It’s not often that Alabama scores 49 points…and loses. Tennessee took care of business at home and beat the Tide while vaulting themselves from #6 to #3 this week. Can the Tide right the ship at home against Mike Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs? We will see. Also this week, Lincoln Riley took his first loss as USC head coach as they lost at Utah on a 2-pt conversion with less than a minute left. Lots of good games around the nation this week, so buckle in! As always, CJ Lang and Britt Sanders will guide you this college football season through all the storylines, player profiles, and game previews you will need. Enjoy!
Favorite Storylines
A Brief Moment of Parody
For the first time in a while, all five power conferences are represented in the AP Top 25’s Top 10. For the SEC, Georgia is the overall number 1, and Tennessee comes in at number three. Bama and Ole Miss come in at 6 and 7, respectively. In the Big Ten, Ohio State and Michigan are ranked 2 and 4. Clemson represents the ACC at number five, and TCU represents the Big 12 at eight. The Pac-12’s UCLA and Oregon round out the top 10.
With Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC and USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten, we will probably not see this sort of parody much in the future. I think some people make a case that teams will beat each other in those divisions, but the strength of the schedule will always remain a significant factor. It’s great for college football fans around the nation to see their teams highly ranked halfway through the year because it gives them that outside opportunity to think that maybe they’ll make the CFP. Going into this year, you probably would not believe that Ole Miss and TCU would be banging on the door of the CFP, but here they are seven weeks in, undefeated and on the way up.
We know that Ohio State and Michigan will play each other, and you have to assume that the loser of that game would be out of the CFP, but would TCU or UCLA’s strength of schedule be enough to vault them over one of those teams or even a one-loss SEC team? If there’s one thing we can guarantee near the end of the college football season, it’s hurt feelings. So let’s enjoy that we have the parody this week and worry about the rest then.
Is Chip Kelly back?
UCLA went from an overlooked program beating up on lower-tier schools to smashing pumpkins overnight. In the last three weeks, UCLA has beaten #21 Washington and #11 Utah. This means since playing actual competition, UCLA has been playing lights out. Most of this is because of their recent transfer of Zach Charbonnet and Jake Bobo. While also having that signature Kelly twist to the offense. They just had their bye as Kelly and the Bruins take on his old love, Oregon. While I expect Kelly to bring out everything from the woodwork, this will provide a great litmus test for both teams. Most notably for me, is Chip Kelly back? After flaming out in the NFL and sulking back to college with his tail between his legs. Are we finally seeing what many have been expecting from UCLA since his hiring? The narratives will run wild and firm with this matchup, but I am excited to see how Kelly plans to attack this revamped offense and if this is not just a stroke of luck for his program.
Player Spotlights
Quarterbacks
Kyle Vantrease (SR – Georgia Southern) 6-3, 220
Georgia Southern is no longer a triple-option team. Kyle Vantrease, the graduate from Buffalo, leads the NCAA in pass attempts with 347. He is second in the nation in pass completions and passing yards, but he also leads in interceptions. The three-star quarterback out of Ohio in the 2017 class has thrown for at least 284 yards in every game this season except one. Last week against undefeated and 25th-ranked James Madison, he went 38 of 64 for 578 yards and four TDs. He has over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season, but as I mentioned also leads FBS with 12 interceptions. A three-year starter at Buffalo, he never threw for more than 1,800 yards in any of his three seasons, nor did he ever throw for more than eight touchdowns. He also went into Lincoln, Nebraska, during Week two and threw for over 400 yards in a huge win for the school over a Power 5 opponent. Georgia Southern will continue its march towards a Sun Belt championship title appearance when they travel to Old Dominion to take on the first-place Monarchs.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (SR – UCLA) 6-1, 205
A kid who was once written off as an NFL prospect may be making a pushback into the conversation. A dual-ability quarterback is a threat on the ground as through the air. This season he is averaging 5.5 yards per carry (this includes sack yards). He also has an adjusted yard per attempt of 10.6. He is stacking a better year compared to a good year last year. Having a touchdown to interception ratio of 38:8. We have seen quarterbacks in the past have an excellent season and become a top 10 NFL draft pick in the next draft. This is based on that Thompson-Robinson is building two good seasons on top of a prolific rushing attack. This week, Thompson-Robinson will be facing Oregon’s defense, which allows 410 yards per game and 31.8 points per game. If Thompson-Robinson can continue this run throughout the season, we may see his name called on the first day of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Running Backs
Israeli Abanikanda (JR – Pittsburgh) 5-11, 215
Israeli Abanikanda was one of my sleepers from the preseason. Primarily due to his excellent dynamic abilities as a weapon through the air and ground. This season he is averaging 6.4 yards on the ground and 14.8 yards through the air. He has a stranglehold on that position and is not forecasted to relinquish that spot anytime soon. In a very deep running back class, Abanikanda tops out around RB 6-7 in the class for me. This leads me to believe he will return for his senior year to get better draft capital in a less prolific running back class, especially if the team guarantees him the lead-back role his senior year. Louisville’s defense is average and should lead to some high-impact plays from Abanikanda. He and Lousiville QB Malik Cunningham should make for an electric night through the ground.
Christopher Rodriguez (SR – Kentucky) 5-11, 224
Christopher Rodriguez was a three-star Prospect in the 2018 class coming out of Georgia. He finally got consistent playing time in the 2020 covid year, where you at over 780 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season; playing in all 13 games, he had over 1,300 yards for ten touchdowns. Rodriguez had been suspended for the first four games of the year due to an off-the-field situation this summer in his first game back three weeks ago against Ole Miss, where he had 72 yards and a touchdown. He has done much better running the ball in the last two weeks. Against South Carolina, he had 126 rushing yards with a 5.7 yards-per-carry average, and last week in a big win against Mississippi State, he had 197 yards and two touchdowns with a 6.4 yards-per-carry average. After this week’s open date, Kentucky plays the number 3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers on the road. Last week in a win against Alabama, Tennessee gave up 103 rushing yards to Jahmyr Gibbs, but Gibbs is also one of the top 5 backs in the nation. So take that for what it’s worth, but Tennessee can be susceptible to the run as they gave up 154 rushing yards to pit in week 2. Kentucky will need Rodriguez and the entire offense to be clicking on all cylinders if they want to walk out of Knoxville with a win.
Wide Receivers
Mario Williams (SO – USC) 5-9, 186
Jordan Addison suffered what many assumed was a season-ending injury this last weekend, sending both USC fans and Devy/C2C managers into a frenzy, theorizing what could have happened. According to Lincoln Riley, Addison is day-to-day with his injury. While that’s a huge relief, it will allow an opportunity for Mario Williams to show his abilities. He has played exceptionally well as the second receiving option averaging 19 yards per catch, having the second-highest receiving total on the team and a target share of 17 percent. This moment will highlight how project Williams is moving forward as a USC player and an NFL player. If Williams can have an elite game and prove his alpha potential, his profile will rise to a new tier. This week’s matchup won’t offer much of a challenge for Williams but will provide an excellent runway for how he could be an alpha if he exceeds expectations.
Trey Palmer (JR – Nebraska) 6-0, 180
Some college football fans may remember Trey Palmer as the four-star wide receiver out of Louisiana who initially committed and played for the LSU Tigers. After struggling for Targets in 2020 with Kayshon Boutte, Arik Gilbert, and Terrace Marshall Jr., Palmer has high hopes leading into the 2021 season, yet he only had 30 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns. This prompted him to enter the portal and transfer to Nebraska. So far, the move has paid off for him. Palmer currently leads the NCAA in receiving yards, has the 10th most receptions in the nation, and has the fourth most receiving touchdowns in the Big Ten, not to mention he also has the third most yards from scrimmage in the conference. Last week in a loss to Purdue, Palmer had seven receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average of 33.9 yards per catch, and he also added a 60-yard rush. A once-forgotten man in the SEC, he’s now made a name for himself in the Big Ten End with an extra year of eligibility; he could set himself up for the 2024 draft class.
Tight Ends
Ja’Tavion Sanders (SO – Texas) 6-4, 256
The last time I talked about Sanders mainly was speculation and blind hope; it was driving conversation. After seven games, Sanders has shown an affinity to being the king of the safety blanket and challenging situations to move the chains. Texas’s offense is finally starting to fire on all cylinders now that the key components are healthy, and that stands to benefit Sanders even more. In seven games, he totaled 320 yards, an average of 11.4 yards per reception, and five touchdowns. Sanders has a trust factor with quarterbacks, which should help his stock come to the NFL draft. This week Sanders will face a good opponent at Oklahoma State. As one of the few games, film analysts will dive into this game project when discussing Sanders going into the pros. Oklahoma State is a mixture of an above-average defense with a high-flying offense which opens up plenty of opportunities for Texas to move the ball. Of course, Sanders will be in the integral piece.
Games Of The Week
#14 Syracuse vs. #5 Clemson (-13.5)
Clemson hosts Syracuse this weekend in Death Valley, and if you are a bettor, the 13.5-point line should look incredibly juicy to you. These teams are undefeated and share first place in the ACC Atlantic. Clemson is not as lights-out as they have been over the past few years. They’ve kept their opponents in games except for two all season long. They won a hard-fought game against Florida State last week, but the Syracuse team is unlike another team they have faced this season.
Syracuse running back Sean Tucker leads the ACC in rushing this season with 1496 yards, And he also has the seventh most yards from scrimmage in FBS. The star players have to shine in this game because Clemson has scored at least 30 points in every game this season, but Syracuse has the 6th best scoring defense in the nation. They allowed just 13.2 points per game. The one thing that Clemson does have going for them is that quarterback DJU had turned it around from last season when he threw nine touchdown passes and ten interceptions. This year he has 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. This game could go either way, but if Clemson finds a way to stop Sean Tucker at their home field, it will be too much for the Orange to continue their undefeated streak.
#10 Oregon vs. #9 UCLA (+5.5)
In the story about Richard Kelly, UCLA has been on a complete tear this season. Coming off a week to prepare for Oregon’s offense and defense will be an exciting game to pay attention to. This game could decide who plays for the PAC-12 championship. Since Oregon lost to Georgia, they have righted the ship and continue to show why they are still one of the top dogs in the PAC-12-led by an offensive resurrection, mostly from QB Bo Nix not making ill-advised choices and a re-introduction of the passing attack that had been dormant the previous years. They will face their toughest test as they take on UCLA, who had been flying high since defeating Washington and Utah in back-to-back weeks. This game figures to be a high-scoring affair as both teams allow 25 points or higher on average. I lean toward UCLA here, having come off a bye and being hot after defeating two prominent opponents.
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