for me to put Manziel here (and end his brief suspension), especially after that fantastic game against number 1 ranked Alabama.  Football Johnny threw for 464 yards and 5 TDs, and ran for another 98 yards against the vaunted Crimson Tide defense.  On the year Manziel has 11TDs against only 3 interceptions, and is just shy of 1,000 yards.

Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville - A solid, but not stellar performance against Kentucky gives him over 1,000 yards passing on the season, 10 TDs and only 1 interception.  Against the remainder of his schedule those numbers should soar.

A.J. McCarron - Alabama - He threw for 334 yards and 4 TDs - against 0 interceptions - in the game against Texas A & M.  It sure looks like a 3 way race for All-SEC quarterback this year.

Rising - Joe Southwick - Boise State - 27-29 for 287 yards and 1 TD against Air Force.  Almost as interesting of a completion percentage as that of ....

Jameis Winston - Florida State - who has 5 incompletions and 6 TDs on the year.  More TDs than incompletions!  I assume this will not last all year.

Dark Horse - Blake Bell - Oklahoma - 413 yards and 4 TDs in his first start of the season.  Makes you think that perhaps he should have been starting all along, although he is no Lake Bell.

(Still )Falling - Braxton Miller - Ohio State - No MCL, No Heisman.

Running Back Edition

No change this week - why?  Nobody really has taken advantage of the fact that their is a dearth of running backs receiving recognition, and thus it only takes someone to step forward.  Thus, I am keeping this edition the same until someone makes a huge mark.

Favorite - Todd Gurley - Georgia

Rising - De'Anthony Thomas - Oregon

Sleeper - Andre Williams - Boston College

Wide Receiver Edition

Paul Richardson - Colorado - Due to the flooding, the Buffaloes game against Fresno State has been postponed, but Richardson is still posting up huge numbers.  A huge game against Oregon State could put him over the top.

Jordan Matthews - Vanderbilt - He had 8 more catches for 106 yards against South Carolina in a 39-25 defeat.  For the season he has 24 catches for 395 yards.

Rising - Mike Evans - Texas A & M - The 6'5" sophomore turned in a huge performance against Alabama with 7 receptions for 279 yards and a 1 TD.  He was easily Manziel's go-to-receiver in this game.

Defensive Edition

(No change this week, as no defensive player is truly a standout - yet - like T'eo last year, or like Clowney was expected to be. Although I have my eyes on one particular SEC lineman, who will likely rise if he has a solid game this week).

3.  Ik Enempkali - DE - Louisiana Tech - The undersized defensive end leads the NCAAs in sacks, and his name is Ik!

2.  Damante Horton - CB - Washington State - 3 interceptions, tied for the NCAA lead, and like I said last week, and anytime you play defense on a Mike Leach coached team - that is something.

1.  Za'Darius Smith - DE - Kentucky - Tied for the NCAA lead in sacks.

Player to Watch

Sean Mannion - QB - Oregon State - 1237 yards passing and 12 total TDs passing, leading Oregon State to a 2-1 record.  If Oregon State is going to have any chance to beat Oregon or Stanford, or any of the other contenders in the PAC-12, then Mannion will have to keep up his offensive onslaught.

My New Favorite Player Besides Baker Mayfield - the Walk On Freshman

Blake Bell - QB - Oklahoma - If for now other reason than to show another picture of Lake Bell.

Players of the Week

This section will be more week specific as the season goes forward, but for the first week, it is hard to differentiate the players of the week from the players of the season, as the season has only lasted 1 week.

5.  Marcos Mariota - QB - Oregon - See above.

4.  Paul James - RB - Rutgers - 192 yards on 21 rushes for three touchdowns in a 28-10 victory over Eastern Michigan.

3.  A.J. McCarron - See above.

2.  Mike Evans - 279 yards against Alabama!.

1. Johnny Manziel - Football Johnny torched the "vaunted" Alabama defense and thrusted himself back to the top of the Heisman talk.  Will need some work to make the SEC championship game with the loss, though.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

T.J. Yeldon - His money flipping/throat slashing gesture before halftime was incredibly classless, and he utterly fired up the Aggies in a game that looked well in hand for the Tide.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Bo Pellini - Nebraska - Not only do the Cornhuskers get thoroughly annihilated in the second half on their home turf by UCLA, but Pellini's rant from 2011 against Nebraska fans comes public - along with about 14 F-bombs and F-derivative bombs.  Coaches - Just recruit, teach, game plan and coach your teams.  Otherwise - SHUT UP!

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.

Rant(s) of the Week

Rules/Officiating.  A Texas A & M defender (whose name I do not recall), had his helmet pushed off of his head by an Alabama offensive lineman, and because he continued chasing after the running back, received a 15 yard penalty.  Apparently this is exactly the rule, so this was the correct call.  It is a stupid rule, and if a player is dumb enough to continue the play without a helmet, that is his fault.  As for officiating, how do the officials think he lost his helmet - illegal hands to the face perhaps?  Let's get it straight fellas.

Under Performance of the Week

Nebraska - We all know that long-gone are the days of the "Black Shirts" defense, but what we witnessed Saturday - at Nebraska nonetheless was practically inconceivable.  A 31-0 thumping at the hands of UCLA, in just the second half, is the kind of actions that gets coaches fired - either defensive coordinators or head coaches (See Rant).

Last Week's Trivia Answer

Miami Hurricanes Quarterback Brock Berlin.  Interesting because the highly heralded Berlin started at Florida, but then transferred to Miami after he could not beat out Rex Grossman for the starting job.

Trivia Question of the Week

Alabama has won 2 BCS titles in a row, and is currently ranked number 1 in its quest for a third.  What was the last college to win 3 consecutive championships - and what years?

Match up(s) to Watch

Not a very interesting week, as confirmed by ESPN Gameday's choice of heading to defending two-time FCS champion North Dakota State for their broadcast, but that does not mean that some interesting games do not exist.

5.  Savannah State v. Miami - Only to see if Miami covers the 60 point spread.

4.  Louisiana-Monroe v. Baylor ULM and/or ULL always seem to put up one or two big wins against ranked teams.  Baylor is exciting, and unlikely to fall victim to the upset - but  you never know.

3. Arizona State v. Stanford - Oregon and Stanford seem to be on a collision course for the conference championship and possibly even the BCS champhionship, however, Arizona State is one of those teams that can ruin the party for the Cardinals and Ducks.

2.  Auburn v. LSU - Its the battle of the SEC Tigers and the chance to keep pace with Alabama for the SEC West crown.

1. Tennessee v. Florida - Because I am going to be there.