The Updated SB Top 25 Poll:
1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Michigan
6. Cincinnati
7. Oregon
8. Notre Dame
9. Ole Miss
10. Kentucky
11. Michigan State
12. Texas A&M
13. Wake Forest
14. Auburn
15. Pittsburgh
16. Iowa
17. Oklahoma State
18. SMU
19. Baylor
20. Iowa State
21. Arkansas
22. Arizona State
23. San Diego State
24. Coastal Carolina
25. UTSA
Next Up: BYU, Louisiana, Houston, UCLA, Appalachian State, Oregon State
Heisman Watch:
1. C.J. Stroud
2. Bryce Young
3. Matt Corral
4. TreVeyon Henderson
5. Desmond Ridder
6. Bijan Robinson
7. Jordan Davis
8. Kenny Pickett
— Nobody has really separated from the pack after 8 weeks of play, but we have a decent idea of how the race will shape up
— Stroud remains at first on my Heisman Watch after 8 weeks and that is because he has been the best and most impressive QB in college football this year. 22 TD’s / 3 INT’s. Some of the throws he made against Indiana were just mind blowing. His ability to make tight window throws is a sight to behold. If he keeps up this level of play, he he should be able to run away with the Heisman this year and will likely be a top 10 pick when he is draft eligible after next season
— Jordan Davis deserves some recognition, it’s about time he made the list. He just wrecks games. He has been one of the most impactful players in the sport this year. He is simply unblockable
— What Caleb Williams is doing warrants a mention. Oklahoma would have two losses in a row if it weren’t for him making spectacular plays. He would be in the Heisman race if Rattler didn’t start the first half of the year and there’s still a chance he could even end up in the race with how wide open it is
TEAM ANALYSIS:
— The Ohio State offense is firing on all cylinders right now and the defense is really rounding into form. The defense is now ranked 48th in total yards allowed after being in the hundreds after the first three games. Matt Barnes truly is a miracle worker. The defensive line is finally getting the pressure on QB’s that we expected going into the season and the silver bullets are looking as nice as ever. This team will be extremely hard to beat with the offense clicking at this level and the defense getting more confident.
— Chase Brice and Appalachian State flipped the script on the Group of 5 world with their shocking win over Coastal Carolina last Wednesday. I'm still in shock that Chase Brice played the game of his life. Coastal Carolina really disappointed me, I was a big believer before that game. App State now has a good chance to win the Sun Belt, they control their own destiny and the rest of their schedule is quite favorable.
— The Wake Forest offense is forreal? 70 points against Army with only 17 minutes of ball possession is insane. They are definitely a good team, probably the best in the ACC, but I still think they are a fringe top 20 team. They have been impressive so far this season and are still undefeated. We’ll see how good their offense really is when they play the stout Clemson defense in a few weeks.
— The Penn State offense is putrid. We’ve known that since the Wisconsin game so that’s nothing new, but what we saw against Illinois was just downright disgusting. You guys couldn’t complete a single 2-point conversion to win the game?? It seems like James Franklin doesn’t even want to be there anymore. At this point, I am just waiting for the inevitable phone notification announcing that Franklin and Penn State are mutually parting ways. The Penn State defense is still one of the best in the country, but they are in for a rough outing on Saturday night at the Shoe. That will only make Franklin’s seat hotter than it already is.
— Cincinnati struggled against Navy for most of the game and that should have been enough to drop them in the AP Poll, but they stayed at No. 2. I don’t think the Bearcats would beat Bama, OSU, Georgia, Oklahoma or Michigan for that matter, so that is why I have them ranked at the 6 spot.
— Pittsburgh looked dominant against Clemson, they might actually be a top 20 team. I’m not buying too much into the hype but they impressed me. The defense looks really good and Kenny Pickett appears to be much improved compared to previous years.
I am going to be releasing a feature story next week, so stay tuned for that. I don’t want to reveal too much, but it will be about the life of a HS football player. Human-interest stories are so fun to write and they mean a lot when you build a strong relationship and care about the people you are writing about.