Michigan’s win with less than a minute left “rubbed” Illinois head coach Bret Bielema the wrong way. A controversial offense pass interference non-call has ensured we all see undefeated Michigan play Ohio State this weekend. The Gamecocks put a whooping on #5 Tennessee and eliminated them from the Playoff. With Turkey Day this week, we have some early games, but we should still have an appetizing plate for this Saturday. 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!
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Favorite Storylines
Rhule’ing Nebraska (CJ)
The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule midway through this season after he compiled an 11-27 coaching record over the past two years. This, of course, was after he had a lot of success with Baylor, where he took the Bears from a 1-11 season to an 11-3 contender in just two years. It’s looking like the University of Nebraska will announce soon that Matt Rhule will be the new head coach of the Huskers. He is returning to the college game, where he has shown better results, and this school needs changes as this once-storied college football program has fallen off the rails.
The Huskers haven’t had a winning record or bowl game appearance since 2016 and have not won a conference title since 1999. This program needs an injection for a team that made national headlines when they dropped out of the AP Top 25. Whether Matt Rhule can do that is not a given, especially considering his NFL stint. But he turned Temple and Baylor around, so historically he knows what it takes. We will see if Rhule can turn Nebraska back into a contender…if he gets the gig.
Bowl Games Fairytales (Britt)
The end of the season is beginning to set; some teams play out of their love for the game. Five teams are on the cusp of playing a bowl game; Missouri, Auburn, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, and Miami (FL). They all happen to be underdogs in their games. Missouri has a stout defense with an offense that does just enough. I don’t think Missouri has enough to pull the upset with KJ Jefferson back and healthy Rocket Sanders burning the ground. Auburn gets Alabama, and while Bama isn’t the beast they were, it’s likely too much for Auburn. Alabama has a small path into the playoffs, which will keep them from letting their foot off the gas. Michigan State takes on Penn State; this should be an interesting game. With Singletary banged up, the Nittany Lions will lean on Kaytron Allen to help seal the game. This likely is too much for Michigan State to create magic.
Vanderbilt coming off of a few hot wins has built such exciting momentum. They also take on a Hendon Hooker-less Tennessee. Joe Milton is capable, but Vanderbilt has chaos on their side and could get the birth into a bow game. Miami takes on Pittsburgh, which has been a volatile team. Sadly this is not a fairytale story for Miami to get into a bowl game.
Player Spotlights
Quarterbacks
Cam Ward (SO – Washington State) 6-2, 220
Cameron Ward had a respectable season in his first year in FBS. After leading Incarnate Word to a Southland Conference Championship in FCS last year and being a Walter Payton finalist (FCS Heisman equivalent), Ward transferred to Wazzu and has been lighting it up. He has led the Cougars to a 7-4 record and an opportunity this weekend to play spoiler to their biggest rival, Washington. This weekend Ward leads the Cougars into the Apple Cup, where they will attempt to take down the 9-2, 13th-ranked Huskies in Pullman. Ward has a nice TD-INT ratio this year of 21:8, to go along with 2,772 passing yards. Washington does not have the most stout defense, as they have allowed at least 21 points to opponents in 8 of the 11 games this season. I don’t think the stage will be too big for Ward as they enter their final and biggest game of the season.
Running Backs
Kaytron Allen (FR – Penn State) 5-11, 201
Allen, the freshman from IMG Academy, has done a great job running the ball this year for the Nittany lions. Almost to the point where he was supposed to be Nicholas Singleton‘s backup but forced his way into a two-headed committee. On the season, Allen has 748 rushing yards with 9 TDs. He has out carried Singleton 138-135 and has just one less TD than him. He has also added 14 catches for 148 yards and a TD. Last week against Ruthers, he turned 11 carries into 117 rushing yards and a TD. The future is bright for Penn State with Allen and QB Drew Allar (if they ever start him). They finish their season against Sparty this week but are currently 11th in the latest CFP rankings, with their only losses of the year coming by way of #2 Ohio State and #3 Michigan. We should hopefully see Kaytron do his thing in a New Years Six bowl game.
Wide Receivers
Rome Odunze (SO – Washington) 6-3, 201
With all the talent at USC, Oregon, and UCLA, Rome Odunze has quietly been one of the best receivers in the Pac-12. He currently has the 2nd most receptions and the third most receiving yards in the conference, and if he can reel in at least 69 yards in the Apple Cup this Saturday night, he can add being a 1,000-yard receiver to his resume. This season he became the first Husky wide receiver in history to have four consecutive games receiving at least 100 yards. Washington currently has the #1 passing offense in the nation, and Odunze is their leading receiver. He averages 14.3 yards per catch and has wheels that can burn the secondary once he gets out in the open. Don’t be surprised if he is targeted early and often as the Huskies try to bring the Apple Cup back to Seattle.
Tight Ends
Cameron Latu (SR- Alabama) 6-5, 244
Last season, Cameron Latu set the record for most receiving TDs by a tight end in school history with his eight TDs. He came back for his Senior Season because who wouldn’t want another season to catch passes from Heisman-winning QB Bryce Young? This season though, Latu got off to a very slow start. In his first five games, he had 11 catches for 116 yards. But over his last four games, he has picked his production up by having 13 catches for 189 yards. He has the 10th most catches by a tight end in the nation and is being targeted at a much higher rate over the past month of the season. I expect him to be used in this week’s Iron Bowl, as Alabama needs to make a statement to the CFP committee if they can sneak in.
Game Of The Week
#2 Ohio State (-8) vs. #3 Michigan (CJ)
Is there any other game to preview this weekend? Maybe, but this one will have the most eyes on it, and it carries with it the biggest implications. John Harbaugh and the Khaki Pants Army will travel to Columbus for “The Game” this weekend, and #2 and #3 will duke it out for a chance at a CFP. Even though there is still the Big Ten Championship Game, I don’t think Purdue or Minnesota is a threat to upset either of these teams. Michigan boasts the best defense in the nation, allowing opponents a meager 241/3 yards per game. Ohio State also has a decent defense ranked 9th in the nation, but their offense is their money maker. The Buckeyes rank 1st in yards per play, 2nd in TDs scored, and have the 8th overall best defense in FBS. Behind the arm of NFL hopeful QB C.J. Stroud and a bevy of talented wide receivers, Ohio State will look to feed off the home crowd’s energy and send Michigan to a New Year Six.
Michigan has one of the best running backs in the nation Blake Corum. He has 1,457 rushing yards to go along with 18 rushing TDs. He is 4th in the nation in rushing yards and 2nd in the nation in rushing TDs, and Ohio State gives up over 107 rushing yards per game. After a bit of a wonky start where the Wolverines were swapping QBs to start games, they have finally settled on J.J. McCarthy, who has 1,952 passing yards and a 14:2 TD-INT ratio. Both Ohio State running backs have been nicked up recently, with Miyan Williams and TreyVeon Henderson missing multiple games.
Ohio State is 17-3 over their last 20 games, but Michigan beat them at home last season 44-27. Michigan has not had back-to-back wins against OSU since 1999-2000. In a series that started in 1897, everyone will have their eyes on this game. The crazy thing is that if this game is close, it is not a foregone conclusion that the loser will be eliminated from CFP contention. Both are undefeated, and we have not yet seen a 2-loss team make the CFP. So with a lot of help, the loser of this game could still get in. It should be fun to watch!
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