Post by Uncle on Sept 29, 2022 12:27:07 GMT -6
Now that we're 1/3rd of the way through the College regular season, the next key date on the calendar turns to Tues, 11/1, which is the release of the first of six CFP rankings. There are five more college weekends to impress the CFP Committee for those initial rankings and teams will know where they stand and what they have to do to get themselves into position for a CFB bid. There will be several bigtime Conference games that very well may determine who's-in and who's-out of the Conference Championships in November, which are always a key piece of the CFP puzzle.
And speaking of bigtime matchups, Week 5 does offer up it's fair share as we get 5 matchups between Top 25 teams, and a few other matchups where ranked teams go on the road against a Conference rival.
The "cupcake" games should mostly be behind us, and it's time for the contenders to start standing up...
Thursday, 9/29 - Evening Games
South Carolina St @ South Carolina - 7PM ET (SEC Network)
Utah St @ #19 BYU - 8PM ET (ESPN)
I have both of these games lumped together because neither one should be competitive and both have the same reason to watch: 2023 Draft QB prospects. If you've never seen South Carolina's QB Spencer Rattler or BYU's QB Jaren Hall, then it might be worth it to flip on the game for a few offensive series to get a feel for how they are. Neither team should feel threatened by the "cupcake" on the other side, so you probably won't be seeing anything too great and both teams might rely more on their ground games just to get them through, but again, if you've never seen either QB, it's worth it to flip both games on for a little bit to start forming opinions on how they are.
Friday, 9/30 - Evening Games
Tulane @ Houston - 7PM ET (ESPN)
Part 1 of a Friday Night 2023 Draft QB Prospect double-header as Tulane's Michael Pratt squares-off against Houston's Clayton Tune. Both are likely Day 3 prospects at this point and both have garnered a little "buzz" for themselves: Pratt and Tulane had a big road win at Kansas St (yes, that same Kansas St team that beat a Top 10 Oklahoma team on the road last week) and Tune was mocked by several online "experts" as possibly being a Day 2 prospect. This is my first chance at seeing both so they will be the reason I'm tuning into this one.
#15 Washington @ UCLA - 10:30PM ET (ESPN)
Part 2 of a Friday Night 2023 Draft QB Prospect double-header as Washington's Michael Penix Jr squares-off against UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson. This is a crucial PAC12 mathcup as both teams come into this game undefeated, but Washington has the more impressive resume with wins over Mich St and Stanford while Chip Kelly's UCLA team have basically beat up on "cupcakes". Penix Jr has been getting a bit of online "love" this week from draft "experts" and I'm eager to see if there's a possibility that he could be a Day 2 prospect; he does have an injury history a mile long so it's possible most NFL team see him as "damaged goods", but if he strings together a healthy and productive 2022 season for the Huskies and performs well in the pre-Draft All-Star games, perhaps he'll get some Day 2 interest. Another prospect to watch in this one is UCLA's RB, Zach Charbonnet (a Michigan transfer from 2020). He had some great runs during his FR season at Michigan in 2019 and then exploded in the early part of the 2021 season with UCLA, and he's back to averaging over 6.0 yds per carry again this year. I don't think Charbonet will be one of the top RB's in the 2023 class, but he could be a sneaky efficient RB pick in the middle rounds like Chandler was in the 2022 Draft.
Saturday, 10/1 - Early Afternoon Games
#4 Michigan @ Iowa - Noon ET (FOX)
Michigan was able to answer their first BIG10 challenge when Maryland came to Ann Arbor, but this will be their 1st road test of the 2022 season, and even though Iowa won't be racking up points on the offensive side of the ball, they do have a very stingy defense and it will be interesting how Michigan responds to that test. The Wolverines have a top RB in the 2023 Draft in Blake Corum, as well as several DL prospects to keep an eye on. For Iowa, keep an eye on LB Jack Campbell who is essentially Chad Greenway 2.0, as well as TE Sam LaPorta - a TE prospect I liked in 2021, although Iowa's offense is so inept, it might be difficult to watch that side of the ball.
#7 Kentucky @ #14 Ole Miss - Noon ET (ESPN)
The Wildcats went on the road to the Swamp and beat a ranked SEC Team in Florida during Week 2 and they get their 2nd opportunity to show how well-rounded they are, and QB Will Levis gets another opportunity to cement his status as a top 2023 Draft QB prospect. Kentucky leaned on their running game in that Week 2 win over Florida, and they will have their star RB back for this game, Chris Rodriguez so I do expect them to lean on that running game again which means I'm not too sure how much Levis will be involved. Ole Miss counters with their star RB, Zach Evans, as Lane Kiffen will be leaning on him and their defense to hold down a balanced Kentucky team. The winner of this one will get to 5-0 and have leg-up in their respective divisions so this is a big one that could impact the CFP.
Purdue @ #21 Minnesota - Noon ET (ESPN2)
This could have been another 2023 QB Draft battle with Purdue's Aiden O'Connell taking on Minnesota's Tannger Morgan, but O'Connell's status for this game is still up in the air, I think. If O'Connell can't go, then that severly hampers the Purdue high-octane passing attack, which they need against the red-hot Gopher team led by OC Joh Michael Schmitz (a top 5 IOL propect in the 2023 Draft) and RB Mo Ibrahim (possibly a top 5 RB prospect, too). Purdue has been a bit up-and-down this season but they should represent a decent test to see how good Minnesota really is, or if they're 4-0 start was just a mirage. Another prospect to watch is Purdue WR Charlie Jones, who's a bit undersized, but has all the traits to be an effective slot WR in the NFL.
Saturday, 10/1 - Mid-Afternoon Games
#2 Alabama @ #20 Arkansas - 3:30PM ET (CBS)
Arkansas had things going their way in last week's matchup with Texas A&M until QB KJ Jefferson tried to dive into the endzone from the 3 yd line, fumbled and led to a scoop-n-score TD the other way for A&M. That play turned the entire game around and Arkansas could never fully recover after that, and those are the types of plays Jefferson and Arkansas will have to avoid in this one if they hope to pull off the upset. Their star S project, Jalen Catelon, was injured during the Week 1 game vs Cincinnati and the Razorbacks have sustained other injuries to their secondary which will means Alabama QB Bryce Young might be licking his chops to throw all over them in this one. I don't think Arkansas has the horses with their secondary decimated, but if Jefferson has the game of his life and their other star player, LB Drew Sanders, steps up against a solid Alabama team, then who knows since the game will be in Fayetteville.
#9 Oklahoma St @ #16 Baylor - 3:30PM ET (FOX)
It's time for Oklahoma St and their 2023 QB prospect, Spencer Sanders, to prove that last season wasn't a fluke when they came within a yard of winning the BIG XII Championship game vs Baylor. The Bears are a solid team on both sides of the ball, and they've played a few tough teams this year (losing in OT @ BYU and winning on the road at a previously undefeated Iowa St), but its the Cowboys who have to prove they are worthy of that Top 10 ranking. The one 2023 prospect to watch in this one is Baylor DT Siaki Ika - he's 6'4" 350 lbs+ and a huge presence in the middle of that Baylor DL and he's shown some ability to get after the QB, which isn't common for a DT of his size. Should the Vikings be looking at DL prospects for the 2023 Draft? You bet.
#22 Wake Forest @ #23 Florida St - 3:30PM ET (ABC)
The mid-afternoon slate of games are loaded with three games that feature Top 25 teams squaring off against each other, so the TV remote might be getting a workout here. The Demon Deacons nearly pulled off a great win at home vs a Top 5 Clemson team last weekend and QB prospect Sam Hartman probably had the best game he's ever had againsta very good Clemson defense. He'll have to be every bit as good this week as FSU's defense is no slouch, but they are having some injury issues. FSU's offense isn't going to be able to go pound-for-pound in the air with Hartman, but FSU does have one of the best rushing attacks in the nation as they have a trio of really good RB's to attach Wake Forest with. FSU QB Jordan Travis will need to lead a balanced attack and keep the ball out of Hartman's hands to pull off the win here. One draft prospect to watch is FSU EDGE Jared Verse - if he plays, that is.
Saturday, 10/1 - Evening Games
#10 NC State @ #5 Clemson - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
NC State's biggest game in a long time as they have a chance to knock-off the cream of the crop in the ACC and get a leg-up for the ACC title game and possibly a CFP-birth. Wolfpack QB Drew Leary hasn't really stood out from the crowd of Day 2/Day 3 QB prospects in the 2023 Draft and he needs a breakout game to solidfy his status. But the primetime lights don't get brighter than Death Valley at night, and Clemson is coming off a big win at Wake Forest last weekend and will be geared-up for a primetime win to showcase themselves for the CFP Committee that they deserve a Top 4 ranking come 11/1. Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei possibly had his best game ever at Wake Forest and I want to see if he truly turned a corner, or if that was just a mirage.
Saturday, 10/1 - Late-Night Games
Stanford @ #13 Oregon - 11PM ET (FS1)
Stanford QB Tanner McKee hasn't quite lived up to the preseason hype he received and needs a breakout game of his own to vault him up in the QB rankings, and even though Stanford may not win this game, McKee needs to play better. Oregon is red-hot after that Week 1 beating by Georgia and they are out to try and get back into the CFP conversation as they try to run the gauntlet in the PAC12. Oregon QB Bo Nix has been on-fire lately, but the matchup to watch here is Stanford QB Tanner McKee vs Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez, who's been garnering plenty of Day 1/Day 2 hype this season.
Sunday, 10/2 - Early Afternoon Games
Eastern Washington @ Florida
SMU @ UCF
Just a quick note that some games in teh state of Florida were moved to Sunday due to the impact of Hurricane Ian this past week, so after the Vikings vs Saints morning game in London, if you don't want to watch NFL football in the early afternoon, you do have a few College games to watch instead. Perhaps the 2023 Draft prospect to watch is SMU WR Rashee Rice who's putting up awesome #'s and has been getting plenty of early round "buzz" in the 2023 WR class.
2023 QB Matchups to Watch:
Friday Night:
Michael Pratt (Tulane) @ Clayton Tune (Houston)
Michael Penix, Jr (Washington) @ Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA)
Saturday - Early Afternoon:
Will Levis (Kentucky) @ Ole Miss
Aidan O'Connell (Purdue) @ Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) - quick note: O'Connell may not play in this one
Malik Cunningham (Louisville) @ Phil Jurkovec (Boston College)
Saturday - Mid-Afternoon:
Bryce Young (Alabama) @ KJ Jefferson (Arkansas)
Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma St) @ Baylor
Saturday - Evening:
Drew Leary (NC State) @ DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson)
Saturday - Late Night:
Tanner McKee (Stanford) @ Bo Nix (Oregon)
And speaking of bigtime matchups, Week 5 does offer up it's fair share as we get 5 matchups between Top 25 teams, and a few other matchups where ranked teams go on the road against a Conference rival.
The "cupcake" games should mostly be behind us, and it's time for the contenders to start standing up...
Thursday, 9/29 - Evening Games
South Carolina St @ South Carolina - 7PM ET (SEC Network)
Utah St @ #19 BYU - 8PM ET (ESPN)
I have both of these games lumped together because neither one should be competitive and both have the same reason to watch: 2023 Draft QB prospects. If you've never seen South Carolina's QB Spencer Rattler or BYU's QB Jaren Hall, then it might be worth it to flip on the game for a few offensive series to get a feel for how they are. Neither team should feel threatened by the "cupcake" on the other side, so you probably won't be seeing anything too great and both teams might rely more on their ground games just to get them through, but again, if you've never seen either QB, it's worth it to flip both games on for a little bit to start forming opinions on how they are.
Friday, 9/30 - Evening Games
Tulane @ Houston - 7PM ET (ESPN)
Part 1 of a Friday Night 2023 Draft QB Prospect double-header as Tulane's Michael Pratt squares-off against Houston's Clayton Tune. Both are likely Day 3 prospects at this point and both have garnered a little "buzz" for themselves: Pratt and Tulane had a big road win at Kansas St (yes, that same Kansas St team that beat a Top 10 Oklahoma team on the road last week) and Tune was mocked by several online "experts" as possibly being a Day 2 prospect. This is my first chance at seeing both so they will be the reason I'm tuning into this one.
#15 Washington @ UCLA - 10:30PM ET (ESPN)
Part 2 of a Friday Night 2023 Draft QB Prospect double-header as Washington's Michael Penix Jr squares-off against UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson. This is a crucial PAC12 mathcup as both teams come into this game undefeated, but Washington has the more impressive resume with wins over Mich St and Stanford while Chip Kelly's UCLA team have basically beat up on "cupcakes". Penix Jr has been getting a bit of online "love" this week from draft "experts" and I'm eager to see if there's a possibility that he could be a Day 2 prospect; he does have an injury history a mile long so it's possible most NFL team see him as "damaged goods", but if he strings together a healthy and productive 2022 season for the Huskies and performs well in the pre-Draft All-Star games, perhaps he'll get some Day 2 interest. Another prospect to watch in this one is UCLA's RB, Zach Charbonnet (a Michigan transfer from 2020). He had some great runs during his FR season at Michigan in 2019 and then exploded in the early part of the 2021 season with UCLA, and he's back to averaging over 6.0 yds per carry again this year. I don't think Charbonet will be one of the top RB's in the 2023 class, but he could be a sneaky efficient RB pick in the middle rounds like Chandler was in the 2022 Draft.
Saturday, 10/1 - Early Afternoon Games
#4 Michigan @ Iowa - Noon ET (FOX)
Michigan was able to answer their first BIG10 challenge when Maryland came to Ann Arbor, but this will be their 1st road test of the 2022 season, and even though Iowa won't be racking up points on the offensive side of the ball, they do have a very stingy defense and it will be interesting how Michigan responds to that test. The Wolverines have a top RB in the 2023 Draft in Blake Corum, as well as several DL prospects to keep an eye on. For Iowa, keep an eye on LB Jack Campbell who is essentially Chad Greenway 2.0, as well as TE Sam LaPorta - a TE prospect I liked in 2021, although Iowa's offense is so inept, it might be difficult to watch that side of the ball.
#7 Kentucky @ #14 Ole Miss - Noon ET (ESPN)
The Wildcats went on the road to the Swamp and beat a ranked SEC Team in Florida during Week 2 and they get their 2nd opportunity to show how well-rounded they are, and QB Will Levis gets another opportunity to cement his status as a top 2023 Draft QB prospect. Kentucky leaned on their running game in that Week 2 win over Florida, and they will have their star RB back for this game, Chris Rodriguez so I do expect them to lean on that running game again which means I'm not too sure how much Levis will be involved. Ole Miss counters with their star RB, Zach Evans, as Lane Kiffen will be leaning on him and their defense to hold down a balanced Kentucky team. The winner of this one will get to 5-0 and have leg-up in their respective divisions so this is a big one that could impact the CFP.
Purdue @ #21 Minnesota - Noon ET (ESPN2)
This could have been another 2023 QB Draft battle with Purdue's Aiden O'Connell taking on Minnesota's Tannger Morgan, but O'Connell's status for this game is still up in the air, I think. If O'Connell can't go, then that severly hampers the Purdue high-octane passing attack, which they need against the red-hot Gopher team led by OC Joh Michael Schmitz (a top 5 IOL propect in the 2023 Draft) and RB Mo Ibrahim (possibly a top 5 RB prospect, too). Purdue has been a bit up-and-down this season but they should represent a decent test to see how good Minnesota really is, or if they're 4-0 start was just a mirage. Another prospect to watch is Purdue WR Charlie Jones, who's a bit undersized, but has all the traits to be an effective slot WR in the NFL.
Saturday, 10/1 - Mid-Afternoon Games
#2 Alabama @ #20 Arkansas - 3:30PM ET (CBS)
Arkansas had things going their way in last week's matchup with Texas A&M until QB KJ Jefferson tried to dive into the endzone from the 3 yd line, fumbled and led to a scoop-n-score TD the other way for A&M. That play turned the entire game around and Arkansas could never fully recover after that, and those are the types of plays Jefferson and Arkansas will have to avoid in this one if they hope to pull off the upset. Their star S project, Jalen Catelon, was injured during the Week 1 game vs Cincinnati and the Razorbacks have sustained other injuries to their secondary which will means Alabama QB Bryce Young might be licking his chops to throw all over them in this one. I don't think Arkansas has the horses with their secondary decimated, but if Jefferson has the game of his life and their other star player, LB Drew Sanders, steps up against a solid Alabama team, then who knows since the game will be in Fayetteville.
#9 Oklahoma St @ #16 Baylor - 3:30PM ET (FOX)
It's time for Oklahoma St and their 2023 QB prospect, Spencer Sanders, to prove that last season wasn't a fluke when they came within a yard of winning the BIG XII Championship game vs Baylor. The Bears are a solid team on both sides of the ball, and they've played a few tough teams this year (losing in OT @ BYU and winning on the road at a previously undefeated Iowa St), but its the Cowboys who have to prove they are worthy of that Top 10 ranking. The one 2023 prospect to watch in this one is Baylor DT Siaki Ika - he's 6'4" 350 lbs+ and a huge presence in the middle of that Baylor DL and he's shown some ability to get after the QB, which isn't common for a DT of his size. Should the Vikings be looking at DL prospects for the 2023 Draft? You bet.
#22 Wake Forest @ #23 Florida St - 3:30PM ET (ABC)
The mid-afternoon slate of games are loaded with three games that feature Top 25 teams squaring off against each other, so the TV remote might be getting a workout here. The Demon Deacons nearly pulled off a great win at home vs a Top 5 Clemson team last weekend and QB prospect Sam Hartman probably had the best game he's ever had againsta very good Clemson defense. He'll have to be every bit as good this week as FSU's defense is no slouch, but they are having some injury issues. FSU's offense isn't going to be able to go pound-for-pound in the air with Hartman, but FSU does have one of the best rushing attacks in the nation as they have a trio of really good RB's to attach Wake Forest with. FSU QB Jordan Travis will need to lead a balanced attack and keep the ball out of Hartman's hands to pull off the win here. One draft prospect to watch is FSU EDGE Jared Verse - if he plays, that is.
Saturday, 10/1 - Evening Games
#10 NC State @ #5 Clemson - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
NC State's biggest game in a long time as they have a chance to knock-off the cream of the crop in the ACC and get a leg-up for the ACC title game and possibly a CFP-birth. Wolfpack QB Drew Leary hasn't really stood out from the crowd of Day 2/Day 3 QB prospects in the 2023 Draft and he needs a breakout game to solidfy his status. But the primetime lights don't get brighter than Death Valley at night, and Clemson is coming off a big win at Wake Forest last weekend and will be geared-up for a primetime win to showcase themselves for the CFP Committee that they deserve a Top 4 ranking come 11/1. Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei possibly had his best game ever at Wake Forest and I want to see if he truly turned a corner, or if that was just a mirage.
Saturday, 10/1 - Late-Night Games
Stanford @ #13 Oregon - 11PM ET (FS1)
Stanford QB Tanner McKee hasn't quite lived up to the preseason hype he received and needs a breakout game of his own to vault him up in the QB rankings, and even though Stanford may not win this game, McKee needs to play better. Oregon is red-hot after that Week 1 beating by Georgia and they are out to try and get back into the CFP conversation as they try to run the gauntlet in the PAC12. Oregon QB Bo Nix has been on-fire lately, but the matchup to watch here is Stanford QB Tanner McKee vs Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez, who's been garnering plenty of Day 1/Day 2 hype this season.
Sunday, 10/2 - Early Afternoon Games
Eastern Washington @ Florida
SMU @ UCF
Just a quick note that some games in teh state of Florida were moved to Sunday due to the impact of Hurricane Ian this past week, so after the Vikings vs Saints morning game in London, if you don't want to watch NFL football in the early afternoon, you do have a few College games to watch instead. Perhaps the 2023 Draft prospect to watch is SMU WR Rashee Rice who's putting up awesome #'s and has been getting plenty of early round "buzz" in the 2023 WR class.
2023 QB Matchups to Watch:
Friday Night:
Michael Pratt (Tulane) @ Clayton Tune (Houston)
Michael Penix, Jr (Washington) @ Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA)
Saturday - Early Afternoon:
Will Levis (Kentucky) @ Ole Miss
Aidan O'Connell (Purdue) @ Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) - quick note: O'Connell may not play in this one
Malik Cunningham (Louisville) @ Phil Jurkovec (Boston College)
Saturday - Mid-Afternoon:
Bryce Young (Alabama) @ KJ Jefferson (Arkansas)
Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma St) @ Baylor
Saturday - Evening:
Drew Leary (NC State) @ DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson)
Saturday - Late Night:
Tanner McKee (Stanford) @ Bo Nix (Oregon)
... and neither is this Chris guy.