2023 cbhsports College Football 9/9 Preview

Image Courtesy: The San Diego Union-Tribune

AP Top 6
1.Georgia 1-0 (0-0) SEC This week: Ball State (0-1) (12 PM ET, SECN)
2.Michigan 1-0 (0-0) Big Ten This week: UNLV (1-0) (3:30 PM ET, CBS)
3.Alabama 1-0 (0-0) SEC This week: 11.Texas (1-0) (7 PM ET, ESPN)
4.Florida State 1-0 (0-0) ACC This week: Southern Miss (1-0) (8:30 PM ET, ACCN)
5.Ohio State 1-0 (1-0) Big Ten This week: Youngstown State (1-0) (12 PM ET, BTN)
6.USC 2-0 (0-0) Pac-12 This week: Stanford (1-0) (10:30 PM ET, FOX)

Biggest risers and fallers in the AP Top 25 this week:

Risers
4.Florida State 1-0 (0-0) ACC Week 1: #8 (Won over 5.LSU, 45-24)
17.North Carolina 1-0 (0-0) ACC Week 1: #21 (Won over South Carolina, 31-17)
21.Duke 1-0 (0-0) ACC Week 1: Unranked (Won over 9.Clemson, 28-7)
22.Colorado 1-0 (0-0) Pac-12 Week 1: Unranked (Won over 17.TCU, 45-42)

Fallers
5.Ohio State 1-0 (0-0) Big Ten Week 1: #3 (Won over Indiana, 23-3)
14.LSU 0-1 (0-0) SEC Week 1: #5 (Lost to 8.Florida State, 45-24)
25.Clemson 0-1 (0-0) ACC Week 1: #9 (Lost to Duke, 28-7)

Dropped Out
TCU 0-1 (0-0) Big 12 Week 1: #17 (Lost to Colorado, 45-42)
Iowa 1-0 (0-0) Big Ten Week 1: #25 (Beat Utah State, 24-14)

Key games this weekend (Rankings based off of AP Poll)
Nebraska (0-1) @ 22.Colorado (1-0) (Saturday, 12 PM ET, FOX)
Colorado proved everyone wrong after beating reigning national championship runner-up TCU, 45-42, in a thriller on Saturday. In the terrible Fort Worth heat, Deion Sanders’ team put on a great offensive display: Sanders’ son Shedeur put up a Colorado record 510 passing yards and tossed 4 TDs. Travis Hunter, the wide receiver and cornerback, also put his name in the early season Heisman conversation by picking off a Chandler Morris pass and catching 11 balls from Sanders for 119 yards. Along with Hunter, three other wideouts had over 100 receiving yards for the Buffaloes, Dylan Edwards (5 catches, 135 yards, 3 TDs), Xavier Weaver (6 catches and 119 yards), and Jimmy Horn Jr. (11 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD). While there were some problems in the win, Coach Prime’s team should be ready to get another win over an old rival in Nebraska. The Cornhuskers must bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss to Minnesota on a last second field goal. Nebraska QB Jeff Sims threw just one touchdown and three picks in the loss in week 1 while his defense helped him out, holding the Golden Gophers to thirteen points. Secondary members DeShon Singleton and Omar Brown both had seven tackles in the Cornhuskers’ week 1 effort. Colorado should win this one easily if they can eliminate mistakes they made on the road a week ago. Projected Score: Colorado 35, Nebraska 20

20.Ole Miss (1-0) @ 24.Tulane (1-0) (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2)
A top 25 matchup looms in New Orleans between what looks like an improved SEC program in Ole Miss and former SEC member Tulane. The Green Wave beat Heisman-winning QB Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl back in January. Jaxson Dart (334 yards passing and 4 TDs), Quinshon Judkins (60 rushing yards and 2 TDs) and the Ole Miss offense looked fantastic in a 73-7 drubbing of Mercer a week ago. Receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins both put up over 100 yards in the offensive explosion while the defense looked better even against a lesser opponent with new defensive coordinator Pete Golding calling plays. Tulane looked good in their win over a respectable South Alabama team, 37-17. Linebacker Corey Platt looked awesome in the Green Wave’s opener with 15 tackles while defensive back Lance Robinson intercepted a ball. Offensively, QB Michael Pratt continues to shine, as he went 14-15 passing for 294 yards and 4 TDs. New freshman running back Makhi Hughes ran for 41 yards on eight carries while receiver Jha’Quan Jackson went for over 100 yards. Whoever gets the ball last should win this shootout. Projected Score: Ole Miss 45, Tulane 38

Iowa (1-0) @ Iowa State (1-0) (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, FOX)
The Cy-Hawk Trophy will be up for grabs on Saturday afternoon. Iowa might finally have a sufficient passing offense with new offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and former Michigan signal-caller Cade McNamara taking snaps and throwing touchdowns. McNamara got in the end zone twice while Kaleb Johnson rushed for a touchdown. Iowa is known for their tight ends and Luke Lachey looks like the next great one. Lachey went for seven catches and 73 yards. Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers and a few of his teammates pleaded guilty to underage gambling recently. So, the Cyclones win over Northern Iowa 30-9 was huge as they welcome a tough Hawkeye team to town on Saturday. Cyclones QB Rocco Becht looked good in the win last Saturday but no receiver for Iowa State had over 36 yards. To win this rivalry game, more is going to be necessary to beat the Hawkeyes. Projected Score: Iowa 27, Iowa State 10

23.Texas A&M (1-0) @ Miami (1-0) (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ABC)
Texas A&M and Miami were expected to be nine, ten, or better win teams in 2022. However, when these two programs met almost a year ago in College Station, the Aggies protected home field in a low scoring win. Following this game, both teams faltered as Texas A&M and Miami won only five games each as Jimbo Fisher needed to realize his play calling was not working for the A&M offense and the Hurricanes couldn’t succeed even after bringing Mario Cristobal home from Oregon in his first season as head coach. Cristobal’s QB Tyler Van Dyke looked steady during the Hurricanes’ win over Miami (OH) with 201 passing yards and a TD after dealing with injuries and being benched in 2022. It will be up to Miami’s playmakers against a tough Texas A&M defense including tailback Henry Parrish Jr. (90 rushing yards and 1 TD), receiver Colbie Young (4 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD), and receiver Xavier Restrepo (5 catches and 68 yards) against the Red Hawks to win this game. With offensive mastermind Bobby Petrino calling plays for the Aggies and talented receivers Evan Stewart (8 catches, 115 yards, 2 TDs), Noah Thomas (6 catches, 74 yards, 3 TDs), and Ainias Smith (3 catches and 40 yards), they are poised to finally make some noise at the top of the SEC. New starting QB Connor Weigman was outstanding against New Mexico, throwing 5 TDs in a dominant win. A&M’s talented defense is led by defensive back Josh DeBerry (10 tackles and a sack) and Edgerrin Cooper (8 tackles). They should be ready for the Miami afternoon heat in what should be a competitive game for at least a half or three quarters. Projected Score: Texas A&M 31, Miami 21

11.Texas (1-0) @ 3.Alabama (1-0) (Saturday, 7 PM ET, ESPN)
As ESPN’s College GameDay, SEC Network’s SEC Nation, and every other media network heads to Tuscaloosa for the second installment of Alabama and Texas, the Longhorns will look to prove that they are SEC material with quarterback Quinn Ewers, running back Jaydon Blue, receiver Xavier Worthy, and linebacker Jaylan Ford leading the way. On the other side, Nick Saban’s Alabama team is looking to move back to their old ways of his dynasty. The Crimson Tide want to run the ball and play quality defense. Saban’s quarterback Jalen Milroe, running back Jase McClellan, and fellow running back Rhoydell Williams will look to prove the ground and pound method while defensive back Caleb Downs and linebacker Dallas Turner look to stop the Ewers’ led offense. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian makes his return to Tuscaloosa after two stints as offensive coordinator including winning the Broyles Award for being the top assistant coach in the country during his last year in Tuscaloosa when he helped the Tide win a national championship in January of 2021. Can Sarkisian and his Longhorns prove that they can go into one of the top environments college football and win after getting crushed by Arkansas in Fayetteville the last time they went into an SEC environment just two years ago? We should find out almost immediately after kickoff in the most hyped up game of the college football season to this point. Projected Score: Alabama 28, Texas 24

19.Wisconsin (1-0) @ Washington State (1-0) (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, ABC)
Wisconsin looked good in its opener in a win over Buffalo. With former Badger QB Graham Mertz now at Florida, Wisconsin must rely on SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai, who threw just one touchdown and two interceptions in a twenty one point win. Tailback Chez Mellusi must continue his quality play after rushing for 157 yards in the opener if the Badgers want to get a road win. New head coach Luke Fickell will need his receivers to be better after none of Will Pauling, Tucker Ashcraft, and Chimere Dike did not have more than 60 receiving yards. A much more challenging test awaits in Pullman for the Badgers. The Cougars went into Madison a season ago and beat Wisconsin, 17-14. Washington State will have to play in a very difficult Pac-12 this season but first they will have to deal with a much better Wisconsin team than they played a season ago. QB Cameron Ward passed for 451 yards and 3 TDs while receiver Lincoln Victor went for 168 yards receiving in their opener against Colorado State. The Wazzu defense has some great players, including linebackers Devin Richardson and Kyle Thornton. One or two plays should determine who wins this game in primetime in Pullman. Projected Score: Washington State 38, Wisconsin 31