Weekend Review (Week 2)

Prospect Matchup Review

Oregon QB Marcus Mariota vs Michigan State Defense

For two and a half quarters, the Spartans were holding Mariota and the Duck offense in check. The sacked Mariota three times while Rush, Calhoun, and Jones were doing a good job of playing the zone read. However Mariota kicked it into gear when he needed to and it was his arm that won the game. Whether it was the Spartan defense was wearing down, or some busted coverage Mariota was able to find two wide open receivers to take the lead. Even though Spartans lost big, it was still a good game for players like Calhoun and Trae Waynes.

USC Nelson Agholor vs Stanford CBs Alex Carter and Wayne Lyons

While it wasn't a huge stand out performance, Nelson Agholor can still be considered the winner here. Not only did USC get the win, but Agholor had 9 catches for 91 yards. No touchdowns, but the two Stanford corners weren't able to corral him enough which also allowed USC RB Javorius Allen more room to run in route to his 154 yards.

Alabama WR Amari Cooper vs Florida Atlantic CB D'Joun Smith

Going into this matchup we knew that D'Joun Smith wasn't going to slow down Cooper, let alone shut him down. But mainly we wanted to see how Smith would do against the best WR in the nation. Well that never happened because Smith sat out of the game because of a shoulder injury he suffered the week before against Nebraska. However Cooper went off in this game with 189 yards and a TD. So even with Smith, Cooper was on another level.

Utah WR Dres Anderson vs Fresno State S Derron Smith

It wasn't all Smith's fault, but when you get 268 yards and 5 TDs against you that really falls onto their leader and free safety. Part of that success against Fresno Sate and Smith was Anderson who had two touchdowns and 84 yards. Utah's attack was just too much and really put a lot of pressure on Smith and wasn't able to capitalize on any mistakes.

Michigan WR/TE Devin Funchess vs Notre Dame DBs Cody Riggs and Austin Collinsworth

Even though Michigan's offensive performance (first time shut out since 1984) was beyond horrible, the silver lining was how Funchess played. Even though he didn't score a TD, Funchess was a force in the first half and finished with 107 yards receiving. But when you add in poor offensive line play and shoddy QB play and it's no wonder he didn't have bigger numbers. Funchess' size and leaping ability are just too much for anybody in college football this year.

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Heisman Watch

1. Marcus Mariota QB Oregon
Last Week:  17/28 318 yards passing 3 TDs, 42 yards rushing vs Michigan State (46-27)  Next Week: vs Wyoming
Summary: In his first make or break game, Mariota came out on top. It was an up and down game for Mariota, but even during his lull, Mariota didn't play bad or make any glaring mistakes. Instead he lead the Ducks from behind with two third quarter touchdowns that gave them the lead. The Heisman is all about momentum and winning the marquee game of the year so far is really going to do wonders for his stock. Voters will remember his come back performance and it's a clear reason why Mariota has vaulted back to the top of the rankings.

2. Todd Gurley RB Georgia
Last Week:  BYE  Next Week: at South Carolina
Summary: Even though Gurley and the Bulldogs didn't play he slips a bit. That's what happens when you have an early bye and another player has a huge performance. But if your a Gurley fan, don't panic. There is plenty season left and with South Carolina winning this weekend it makes their game against Georgia better. And if Gurley can replicate the game he had against Clemson he will continue to be in the top tier of contenders. He just needs to stay healthy all year long.

3.Kenny Hill QB Texas A&M
Last Week: 17/26 283 yards passing 4 TDs vs Lamar (73-3) Next Week: vs Rice
Summary: Now this game didn't have the fan fare that his debut against South Carolina had, but Hill continued to show his ability to run this offense. He completely 65% of his passes while nearly throwing for 300 yards. The big problem for Hill will be they don't play another quality opponent till October 11th when they play Mississippi. That's a long time to maintain the impact he had to start the season and we could see him sliding down this list pretty soon.

4. Jameis Winston QB Florida State
Last Week:  22/27 256 yards passing 2 TDs vs Citadel (37-12) Next Week:  BYE
Summary: It was a lot easier for Winston this week as he and the Seminoles cruised to an easy win. Winston is in an interesting position, it's going to take a lot for him to repeat winning the award, but the Seminoles are going to roll all year long again and they do play an improved schedule from last year. However with an investigation opened up from his sexual assault from a couple of years ago now opening you have to wonder if voters will want to stay away from him. We'll see in a couple of weeks when they face off against Clemson.

5. Ameer Abdullah RB Nebraska
Last Week:  17 carries for 54 yards rushing TD, 96 yards receiving TD vs McNeese State (31-24) Next Week: at Fresno State
Summary: Now Abdullah didn't have another 232 yard rushing performance like he did against FAU and he struggle to get going against a FCS school, but Abdullah made it count when the Huskers needed it the most. With the game tied in the final minutes, Abdullah took a short pass broke five tackles in route to a 58 yard touchdown reception to win the game for the Huskers. It's hard to have a Heisman moment against a FCS school, but that saved the Huskers season and illustrates the type of player Abdullah is.

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Power 8

In

1. Florida State Seminoles (2-0)
Nothing really new for the Seminoles. They continue to look like the best team in the nation and they should win out. Now they're schedule is tougher than it was last year which only helps their cause.

2. Oregon Ducks (2-0)
With their win against Michigan State that gives the Ducks the best win of the season so far. Not only did they win, but they looked good doing so against a physical team. That should help them in the future vs Stanford who looks to have taken a step back.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
It was a week off for the Bulldogs who will be facing off against South Carolina this upcoming week. We know the SEC champ will get in and right now the Bulldogs look like the best team in the SEC.

4. Baylor Bears (2-0)
Oklahoma continues to get most of the love for the Big 12 teams, but the Bears didn't lose a beat without Bryce Petty, Levi Norwood, Antwan Goodley and a couple of other players. As they get those players back to full strength they could be unstoppable.


Knocking on the Door

5. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)
I have Oklahoma the next team to come in, but that doesn't mean that they're the fifth best team in college football. They are here because it's toss up between them and Baylor and it's very close. Their game November 8th is going to be epic.

6.  Auburn Tigers (2-0)
The Tigers continue to look like the best team in the SEC West in my eyes and even if they have two losses but win the conference championship game, they are still going to get in over teams with one loss.

7. USC Trojans (2-0)
It wasn't pretty, but they got a huge win over Stanford and the Trojans under Steve Sarksian look like a new team. Without having to play Oregon till the Pac 12 Title Game and seeing UCLA struggling they have a legit shot at being undefeated going into the conference championship game.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0)
The third SEC team in this list mainly because the SEC is pretty wide open. I'm not a huge fan of the Tide this year with such uncertainty at QB. I could really see them losing three games this year, but really don't know who else realistically could fit here. Not ready for Notre Dame whose schedule is too brutal. But don't count out Michigan State quite yet. They run the table and they could sneak back into the discussion.

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Team on the Rise

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
It was one thing to come out and dominate Rice, but to do the same thing to Michigan really says something about this team. Not to mention dealing with losing three NFL Draft caliber players before the season to suspension. The big difference has been getting QB Everret Golson back who has breathed life into the Irish offense. They went from being a fringe top 25 team to now being a team you have to consider in the playoff discussion.

Team on the Decline

Fresno State Bulldogs
Remember last year? A team that won the Mountain West, was undefeated and flirting with a BCS Bowl. Yeah they lost some key players (QB Derek Carr and WR Davante Adams) but returned plenty of talent and were poised to challenge once again for the Mountain West. However it looks like it's going to be a long year in the Valley. Not only did they get blown out by 39 to USC, but they also lost by 32 to Pac 12 cellar dweller Utah. Now with Nebraska coming to town it likely means they'll be 0-3 which is worst case scenario.

Team Under the Radar

Pittsburgh Panthers
I was a big fan of Pitt hiring Paul Chryst from Wisconsin and in his third year the Panthers are starting to see their hard work paying off. This team is loaded with young talent and now with a little bit of experience they are going to be a very tough team in the ACC. RB James Connor is a force running the ball and is going to start getting some Heisman love, while WR Tyler Boyd is going to be a hot WR prospect once he becomes draft eligible.