There were some REALLY close calls as #1 Georgia, #4 FSU, and #19 Colorado were heavily favored to win their games but did not secure victories until late in the second half. #11 Tennessee again kept the losing streak at The Swamp active, going down to the Gators 29-16. And a surprise to most of us who aren’t from Columbia, MO, saw the Mizzou Tigers upset #15 Kansas State. This weekend has an incredible slate of games, including multiple Top 25 matchups. It should be exciting, which is what college football brings us each week. I can’t wait to see what this week brings. Follow along as we guide you through all the storylines, player profiles, and game previews you need this college football season. Enjoy!
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College Football Primer Week 4
Favorite Storylines
Shell Game?
This week, #15 Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa to take on #13 Alabama in a SEC West battle. This will be the first time each team opens up conference play this season, but The Tide doesn’t look like their bulletproof self. They are currently 2-1 and followed up their loss at Texas two weeks ago with a much closer-than-thought win against South Florida.
That game prompted Ole Miss head coach and former Alabama OC Lane Kiffin to publicly say that he believes the Tide made a coaching change after the Texas game. He has seen Alabama’s defense play while he was there and also as the Ole Miss coach, and he is confident that Alabama Defensive Back coach Travaris Robinson is calling plays and not Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele. Kiffin said, “I don’t know what happened after the Texas game, but our guys watching the TV copy and schematically in this last game certainly seems like [Travaris Robinson]’s now calling the defense. We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly for him calling the defense.”
It will be interesting to see if Kiffin’s strategy of watching South Carolina over Alabama film will pay off. Alabama is currently a touchdown favorite.
Orange Crush
In Week 1, the Clemson Tigers lost handily to the Duke Blue Devils. Clemson was one of the teams running for the ACC Conference Title this season, and it doesn’t look too promising for them, yet there is still time. But if I were to ask you what ACC team currently has the #5 scoring offense and the #4 scoring defense in the nation, I bet you would say FSU, North Carolina, or even Miami. But you’d be wrong. The Syracuse Orange would be that team after they are off to a fast 3-0 start this season.
Okay, so they have played Colgate, Western Michigan, and Purdue. You could see how they could be 3-0, but how they do it is impressive. They are outscoring their opponents 148-27, and their 148 Points For leads the ACC. The Orange are led by Mississippi State transfer QB Garrett Shrader, who is in the Top 9 or better in every passing category in the ACC, and he hasn’t even been doing all of his damage through the air. His 266 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns thus far lead the team and are also good for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns in the nation.
Syracuse gets Army at home this weekend before beginning a tough stretch of Clemson and then two road games against #17 UNC and #4 FSU. If the Orange can keep up with their outstanding play on both sides of the ball, they could find themselves in the ACC Title hunt and the conversation for the CFP.
Player Spotlights
Quarterback
Dillon Gabriel (SR – OU) 5-11, 204
OU QB Dillon Gabriel is a transfer from UCF following Caleb William’s departure to USC. OU has had a really good run at QB dating back to Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, and Kyler Murray. Gabriel has been incredibly durable, starting 39 of 41 career games, and has at least one touchdown pass in every game started and, in 33 games, has at least 2 TD passes or more. This season, he has averaged 301 passing yards and 3 TDs in each game. This week, the Sooners travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats, who are coming off a loss to Miami (OH). The Bearcats have given up 197 passing yards per game this season but haven’t played a quarterback of Gabriel’s talent. Gabriel should be able to exploit Cincy’s defense en route to an OU victory.
Running Back
Audric Estime (JR – Notre Dame) 5-11, 227
The addition of Sam Hartman as Notre Dame QB this season after his transfer from Wake Forest has been a great opportunity for Audric Estime’s and the Notre Dame running game to open up. Last season, Estime’ was Notre Dame’s leading rusher with 920 rushing yards and 11 TDs. Over three games this season, he is already halfway to those same numbers. He has 521 rushing yards and 5 TDs. As profiled below, Notre Dame has a tough matchup against Ohio State this weekend. It might be tough sledding for him as Ohio State gives up only 83 rushing yards per game this season. We will see if Hartman can be effective enough to open up the run game.
Wide Receiver
Tahj Washington (SR – USC) 5-10, 175
The leading receiver for USC this season has been Tahj Washington. He originally started his career at Memphis before transferring to USC two years ago. The former three-star recruit out of Texas has 233 receiving yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans this season. He has been their big-play receiver for QB Caleb Williams this season, averaging 3 catches, 75 yards, and 1 TD per game, but also has a great 25 yards per reception. He has had to wait his turn to really become the #1 guy after being the 2nd leading receiver the past two seasons, following Drake London and Jordan Addison. Many people have been comparing him to the Sun God, former USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, for his ability to create separation and turn on the jets after the catch. This week, USC travels to Tempe to take on Arizona State. Arizona State’s defense doesn’t give up a lot of yards; they do give up many points. In their last two games against Oklahoma State and Fresno State, they have been outscored 56-17. I would like to think that Washington should have plenty of opportunities to pad his stats this weekend.
Tight End
Luke Lachey (JR – Iowa) 6-6, 253
If you know the names Dallas Clark, George Kittle, T.J. Hockensen, Noah Fant, and Sam LaPorta, then you know they all have something in common…they were all Iowa tight ends. Lachey is the next in the long line of talented Iowa tight ends. He was named Pre-Season All-Big Ten and currently leads Iowa in receiving with 10 catches and 131 receiving yards. This week, #24 Iowa travels to State College to take on #7 Penn State, who currently has the 16th-ranked defense in the nation. Chances are that Iowa may abandon their running game and take to the air, which could benefit Lachey. Regardless, keep an eye on him as the season progresses.
Games of The Week
#19 Colorado vs. #10 Oregon (-20.5)
Coach Prime has his patchwork team 3-0, following a season where the program he took over went 1-11. They went on the road to #17 TCU in Week 1 and won a shootout. They then had relatively close home game victories vs. rivals Nebraska and Colorado State. This week, Coach Prime travels to Autzen Stadium in Oregon to take on Bo Nix and the #10 Oregon Ducks.
We know both teams can score. Oregon’s QB Bo Nix, the Auburn transfer, and Colorado’s QB Shadeur Sanders, the Jackson State transfer, are Heisman candidates this season. Oregon has the 2nd-ranked scoring offense in the nation, and it’s not just through the air; Oregon has a Top 20 rushing attack averaging over 200 rushing yards per game. Colorado QB Sanders has the 2nd-most passing yards in the nation (1,254) behind Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr. Still, I think the deciding factor could be the defense and probably the reason why Oregon is a 20-point favorite. Oregon’s defense is currently ranked 30th in the nation, while Colorado has the 9th-worst defense in the country, ranking #122 and giving up over 460 yards per game.
It has been fun to watch Coach Prime turn the program around and the hype following the team, but I think the Ducks’ offense and the atmosphere in Oregon might be too much for the Buffs to overcome. Their defense will need to play lights out and win the turnover battle to have the game close, but it’s “never say never.” This will be a good litmus test for the Buffs against a big-time program as they battle #5 USC next week at home.
#6 Ohio State (-3) vs. #9 Notre Dame
Once again, Ohio State is a spoil of riches. They have future 1st-round picks WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. and RB TreVeyon Henderson, along with other elite athletes like WRs Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, and TE Cade Stover. If new QB Kyle McCord, the 4-star and 8th-ranked QB recruit in the 2021 class, can figure it out, then this team could go straight to the moon. But their biggest test thus far will be this Saturday against a tough Notre Dame team. Both teams come in undefeated, just off of blowout wins against Western Kentucky and Central Michigan.
After a few years of unstable QB play, Wake Forest transfer QB Sam Hartman is just what the Irish needed. He currently has 13 TDs and zero INTS on the season. He has the 5th-most passing yards in the nation and is Top 5 in almost all passing categories. On the other sideline, after throwing just 58 passes in his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, QB Kyle McCord is getting his chance to start following previous QB C.J. Stroud getting drafted #2 overall in last year’s NFL draft. So far, he has been efficient but not outstanding, but as he gains control of the offense, his confidence will grow, and they will open up the playbook, and this team will be even more scary.
Right now, Ohio State is a 3-point favorite on the road, but if you follow betting, OSU is 1-2 against the spread (ATS) this season, and Notre Dame is 3-1 ATS. Fun fact: Notre Dame has never beaten Ohio State at Notre Dame. The last time Notre Dame defeated Ohio State was 1936. But that may be skewed as they have only played five times since 1936, with Ohio State winning all those games. It will be a fun game to watch, but I think the talent on Ohio State’s side will be too much and the Buckeyes cover.
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