- Copyright 2024 © CollegeFootballPoll.com
- About CFP / Contact
- Legal Statements
Here is a selection of must-see games this week, and a nod to last week's top performers in pursuit of the Maxwell Award for best offensive player, and the Bednarik Award for top defense player.
CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the voting panel for both awards.
The college football week begins with a pair of Friday night Power 4 Matchups with the "Smarter Than You Bowl" when Duke visits Northwestern, and the Methodists-Mormons Clash as SMU hoists BYU.
The week isn't full of current top 25 battles, but it is chock full of interesting intersectional matchups, and even a few conference battles which we list below the previews of of the must-see games.
Questions to be answered:
1) How good is Texas?
2) Is Michigan anything close to last year with 2/3rds of the starters, and the head coach, gone?
3) Why isn't Travis Hunter the Heisman odds leader?
Worth Noting:
Nebraska (-7.5) is favored over Colorado as The 'Huskers welcome their 397th consecutive sell-out home crowd in a streak that began with a 16-7 loss to Missouri on November 3, 1962.
Get the odds and picks of every game this week.
It’s an early season matchup between two traditional powers looking to return to the playoffs again this year.
Michigan is the defending national champ, but this team is different. No JJ McCarthy, no Jim Harbaugh, and very little certainty on offense. In Saturday’s 30-10 win over Fresno State, the offense stalled and produced just two touchdowns. However, the D allowed only nine rushing yards and remains elite. Meanwhile, Texas’ visit from a Mountain West school went much better. The Horns steamrolled Colorado State, 52-0, behind three Quinn Ewers TD passes and a stifling defense. Michigan’s 32-game regular season winning streak will be in serious jeopardy Saturday in Ann Arbor.
The Cyclones and the Hawkeyes meet for the 71st time, with the coveted Cy-Hawk Trophy hanging in the balance.
Iowa is ranked. Iowa State will be if it wins this weekend in Iowa City. Both schools opened by beating FCS visitors, allowing one combined field goal between them. The Hawkeyes produced 40 points and 492 balanced yards with Cade McNamara at quarterback and Tim Lester coordinating the beleaguered attack. Moving the ball will be a lot harder this weekend. Iowa State is always well coached and fundamentally sound, but it must get the ground game on track after sputtering against North Dakota.
Former Big 12 rivals meet in Lincoln, with both coaches firmly in the spotlight.
Matt Rhule and the Huskers are looking to avenge last year’s 36-14 loss in Boulder. They’ll also be looking to gain momentum in what has the potential to be a long overdue first winning season since 2016. This marks the first spotlight game for ballyhooed true freshman QB Dylan Raiola. Colorado is led by Deion Sanders, Coach Prime, who’s been a lightning rod for attention since arriving in Boulder. The Buffs have a next-level QB, Shedeur Sanders, and megawatt two-way star Travis Hunter, but a close call with North Dakota State last week may have exposed holes Nebraska can exploit.
Oregon didn’t perform like a playoff contender in Week 1. Neither did Boise State for that matter.
The Ducks and the Broncos won, but not without some unexpected struggles. Oregon nearly fell to Idaho as a 45-point favorite. Are there issues with the Ducks or were they just looking past the Vandals? Meanwhile, Boise State, a favorite to represent the Group of Five in the CFP, got all it could handle from Georgia Southern. If not for the heroics of RB Ashton Jeanty, the Broncs may not have survived. Now, Jeanty gets a chance in Eugene to make a massive statement in the race for the 2024 Maxwell Award.
Georgia Tech at Syracuse (ACC)
Virginia at Wake Forest (ACC)
Michigan State at Maryland (B1G)
Baylor at Utah (Big 12)
South Carolina at Kentucky (SEC)
Army at FAU (AAC)
Temple at Navy (AAC)
San Jose State at Air Force (MWC)
Liberty at New Mexico State (CUSA)
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best player with the Maxwell Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout performances on offense.
Pat Narduzzi wanted to see his quarterbacks in action before committing to a starter. Holstein may have made the decision easy for his coach. The redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama looked sharp in his debut running Kade Bell’s up-tempo system. Holstein led the Panthers to a 55-24 rout of Kent State, completing 30-of-40 for 336 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. The 55 points were Pitt’s most versus an FBS opponent in eight years.
Hunter’s versatility and all-around athleticism were on full display Thursday night versus North Dakota State. Playing more snaps on offense than D, he helped the Buffs avoid an upset by catching seven passes for 132 yards and a career-high three TDs. Hunter, who is also one of the country’s top cover corners, chipped in on defense with three tackles.
The Broncos were on deep upset alert at Georgia Southern Saturday after blowing a 19-point lead. And then Jeanty took over in a record-breaking performance. The dynamic junior scored six touchdowns in the 56-45 close call, while rushing for a single-game school record 267 yards on only 20 carries. Boise State dominated at the point of attack en route to 371 total yards and seven scores on the ground.
Welcome back to the lineup, No. 80. Kuithe returned to the field for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in 2022. The three-time All-Pac-12 veteran had four receptions for 69 yards and a career-best three TDs. Yeah, Southern Utah was the opponent, and the competition will get much stiffer, but the healthy returns of Kuithe and QB Cam Rising were big news Thursday in Salt Lake City.
McMillan could have transferred to the program of his choice this offseason. New Wildcat coach Brent Brennan is ecstatic he stayed in Tucson. McMillan showed why he's the nation’s top wide receiver Saturday night while rallying his team back from an early deficit versus New Mexico. The 6-5 future first round draft pick set a school-record with 304 receiving yards and tied another with four TD catches as Arizona rallied past the Lobos, 61-39.
Virginia Tech was one of the buzziest programs this offseason. On Saturday, the Hokies fell to Vandy as a two-touchdown favorite. Pavia, the 2023 C-USA Player of the Year, was outstanding in his Dore debut. The New Mexico State transfer accounted for 294 total yards and three TDs, capped by the clincher in overtime. Pavia was 12-of-16 through the air while adding 104 yards on the ground.
There’s a long way to go, but after one weekend Miami looks like a legit contender in the ACC. Mario Cristobal retooled his roster in the offseason, nabbing Ward from Washington State to lead the offense. The senior was in total control in the Swamp Saturday, guiding the Canes to an impressive 41-17 blowout win. Ward accounted for 418 total yards, completing 26-of-35 for 385 yards, three scoring strikes and a pick.
Chandler Morris to Ward in Eric Morris’ offense is going to be must-see all season long. The Mean Green traveled to South Alabama as an underdog but left Mobile with an impressive 52-38 upset. Ward added his name to the North Texas record books with a dozen receptions for 230 yards and two touchdowns. It was the fifth-most receiving yards in a game in program history.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout defenders.
The Orange shook off a slow start to race past Ohio, 38-22, in Fran Brown’s head coaching debut. Syracuse made plays on both sides of the ball. New QB Kyle McCord threw for a career-best 354 yards, WR Trebor Pena scored three times, and TE Oronde Gadsden II made a successful return after missing 2023. The D was led by Diggs, a Texas A&M import whose eight stops included four for loss and two sacks.
Throughout the offseason, Iowa insiders could not stop raving about Graves’ upside potential as he begins his junior season. He’s a quick and rugged 6-4, 300-pounder, with a great motor. In other words, the quintessential Hawkeye. In Saturday’s 40-0 blanking of Illinois State, Graves backed up the hype with four stops and three sacks in the opening half.
It was not pretty Friday night versus Florida Atlantic, and it got sorta dicey in the fourth. But the Spartans grabbed win No. 1 for new head coach Jonathan Smith. Grose was instrumental in holding the Owls to just 10 points and 248 yards, making a game-high 12 tackles, including nine solos, forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass.
The Gamecocks needed to rally to beat Old Dominion at home, but there were bright spots in the opener. Kennard and the D, for example. In his first game with the program, the Georgia Tech transfer was virtually unblockable. Kennard was a force off the edge against the Monarchs, racking up 4.5 tackles behind the line, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in the 23-19 win.
After Week 1, so far, so good with Geoff Collins’ new-look Tar Heel defense. Carolina earned a solid road win Thursday, holding Minnesota to 244 total yards in a 19-17 nailbiter. Ritzie provided the spark up front with the best game of his career. The senior, who began the night with 2.5 career sacks, had five solo stops and got to Gopher QB Max Brosmer three times.
A visit from defending FCS champion South Dakota State was a potential landmine opener for the Pokes. But they rolled instead, 44-20, to begin the season. Rucker spearheaded the defense with 15 total tackles and nine solo stops, both of which led all Power 4 players in Week 1. His total tackles and solo stops also set new personal bests during a five-year career that began at Wake Forest.
The Lions passed their first big road test of 2024 with flying colors, easily handling West Virginia in Morgantown, 34-12. Drew Allar threw three TD passes in the opening half and the defense yielded just 246 yards. Winston was the defensive catalyst with a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, and a forced fumble.
UNLV didn’t just upset Houston in its own building Saturday night. The Rebels stifled the Cougars, 27-7, pitching a shutout for the first 59 minutes. Woodard, the first Reb ever named to the Bednarik Award watch list, has been freed up to make even more plays in the open field this fall. He responded with a game-high 11 tackles, including four for loss, three sacks, and a pass breakup.
PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game. For more information about PFF, please visit: pff.com
Rich Cirminiello is the VP of College Awards at Maxwell Football Club. He can be followed on Twitter at @Rich Cirminiello