Post by Uncle on Sept 6, 2022 12:59:06 GMT -6
You wanna know how good Week 1 was? Just look at the Week 2 slate - it's cupcake city for a whole bunch of teams. In Week 1 you had games Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and even Monday, and now we're back to just Friday night ESPN games and your regular Saturday slate. We won't be having Thursday night games again until Week 4 when West Virginia comes to Va Tech on ESPN and the Wednesday games featuring non-Power 5 conferences don't start until Week 7.
Even though we're still a few weeks away from teams getting into their Conference schedule, there are some intriguing non-Conference matchups on the docket for Week 2 and we get three (3) matchups or ranked teams squaring-off against each other.
Saturday, 9/10
#1 Alabama @ Texas - 12PM ET (FOX)
The storyline here is former Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian (the mastermind of that 2020 Alabama offense with Mac Jones & DaVonta Smith) facing off against Nick Saban. Another little sideline storyline is former Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley who is now the starting TE for the Longhorns. I don't think Texas has enough firepower to hang with Alabama, but if Sark can keep the score relatively close (within 2 scores), then he'll at least have something to build from. Texas does have some offensive weapons in WR Xavier Worthy and RB Bijan Robinson, but when you're facing off against 'Bama, you need to have solid OL/DL play or else you won't stand a chance and I'm unsure where Texas stands with that. An interesting Texas 2023 prospect to watch in this one is LB/EDGE DeMarvion Overshown: he's a long 6'3" but only 225 lbs - he's somewhat like Brian Asamoah in that he might not be big enough to play a true ILB or OLB in a 3-4, but he's very athletic and makes plays.
South Carolina @ #16 Arkansas - 12PM ET (ESPN)
South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler gets his first chance to make some noise for the 2023 QB class as he faces off against a ranked SEC West team. The Razorbacks secondary might be decimated after suffering some injuries in their "bruising" Week 1 game vs Cincinnati (it was a very hard-hitting game) and their 2023 S prospect, Jalen Catelon, was sporting a brace on his arm/shoulder after being injured, which allowed Cincinnati's offense to take downfield shots and hang around in that game. Rattler couldn't get it done at Oklahoma and is getting a 2nd chance in the SEC and he needs to take advantage and put some good tape on film for NFL scouts. On the other side of the ball, Arkansas got off to a solid start vs Cincinnati and has another chance to win a non-cupcake game to start off 2-0. Arkansas has a tough schedule with tough SEC West matchups against 'Bama, Texas A&M, LSU & Ole Miss and they go to BYU in the middle of October - they need this win to keep a good season going before the going gets really tough.
#24 Tennessee @ #17 Pittsburgh - 3:30PM (ABC)
Pitt QB Kedon Slovis faced-off against another Top 25 2023 QB prospect last week in West Virginia's JT Daniels and he gets to do it again as Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker comes to town. I'll give Pitt credit: they scheduled two solid non-conference games in West Virginina and Tennesee to open their 2022 season and didn't put "cupcakes" in there. If they win this matchup vs a solid Tennesee team, they have some easier non-conference games @ W Michigan and vs Rhode Island the next 2 weeks before starting their ACC schedule in which they don't face Clemson or FSU - their toughest game could be their last vs Miami. Pitt does have a ferocious defense that gets after the QB so Hooker will need his athleticism in this this to pull off the upset road win. Tenneseee HC Josh Heupel seems to have the Volunteers headed in the right direction and this game will be a barometer of where they stand a program heading into their extremely tough SEC schedule.
Washington St @ #19 Wisconsin - 3:30PM (FOX)
This could be a sneaky-good game in the middle of the day as the Cougars travel to Madison in an early PAC12 vs BIG10 matchup. The reason to watch here will be Washington St QB Cameron Ward, a 2023 QB Draft prospect that transferred from FCS school Incarnate Word. Wisconsin generally has a tough time vs big arm QB's and Ward has an NFL level arm (from all the "hype" I've read anyway) so if Ward was going to have a break-out game, this would be the time to have it in an otherwise "quiet" College slate of games. Wisconsin always seems to get off to slow starts so I would expect the Cougars to make a game of it early and we'll have to see if Wisconsins powerful OL can wear out WSU in the 2nd half.
#20 Kentucky @ #12 Florida - 7PM (ESPN)
A big-time early season SEC East matchup between two of the top 2023 QB prospects in Kentukcy's Will Levis and Flordia's Anthony Richardson. Richardson had a great Week 1 game vs Utah and Levis wasn't nearly as sharp. The winner of this game will basically have a leg-up on 2nd place in the SEC East - behind Georgia, of course. Kentucky has the easier of the schedules as their toughest SEC game (besides Florida and Georgia) is probably @ #22 Ole Miss on 10/1, so if Kentucky can pull this off, they coud be in the driver's seat until their late season matchup vs the Bulldogs, which they get at home.
#10 USC @ Stanford - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
It didn't take long for former Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley to generate excitement at USC as the Trojans are an early PAC12 favorite, thanks to Oregon getting demolished vs Georgia and Utah losing a close game at Florida. It's still too early to crown anything and USC has "fallen on their sword" (pun intended) plenty of times in the post-Pete Carroll era, but Riley has a great QB/WR duo of QB Caleb Williams (followed Riley from Oklahoma) and WR Jordan Addison (transfer from Pitt) to ignite his 2022 offense. The reason I would watch this game is for Stanford's 2023 QB prospect, Tanner McKee, who has an NFL frame at 6'7" and 225 lbs and has generated some Round 1 "buzz". What a great way to generate even more buzz than a conference win over a suddenly "popular" USC team.
#9 Baylor @ #21 BYU - 10:15PM ET (ESPN)
I really wish this game was on just 1 hr earlier, but I guess ESPN wants viewers to finish the Kentucky/Florida game before tuning-in to this matchup of Top 25 teams. To me, the pressure here is all-on Baylor as they don't have many chances to prove their CFP "mettle" outside of the BIG XII matchups vs Ok St and Oklahoma, and they'll need a really good-looking non-conference road win to fall back on if they falter in one of those games to still have a shot at the CFP. BYU has plenty of tough opponents this year (Oregon, Arkansas, ND, Stanford, Boise St, etc) so they may not "need" this win as much as Baylor, but quite honestly, if BYU runs their gauntlet and gets to 11-1, I could see them in the CFP conversation. They were just outside of the Top 12 with 2 losses last year and their 2022 schedule is even tougher. I haven't seen BYU QB Jaren Hall yet so I'm exciting to see how he performs vs a Top 10 opponent.
Oregon St @ Fresno St - 10:30PM ET (CBSSN)
If you don't want to watch the Baylor/BYU matchup, this should be a good game between "under-the-radar" 2022 college teams. Fresno St features 2023 QB prospect Jake Haener who has put up really good #'s last season, but decided to stay in college to beef-up his resume for the 2023 Draft. Fresno St has their "Super Bowl" game @ USC next week, but Oregon St. is an up-and-coming team, coming off a big Bowl win last season and a really big W vs Boise St at home to start their 2022 season. If Fresno St wins, I could see them getting a Top 25 ranking heading into that USC matchup next weekend.
2023 QB Watch:
I decided to create a completely seperate threat for the 2023 QB's instead of putting it in the weekly College Football threads (it could be a very big QB class so I think it deserves its own dedicated thread), but quite honestly, for those following 2023 QB's, Week 2 does offer a nice little schedule to follow on Saturday:
Early Games:
Bryce Young (Alabama) on the road @ Texas
Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) on the road @ Arkansas (KJ Jefferson is a 2023 prospect for Arkansas, too)
Afternooon Games:
Hendon Hooker (Tennessee) vs Kedon Slovis (Pitt)
Cam Ward (WSU) on the road @ Wisconsin
Evening Games:
Will Levis (Kentucky) vs Anthony Richardson (Florida)
Tanner McKee (Standford) at home vs USC
Late Games:
Jaren Hall (BYU) at home vs a Top 10 Baylor team
Jake Haener (Fresno St) at home vs a solid Oregon St team
Even though we're still a few weeks away from teams getting into their Conference schedule, there are some intriguing non-Conference matchups on the docket for Week 2 and we get three (3) matchups or ranked teams squaring-off against each other.
Saturday, 9/10
#1 Alabama @ Texas - 12PM ET (FOX)
The storyline here is former Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian (the mastermind of that 2020 Alabama offense with Mac Jones & DaVonta Smith) facing off against Nick Saban. Another little sideline storyline is former Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley who is now the starting TE for the Longhorns. I don't think Texas has enough firepower to hang with Alabama, but if Sark can keep the score relatively close (within 2 scores), then he'll at least have something to build from. Texas does have some offensive weapons in WR Xavier Worthy and RB Bijan Robinson, but when you're facing off against 'Bama, you need to have solid OL/DL play or else you won't stand a chance and I'm unsure where Texas stands with that. An interesting Texas 2023 prospect to watch in this one is LB/EDGE DeMarvion Overshown: he's a long 6'3" but only 225 lbs - he's somewhat like Brian Asamoah in that he might not be big enough to play a true ILB or OLB in a 3-4, but he's very athletic and makes plays.
South Carolina @ #16 Arkansas - 12PM ET (ESPN)
South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler gets his first chance to make some noise for the 2023 QB class as he faces off against a ranked SEC West team. The Razorbacks secondary might be decimated after suffering some injuries in their "bruising" Week 1 game vs Cincinnati (it was a very hard-hitting game) and their 2023 S prospect, Jalen Catelon, was sporting a brace on his arm/shoulder after being injured, which allowed Cincinnati's offense to take downfield shots and hang around in that game. Rattler couldn't get it done at Oklahoma and is getting a 2nd chance in the SEC and he needs to take advantage and put some good tape on film for NFL scouts. On the other side of the ball, Arkansas got off to a solid start vs Cincinnati and has another chance to win a non-cupcake game to start off 2-0. Arkansas has a tough schedule with tough SEC West matchups against 'Bama, Texas A&M, LSU & Ole Miss and they go to BYU in the middle of October - they need this win to keep a good season going before the going gets really tough.
#24 Tennessee @ #17 Pittsburgh - 3:30PM (ABC)
Pitt QB Kedon Slovis faced-off against another Top 25 2023 QB prospect last week in West Virginia's JT Daniels and he gets to do it again as Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker comes to town. I'll give Pitt credit: they scheduled two solid non-conference games in West Virginina and Tennesee to open their 2022 season and didn't put "cupcakes" in there. If they win this matchup vs a solid Tennesee team, they have some easier non-conference games @ W Michigan and vs Rhode Island the next 2 weeks before starting their ACC schedule in which they don't face Clemson or FSU - their toughest game could be their last vs Miami. Pitt does have a ferocious defense that gets after the QB so Hooker will need his athleticism in this this to pull off the upset road win. Tenneseee HC Josh Heupel seems to have the Volunteers headed in the right direction and this game will be a barometer of where they stand a program heading into their extremely tough SEC schedule.
Washington St @ #19 Wisconsin - 3:30PM (FOX)
This could be a sneaky-good game in the middle of the day as the Cougars travel to Madison in an early PAC12 vs BIG10 matchup. The reason to watch here will be Washington St QB Cameron Ward, a 2023 QB Draft prospect that transferred from FCS school Incarnate Word. Wisconsin generally has a tough time vs big arm QB's and Ward has an NFL level arm (from all the "hype" I've read anyway) so if Ward was going to have a break-out game, this would be the time to have it in an otherwise "quiet" College slate of games. Wisconsin always seems to get off to slow starts so I would expect the Cougars to make a game of it early and we'll have to see if Wisconsins powerful OL can wear out WSU in the 2nd half.
#20 Kentucky @ #12 Florida - 7PM (ESPN)
A big-time early season SEC East matchup between two of the top 2023 QB prospects in Kentukcy's Will Levis and Flordia's Anthony Richardson. Richardson had a great Week 1 game vs Utah and Levis wasn't nearly as sharp. The winner of this game will basically have a leg-up on 2nd place in the SEC East - behind Georgia, of course. Kentucky has the easier of the schedules as their toughest SEC game (besides Florida and Georgia) is probably @ #22 Ole Miss on 10/1, so if Kentucky can pull this off, they coud be in the driver's seat until their late season matchup vs the Bulldogs, which they get at home.
#10 USC @ Stanford - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
It didn't take long for former Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley to generate excitement at USC as the Trojans are an early PAC12 favorite, thanks to Oregon getting demolished vs Georgia and Utah losing a close game at Florida. It's still too early to crown anything and USC has "fallen on their sword" (pun intended) plenty of times in the post-Pete Carroll era, but Riley has a great QB/WR duo of QB Caleb Williams (followed Riley from Oklahoma) and WR Jordan Addison (transfer from Pitt) to ignite his 2022 offense. The reason I would watch this game is for Stanford's 2023 QB prospect, Tanner McKee, who has an NFL frame at 6'7" and 225 lbs and has generated some Round 1 "buzz". What a great way to generate even more buzz than a conference win over a suddenly "popular" USC team.
#9 Baylor @ #21 BYU - 10:15PM ET (ESPN)
I really wish this game was on just 1 hr earlier, but I guess ESPN wants viewers to finish the Kentucky/Florida game before tuning-in to this matchup of Top 25 teams. To me, the pressure here is all-on Baylor as they don't have many chances to prove their CFP "mettle" outside of the BIG XII matchups vs Ok St and Oklahoma, and they'll need a really good-looking non-conference road win to fall back on if they falter in one of those games to still have a shot at the CFP. BYU has plenty of tough opponents this year (Oregon, Arkansas, ND, Stanford, Boise St, etc) so they may not "need" this win as much as Baylor, but quite honestly, if BYU runs their gauntlet and gets to 11-1, I could see them in the CFP conversation. They were just outside of the Top 12 with 2 losses last year and their 2022 schedule is even tougher. I haven't seen BYU QB Jaren Hall yet so I'm exciting to see how he performs vs a Top 10 opponent.
Oregon St @ Fresno St - 10:30PM ET (CBSSN)
If you don't want to watch the Baylor/BYU matchup, this should be a good game between "under-the-radar" 2022 college teams. Fresno St features 2023 QB prospect Jake Haener who has put up really good #'s last season, but decided to stay in college to beef-up his resume for the 2023 Draft. Fresno St has their "Super Bowl" game @ USC next week, but Oregon St. is an up-and-coming team, coming off a big Bowl win last season and a really big W vs Boise St at home to start their 2022 season. If Fresno St wins, I could see them getting a Top 25 ranking heading into that USC matchup next weekend.
2023 QB Watch:
I decided to create a completely seperate threat for the 2023 QB's instead of putting it in the weekly College Football threads (it could be a very big QB class so I think it deserves its own dedicated thread), but quite honestly, for those following 2023 QB's, Week 2 does offer a nice little schedule to follow on Saturday:
Early Games:
Bryce Young (Alabama) on the road @ Texas
Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) on the road @ Arkansas (KJ Jefferson is a 2023 prospect for Arkansas, too)
Afternooon Games:
Hendon Hooker (Tennessee) vs Kedon Slovis (Pitt)
Cam Ward (WSU) on the road @ Wisconsin
Evening Games:
Will Levis (Kentucky) vs Anthony Richardson (Florida)
Tanner McKee (Standford) at home vs USC
Late Games:
Jaren Hall (BYU) at home vs a Top 10 Baylor team
Jake Haener (Fresno St) at home vs a solid Oregon St team
... and neither is this Chris guy.