Your favorite sportswriter is back to talk about week nine!
This past weekend in college football was a good one, with some expected results and some surprises sprinkled in as well, including one top-10 team going down on the road. There were also, once again, some dominant performances from some of the game’s best quarterbacks. Of course, that’s not really a surprise to anyone, but it’s still worth talking about.
And on that note, let’s get into it!
Oklahoma’s margin for error just got a lot smaller
I will admit, this was a tough loss for the Sooners that probably won’t fully get out of their minds anytime soon. They had the lead late, with just about two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but ended up dropping it in the last few minutes to a feisty Kansas team by a score of 38-33.
The Sooners went up by a point going into that final Kansas drive, and they did push them to the brink, but the Jayhawks were able to convert on a 4th-and-6 with just under a minute to go, and that led them to scoring the touchdown that would eventually prove to be the game-winner.
I have to give props to Kansas, as the Jayhawks played one of the best teams in the country tough all game, and the home-field advantage proved to be a massive factor. Quarterback Jason Bean, filling in for the injured Jaylon Daniels, honestly didn’t play particularly well, throwing two interceptions, but late in the game, he had ice in his veins as he made some big plays to lead the Jayhawks to the win.
Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel didn’t play particularly badly, but he didn’t play well enough to lead his team to the win, as he only threw for 171 yards and no touchdowns, and he threw a pick-six in the first quarter which would prove to be extremely costly.
I’m not panicking if I’m an Oklahoma fan, not by a long shot. In fact, I would still be feeling good about the fact that they have a head-to-head victory over the fellow one-loss Texas Longhorns. With that being said, however, there is no denying that their margin for error just got a lot smaller. This is a team that considers itself a legitimate contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and we all know how difficult it is for a two-loss team to clinch a spot in the big dance.
Again, I’m not panicking at all after this one if I’m a Sooner fan, but the margin for error just shrunk in a big way.
Penn State simply isn’t good enough to make the CFP
Let me put it this way: if you’re a team that has aspirations for the College Football Playoff, you can’t get away with nearly losing to Indiana.
But sure enough, that was the very situation that the Nittany Lions found themselves in on Saturday, as this game was tied at 24 in the fourth quarter. Oh, yeah, and this game was also in Happy Valley, in front of the Nittany Lions’ home fans. It’s safe to say that for a stretch there, the vibes were not great.
However, late in the fourth, Penn State finally put it together and dispatched the Hoosiers by a score of 33-24, spearheaded by a monster play from quarterback Drew Allar to wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 57-yard touchdown, and the icing on the cake came when the Nittany Lions sacked Hoosiers quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and the ball went out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
It was a nice sequence of plays to solidify a home win for Penn State. However, if this team is one that considers itself a contender for the College Football Playoff, which the Nittany Lions obviously do, how good do they really feel after allowing a program like Indiana to stick with them for practically the entire game?The Nittany Lions are simply not good enough to be seriously considered to make the College Football Playoff at this point in time. Ohio State and Michigan are a tier higher than they are. I can see Penn State making a New Year’s Six bowl, but I cannot see them making the big dance, with the way they’re currently playing and who is currently above them in the Big Ten. Things could change between now and the end of the season, but right now, color me very unconvinced.
Georgia is still the best team in the country
Until. Proven. Otherwise.
They are still the top dogs (get it?) in college football. The cream of the crop. The kings, whatever you want to call it. The fact of the matter is that until they lose a game, they are still the best team in America.
And after this 43-20 thrashing of a solid Florida team on the road, it doesn’t seem like the wins are going to stop anytime soon.
I will admit, I was one of the people who was skeptical about how Georgia’s offense would fare after the injury to Brock Bowers. Quarterback Carson Beck hadn’t quite convinced me that he was capable of being a big-time playmaker, and without his best offensive weapon, it’s safe to say I was more than skeptical of what he could really do.
Well, he must have heard my doubts, because he went out there and carved up the Gators’ defense in front of a stunned crowd in Gainesville. Beck threw for 315 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and his connection with wideout Ladd McConkey was on full display all day, as McConkey caught six passes for 135 yards and a score.
However, a perhaps underrated aspect of the Bulldogs’ dominance in this one was the running game, and more specifically, the play of Daijun Edwards, who has proven to be one of the best and most underrated backs in the country, and he also carved up the Gators’ defense for 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
This was a complete effort on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs, who dominated throughout the game, and it never really seemed like Florida had much of a chance. It wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated, and the final score was still a 23-point Georgia win! I’ve been saying it, and I’ll say it again: until proven otherwise, the Georgia Bulldogs are the top college football team in the country.
Bo Nix is right in the thick of the Heisman race
Bo Nix is having a monster season. What else is new?
No, but seriously, Nix once again had a fantastic statistical game, but the thing that stuck out to me the most is that it came on the road against a stout Utah defense, who, at the time, was ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll. Nix completed 24 passes as opposed to just seven incompletions to the tune of 248 yards and two touchdowns. He also added on a rushing touchdown just for good measure.
Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes had been playing pretty dang well over the past few weeks while Cam Rising remained injured, but it all came crashing back down to earth in this one, as he threw two interceptions and barely completed 50 percent of his passes. I thought there might have been a quarterback controversy brewing because of the way Barnes had been playing, but now all rumors of that should be squashed.
Outside of Nix, running back Bucky Irving once again had a great game, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Troy Franklin hauled in eight catches for 99 yards and reeled in one of Nix’s two touchdown passes.
There really isn’t a whole lot else to say about this one. The Ducks just keep chugging along, and they’ve done a good job of putting that tough loss to Washington in the rearview mirror. And with the way Nix has been performing, along with how some of his competitors have been performing, he remains right in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.
Michael Penix Jr. bounced back in a big way
Now there are the Washington Huskies we all know and love!
After quarterback Michael Penix Jr. did not play particularly well over the past two games, he must have heard some of the doubters creeping out again, because he absolutely dominated Stanford’s defense to the tune of 369 yards and four touchdowns.
The Huskies’ offense was humming once again in this one, and they played just as we expected them to after a bit of a lull, as the connection between Penix Jr. and Ja’Lynn Polk was on full display, as Polk had his way with Stanford’s secondary to the tune of five catches for 148 yards and two scores. Rome Odunze added 89 receiving yards and a score, and running back Dillon Johnson also performed well, running for 84 yards and a touchdown.
But, of course, as it’s always been throughout this season, Penix Jr. stole the headlines as he had yet another monster statistical performance. At this point, it seems that he is back in the driver’s seat for the Heisman Trophy, and even though Nix and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy are breathing down his neck, he still remains the favorite, at least for this week.
And last but not least…
So, uh…is Marvin Harrison Jr. in the Heisman race as well?
Is this actually a thing?
If this weekend’s performance against Wisconsin was any indication, then it might actually be, as Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to prove that he is not only the best wide receiver in college football, he is one of the best players in college football, period.
Harrison Jr. absolutely torched the Badgers’ secondary, as he hauled in six receptions for 123 yards and two scores, and there’s no way around it: he quite literally did whatever he wanted on that field. I can only imagine the feelings of quarterback Kyle McCord knowing that he has someone like Harrison Jr. to throw to on every play.
Do I think Harrison Jr. has a legitimate chance to win the Heisman? No, not right now. Maybe that changes between now and the end of the season, but I don’t think he wins the award. However, I did not say that he has zero chance and shouldn’t be considered, because he should. With the way he’s been playing, he absolutely should have at least some consideration.
There is obviously a significant chance that one of the several quarterbacks in consideration will end up taking home the award. However, the notion of a wide receiver winning the award is no longer a ridiculous idea. After all, DeVonta Smith won it in 2021 as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Who’s to say Harrison Jr. can’t do it?
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
