Well, I have to say that this past weekend of college football was amazing. I watched Iowa crush Ohio State. Words I thought I would never type. On the first play of the game, J.T. Barrett through a pick six to give Iowa an early 7-0 advantage. The teams traded scores and were deadlocked at 17, when Iowa was forced to punt, the first punt of the game. That's when I thought the Buckeyes would shift the momentum and take the game over, but the opposite happened. Iowa took a 31-17 lead into the half, and the defense had a great third quarter, shutting Barrett and the offense down. Josh Jackson intercepted three Barrett passes on the day, and the Hawks rolled 55-24. I wasn't surprised that Iowa won, but I was, and still am shocked by the score. It did kind of put a damper on the Big 10's chances at the college football playoff, especially with Penn State losing later on to Michigan State. Wisconsin has the best chance of any conference team now, but they play their toughest test of the season this week when Iowa comes to town. We'll see how it all shakes out.
Top 25
1-Alabama 9-0
2-Georgia 9-0
3-Notre Dame 8-1
4-Wisconsin 9-0
5-Miami 8-0
6-Clemson 8-1
7-Oklahoma 8-1
8-TCU 8-1
9-Washington 8-1
10-Auburn 7-2
11-Michigan State 7-2
12-Ohio State 7-2
13-Oklahoma State 7-2
14-USC 8-2
15-UCF 8-0
16-Penn State 7-2
17-Virginia Tech 7-2
18-Washington State 8-2
19-Memphis 8-1
20-Michigan 7-2
21-USF 8-1
22-Iowa 6-3
23-Iowa State 6-3
24-Mississippi State 7-2
25-West Virginia 6-3
Top Games of the Week
Last week was my worst of the season for predictions at 9-6, now I'm at 55-25 for the season. Some great games this weekend! It should really shuffle up the playoff race.
Notre Dame at Miami: Two teams still in the playoff hunt, both ranked in the top 10. Miami hasn't had a tough schedule, they did knock off Va Tech last week.
Notre Dame 21 Miami 17
TCU at Oklahoma: The winner of this game will be in the drivers seat for the Big 12 title, the loser will probably get knocked out of the playoff race, but could still get into the Big 12 title game.
Oklahoma 31 TCU 24
Oklahoma State at Iowa State: The Cyclones lost a tough one on the road last week at West Virginia, while the Cowboys lost a heart-breaker to the Sooners. Ames should be rockin' for this one.
Iowa State 38 Oklahoma State 35
Michigan State at Ohio State: Michigan State has been a surprise team this year, and got a huge win over Penn State last week. They're still in the hunt for the Big 10 title. Ohio State is coming off an embarrassing performance against Iowa, they'll look to bounce back big time.
Ohio State 31 Michigan State 21
Iowa at Wisconsin: The Hawkeyes have a lot of confidence heading into this one, and they have another chance to spoil another team's shot at the playoffs. The road team usually has the edge in this series as of late.
Iowa 17 Wisconsin 13
Washington at Stanford: Washington is the lone Pac 12 team in the playoff hunt, and they have a tough schedule in front of them. It'll be a lot easier if they can get past Bryce Love and Stanford this week.
Washington 24 Stanford 14
Alabama at Mississippi State: Alabama's schedule has been pretty weak, but no one has really given them a challenge at all. Mississippi State probably won't either, another ho-hum win for the Tide.
Alabama 31 Mississippi State 17
Georgia at Auburn: This is going to be one of the best games of the weekend. Even if Georgia loses, they'll have a shot at the playoff, but it won't be easy. Auburn, with two losses, could sneak in to the playoff hunt with late season wins over Georgia and Alabama.
Auburn 24 Georgia 21
Washington State at Utah: Washington State is still in the hunt for a Pac 12 crown, and they've looked pretty good lately, I think they'll roll past Utah.
Washington State 38 Utah 21
Florida State at Clemson: Before the season started, this was one of the best games on the schedule, but Florida State has been a huge bust this year. They do have talent, can they knock off Clemson?
Clemson 27 Florida State 21
Heisman Watch
1-Baker Mayfield QB Sr Oklahoma
2-Saquon Barkley RB Jr Penn State
3-Bryce Love RB Jr Stanford
4-Mason Rudolph QB Sr Oklahoma State
5-Lamar Jackson QB Jr Louisville
Others to watch: J.T. Barrett QB Sr Ohio State, Jonathan Taylor RB Fr Wisconsin, Rashaad Penny RB Sr San Diego State, Josh Adams RB Jr Notre Dame
Mayfield had a huge game against Oklahoma State to move up to number one. Barkley was held in check by Michigan State. Love is still nursing an ankle injury and was held to a season low. Rudolph continues putting up good numbers. Jackson has ridiculous numbers. Barrett dropped after a poor performance against Iowa. Taylor keeps ripping up Big 10 opponents. Penny would be more well known if he weren't in the Mountain West. Adams didn't play much against Wake Forest, but you should see a heavy dose of him against Miami.
Playoff Race
Things got really interesting this past weekend. There are five undefeated teams, and five one-loss teams with a shot at the playoff.
Undefeated:
Miami 8-0 they play Notre Dame this weekend, and will play Clemson in the ACC title game.
UCF 8-0 they still have to play USF and a possible AAC title game. I don't think they'll get in without a quality win.
Wisconsin 9-0 they play Iowa this weekend, and they still play Michigan, and most likely in the Big 10 title game.
Alabama 9-0 they play at Mississippi State and Auburn, plus a potential matchup with Georgia for the SEC title.
Georgia 9-0 they play at Auburn this week and then the SEC title game will be against Alabama or Auburn.
1-Loss:
Clemson 8-1 they play Florida State this weekend and they close the season at South Carolina. They could be playing an undefeated Miami team for the ACC title.
Oklahoma 8-1 they play TCU and West Virginia, both at home, and then possibly the Big 12 title game.
TCU 8-1 at Oklahoma this weekend, and possibly a Big 12 title game.
Notre Dame 8-1 they have two tough road games at Miami and Stanford. They won't have a conference title game.
Washington 8-1 at Stanford, Utah, Washington State, possible Pac 12 title game.
Things change every week, but the way I see it playing out right now, here's my playoff teams:
1-Alabama vs 4-Clemson, 2-Notre Dame vs 3-Oklahoma
Title Game: 1-Alabama vs 3-Oklahoma
Champion: Alabama
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
College Football Week 10
Another week of college football is in the books. October is such a great month, college football, NFL, college wrestling and basketball seasons are right around the corner as well! I didn't get to catch much action on Saturday. I watched Iowa's opening drive against Minnesota. They marched 80 yards on five plays for a quick 7-0 lead, then I had to leave for a comedy show. It's the first Iowa game I've missed all season. I was able to listen to most of it on the drive up though. And I won a comedy contest, even got a trophy! The Hawkeyes got a trophy, too, the Floyd of Rosedale! Iowa was shut down on offense once again, they didn't get much after that first drive. Akrum Wadley was banged up early on and James Butler came back from an injury and wasn't very effective at all. Nate Stanley did hit Noah Fant for a beautiful 45 yard score, which put the Hawks up 14-0. They held on to win 17-10.
I watched part of the Iowa State-TCU game and Oklahoma-Texas Tech. I still can't believe that Iowa State keeps winning. I didn't catch any of the New Mexico game, but they got crushed by Wyoming, turnovers killed them, and they aren't equipped for big come backs. It's been a rough season for Bob Davie, but the Lobos are still in a much better position than they were with Mike Locksley. Here's my top 25 for the week.
Top 25
1-Alabama 8-0
2-Georgia 8-0 I've been tempted to put them at #1 since they have a solid win over ND
3-Ohio State 7-1
4-Wisconsin 9-0
5-Miami 7-0
6-Notre Dame 7-1
7-Oklahoma State 7-1
8-Virginia Tech 7-1
9-Clemson 7-1
10-Oklahoma 7-1
11-Penn State 7-1
12-TCU 7-1
13-Washington 7-1
14-Auburn 6-2
15-Iowa State 6-2
16-UCF 7-0
17-Stanford 6-2
18-USC 7-2
19-Memphis 7-1
20-LSU 6-2
21-Michigan 6-2
22-Michigan State 6-2
23-Arizona 6-2
24-USF 7-1
25-NC State 6-2
Other teams to watch: Boise State 6-2, Washington State 7-2, South Carolina 6-2, Mississippi State 6-2, Toledo 7-1, Army 6-2, San Diego State 6-2, West Virginia 5-3
Top Games of the Week
Last week I was 9-5, 47-19 on the season now.
Clemson at NC State: NC State is coming off a tough loss to Notre Dame, but they still have a shot to win the division. I don't think they will though.
Clemson 34 NC State 24
Virginia Tech at Miami: What a big game here, the winner will most likely take the division and still be in the hunt for the playoff.
Miami 17 Virginia Tech 14
UCF at SMU: UCF is the only unbeaten non power 5 team, but SMU has a pretty solid offense. Could be a tough test.
UCF 38 SMU 31
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: It's Bedlam week in Oklahoma! What a huge game this year, the loser gets knocked out of the playoff hunt, and the winner is set up nicely for a run at the Big 12 title.
Oklahoma State 38 Oklahoma 34
Texas at TCU: TCU only scored seven against Iowa State last week, and Texas' defense is much better than the Cyclones. TCU needs a win to stay in the playoff and conference race.
TCU 17 Texas 13
Iowa State at West Virginia: Iowa State is the best story in college football this year. It's hard to pick against them. I think David Montgomery will have a big game.
Iowa State 31 West Virginia 27
Penn State at Michigan State: Penn State looked like they were well on their way to an undefeated season until the 4th quarter happened Saturday at Ohio State. Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern in triple overtime. Can their defense shut down Penn State?
Penn State 31 Michigan State 21
Ohio State at Iowa: I really don't want this one to be a blowout, and it might not be, but only because it's at Kinnick Stadium. Last year I thought Michigan was going to crush Iowa, and that didn't happen. Lets hope the Hawkeyes keep it close.
Ohio State 24 Iowa 10
Utah State at New Mexico: New Mexico really needs a victory, and I think they will get one here.
New Mexico 31 Utah State 23
Oregon at Washington: I thought Oregon was looking a lot tougher this year, but they've struggled in Pac 12 play. Washington is the only conference team with a shot at the playoff.
Washington 38 Oregon 24
Stanford at Washington State: This is a tough one to predict, especially since I don't know the status of Bryce Love. If he plays, I would pick Stanford, but if not, I would go with Washington State.
Washington State 28 Stanford 24
Arizona at USC: Arizona came out of nowhere and is challenging USC for the division crown, which could be settled this week. Two great young QBs in this one.
USC 38 Arizona 31
LSU at Alabama: Alabama lacks a solid win, and beating LSU, probably doesn't help, even though they are ranked at the moment.
Alabama 38 LSU 21
Auburn at Texas A&M: This could be a blowout as A&M is probably looking ahead to their game against New Mexico. Just kidding. Can A&M hang with Auburn? Maybe for a couple of quarters.
Auburn 31 Texas A&M 17
South Carolina at Georgia: Another game that could help decide a division champion in this game. South Carolina has been a surprise this year, but I don't think they're good enough to hang with Georgia.
Georgia 38 South Carolina 27
Heisman Watch
1-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
vs Ohio State: 21-44-1 4-23 Kr Td
Season: 138-801-9 471 rec yds, 378 kr yds, 1,650 ap yds, 14 td
Hasn't been as effective running the ball, but still making big plays, ran the game's opening kick for a td against the Buckeyes
2-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
did not play vs Oregon State
Season: 135-1,387-11
Missed the last game with an ankle injury, if he misses another game his stock will probably drop a bit
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
vs Penn State: 39-33-328-4-0 17-95
Season: 246-171-2,166-25-1 2,620 total offense
What a performance against Penn State, he's definitely a solid contender now
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
vs Texas Tech: 34-22-281-4-1 6-20-1
Season: 236-171-2,628-23-3 2,818 total offense
5 touchdowns against Texas Tech will certainly help his chances
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
vs West Virginia: 34-20-216-3-1 2-5-1
Season: 276-181-2,866-22-5 2,929 total offense
Didn't have huge numbers in the win against West Virginia, but good enough to stay in the race
Others to watch
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville
vs Wake Forest: 44-27-330-1-1 27-161-3
Season: 326-197-2,808-18-6 163-1,029-14
His team keeps losing, but he's putting up ridiculous numbers once again
Jonathan Taylor Fr RB Wisconsin
vs Illinois: 12-73
Season: 161-1,185-11
Heard he might not play this week, but he's someone to keep an eye on the next couple years
Rashaad Penny Sr RB San Diego State
vs Hawaii: 30-253-2
Season: 209-1,368-12 1,799 ap yds, 15 td
Had a huge game against Hawaii, over 250 on the ground! Won't win the Heisman, but still fun to watch
Playoff Race
ACC:
Clemson 7-1 has good wins against Auburn and Va Tech, bad loss to Syracuse. Still has 11/4 at NC State, 11/11 Florida State, 11/25 at South Carolina.
Miami 7-0 no good wins, but no losses. 11/4 Va Tech, 11/11 Notre Dame The next two weeks are huge for the Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech 7-1 good win West Virginia, lost to Clemson. 11/4 at Miami, 11/11 at Ga Tech.
Big 12:
Oklahoma 7-1 good win at Ohio State, lost to Iowa State. 11/4 at Oklahoma State, 11/11 TCU, 11/25 West Virginia. Defense needs to step up this week to keep them in the race.
TCU 7-1 good wins against Oklahoma State and West Virginia, lost to Iowa State. 11/4 Texas, 11/11 at Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State 7-1 good win against West Virginia, lost to TCU. 11/4 Oklahoma, 11/11 at Iowa State.
Big 10:
Penn State 7-1 good win against Michigan, lost to Ohio State. 11/4 at Mich State.
Ohio State 7-1 good win against Penn State, lost to Oklahoma. 11/4 at Iowa, 11/11 Mich State, 11/25 at Michigan
Wisconsin 8-0 no good wins so far. 11/11 Iowa, 11/18 Michigan.
Ind:
Notre Dame 7-1 good wins against USC and NC State, lost to Georgia. 11/11 at Miami, 11/25 at Stanford. Both of their tough games are on the road.
Pac 12:
Washington 7-1 no good wins, lost to Arizona State. 11/11 at Stanford, 11/25 Washington State.
SEC:
Alabama 8-0 no good wins, no losses. 11/4 LSU, 11/11 at Mississippi State, 11/25 at Auburn.
Georgia 8-0 good wins against Notre Dame and Mississippi State. 11/4 South Carolina, 11/11 at Auburn.
AAC:
UCF 7-0 good win against Navy. 11/4 at SMU 11/25 USF.
My predictions:
Clemson will run the table
Miami will lose to Notre Dame, but beat Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech gets knocked out this week losing to Miami
Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State and is knocked out of the playoff race
TCU loses to Oklahoma to get knocked out of playoff
Oklahoma State wins out
Penn State wins out
Ohio State wins out
Wisconsin loses to Iowa
Notre Dame beats Miami, loses to Stanford
Washington loses to either Stanford or Wash State and gets knocked out
Alabama runs the table
Georgia loses to Auburn, but wins the division
UCF could run the table, but still won't make it
Heading into the conference title games, Clemson, Miami, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Alabama and Georgia are still alive.
ACC: Clemson vs Miami
Big 12: Oklahoma State vs ?
Big 10: Ohio State vs Wisconsin
SEC: Alabama vs Georgia
Playoff
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Clemson
4-Georgia or Penn State? I think they would pick Penn State just to avoid an Alabama-Georgia rematch just weeks apart.
I watched part of the Iowa State-TCU game and Oklahoma-Texas Tech. I still can't believe that Iowa State keeps winning. I didn't catch any of the New Mexico game, but they got crushed by Wyoming, turnovers killed them, and they aren't equipped for big come backs. It's been a rough season for Bob Davie, but the Lobos are still in a much better position than they were with Mike Locksley. Here's my top 25 for the week.
Top 25
1-Alabama 8-0
2-Georgia 8-0 I've been tempted to put them at #1 since they have a solid win over ND
3-Ohio State 7-1
4-Wisconsin 9-0
5-Miami 7-0
6-Notre Dame 7-1
7-Oklahoma State 7-1
8-Virginia Tech 7-1
9-Clemson 7-1
10-Oklahoma 7-1
11-Penn State 7-1
12-TCU 7-1
13-Washington 7-1
14-Auburn 6-2
15-Iowa State 6-2
16-UCF 7-0
17-Stanford 6-2
18-USC 7-2
19-Memphis 7-1
20-LSU 6-2
21-Michigan 6-2
22-Michigan State 6-2
23-Arizona 6-2
24-USF 7-1
25-NC State 6-2
Other teams to watch: Boise State 6-2, Washington State 7-2, South Carolina 6-2, Mississippi State 6-2, Toledo 7-1, Army 6-2, San Diego State 6-2, West Virginia 5-3
Top Games of the Week
Last week I was 9-5, 47-19 on the season now.
Clemson at NC State: NC State is coming off a tough loss to Notre Dame, but they still have a shot to win the division. I don't think they will though.
Clemson 34 NC State 24
Virginia Tech at Miami: What a big game here, the winner will most likely take the division and still be in the hunt for the playoff.
Miami 17 Virginia Tech 14
UCF at SMU: UCF is the only unbeaten non power 5 team, but SMU has a pretty solid offense. Could be a tough test.
UCF 38 SMU 31
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: It's Bedlam week in Oklahoma! What a huge game this year, the loser gets knocked out of the playoff hunt, and the winner is set up nicely for a run at the Big 12 title.
Oklahoma State 38 Oklahoma 34
Texas at TCU: TCU only scored seven against Iowa State last week, and Texas' defense is much better than the Cyclones. TCU needs a win to stay in the playoff and conference race.
TCU 17 Texas 13
Iowa State at West Virginia: Iowa State is the best story in college football this year. It's hard to pick against them. I think David Montgomery will have a big game.
Iowa State 31 West Virginia 27
Penn State at Michigan State: Penn State looked like they were well on their way to an undefeated season until the 4th quarter happened Saturday at Ohio State. Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern in triple overtime. Can their defense shut down Penn State?
Penn State 31 Michigan State 21
Ohio State at Iowa: I really don't want this one to be a blowout, and it might not be, but only because it's at Kinnick Stadium. Last year I thought Michigan was going to crush Iowa, and that didn't happen. Lets hope the Hawkeyes keep it close.
Ohio State 24 Iowa 10
Utah State at New Mexico: New Mexico really needs a victory, and I think they will get one here.
New Mexico 31 Utah State 23
Oregon at Washington: I thought Oregon was looking a lot tougher this year, but they've struggled in Pac 12 play. Washington is the only conference team with a shot at the playoff.
Washington 38 Oregon 24
Stanford at Washington State: This is a tough one to predict, especially since I don't know the status of Bryce Love. If he plays, I would pick Stanford, but if not, I would go with Washington State.
Washington State 28 Stanford 24
Arizona at USC: Arizona came out of nowhere and is challenging USC for the division crown, which could be settled this week. Two great young QBs in this one.
USC 38 Arizona 31
LSU at Alabama: Alabama lacks a solid win, and beating LSU, probably doesn't help, even though they are ranked at the moment.
Alabama 38 LSU 21
Auburn at Texas A&M: This could be a blowout as A&M is probably looking ahead to their game against New Mexico. Just kidding. Can A&M hang with Auburn? Maybe for a couple of quarters.
Auburn 31 Texas A&M 17
South Carolina at Georgia: Another game that could help decide a division champion in this game. South Carolina has been a surprise this year, but I don't think they're good enough to hang with Georgia.
Georgia 38 South Carolina 27
Heisman Watch
1-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
vs Ohio State: 21-44-1 4-23 Kr Td
Season: 138-801-9 471 rec yds, 378 kr yds, 1,650 ap yds, 14 td
Hasn't been as effective running the ball, but still making big plays, ran the game's opening kick for a td against the Buckeyes
2-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
did not play vs Oregon State
Season: 135-1,387-11
Missed the last game with an ankle injury, if he misses another game his stock will probably drop a bit
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
vs Penn State: 39-33-328-4-0 17-95
Season: 246-171-2,166-25-1 2,620 total offense
What a performance against Penn State, he's definitely a solid contender now
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
vs Texas Tech: 34-22-281-4-1 6-20-1
Season: 236-171-2,628-23-3 2,818 total offense
5 touchdowns against Texas Tech will certainly help his chances
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
vs West Virginia: 34-20-216-3-1 2-5-1
Season: 276-181-2,866-22-5 2,929 total offense
Didn't have huge numbers in the win against West Virginia, but good enough to stay in the race
Others to watch
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville
vs Wake Forest: 44-27-330-1-1 27-161-3
Season: 326-197-2,808-18-6 163-1,029-14
His team keeps losing, but he's putting up ridiculous numbers once again
Jonathan Taylor Fr RB Wisconsin
vs Illinois: 12-73
Season: 161-1,185-11
Heard he might not play this week, but he's someone to keep an eye on the next couple years
Rashaad Penny Sr RB San Diego State
vs Hawaii: 30-253-2
Season: 209-1,368-12 1,799 ap yds, 15 td
Had a huge game against Hawaii, over 250 on the ground! Won't win the Heisman, but still fun to watch
Playoff Race
ACC:
Clemson 7-1 has good wins against Auburn and Va Tech, bad loss to Syracuse. Still has 11/4 at NC State, 11/11 Florida State, 11/25 at South Carolina.
Miami 7-0 no good wins, but no losses. 11/4 Va Tech, 11/11 Notre Dame The next two weeks are huge for the Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech 7-1 good win West Virginia, lost to Clemson. 11/4 at Miami, 11/11 at Ga Tech.
Big 12:
Oklahoma 7-1 good win at Ohio State, lost to Iowa State. 11/4 at Oklahoma State, 11/11 TCU, 11/25 West Virginia. Defense needs to step up this week to keep them in the race.
TCU 7-1 good wins against Oklahoma State and West Virginia, lost to Iowa State. 11/4 Texas, 11/11 at Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State 7-1 good win against West Virginia, lost to TCU. 11/4 Oklahoma, 11/11 at Iowa State.
Big 10:
Penn State 7-1 good win against Michigan, lost to Ohio State. 11/4 at Mich State.
Ohio State 7-1 good win against Penn State, lost to Oklahoma. 11/4 at Iowa, 11/11 Mich State, 11/25 at Michigan
Wisconsin 8-0 no good wins so far. 11/11 Iowa, 11/18 Michigan.
Ind:
Notre Dame 7-1 good wins against USC and NC State, lost to Georgia. 11/11 at Miami, 11/25 at Stanford. Both of their tough games are on the road.
Pac 12:
Washington 7-1 no good wins, lost to Arizona State. 11/11 at Stanford, 11/25 Washington State.
SEC:
Alabama 8-0 no good wins, no losses. 11/4 LSU, 11/11 at Mississippi State, 11/25 at Auburn.
Georgia 8-0 good wins against Notre Dame and Mississippi State. 11/4 South Carolina, 11/11 at Auburn.
AAC:
UCF 7-0 good win against Navy. 11/4 at SMU 11/25 USF.
My predictions:
Clemson will run the table
Miami will lose to Notre Dame, but beat Virginia Tech
Oklahoma State wins out
Penn State wins out
Ohio State wins out
Wisconsin loses to Iowa
Alabama runs the table
Georgia loses to Auburn, but wins the division
Heading into the conference title games, Clemson, Miami, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Alabama and Georgia are still alive.
ACC: Clemson vs Miami
Big 12: Oklahoma State vs ?
Big 10: Ohio State vs Wisconsin
SEC: Alabama vs Georgia
Playoff
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Clemson
4-Georgia or Penn State? I think they would pick Penn State just to avoid an Alabama-Georgia rematch just weeks apart.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
College Football Week 9
Well, last Saturday was pretty disappointing. Iowa lost another 17-10 game, this time at Northwestern, in a game where it seemed like they outplayed them most of the day. The offense again looked stale in the second half, they just couldn't get the running game going, and pretty much went away from the deep passes, even though Nate Stanley hit Matt VandeBerg for a beautiful 61 yarder in the first half. Stanley threw for over 180 yards in the first half! Iowa could only come up with 7 points by halftime though, luckily the defense came to play. The defense looked sharp once again, even without Josey Jewell at LB and Brandon Snyder at S. With the offense being so terrible in the second half, it seemed like the defense got worn out as Northwestern picked up the pace a bit. Hopefully, the offense will get it going this week against Minnesota, or it's going to be a long season. I do think Minnesota is a notch below Northwestern though, and Iowa should be able to pull it off. 5-3 heading into the Ohio State and Wisconsin games will be much better than 4-4.
Top 25
1-Alabama 8-0 this week: off
2-Georgia 7-0 this week: vs Florida
3-TCU 7-0 this week: at #25 Iowa State
4-Penn State 7-0 this week: at #7 Ohio State
5-Wisconsin 8-0 this week: at Illinois
6-Miami 6-0 this week: at North Carolina
7-Ohio State 6-1 this week: #4 Penn State
8-USF 7-0 this week: Houston
9-Notre Dame 6-1 this week: #17 NC State
10-Oklahoma State 6-1 this week: at #21 West Virginia
11-Virginia Tech 6-1 this week: Duke
12-Michigan State 6-1 this week: at Northwestern
13-Clemson 6-1 this week: Georgia Tech
14-Washington 6-1 this week: UCLA
15-Washington State 7-1 this week: at Arizona
16-Oklahoma 6-1 this week: Texas Tech
17-NC State 6-1 this week: at #9 Notre Dame
18-Auburn 6-2 this week: off
19-UCF 6-0 this week: Austin Peay
20-Stanford 5-2 this week: at Oregon State
21-West Virginia 5-2 this week: #10 Oklahoma State
22-Memphis 6-1 this week: Tulane
23-USC 6-2 this week: at Arizona State
24-LSU 6-2 this week: off
25-Iowa State 5-2 this week: #3 TCU (it's weird having Iowa State in the rankings)
Other teams to watch
Texas A&M 5-2, Michigan 5-2, Boise State 5-2, South Carolina 5-2, Georgia Tech 4-2, Fresno State 5-2, Arizona 5-2, Mississippi State 5-2, Marshall 6-1, Toledo 6-1, Army 6-2, San Diego State 5-2
Games of the Week
I was 9-2 last week, best week of the year for me, puts me at 38-14 on the season now. Not bad. Quite a few good ones this week, really looking forward to this Saturday.
Georgia Tech at Clemson: Clemson is looking to bounce back after their stunning loss at Syracuse. Georgia Tech will be a solid test, but Clemson should come out on top.
Clemson 35 Georgia Tech 24
NC State at Notre Dame: Notre Dame is a lot better than I expected them to be, they whooped USC. NC State is pretty good, but I don't think they'll hang with the Golden Domers in South Bend.
Notre Dame 31 NC State 21
Texas Tech at Oklahoma: Oklahoma needed a second half rally to knock off Kansas State last week, and Texas Tech got whooped by Iowa State.
Oklahoma 34 Texas Tech 28
TCU at Iowa State: The Cyclones are on a roll right now, unfortunately for them, so is TCU. I think the Cyclones magic will run out this week.
TCU 28 Iowa State 17
Oklahoma State at West Virginia: This could be a very high scoring game, both teams won close contests last weekend. You'll see two of the better WRs in the country in this game, and two of the better QBs.
Oklahoma State 45 West Virginia 38
Penn State at Ohio State: This is a huge game! Not just for the conference standings, but the college football playoff as well. Penn State is on a roll right now, and I just don't think Ohio State can stop them.
Penn State 27 Ohio State 21
Michigan State at Northwestern: Both of teams beat Iowa 17-10, neither one has a dynamic offense, but they can play some defense. Should be a classic Big 10 defensive slugfest.
Michigan State 20 Northwestern 14
Minnesota at Iowa: If Iowa ever needed a win it's definitely this week against the Goophers. If they lose, they'll be at 4-4 with Ohio State and Wisconsin coming up, not good. I think Iowa will bounce back at home, Josey Jewell will be back in the lineup as well. The defense played tough without him, but it's nice having him out there.
Iowa 31 Minnesota 21
New Mexico at Wyoming: I've been to two college football games this year, and I've seen both of these teams in action. New Mexico came up short last week against Colorado State, and has lost two straight. Wyoming lost to Boise State last week, but they have one of the best QBs in the country, Josh Allen, but he has no weapons around him.
New Mexico 24 Wyoming 21
UCLA at Washington: If UCLA can somehow pull this off, I think Josh Rosen will stay in the Heisman race. I don't think they will though.
Washington 34 UCLA 27
Washington State at Arizona: The Cougars bounced back after a disappointing performance against Cal, and Arizona has been on a hot streak lately. They kind of came out of nowhere. This should be a pretty exciting game, two QBs with totally different styles.
Arizona 31 Washington State 28
USC at Arizona State: I pretty much wrote ASU off earlier in the year, especially after barely beating New Mexico State, but they've been surprising much like Arizona. USC got crushed by Notre Dame, and now is fighting for a division title after being knocked out of the playoff hunt.
USC 28 Arizona State 27
Mississippi State at Texas A&M: Texas A&M seems to have gotten on the right track after a rough start to their season. Mississippi State was looking good after beating LSU, but then got crushed by Georgia and Auburn.
Texas A&M 31 Mississippi State 23
Florida vs Georgia: Georgia is really good this year, and Florida has gotten lucky a couple of times, I think this one might be a blowout.
Georgia 38 Florida 14
HEISMAN WATCH
1-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
last week vs Michigan: 15-108-2 3-53-1 kr 1-15
season: 117-757-8 32-448-3 1,478 ap yards, 12 td
2-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
off last week
season: 135-1,387-11 1,406 ap yards, 11 td
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
off last week
season: 207-138-1,838-21-1 2,197 total offense
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
last week vs Kansas State: 41-32-410-2-1 9-69-2
season: 202-149-2,347-19-2 3 rush td 2,517 total offense
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
last week vs Texas: 38-25-282-0-0 -14 yards rushing
season: 242-161-2,650-19-4 6 rush td 2,707 total offense
Others to keep an eye on
Will Grier Jr QB West Virginia
David Sills Jr WR West Virginia
Jonathan Taylor Fr RB Wisconsin
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Lousiville
Josh Rosen Jr QB UCLA
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State
Rashaad Penny Sr RB San Diego State
PLAYOFF RACE
From here on out I'll take a look at the College Football Playoff race as it begins to take shape. Undefeated teams, obviously are in better shape, but there are some one-loss teams, who could be in the mix at the end of the year. I think it could come down to who wins the conference championships in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC this year. Lets take a look at who's still in the race right now.
ACC:
Clemson 6-1
good wins: Auburn, Virginia Tech
loss: Syracuse
they still play GT, at NC St, FSU, Citadel, and at S. Carolina, I could see them running the table to get to the ACC title game.
NC State 6-1
good wins: Florida State and Louisville looked like good wins at the time
loss: South Carolina
they loss to S. Carolina in the season opener, they still play at Notre Dame, Clemson, at Boston College, at Wake Forest and North Carolina. I think they'll lose to Notre Dame this week to knock them out of contention.
Miami 6-0
they don't really have any good wins
no losses
coming up at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia, at Pittsburgh
Miami could run the table with all of their tough games at home, if they do, a matchup with Clemson in the ACC title game could certainly be a winner gets in the playoff situation.
Virginia Tech 6-1
good wins: West Virginia
loss: Clemson
Virginia Tech is still in the hunt, they have Duke, at Miami, at Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and at Virginia
they could definitely run the table if they knock off Miami, and could be 11-1 taking on Clemson in the title game
AAC:
USF 7-0
UCF 6-0
Both teams are long shots, neither of them have a big quality win, and they play each other later in the season, the winner could be undefeated and have a very outside shot of making the playoff.
Big 12:
TCU 7-0
good wins: Oklahoma State, West Virginia
TCU has a really good shot at a playoff spot this year, they play at Iowa State, Texas, at Oklahoma, at Texas Tech, and Baylor. A lot of road games, but they're all winnable. Oklahoma and Iowa State could give them the toughest games, but they could win. Even with a loss to Oklahoma they could still make the Big 12 title game.
Oklahoma 6-1
good win: Ohio State
loss: Iowa State
Since beating Ohio State, Oklahoma hasn't dominated like I thought they would and their schedule doesn't get very easy: Texas Tech, at Oklahoma State, TCU, at Kansas, West Virginia. If they don't get their defense in line, they won't even reach the conference title game.
Oklahoma State 6-1
No really good wins at the moment
loss: TCU
We'll find out how good Oklahoma State is in the next few weeks: at West Virginia, Oklahoma, at Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas. If they can win the next three weeks, then they should certainly be in the playoff race.
Big 10:
Penn State 7-0
good win: Michigan
Penn State steamrolled Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines last week, and now they travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. at Ohio State, at Michigan State, Rutgers, Nebraska, at Maryland. The next two weeks will be big tests for Penn State before three easy ones. A win over Ohio State should get them into the conference title game. A rematch with Wisconsin.
Wisconsin 7-0
The Badgers don't have a solid win on their resume, but they keep winning. I think Iowa could give them a bit of a test, and maybe Michigan. at Illinois, at Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, at Minnesota. They could run the table and meet up with Penn State for a shot at the playoff.
Ohio State 6-1
loss: Oklahoma
Ohio State doesn't have any big wins, but they could get one this week if they knock off Penn State. Penn State, at Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, at Michigan. Several opportunities for quality wins coming up on their schedule. If they can get through all of them with no blemishes, they will be in the playoff hunt.
Michigan State 6-1
good win: Michigan
loss: Notre Dame
The Spartans have had a huge turn around since last season. The schedule doesn't get easy for them though: at Northwestern, Penn State, at Ohio State, Maryland, at Rutgers. I see a couple of losses here which will knock them out of the race. They don't have the offense to hang with Penn State or Ohio State.
Ind:
Notre Dame 6-1
good wins: USC, Michigan State
loss: Georgia
Notre Dame is on a roll right now, and they need to keep the momentum going, they have some really solid teams and Wake Forest on the schedule: NC State, Wake Forest, at Miami, Navy, at Stanford. This is a tough schedule, but the Fighting Irish looks pretty tough this year. They're only loss was to Georgia by one. Road games at Miami and Stanford will be tough though.
Pac 12:
Washington 6-1
loss: Arizona State
Another team with no real quality wins, but they have a couple opportunities coming up so that could change: UCLA, Oregon, at Stanford, Utah, Washington State. Only one road game the rest of the season, it's a tough one though, and the Apple Cup game could determine who plays for the conference title.
Washington State 7-1
good win: USC
loss: Cal
The Cougars are in the same boat as Washington, a pretty tough schedule the rest of the way: at Arizona, Stanford, at Utah, at Washington. It looks like the Pac 12 might be left out this year.
SEC:
Alabama 8-0
No wins against top notch opponents, but they've been destroying everyone. Schedule: LSU, at Miss St, Mercer, at Auburn. I think Auburn will give them a good test. If Auburn ends up beating Georgia and Alabama, they could make it to the SEC title game and leave Alabama out, which would make the playoff pretty interesting.
Georgia 7-0
good win: Notre Dame
Georgia has looked really good thus far, and they have a pretty favorable schedule: Florida, South Carolina, at Auburn, Kentucky, at Georgia Tech. Even with a loss to Auburn they'll make the SEC title game and have a chance at the playoff, in my opinion.
Here are my predictions
I think Clemson runs the table, Miami loses once to Notre Dame and they square off in the ACC title game with Clemson winning
I think Oklahoma wins out, including on the road at Oklahoma State and the following week beating TCU. TCU beats Oklahoma in the rematch in the Big 12 title game.
Penn State and Wisconsin run the table, Penn State wins in the title game.
Alabama runs the table, Georgia loses to Auburn and then Alabama wins the SEC title game.
Playoff
1-Alabama vs 4-TCU
2-Penn State vs 3-Clemson
Championship
1-Alabama vs 3-Clemson
Alabama wins
Top 25
1-Alabama 8-0 this week: off
2-Georgia 7-0 this week: vs Florida
3-TCU 7-0 this week: at #25 Iowa State
4-Penn State 7-0 this week: at #7 Ohio State
5-Wisconsin 8-0 this week: at Illinois
6-Miami 6-0 this week: at North Carolina
7-Ohio State 6-1 this week: #4 Penn State
8-USF 7-0 this week: Houston
9-Notre Dame 6-1 this week: #17 NC State
10-Oklahoma State 6-1 this week: at #21 West Virginia
11-Virginia Tech 6-1 this week: Duke
12-Michigan State 6-1 this week: at Northwestern
13-Clemson 6-1 this week: Georgia Tech
14-Washington 6-1 this week: UCLA
15-Washington State 7-1 this week: at Arizona
16-Oklahoma 6-1 this week: Texas Tech
17-NC State 6-1 this week: at #9 Notre Dame
18-Auburn 6-2 this week: off
19-UCF 6-0 this week: Austin Peay
20-Stanford 5-2 this week: at Oregon State
21-West Virginia 5-2 this week: #10 Oklahoma State
22-Memphis 6-1 this week: Tulane
23-USC 6-2 this week: at Arizona State
24-LSU 6-2 this week: off
25-Iowa State 5-2 this week: #3 TCU (it's weird having Iowa State in the rankings)
Other teams to watch
Texas A&M 5-2, Michigan 5-2, Boise State 5-2, South Carolina 5-2, Georgia Tech 4-2, Fresno State 5-2, Arizona 5-2, Mississippi State 5-2, Marshall 6-1, Toledo 6-1, Army 6-2, San Diego State 5-2
Games of the Week
I was 9-2 last week, best week of the year for me, puts me at 38-14 on the season now. Not bad. Quite a few good ones this week, really looking forward to this Saturday.
Georgia Tech at Clemson: Clemson is looking to bounce back after their stunning loss at Syracuse. Georgia Tech will be a solid test, but Clemson should come out on top.
Clemson 35 Georgia Tech 24
NC State at Notre Dame: Notre Dame is a lot better than I expected them to be, they whooped USC. NC State is pretty good, but I don't think they'll hang with the Golden Domers in South Bend.
Notre Dame 31 NC State 21
Texas Tech at Oklahoma: Oklahoma needed a second half rally to knock off Kansas State last week, and Texas Tech got whooped by Iowa State.
Oklahoma 34 Texas Tech 28
TCU at Iowa State: The Cyclones are on a roll right now, unfortunately for them, so is TCU. I think the Cyclones magic will run out this week.
TCU 28 Iowa State 17
Oklahoma State at West Virginia: This could be a very high scoring game, both teams won close contests last weekend. You'll see two of the better WRs in the country in this game, and two of the better QBs.
Oklahoma State 45 West Virginia 38
Penn State at Ohio State: This is a huge game! Not just for the conference standings, but the college football playoff as well. Penn State is on a roll right now, and I just don't think Ohio State can stop them.
Penn State 27 Ohio State 21
Michigan State at Northwestern: Both of teams beat Iowa 17-10, neither one has a dynamic offense, but they can play some defense. Should be a classic Big 10 defensive slugfest.
Michigan State 20 Northwestern 14
Minnesota at Iowa: If Iowa ever needed a win it's definitely this week against the Goophers. If they lose, they'll be at 4-4 with Ohio State and Wisconsin coming up, not good. I think Iowa will bounce back at home, Josey Jewell will be back in the lineup as well. The defense played tough without him, but it's nice having him out there.
Iowa 31 Minnesota 21
New Mexico at Wyoming: I've been to two college football games this year, and I've seen both of these teams in action. New Mexico came up short last week against Colorado State, and has lost two straight. Wyoming lost to Boise State last week, but they have one of the best QBs in the country, Josh Allen, but he has no weapons around him.
New Mexico 24 Wyoming 21
UCLA at Washington: If UCLA can somehow pull this off, I think Josh Rosen will stay in the Heisman race. I don't think they will though.
Washington 34 UCLA 27
Washington State at Arizona: The Cougars bounced back after a disappointing performance against Cal, and Arizona has been on a hot streak lately. They kind of came out of nowhere. This should be a pretty exciting game, two QBs with totally different styles.
Arizona 31 Washington State 28
USC at Arizona State: I pretty much wrote ASU off earlier in the year, especially after barely beating New Mexico State, but they've been surprising much like Arizona. USC got crushed by Notre Dame, and now is fighting for a division title after being knocked out of the playoff hunt.
USC 28 Arizona State 27
Mississippi State at Texas A&M: Texas A&M seems to have gotten on the right track after a rough start to their season. Mississippi State was looking good after beating LSU, but then got crushed by Georgia and Auburn.
Texas A&M 31 Mississippi State 23
Florida vs Georgia: Georgia is really good this year, and Florida has gotten lucky a couple of times, I think this one might be a blowout.
Georgia 38 Florida 14
HEISMAN WATCH
1-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
last week vs Michigan: 15-108-2 3-53-1 kr 1-15
season: 117-757-8 32-448-3 1,478 ap yards, 12 td
2-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
off last week
season: 135-1,387-11 1,406 ap yards, 11 td
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
off last week
season: 207-138-1,838-21-1 2,197 total offense
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
last week vs Kansas State: 41-32-410-2-1 9-69-2
season: 202-149-2,347-19-2 3 rush td 2,517 total offense
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
last week vs Texas: 38-25-282-0-0 -14 yards rushing
season: 242-161-2,650-19-4 6 rush td 2,707 total offense
Others to keep an eye on
Will Grier Jr QB West Virginia
David Sills Jr WR West Virginia
Jonathan Taylor Fr RB Wisconsin
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Lousiville
Josh Rosen Jr QB UCLA
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State
Rashaad Penny Sr RB San Diego State
PLAYOFF RACE
From here on out I'll take a look at the College Football Playoff race as it begins to take shape. Undefeated teams, obviously are in better shape, but there are some one-loss teams, who could be in the mix at the end of the year. I think it could come down to who wins the conference championships in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC this year. Lets take a look at who's still in the race right now.
ACC:
Clemson 6-1
good wins: Auburn, Virginia Tech
loss: Syracuse
they still play GT, at NC St, FSU, Citadel, and at S. Carolina, I could see them running the table to get to the ACC title game.
NC State 6-1
good wins: Florida State and Louisville looked like good wins at the time
loss: South Carolina
they loss to S. Carolina in the season opener, they still play at Notre Dame, Clemson, at Boston College, at Wake Forest and North Carolina. I think they'll lose to Notre Dame this week to knock them out of contention.
Miami 6-0
they don't really have any good wins
no losses
coming up at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia, at Pittsburgh
Miami could run the table with all of their tough games at home, if they do, a matchup with Clemson in the ACC title game could certainly be a winner gets in the playoff situation.
Virginia Tech 6-1
good wins: West Virginia
loss: Clemson
Virginia Tech is still in the hunt, they have Duke, at Miami, at Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and at Virginia
they could definitely run the table if they knock off Miami, and could be 11-1 taking on Clemson in the title game
AAC:
USF 7-0
UCF 6-0
Both teams are long shots, neither of them have a big quality win, and they play each other later in the season, the winner could be undefeated and have a very outside shot of making the playoff.
Big 12:
TCU 7-0
good wins: Oklahoma State, West Virginia
TCU has a really good shot at a playoff spot this year, they play at Iowa State, Texas, at Oklahoma, at Texas Tech, and Baylor. A lot of road games, but they're all winnable. Oklahoma and Iowa State could give them the toughest games, but they could win. Even with a loss to Oklahoma they could still make the Big 12 title game.
Oklahoma 6-1
good win: Ohio State
loss: Iowa State
Since beating Ohio State, Oklahoma hasn't dominated like I thought they would and their schedule doesn't get very easy: Texas Tech, at Oklahoma State, TCU, at Kansas, West Virginia. If they don't get their defense in line, they won't even reach the conference title game.
Oklahoma State 6-1
No really good wins at the moment
loss: TCU
We'll find out how good Oklahoma State is in the next few weeks: at West Virginia, Oklahoma, at Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas. If they can win the next three weeks, then they should certainly be in the playoff race.
Big 10:
Penn State 7-0
good win: Michigan
Penn State steamrolled Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines last week, and now they travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. at Ohio State, at Michigan State, Rutgers, Nebraska, at Maryland. The next two weeks will be big tests for Penn State before three easy ones. A win over Ohio State should get them into the conference title game. A rematch with Wisconsin.
Wisconsin 7-0
The Badgers don't have a solid win on their resume, but they keep winning. I think Iowa could give them a bit of a test, and maybe Michigan. at Illinois, at Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, at Minnesota. They could run the table and meet up with Penn State for a shot at the playoff.
Ohio State 6-1
loss: Oklahoma
Ohio State doesn't have any big wins, but they could get one this week if they knock off Penn State. Penn State, at Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, at Michigan. Several opportunities for quality wins coming up on their schedule. If they can get through all of them with no blemishes, they will be in the playoff hunt.
Michigan State 6-1
good win: Michigan
loss: Notre Dame
The Spartans have had a huge turn around since last season. The schedule doesn't get easy for them though: at Northwestern, Penn State, at Ohio State, Maryland, at Rutgers. I see a couple of losses here which will knock them out of the race. They don't have the offense to hang with Penn State or Ohio State.
Ind:
Notre Dame 6-1
good wins: USC, Michigan State
loss: Georgia
Notre Dame is on a roll right now, and they need to keep the momentum going, they have some really solid teams and Wake Forest on the schedule: NC State, Wake Forest, at Miami, Navy, at Stanford. This is a tough schedule, but the Fighting Irish looks pretty tough this year. They're only loss was to Georgia by one. Road games at Miami and Stanford will be tough though.
Pac 12:
Washington 6-1
loss: Arizona State
Another team with no real quality wins, but they have a couple opportunities coming up so that could change: UCLA, Oregon, at Stanford, Utah, Washington State. Only one road game the rest of the season, it's a tough one though, and the Apple Cup game could determine who plays for the conference title.
Washington State 7-1
good win: USC
loss: Cal
The Cougars are in the same boat as Washington, a pretty tough schedule the rest of the way: at Arizona, Stanford, at Utah, at Washington. It looks like the Pac 12 might be left out this year.
SEC:
Alabama 8-0
No wins against top notch opponents, but they've been destroying everyone. Schedule: LSU, at Miss St, Mercer, at Auburn. I think Auburn will give them a good test. If Auburn ends up beating Georgia and Alabama, they could make it to the SEC title game and leave Alabama out, which would make the playoff pretty interesting.
Georgia 7-0
good win: Notre Dame
Georgia has looked really good thus far, and they have a pretty favorable schedule: Florida, South Carolina, at Auburn, Kentucky, at Georgia Tech. Even with a loss to Auburn they'll make the SEC title game and have a chance at the playoff, in my opinion.
Here are my predictions
I think Clemson runs the table, Miami loses once to Notre Dame and they square off in the ACC title game with Clemson winning
I think Oklahoma wins out, including on the road at Oklahoma State and the following week beating TCU. TCU beats Oklahoma in the rematch in the Big 12 title game.
Penn State and Wisconsin run the table, Penn State wins in the title game.
Alabama runs the table, Georgia loses to Auburn and then Alabama wins the SEC title game.
Playoff
1-Alabama vs 4-TCU
2-Penn State vs 3-Clemson
Championship
1-Alabama vs 3-Clemson
Alabama wins
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
College Football Week 8
Some crazy upsets this past week in college football, definitely didn't see Syracuse knocking off Clemson, or Cal crushing Washington State. Pretty surprised that LSU beat Auburn, too. Iowa had a bye week, they travel to Northwestern this Saturday. The Wildcats are coming off of a big win over Maryland and should give the Hawkeyes a tough game. I could see Iowa losing a close one. New Mexico got their asses whooped at Fresno, that was kind of a shock to me, the Lobos don't seem as good as they have the past couple of years, but I didn't see that coming at all. Fresno is much improved. I watched most of the Oklahoma-Texas game, what a great one! Texas has a solid young QB.
Here's my new top 25 for the week, I don't understand how Clemson is ranked number seven in the AP poll after losing to Syracuse, I know they have some solid wins, but that's pretty ridiculous.
1-Alabama 7-0 this week: vs Tennessee
2-Georgia 7-0 this week: off
3-TCU 6-0 this week: vs Kansas
4-Penn State 6-0 this week: vs Michigan
5-Wisconsin 7-0 this week: vs Maryland
6-Miami 5-0 this week: vs Syracuse
7-Ohio State 6-1 this week: off
8-USF 6-0 this week: at Tulane
9-Oklahoma State 5-1 this week: at Texas
10-Virginia Tech 5-1 this week: vs North Carolina
11-USC 6-1 this week: at Notre Dame
12-Notre Dame 5-1 this week: vs USC
13-Michigan State 5-1 this week: vs Indiana
14-Michigan 5-1 this week: at Penn State
15-Clemson 6-1 this week: off
16-Washington 6-1 this week: off
17-Washington State 6-1 this week: vs Colorado
18-Oklahoma 5-1 this week: at Kansas State
19-NC State 6-1 this week: off
20-Auburn 5-2 this week: at Arkansas
21-UCF 5-0 this week: at Navy
22-Stanford 5-2 this week: off
23-West Virginia 4-2 this week: at Baylor
24-Memphis 5-1 this week: at Houston
25-LSU 5-2 this week: at Ole Miss
teams to watch: Kentucky 5-1, Iowa State 4-2, Iowa 4-2, Virginia 5-1, Boise State 4-2, San Diego State 5-1, Texas A&M 5-2, Navy 5-1, Utah 4-2, South Carolina 5-2, Texas Tech 4-2
Heisman Watch
1-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
135-1,387-11 1,406 ap yards
Still having a great season, over 10 yards per carry
2-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
102-649-6 1,302 ap yards 9 td
Had the week off, needs a big week against Michigan to stay up here
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
207-138-1,838-21-1 2,197 total off
He's on a roll right now, had to move him up
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
161-117-1m937-17-1 2,038 total off
Led the Sooners to a win over Texas, stays in the race
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
204-136-2,368-19-4 2,439 total off
Another big game last week for Rudolph
Others to watch
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville trending down a bit with their 3rd loss
Nic Shimonek Sr QB Texas Tech putting up big numbers, needs to keep that up
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State 5 interceptions and 0 touchdowns last week
James Washington Sr WR Oklahoma State more touchdowns and he would be in the race
David Sills Jr West Virginia has 12 touchdowns, if West Virginia could pull a big upset, he might get in the race
Big Games of the Week
Last week I was 7-4, my worst week so far, I'm 29-12 this year. Got some good games on the slate this week.
Louisville at Florida State: Both of these teams desperately need a victory, should be an exciting game.
Florida State 31 Louisville 28
UCF at Navy: UCF is undefeated, Navy suffered their first loss last week to Memphis.
UCF 27 Navy 20
Memphis at Houston: Memphis cracked the top 25 this week, Houston got beat at Tulsa, what an embarrassing loss, will they bounce back?
Memphis 35 Houston 27
Oklahoma at Kansas State: This could be a very close game, especially at Kansas State, I think Oklahoma will carry the momentum from the Texas game over to this one.
Oklahoma 31 Kansas State 24
Iowa State at Texas Tech: The Cyclones destroyed Kansas 45-0 last week, and they crushed Tech last year in Ames. Tech is coming off a disappointing loss to West Virginia, where they held a big lead and lost it.
Texas Tech 38 Iowa State 31
Oklahoma State at Texas: A lot of good Big 12 games this weekend as teams jockey for position in the standings. Should be a good QB battle.
Oklahoma State 34 Texas 28
Michigan at Penn State: Penn State coming off a bye week, Michigan coming off a thrilling OT win against Indiana. This Michigan team could be in some trouble on Saturday.
Penn State 24 Michigan 10
Iowa at Northwestern: This game is really tough to pick, both of them need a win to stay in the race for second behind Wisconsin in the division.
Northwestern 21 Iowa 17
USC at Notre Dame: Big game here between two one-loss teams, winner should be well positioned for a run at the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame does have a tough schedule, but a win here would be huge.
Notre Dame 28 USC 24
Colorado State at New Mexico: The Lobos were crushed last week, but return home to take on Colorado State. Unfortunately, Colorado State, is pretty solid. They could have another rough week.
Colorado State 31 New Mexico 21
Kentucky at Mississippi State: Kentucky is 5-1 this year, very close to 6-0, and they are in the race for the division. Mississippi State has had some rough losses after beating LSU.
Mississippi State 28 Kentucky 24
Here's my new top 25 for the week, I don't understand how Clemson is ranked number seven in the AP poll after losing to Syracuse, I know they have some solid wins, but that's pretty ridiculous.
1-Alabama 7-0 this week: vs Tennessee
2-Georgia 7-0 this week: off
3-TCU 6-0 this week: vs Kansas
4-Penn State 6-0 this week: vs Michigan
5-Wisconsin 7-0 this week: vs Maryland
6-Miami 5-0 this week: vs Syracuse
7-Ohio State 6-1 this week: off
8-USF 6-0 this week: at Tulane
9-Oklahoma State 5-1 this week: at Texas
10-Virginia Tech 5-1 this week: vs North Carolina
11-USC 6-1 this week: at Notre Dame
12-Notre Dame 5-1 this week: vs USC
13-Michigan State 5-1 this week: vs Indiana
14-Michigan 5-1 this week: at Penn State
15-Clemson 6-1 this week: off
16-Washington 6-1 this week: off
17-Washington State 6-1 this week: vs Colorado
18-Oklahoma 5-1 this week: at Kansas State
19-NC State 6-1 this week: off
20-Auburn 5-2 this week: at Arkansas
21-UCF 5-0 this week: at Navy
22-Stanford 5-2 this week: off
23-West Virginia 4-2 this week: at Baylor
24-Memphis 5-1 this week: at Houston
25-LSU 5-2 this week: at Ole Miss
teams to watch: Kentucky 5-1, Iowa State 4-2, Iowa 4-2, Virginia 5-1, Boise State 4-2, San Diego State 5-1, Texas A&M 5-2, Navy 5-1, Utah 4-2, South Carolina 5-2, Texas Tech 4-2
Heisman Watch
1-Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
135-1,387-11 1,406 ap yards
Still having a great season, over 10 yards per carry
2-Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
102-649-6 1,302 ap yards 9 td
Had the week off, needs a big week against Michigan to stay up here
3-J.T. Barrett Sr QB Ohio State
207-138-1,838-21-1 2,197 total off
He's on a roll right now, had to move him up
4-Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
161-117-1m937-17-1 2,038 total off
Led the Sooners to a win over Texas, stays in the race
5-Mason Rudolph Sr QB Oklahoma State
204-136-2,368-19-4 2,439 total off
Another big game last week for Rudolph
Others to watch
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville trending down a bit with their 3rd loss
Nic Shimonek Sr QB Texas Tech putting up big numbers, needs to keep that up
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State 5 interceptions and 0 touchdowns last week
James Washington Sr WR Oklahoma State more touchdowns and he would be in the race
David Sills Jr West Virginia has 12 touchdowns, if West Virginia could pull a big upset, he might get in the race
Big Games of the Week
Last week I was 7-4, my worst week so far, I'm 29-12 this year. Got some good games on the slate this week.
Louisville at Florida State: Both of these teams desperately need a victory, should be an exciting game.
Florida State 31 Louisville 28
UCF at Navy: UCF is undefeated, Navy suffered their first loss last week to Memphis.
UCF 27 Navy 20
Memphis at Houston: Memphis cracked the top 25 this week, Houston got beat at Tulsa, what an embarrassing loss, will they bounce back?
Memphis 35 Houston 27
Oklahoma at Kansas State: This could be a very close game, especially at Kansas State, I think Oklahoma will carry the momentum from the Texas game over to this one.
Oklahoma 31 Kansas State 24
Iowa State at Texas Tech: The Cyclones destroyed Kansas 45-0 last week, and they crushed Tech last year in Ames. Tech is coming off a disappointing loss to West Virginia, where they held a big lead and lost it.
Texas Tech 38 Iowa State 31
Oklahoma State at Texas: A lot of good Big 12 games this weekend as teams jockey for position in the standings. Should be a good QB battle.
Oklahoma State 34 Texas 28
Michigan at Penn State: Penn State coming off a bye week, Michigan coming off a thrilling OT win against Indiana. This Michigan team could be in some trouble on Saturday.
Penn State 24 Michigan 10
Iowa at Northwestern: This game is really tough to pick, both of them need a win to stay in the race for second behind Wisconsin in the division.
Northwestern 21 Iowa 17
USC at Notre Dame: Big game here between two one-loss teams, winner should be well positioned for a run at the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame does have a tough schedule, but a win here would be huge.
Notre Dame 28 USC 24
Colorado State at New Mexico: The Lobos were crushed last week, but return home to take on Colorado State. Unfortunately, Colorado State, is pretty solid. They could have another rough week.
Colorado State 31 New Mexico 21
Kentucky at Mississippi State: Kentucky is 5-1 this year, very close to 6-0, and they are in the race for the division. Mississippi State has had some rough losses after beating LSU.
Mississippi State 28 Kentucky 24
Monday, October 9, 2017
College Football Half Way Through the Season
For a lot of teams, it's the half way point of the college football season. It seems to go by so fast every year. I was able to watch two games this weekend, Iowa-Illinois and Iowa State-Oklahoma. I caught part of the Miami-FSU game as well. I was watching the Iowa State-Oklahoma game to see how bad the Cyclones would get beat on the road without their starting QB...turned out to be the biggest upset in college football this season. And, it made the Hawkeyes schedule look a lot stronger! Way to go Cyclones!
The Iowa-Illinois game was a fun one. The first half was a little strange, it kind of felt like the North Texas game. It seemed like Iowa was just trying some new things out since they were playing an Illinois team that they were favored to beat by nearly 20 points. They were trailing 13-10 with under a minute left in the half and they pulled off a fake punt for a first down. After that, they outscored Illinois 35-3. Brandon Snyder's 89-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter was a huge spark for the Hawkeyes, just six months after he tore his ACL in spring ball, welcome back, Brandon! Iowa was able to get their running game going again, they shifted the OL around a little bit with Sean Welsh moving back to guard and true freshmen, Tristan Wirfs, at right tackle. Akrum Wadley was able to get over 100 on the ground and the offense had over 400 yards of offense. The defense gave up a few big runs and allowed Illinois to hang with them for a bit. They also allowed over 400 yards, and didn't have much of a pass rush at all. Illinois could have a respectable team in a couple of years if they keep Lovie Smith around.
Iowa's strength of schedule got even stronger on Saturday night at Michigan State won at Michigan! The Spartans have already won more games than they did a year ago.
My Top 25
1-Clemson 6-0
2-Alabama 6-0
3-Georgia 6-0
4-TCU 5-0
5-Penn State 5-0
6-Washington 6-0
7-Washington State 6-0
8-Wisconsin 6-0
9-Auburn 5-1
10-Ohio State 5-1
11-Miami 4-0
12-USF 5-0
13-San Diego State 5-0
14-Oklahoma State 4-1
15-Virginia Tech 5-1
16-USC 5-1
17-Notre Dame 5-1
18-Michigan State 4-1
19-Michigan 4-1
20-Oklahoma 4-1
21-NC State 5-1
22-UCF 4-0
23-Navy 5-0
24-Stanford 4-2
25-Utah 4-1
Teams to watch
Texas Tech 4-1
Kentucky 5-1
Iowa State 3-2
Iowa 4-2
Louisville 4-2
West Virginia 3-2
Florida 3-2
This Week's Top Games
Last week, I was 7-3, I doubt many people didn't pick Oklahoma to lose to Iowa State. My record is 22-8 on the season, not bad! 7-3 is my worst week so far. I didn't do any predictions the first couple of weeks though, I'm sure my record would be pretty bad if I did.
Here are the top games this week!
Georgia Tech at Miami: Miami is still undefeated after a miraculous last second TD to beat Florida State! Georgia Tech has only one loss, a close one to Tennessee. This is a big game for the division race.
Miami 27 Georgia Tech 17
Navy at Memphis: Navy is still unbeaten at 5-0, but the top teams in the AAC look pretty tough. Memphis put up 70 on UCONN last week, could be another high scoring game, run heavy vs pass heavy.
Memphis 48 Navy 38
Texas vs Oklahoma: Texas won a thriller in overtime against Kansas State and has a better conference record than the Sooners, after they were stunned by Iowa State. I think Oklahoma comes out pissed off and gets the W.
Oklahoma 35 Texas 24
TCU at Kansas State: TCU is the lone undefeated team in the Big 12, and they have a tough task playing at Kansas State this week.
TCU 24 Kansas State 17
Texas Tech at West Virginia: This should be a fun game, Texas Tech will put up a lot of points, can West Virginia match them?
Texas Tech 42 West Virginia 34
Boise State at San Diego State: I really like San Diego State, Coach Rocky Long is a great guy. I got to perform a comedy show for his team when he coached at New Mexico during their bowl prep week back in 2007.
San Diego State 27 Boise State 21
New Mexico at Fresno State: I still always root for the Lobos even though I don't live in Albuquerque anymore. This should be a tough game, Fresno looks better than they have in the last couple of years.
New Mexico 31 Fresno State 27
Oregon at Stanford: Stanford's RB Bryce Love is having a great season and should be the top contender for the Heisman, if they continue winning he will be in the hunt all season.
Stanford 31 Oregon 24
Utah at USC: Utah suffered their first loss of the season last week to Stanford. This game could be huge for the division title later in the season.
USC 38 Utah 28
Auburn at LSU: LSU got a big win at Florida on Saturday after their embarrassing loss to Troy at home. Auburn has looked unstoppable, will LSU hang with them?
Auburn 30 LSU 24
Texas A&M at Florida: This game is a tough one decide, it could go either way, and I don't like either one of them, so that won't sway my decision at all. Hmm...
Texas A&M 21 Florida 20
Heisman Watch
1-Bryce Love Jr Stanford RB
118-1,240-9
he's averaging over 10 yards per carry, and they've had a tough schedule
2-Saquon Barkley Jr Penn State RB
102-649-6 1,302 ap yards 9 total td
he went beast mode on Iowa, but the last two teams have held him in check running the ball
3-Lamar Jackson Jr Louisville QB
222-138-1,990-14-4 91-510-7
His numbers are ridiculous this year once again
4-Baker Mayfield Sr Oklahoma QB
134-100-1,635-15-0
The loss to Iowa State won't help, but if they can run the table the rest of the way, he'll be in contention
5-Luke Falk Sr Washington State QB
262-188-2,000-19-2
Washington State just keeps winning, a lot of that is thanks to Falk
Others to watch
Rashaad Penny RB San Diego State
Mason Rudolph QB Oklahoma State
Nic Shimonek QB Texas Tech
Josh Rosen QB UCLA
J.T. Barrett QB Ohio State
James Washington WR Oklahoma State
Cam Phillips WR Virginia Tech
Predictions for the rest of the year
ACC Championship: Clemson over Miami
Big 10 Championship: Penn State over Wisconsin
Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma over TCU
Pac 12 Championship: USC over Washington
SEC Championship: Georgia over Auburn
Playoff: 1-Clemson vs 4-Alabama; 2-Penn State vs 3-Georgia
National Championship: 4-Alabama vs 3-Georgia
Champions: Alabama
The Iowa-Illinois game was a fun one. The first half was a little strange, it kind of felt like the North Texas game. It seemed like Iowa was just trying some new things out since they were playing an Illinois team that they were favored to beat by nearly 20 points. They were trailing 13-10 with under a minute left in the half and they pulled off a fake punt for a first down. After that, they outscored Illinois 35-3. Brandon Snyder's 89-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter was a huge spark for the Hawkeyes, just six months after he tore his ACL in spring ball, welcome back, Brandon! Iowa was able to get their running game going again, they shifted the OL around a little bit with Sean Welsh moving back to guard and true freshmen, Tristan Wirfs, at right tackle. Akrum Wadley was able to get over 100 on the ground and the offense had over 400 yards of offense. The defense gave up a few big runs and allowed Illinois to hang with them for a bit. They also allowed over 400 yards, and didn't have much of a pass rush at all. Illinois could have a respectable team in a couple of years if they keep Lovie Smith around.
Iowa's strength of schedule got even stronger on Saturday night at Michigan State won at Michigan! The Spartans have already won more games than they did a year ago.
My Top 25
1-Clemson 6-0
2-Alabama 6-0
3-Georgia 6-0
4-TCU 5-0
5-Penn State 5-0
6-Washington 6-0
7-Washington State 6-0
8-Wisconsin 6-0
9-Auburn 5-1
10-Ohio State 5-1
11-Miami 4-0
12-USF 5-0
13-San Diego State 5-0
14-Oklahoma State 4-1
15-Virginia Tech 5-1
16-USC 5-1
17-Notre Dame 5-1
18-Michigan State 4-1
19-Michigan 4-1
20-Oklahoma 4-1
21-NC State 5-1
22-UCF 4-0
23-Navy 5-0
24-Stanford 4-2
25-Utah 4-1
Teams to watch
Texas Tech 4-1
Kentucky 5-1
Iowa State 3-2
Iowa 4-2
Louisville 4-2
West Virginia 3-2
Florida 3-2
This Week's Top Games
Last week, I was 7-3, I doubt many people didn't pick Oklahoma to lose to Iowa State. My record is 22-8 on the season, not bad! 7-3 is my worst week so far. I didn't do any predictions the first couple of weeks though, I'm sure my record would be pretty bad if I did.
Here are the top games this week!
Georgia Tech at Miami: Miami is still undefeated after a miraculous last second TD to beat Florida State! Georgia Tech has only one loss, a close one to Tennessee. This is a big game for the division race.
Miami 27 Georgia Tech 17
Navy at Memphis: Navy is still unbeaten at 5-0, but the top teams in the AAC look pretty tough. Memphis put up 70 on UCONN last week, could be another high scoring game, run heavy vs pass heavy.
Memphis 48 Navy 38
Texas vs Oklahoma: Texas won a thriller in overtime against Kansas State and has a better conference record than the Sooners, after they were stunned by Iowa State. I think Oklahoma comes out pissed off and gets the W.
Oklahoma 35 Texas 24
TCU at Kansas State: TCU is the lone undefeated team in the Big 12, and they have a tough task playing at Kansas State this week.
TCU 24 Kansas State 17
Texas Tech at West Virginia: This should be a fun game, Texas Tech will put up a lot of points, can West Virginia match them?
Texas Tech 42 West Virginia 34
Boise State at San Diego State: I really like San Diego State, Coach Rocky Long is a great guy. I got to perform a comedy show for his team when he coached at New Mexico during their bowl prep week back in 2007.
San Diego State 27 Boise State 21
New Mexico at Fresno State: I still always root for the Lobos even though I don't live in Albuquerque anymore. This should be a tough game, Fresno looks better than they have in the last couple of years.
New Mexico 31 Fresno State 27
Oregon at Stanford: Stanford's RB Bryce Love is having a great season and should be the top contender for the Heisman, if they continue winning he will be in the hunt all season.
Stanford 31 Oregon 24
Utah at USC: Utah suffered their first loss of the season last week to Stanford. This game could be huge for the division title later in the season.
USC 38 Utah 28
Auburn at LSU: LSU got a big win at Florida on Saturday after their embarrassing loss to Troy at home. Auburn has looked unstoppable, will LSU hang with them?
Auburn 30 LSU 24
Texas A&M at Florida: This game is a tough one decide, it could go either way, and I don't like either one of them, so that won't sway my decision at all. Hmm...
Texas A&M 21 Florida 20
Heisman Watch
1-Bryce Love Jr Stanford RB
118-1,240-9
he's averaging over 10 yards per carry, and they've had a tough schedule
2-Saquon Barkley Jr Penn State RB
102-649-6 1,302 ap yards 9 total td
he went beast mode on Iowa, but the last two teams have held him in check running the ball
3-Lamar Jackson Jr Louisville QB
222-138-1,990-14-4 91-510-7
His numbers are ridiculous this year once again
4-Baker Mayfield Sr Oklahoma QB
134-100-1,635-15-0
The loss to Iowa State won't help, but if they can run the table the rest of the way, he'll be in contention
5-Luke Falk Sr Washington State QB
262-188-2,000-19-2
Washington State just keeps winning, a lot of that is thanks to Falk
Others to watch
Rashaad Penny RB San Diego State
Mason Rudolph QB Oklahoma State
Nic Shimonek QB Texas Tech
Josh Rosen QB UCLA
J.T. Barrett QB Ohio State
James Washington WR Oklahoma State
Cam Phillips WR Virginia Tech
Predictions for the rest of the year
ACC Championship: Clemson over Miami
Big 10 Championship: Penn State over Wisconsin
Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma over TCU
Pac 12 Championship: USC over Washington
SEC Championship: Georgia over Auburn
Playoff: 1-Clemson vs 4-Alabama; 2-Penn State vs 3-Georgia
National Championship: 4-Alabama vs 3-Georgia
Champions: Alabama
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Iowa Hawkeyes 2018 Football Recruiting
Here's a look at the Iowa Hawkeyes' recruiting class for 2018 and a look at the commits for 2019 as well. I'm not big on recruiting rankings, but here are the players' 247 Comp rankings. Iowa rarely has top recruiting classes, but they develop players better than a lot of programs. Two of their star players this year are Akrum Wadley and Josey Jewell, both "two-star" recruits.
2018 commits
RB - Henry Geil
6'1" 203 Green Bay, WI (Preble)
247 Comp: 3* #54 RB 991
FB - Connor Ruth
6'0" 215
*preferred walk-on
WR - Tyrone Tracy
6'0" 185 Indianapolis, IN (Decatur Central)
247 Comp: 3* #37 RB 733 overall
WR - Samson Evans
6'0" 200 Crystal Lake, IL (Prairie Ridge)
247 Comp: 3* #73 ATH 906 overall
TE - Anthony Torres
6'6" 235 Mishawaka, IN (Penn)
247 Comp: 3* #53 TE
OL - Cody Ince
6'6" 260 Balsam Lake, WI (Unity)
247 Comp: 3* #69 T 843 overall
OL - Jack Plumb
6'8" 240 Green Bay, WI (Bay Port)
247 Comp: 3* #94 T
OL - Jeff Jenkins
6'4" 275 Crystal Lake, IL (Prairie Ridge)
247 Comp: 3* #25 G 488 overall
OL/DL - Tyler Linderbaum
6'2" 255 Solon, IA (Solon)
247 Comp: 3* #37 DT 514 overall
DT - Noah Shannon
6'1" 305 Oswego, IL (Oswego)
247 Comp: 3* #48 DT 634 overall
LB - Dillon Doyle
6'3" 214 Iowa City, IA (West)
247 Comp: 3* #41 OLB 629 overall
CB - D.J. Johnson
6'0" 170 Indianapolis, IN (North Central)
247 Comp:3* #37 CB 367 overall
CB - Terry Roberts
5'10" 170 Erie, PA (Cathedral Prep)
247 Comp: 3* #166 CB
S - Julius Brents
6'2" 179 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central)
247 Comp: 3* #33 S 408 overall
Here are some other top targets for this year's class
DE - John Waggoner 6'5" 230 West Des Moines, IA (Dowling) 4* #12 WSDE 232 overall
ATH - DaShon Bussell 6'2" 182 Knoxville, TN (Knoxville Catholic) 3* #32 ATH 504 overall
S - Paul Moala 6'0" 200 Mishawaka, IN (Penn) 3* #60 S 789 overall
OL - Carlos Vettorello 6'4" 277 Detroit, MI (Jesuit) 3* #68 G
S - Dallas Craddieth 6'1" 193 Florissant, MO (Hazelwood Central) 3* #40 S 510 overall
WR - Calvin Lockett 6'2" 160 Largo, FL (Largo) 3* #162 WR
WR - I'Shawn Stewart 5'11" 165 Bolingbrook, IL (Bolingbrook) 3* #90 ATH
QB - Devin Black 6'1" 170 Seffner, FL (Armwood) 3* #48 DTQB
So far, not a bad class. They always try to get at least one QB per class, and I read that they are looking to add at least one more OL and WR. John Waggoner would be a nice pick up as well. I'm hoping Devin Black will get to Iowa City for a game this year and Calvin Lockett would be a nice addition at WR, he's coached by former Hawkeye, Marcus Paschal. Moala could be a possible LB recruit and join his teammate, Anthony Torres, they come from Bryan Mattison's alma mater.
2019 commits
TE - Logan Lee
6'5" 225 Orion, IL (Orion)
247 Comp: 3* #14 TE 442 overall
OL - Ezra Miller
6'6" 275 Holstein, IA (Ridge View)
247 Comp: 4* #28 T 244 overall
OL - Tyler Endres
6'6" 285 Norwalk, IA (Norwalk Senior)
247 Comp: 4* #26 T 207 overall
CB - Larry Tracy
5'10" 175 Indianapolis, IN (Decatur Central)
247 Comp: 3* #56 CB 562 overall
Other targets
QB - Max Duggan 6'2" 185 Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central) 4* #8 DTQB 317 overall
DE - Mosai Newsom 6'5" 245 Waverly, IA (Waverly-Shell Rock)
WR - David Bell 6'2" 185 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central) 4* #12 WR 63 overall
CB - Julian Barnett 6'1" 186 Belleville, MI (Belleville) 4* #3 CB 64 overall
OL - Will Putnam 6'4" 280 Tampa, FL (Plant) 4* #9 T 80 overall
OL - Trevor Keegan 6'6" 310 Crystal Lake, IL (South) 4* #19 T 158 overall
RB - Jirehl Brock 6'0" 180 Quincy, IL (Quincy) 4* #14 RB 176 overall
WR - Jalani Williams 6'2" 160 St. Louis, MO (Parkway North) 4* #43 WR 248 overall
CB - Moses Douglass 6'2" 186 Springfield, OH (Springfield) 4* #28 CB 285 overall
OL - Justin Britt 6'4" 267 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central) 3* #13 G 358 overall
LB - Jack Kiser 6'2" 206 Royal Center, IN (Pioneer Jr-Sr) 3* #39 OLB 552 overall
DE - Jalen Hunt 6'3" 256 Belleville, MI (Belleville) 3* #39 SSDE 585 overall
S - Sebastian Castro 6'1" 198 Oak Lawn, IL (H L Richards) 3* #39 S 600 overall
LB - Nick Henrich 6'4" 200 Omaha, NE (Burke) 3* #14 ILB 659 overall
LB - Jack Campbell 6'3" 200 Cedar Falls, IA (Cedar Falls) 3* #47 OLB 715 overall
DE - Marcus Hicks 6'5" 235 Wichita, KS (Northwest) 4* #18 WSDE 243 overall
DE - Spencer Bono 6'5" 220 Cincinnati, OH (Elder) 3* #32 WSDE 494 overall
DE - Nick DeJong 6'6" 240 Pella, IA (Pella) 3* #47 SSDE 786 overall
CB - Anthony Coleman 5'10" 170 Johnston, IA (Johnston Sr)
OL - Austin Ertl 6'2" 290 Milwaukee, WI (Wauwatosa West)
LB/S - Cole Mabry 6'2" 190 Iowa City, IA (West)
The 2019 class is off to a great start with two stud OL Miller and Endres, and one of the better TE's in the class, Logan Lee. Larry Tracy is a great athlete at CB as well. Iowa is amongst the leaders for big time RB Jirehl Brock, he's been on campus a couple of times. Iowa has some momentum in the state of Indiana, could that help with WR David Bell, OL Justin Britt and LB Jack Kiser? Britt and Kiser have both been to a game this year, Bell had to cancel for the PSU game, hopefully, he will reschedule. Moses Douglass is a legacy recruit, but he's rumored to be an Ohio State lean.
2018 commits
RB - Henry Geil
6'1" 203 Green Bay, WI (Preble)
247 Comp: 3* #54 RB 991
FB - Connor Ruth
6'0" 215
*preferred walk-on
WR - Tyrone Tracy
6'0" 185 Indianapolis, IN (Decatur Central)
247 Comp: 3* #37 RB 733 overall
WR - Samson Evans
6'0" 200 Crystal Lake, IL (Prairie Ridge)
247 Comp: 3* #73 ATH 906 overall
TE - Anthony Torres
6'6" 235 Mishawaka, IN (Penn)
247 Comp: 3* #53 TE
OL - Cody Ince
6'6" 260 Balsam Lake, WI (Unity)
247 Comp: 3* #69 T 843 overall
OL - Jack Plumb
6'8" 240 Green Bay, WI (Bay Port)
247 Comp: 3* #94 T
OL - Jeff Jenkins
6'4" 275 Crystal Lake, IL (Prairie Ridge)
247 Comp: 3* #25 G 488 overall
OL/DL - Tyler Linderbaum
6'2" 255 Solon, IA (Solon)
247 Comp: 3* #37 DT 514 overall
DT - Noah Shannon
6'1" 305 Oswego, IL (Oswego)
247 Comp: 3* #48 DT 634 overall
LB - Dillon Doyle
6'3" 214 Iowa City, IA (West)
247 Comp: 3* #41 OLB 629 overall
CB - D.J. Johnson
6'0" 170 Indianapolis, IN (North Central)
247 Comp:3* #37 CB 367 overall
CB - Terry Roberts
5'10" 170 Erie, PA (Cathedral Prep)
247 Comp: 3* #166 CB
S - Julius Brents
6'2" 179 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central)
247 Comp: 3* #33 S 408 overall
Here are some other top targets for this year's class
DE - John Waggoner 6'5" 230 West Des Moines, IA (Dowling) 4* #12 WSDE 232 overall
ATH - DaShon Bussell 6'2" 182 Knoxville, TN (Knoxville Catholic) 3* #32 ATH 504 overall
S - Paul Moala 6'0" 200 Mishawaka, IN (Penn) 3* #60 S 789 overall
OL - Carlos Vettorello 6'4" 277 Detroit, MI (Jesuit) 3* #68 G
S - Dallas Craddieth 6'1" 193 Florissant, MO (Hazelwood Central) 3* #40 S 510 overall
WR - Calvin Lockett 6'2" 160 Largo, FL (Largo) 3* #162 WR
WR - I'Shawn Stewart 5'11" 165 Bolingbrook, IL (Bolingbrook) 3* #90 ATH
QB - Devin Black 6'1" 170 Seffner, FL (Armwood) 3* #48 DTQB
So far, not a bad class. They always try to get at least one QB per class, and I read that they are looking to add at least one more OL and WR. John Waggoner would be a nice pick up as well. I'm hoping Devin Black will get to Iowa City for a game this year and Calvin Lockett would be a nice addition at WR, he's coached by former Hawkeye, Marcus Paschal. Moala could be a possible LB recruit and join his teammate, Anthony Torres, they come from Bryan Mattison's alma mater.
2019 commits
TE - Logan Lee
6'5" 225 Orion, IL (Orion)
247 Comp: 3* #14 TE 442 overall
OL - Ezra Miller
6'6" 275 Holstein, IA (Ridge View)
247 Comp: 4* #28 T 244 overall
OL - Tyler Endres
6'6" 285 Norwalk, IA (Norwalk Senior)
247 Comp: 4* #26 T 207 overall
CB - Larry Tracy
5'10" 175 Indianapolis, IN (Decatur Central)
247 Comp: 3* #56 CB 562 overall
Other targets
QB - Max Duggan 6'2" 185 Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central) 4* #8 DTQB 317 overall
DE - Mosai Newsom 6'5" 245 Waverly, IA (Waverly-Shell Rock)
WR - David Bell 6'2" 185 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central) 4* #12 WR 63 overall
CB - Julian Barnett 6'1" 186 Belleville, MI (Belleville) 4* #3 CB 64 overall
OL - Will Putnam 6'4" 280 Tampa, FL (Plant) 4* #9 T 80 overall
OL - Trevor Keegan 6'6" 310 Crystal Lake, IL (South) 4* #19 T 158 overall
RB - Jirehl Brock 6'0" 180 Quincy, IL (Quincy) 4* #14 RB 176 overall
WR - Jalani Williams 6'2" 160 St. Louis, MO (Parkway North) 4* #43 WR 248 overall
CB - Moses Douglass 6'2" 186 Springfield, OH (Springfield) 4* #28 CB 285 overall
OL - Justin Britt 6'4" 267 Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central) 3* #13 G 358 overall
LB - Jack Kiser 6'2" 206 Royal Center, IN (Pioneer Jr-Sr) 3* #39 OLB 552 overall
DE - Jalen Hunt 6'3" 256 Belleville, MI (Belleville) 3* #39 SSDE 585 overall
S - Sebastian Castro 6'1" 198 Oak Lawn, IL (H L Richards) 3* #39 S 600 overall
LB - Nick Henrich 6'4" 200 Omaha, NE (Burke) 3* #14 ILB 659 overall
LB - Jack Campbell 6'3" 200 Cedar Falls, IA (Cedar Falls) 3* #47 OLB 715 overall
DE - Marcus Hicks 6'5" 235 Wichita, KS (Northwest) 4* #18 WSDE 243 overall
DE - Spencer Bono 6'5" 220 Cincinnati, OH (Elder) 3* #32 WSDE 494 overall
DE - Nick DeJong 6'6" 240 Pella, IA (Pella) 3* #47 SSDE 786 overall
CB - Anthony Coleman 5'10" 170 Johnston, IA (Johnston Sr)
OL - Austin Ertl 6'2" 290 Milwaukee, WI (Wauwatosa West)
LB/S - Cole Mabry 6'2" 190 Iowa City, IA (West)
The 2019 class is off to a great start with two stud OL Miller and Endres, and one of the better TE's in the class, Logan Lee. Larry Tracy is a great athlete at CB as well. Iowa is amongst the leaders for big time RB Jirehl Brock, he's been on campus a couple of times. Iowa has some momentum in the state of Indiana, could that help with WR David Bell, OL Justin Britt and LB Jack Kiser? Britt and Kiser have both been to a game this year, Bell had to cancel for the PSU game, hopefully, he will reschedule. Moses Douglass is a legacy recruit, but he's rumored to be an Ohio State lean.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
October: College Football
The conference season is now in full swing, and it's not looking good for the Iowa Hawkeyes, as far as the division championship goes. Iowa fell to Michigan State 10-17 last Saturday, as they couldn't get any offense going. The run blocking was awful, and the WRs were dropping way too many passes. Field position didn't help their cause either, it was a long day. They did have two solid drives going in the third quarter, both ended with fumbles, which ended up costing them the game. Michigan State drove 77 yards for a touchdown on the first series, but after that, the defense held them in check pretty well. Luckily, Iowa plays Illinois this week, and they've looked awful, so the Hawkeyes should be able to break out of their funk they've been in.
Top 25 for the week
1-Clemson 5-0
2-Alabama 5-0
3-Georgia 5-0
4-Oklahoma 4-0
5-TCU 4-0
6-Michigan 4-0
7-Penn State 4-0
8-Washington 5-0
9-Washington State 5-0
10-Wisconsin 5-0
11-Auburn 4-1
12-Ohio State 4-1
13-Miami 3-0
14-USF 5-0
15-San Diego State 5-0
16-Oklahoma State 4-1
17-Virginia Tech 4-1
18-USC 4-1
19-Utah 4-0
20-Notre Dame 4-1
21-Louisville 4-1
22-West Virginia 3-1
23-Florida 3-1
24-NC State 4-1
25-UCF 3-0
Teams to watch
Navy
Oregon
Predictions for the week
I went 7-3 last week, 15-5 for the season so far.
Illinois at Iowa: A battle of teams with no conference wins thus far, who will climb out of the cellar?
Iowa 27 Illinois 13
Alabama at Texas A&M: A&M has been a weird team this year, Alabama has been crushing their SEC opponents so far.
Alabama 45 Texas A&M 10
West Virginia at TCU: TCU has looked a lot better than I expected this year, West Virginia should give them a good test though.
TCU 38 West Virginia 31
Washington State at Oregon: I want to pick Oregon to win since they're at home, but Washington State has one of the best QBs in the country, Luke Falk. Can they win on the road?
Washington State 42 Oregon 38
California at Washington: The Pac-12 is wide-open right now, Cal started the season strong, but their schedule is getting more and more difficult.
Washington 45 California 28
Miami at Florida State: Florida State needs a win if they want to contend with Clemson for a division title. Can Miami win and stay undefeated?
Florida State 21 Miami 20
Stanford at Utah: Utah is still undefeated, but they face one of the best running backs in college football, Bryce Love. Love has over 1,000 yards on less than 100 carries this season.
Stanford 38 Utah 34
Louisville at NC State: NC State has found it's way into the top 25 with a 4-1 start, including a win over Florida State. Louisville is led by last year's Heisman winner, Lamar Jackson, who is in serious contention for the award again this year.
Louisville 34 NC State 28
Iowa State at Oklahoma: I shouldn't count this game towards my prediction record, I think Oklahoma wins easily. Iowa State has a solid RB in David Montgomery, if they can run the ball effectively, the offense would run a lot smoother. Probably won't happen this week.
Oklahoma 56 Iowa State 14
SMU at Houston: I haven't seen much of either of these teams this year, but they both only have one loss and the AAC is a pretty tough conference this year.
Houston 28 SMU 24
Heisman Watch
The Heisman watch will be very interesting as conference play gets into full swing. If I had a vote, my first place vote right now would go to Stanford RB Bryce Love. He ran for 301 yards and three scores against Arizona State last week. He has 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns on only 98 carries! Saquon Barkley of Penn State, is obviously in the mix as well, after putting up over 300 yards against Iowa. He ran the opening kick off against Indiana back for a 98 yard touchdown. They held him in check running the ball though.
Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State
those are my top 5 right now
Top 25 for the week
1-Clemson 5-0
2-Alabama 5-0
3-Georgia 5-0
4-Oklahoma 4-0
5-TCU 4-0
6-Michigan 4-0
7-Penn State 4-0
8-Washington 5-0
9-Washington State 5-0
10-Wisconsin 5-0
11-Auburn 4-1
12-Ohio State 4-1
13-Miami 3-0
14-USF 5-0
15-San Diego State 5-0
16-Oklahoma State 4-1
17-Virginia Tech 4-1
18-USC 4-1
19-Utah 4-0
20-Notre Dame 4-1
21-Louisville 4-1
22-West Virginia 3-1
23-Florida 3-1
24-NC State 4-1
25-UCF 3-0
Teams to watch
Navy
Oregon
Predictions for the week
I went 7-3 last week, 15-5 for the season so far.
Illinois at Iowa: A battle of teams with no conference wins thus far, who will climb out of the cellar?
Iowa 27 Illinois 13
Alabama at Texas A&M: A&M has been a weird team this year, Alabama has been crushing their SEC opponents so far.
Alabama 45 Texas A&M 10
West Virginia at TCU: TCU has looked a lot better than I expected this year, West Virginia should give them a good test though.
TCU 38 West Virginia 31
Washington State at Oregon: I want to pick Oregon to win since they're at home, but Washington State has one of the best QBs in the country, Luke Falk. Can they win on the road?
Washington State 42 Oregon 38
California at Washington: The Pac-12 is wide-open right now, Cal started the season strong, but their schedule is getting more and more difficult.
Washington 45 California 28
Miami at Florida State: Florida State needs a win if they want to contend with Clemson for a division title. Can Miami win and stay undefeated?
Florida State 21 Miami 20
Stanford at Utah: Utah is still undefeated, but they face one of the best running backs in college football, Bryce Love. Love has over 1,000 yards on less than 100 carries this season.
Stanford 38 Utah 34
Louisville at NC State: NC State has found it's way into the top 25 with a 4-1 start, including a win over Florida State. Louisville is led by last year's Heisman winner, Lamar Jackson, who is in serious contention for the award again this year.
Louisville 34 NC State 28
Iowa State at Oklahoma: I shouldn't count this game towards my prediction record, I think Oklahoma wins easily. Iowa State has a solid RB in David Montgomery, if they can run the ball effectively, the offense would run a lot smoother. Probably won't happen this week.
Oklahoma 56 Iowa State 14
SMU at Houston: I haven't seen much of either of these teams this year, but they both only have one loss and the AAC is a pretty tough conference this year.
Houston 28 SMU 24
Heisman Watch
The Heisman watch will be very interesting as conference play gets into full swing. If I had a vote, my first place vote right now would go to Stanford RB Bryce Love. He ran for 301 yards and three scores against Arizona State last week. He has 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns on only 98 carries! Saquon Barkley of Penn State, is obviously in the mix as well, after putting up over 300 yards against Iowa. He ran the opening kick off against Indiana back for a 98 yard touchdown. They held him in check running the ball though.
Bryce Love Jr RB Stanford
Saquon Barkley Jr RB Penn State
Baker Mayfield Sr QB Oklahoma
Lamar Jackson Jr QB Louisville
Luke Falk Sr QB Washington State
those are my top 5 right now
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