College Football Monday – Week 13

Nov. 28, 2022
Frank Coyle / Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

 Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25

Georgia Holds #1 Ranking
Michigan Smashes Ohio State
Southern Cal Crushes Notre Dame
South Carolina Ends Clemson Home Streak

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Nov. 28

Team of the Week
Michigan Bombs Ohio St 45-23

Games of the Week – Dec. 3
#13 Utah (9-3) @ #5 Southern Cal (11-1) – Friday 8:00 pm – Fox
#14 Kansas State (8-3) @ #3 Texas Christian (12-0) – Saturday 12:00 pm – ABC
#11 LSU (9-3) @ #1 Georgia (12-0) – Saturday 4:00 pm – CBS

Week 11 Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB J.J. McCarthy – Michigan
Defensive Player of the Week – LB DeMarvion Overshown – Texas

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team                        Record
1          Georgia                         12-0
2          Michigan                       12-0
3           TCU                              12-0
4          Ohio St                         11-1
5           USC                             11-1
6           Alabama                       10-2
7          Clemson                       10-2
8          Tennessee                    10-2
9          Penn St                         10-2
10         Washington                  10-2
11         LSU                              9-3
12        Oregon                         9-3
13         Utah                             9-3
14         Kansas St                     9-3
15         Florida State                 9-3
16        UCLA                            9-3
17         Notre Dame                  8-4
18         Oregon State                9-3
19        North Carolina               9-3
20         Tulane                           10-2
21         South Carolina              8-4
22         Texas                           8-4
23         UCF                              9-3
24         UTSA                            10-2
25         Mississippi State           8-4

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team               Record  Points
1          Georgia (60)          12-0      1572
2          Michigan (3)         12-0      1512
3          TCU                       12-0      1446
4          USC                       11-1      1381
5          Ohio State            11-1      1312
6          Alabama              10-2      1262
7          Penn State           10-2      1153
8          Tennessee          10-2      1143
9          Washington         10-2      1039
10         Kansas State     9-3        930
11         Clemson            10-2      900
12         Utah                   9-3        872
13         LSU                    9-3        845
14         Florida State     9-3        739
15         Oregon              9-3        681
16         Oregon State    9-3        613
17         UCLA                 9-3        603
18         Tulane               10-2      558
19         Notre Dame       8-4        340
20         South Carolina   8-4        299
21         Texas                   8-4        292
22         North Carolina    9-3        175
23         UCF                        9-3        141
24         UTSA                    10-2      127
25         Mississippi State    8-4      88

Others receiving votes: Ole Miss 83, Troy 58, NC State 58, Cincinnati 49, Boise State 37, Purdue 36, Pittsburgh 36, Coastal Carolina 26, Air Force 19, South Alabama 15, Illinois 10, Duke 7, Minnesota 7, Iowa 6, Fresno State 2, James Madison 2, Wake Forest 1

Dropped from rankings: Ole Miss 19, Cincinnati 21, Coastal Carolina 23

College Football Monday – Week 12

Nov. 21, 2022

Frank Coyle / Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25

Top Four Teams Remain Undefeated
Georgia Holds the #1 Ranking
Michigan Edges Illinois
Southern Cal Outlasts UCLA

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Nov. 21

Team of the Week
Oregon beats Utah 20-17

Games of the Week – Nov. 24-26
#25 North Carolina State (7-4) @ #14 North Carolina (9-2) – Friday 3:30 pm – ABC
#3 Michigan (11-0) @ #2 Ohio State (11-0) – Saturday 12:00 pm – Fox
#15 Notre Dame (8-3) @ #5 Southern Cal (10-1) – Saturday 7:30 pm – ABC

Week Ten Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Spencer Rattler – South Carolina
Defensive Player of the Week – LB Noah Sewell – Oregon

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team            Record
1          Georgia               11-0
2          Ohio St               11-0
3          Michigan           11-0
4           TCU                  11-0
5           USC                   10-1
6          Clemson           10-1
7          LSU                     9-2
8           Alabama           9-2
9           Oregon             9-2
10         Tennessee        9-2
11         Penn St             9-2
12         Washington       9-2
13         Utah                 8-3
14        North Carolina   9-2
15         Notre Dame      8-3
16         Kansas St        8-3
17        Ole Miss           8-3
18         Florida State     8-3
19         Cincinnati          9-2
20         Tulane               9-2
21        UCLA                8-3
22         Oregon State    8-3
23         Coastal Carolina 9-1
24         UTSA                9-2
25         North Carolina State 7-4

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team          Record   Points
1          Georgia (59)      11-0      1546
2          Ohio State (1)    11-0      1484
3          Michigan (2)      11-0      1420
4          TCU                   11-0        1372
5          USC                   10-1        1277
6          LSU                    9-2        1229
7          Alabama            9-2        1147
8          Clemson           10-1        1142
9          Oregon               9-2        1004
10         Penn State        9-2        990
11         Tennessee         9-2        950
12         Washington       9-2        855
13         Kansas State     8-3        761
14         Utah                   8-3        703
15         Notre Dame      8-3        657
16         Florida State     8-3        562
17         North Carolina   9-2        496
18         UCLA                  8-3        483
19         Ole Miss             8-3        429
20         Tulane                9-2        386
21         Cincinnati          9-2        376
22         Oregon State    8-3        257
23         Coastal Carolina 9-1      222
24         Texas                   7-4        112
25         UTSA                  9-2        70

Others receiving votes: UCF 41, Troy 39, South Carolina 38, Pittsburgh 17, Wake Forest 16, Iowa 15, Louisville 9, Boise State 9, Illinois 8, South Alabama 8, Air Force 6, Purdue 5, Liberty 3, Washington State 3, Georgia Tech 2, Mississippi State 1

Dropped from rankings: UCF 18, Oklahoma State 24, NC State 25

College Football Monday – Week 9

Oct. 31, 2022
  Frank Coyle / Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25

Tennessee Bombs Kentucky
Kansas St Destroys Oklahoma St

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Oct. 31

Teams of the Week
Kansas Stats Pounds Oklahoma State
Tennessee Crushes Kentucky
Ohio St Outlasts Penn State

Games of the Week – Nov. 5
#3 Tennessee (8-0) @ #1 Georgia (8-0) – 3:30 pm – CBS
#7 Alabama (7-1) @ #12 LSU (7-2) – 7:00 pm – ESPN
#6 Clemson (8-0) @ Notre Dame (5-3) – 7:30 pm – NBC

Week Eight Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Will Howard – Kansas State
Defensive Player of the Week – DE T.J. Tuimoloau – Ohio State

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team                Record

1          Georgia             8-0
2          Ohio St             8-0
3          Tennessee        8-0
4          Michigan           8-0
5           TCU                  8-0
6          Clemson           8-0
7           Alabama           7-1
8           Oregon             7-1
9           USC                 7-1
10        Ole Miss           8-1
11        UCLA                7-1
12         LSU                  7-2
13         Utah                 6-2
14        North Carolina   7-1
15         Kansas St        6-2
16        Illinois               7-1
17         Oklahoma St     6-2
18         Wake Forest     6-2
19         Syracuse           6-2
20         Penn St             6-2
21         Cincinnati          6-2
22         NC State           6-2
23         Tulane               7-1
24         Kentucky          5-3
25         UCF                  6-2

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team          Record   Points
1          Georgia (45)      8-0          1552
2          Ohio State (13)  8-0         1505
3          Tennessee (5)   8-0         1455
4          Michigan           8-0         1391
5          Clemson           8-0          1315
6          Alabama           7-1          1262
7          TCU                  8-0          1182
8          Oregon             7-1          1118
9          USC                 7-1           1018
10         Ole Miss           8-1        973
11         UCLA                7-1         937
12         Utah                 6-2        874
13         Illinois               7-1        767
14         Kansas State    6-2        713
15         North Carolina   7-1      630
16         Penn State        6-2       602
17         LSU                  6-2         596
18         Oklahoma State 6-2      471
19         Wake Forest     6-2        437
20         NC State           6-2        386
21         Tulane               7-1        369
22         Syracuse          6-2        188
23         Liberty              7-1        147
24         Kentucky          5-3        109
25         UCF                  6-2         89

Others receiving votes: Oregon State 71, Maryland 64, Texas 55, Washington 52, Cincinnati 39, Coastal Carolina 25, Baylor 14, Notre Dame 11, Boise State 11, Louisville 10, Arkansas 10, South Carolina 9, Mississippi State 8, Troy 6, UTSA 4

Dropped from rankings: Cincinnati 19, South Carolina 25

College Football Monday – Week 8

Oct. 24, 2022
        Frank Coyle / Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25

Top Five Teams Remain Undefeated
Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Oct. 24

Teams of the Week
LSU Drills Ole Miss
Clemson Edges Syracuse
Alabama Crushes Mississippi State

Games of the Week – Oct. 29
#2 Ohio State (7-0) @ #14 Penn State (6-0) – 12:00 pm – Fox
#20 Kentucky (6-0) @ #4 Tennessee (7-0) – 7:30 pm – ESPN

Week Eight Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Bo Nix – Oregon
Defensive Player of the Week – DT Tyler Davis – Clemson

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team          Record
1          Georgia             7-0
2          Ohio St             7-0
3          Michigan           7-0
4          Tennessee        7-0
5          Clemson           8-0
6           Alabama           7-1
7           TCU                  7-0
8           Oregon             6-1
9           Oklahoma St    6-1
10         Wake Forest     6-1
11         USC                 6-1
12        Ole Miss           7-1
13         Syracuse           6-1
14        UCLA                6-1
15         Penn St             6-1
16         Utah                 5-2
17         Cincinnati          6-1
18        North Carolina   6-1
19         LSU                  6-2
20         Kentucky          5-2
21         Kansas St        5-2
22        Illinois               6-1
23         Tulane               7-1
24         South Carolina  5-2
25         NC State           5-2

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team          Record    Points
1          Georgia (43)      7-0        1550
2          Ohio State (17)  7-0        1516
3          Tennessee (2)   7-0        1424
4          Michigan (1)      7-0        1407
5          Clemson           8-0        1325
6          Alabama           7-1        1264
7          TCU                  7-0        1184
8          Oregon             6-1        1125
9          Oklahoma State 6-1        1031
10         Wake Forest     6-1        949
11         USC                 6-1        941
12         Ole Miss           7-1        816
13         Penn State        6-1        789
14         Utah                 5-2        782
15         Syracuse          6-1        554
17         Kentucky          5-2        473
18         Illinois               6-1        469
19         Cincinnati          6-1        441
20         LSU                  6-2        350
21         North Carolina   6-1        347
22         Kansas State    5-2        261
23         NC State           5-2        259
24         Tulane               7-1        206
25         South Carolina  5-2        87

Others receiving votes: Texas 48, Liberty 42, Maryland 24, Washington 22, Oregon State 21, Baylor 6, UTSA 4, Mississippi State 4, Troy 3, Arkansas 3, Coastal Carolina 2, UCF 1, Boise State 1

Dropped from rankings: Texas 21, Mississippi State 24

College Football Monday – Week 6

   Oct. 10, 2022

Frank Coyle – Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25 Teams
Top Teams Remain Undefeated at Midseason

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Oct. 10

Teams of the Week
Mississippi State Beats Arkansas
Notre Dame Drills BYU
Michigan Edges Indiana
UCLA Holds Off Utah

Games of the Week – Oct. 15
#9 Penn State (6-0) @ #5 Michigan (6-0) – 12:00 pm – FOX TV
#2 Alabama (6-0) @ #8 Tennessee (5-0) – 3:30 pm – CBS

Week Six Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Will Rogers – Mississippi State
Defensive Player of the Week – DE Byron Young – Tennessee

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team                Record
1          Georgia             6-0
2          Alabama             6-0
3          Ohio St               6-0
4          Clemson             6-0
5          Michigan           6-0
6         USC                    6-0
7         Oklahoma St       5-0
8          Tennessee        5-0
9           Penn St             6-0
10         Ole Miss           6-0
11         NC State           5-1
12        UCLA               6-0
13         Oregon             5-1
14         Wake Forest     5-1
15         Kansas              5-1
16         TCU                  5-0
17         Syracuse           5-0
18         Kansas St        5-1
19         Mississippi St    5-1
20         Cincinnati          5-1
21         Utah                 4-2
22         Kentucky          4-2
23         Baylor               3-2
24        North Carolina   5-1
25         Texas               4-2

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team               Record  Points
1          Alabama (35)     6-0        1540
2          Georgia (18)      6-0        1516
3          Ohio State (10)  6-0        1477
4          Michigan           6-0        1354
5          Clemson           6-0        1328
6          USC                 6-0        1219     –
7          Oklahoma State 5-0        1197
8          Tennessee        5-0        1168
9          Ole Miss           6-0        1075
10         Penn State        5-0        992
11         Oregon             5-1        885
12         UCLA                6-0        815
13         NC State           5-1        808
14         Wake Forest     5-1        776
15         TCU                  5-0        765
16         Kansas State    5-1        539
17         Mississippi State 5-1      533
18         Syracuse          5-0        424
19         Utah                 4-2        364
20         Kansas             5-1        290
21         Cincinnati          5-1        248
22         Kentucky          4-2        219
23         Baylor               3-2        210
24         Texas               4-2        155
25         North Carolina   5-1        99

Others receiving votes: BYU 82, Illinois 77, James Madison 70, Coastal Carolina 55, Florida 52, Tulane 32, South Carolina 21, Minnesota 14, Notre Dame 13, UCF 10, Maryland 8, Purdue 7, Washington State 7, Washington 7, Texas A&M 7, Liberty 5, LSU 5, Florida State 4, Pittsburgh 2, San José State 1

Dropped from rankings: BYU 16, Washington 24, Arkansas 25

College Football Monday – Week 4

Sept. 26, 2022
Frank Coyle – Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25
Top 12 Teams Remain Undefeated with Key Upcoming Matchups

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Sept. 26th

Teams of the Week
Kansas St beats Oklahoma
Clemson wins over Wake Forest in OT
Texas Tech shocks Texas

Game of the Week – Oct. 1
#2 Alabama (4-0) @ #13 Arkansas (3-1) – 3:30 pm – CBS

Week Four Players
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Adrian Martinez – Kansas St
Defensive Player of the Week – DE Caleb Okechukwu – Syracuse

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team                Record
1          Georgia             4-0
2          Alabama             4-0
3          Ohio St               4-0
4          Clemson             4-0
5          Michigan           4-0
6         USC                    4-0
7         Kentucky             4-0
8         Oklahoma St       3-0
9         NC State             4-0
10         Tennessee        4-0
11         Penn St             4-0
12         Ole Miss           4-0
13         Arkansas          3-1
14         Utah                 3-1
15         Texas A&M       3-1
16         Wake Forest     3-1
17         Minnesota         4-0
18         Florida St         4-0
19        BYU                 3-1
20         Washington       4-0
21         Oklahoma         3-1
22         Baylor               3-1
23         Oregon             3-1
24         Syracuse           4-0
25        Pittsburgh         3-1

Coaches Top 25 Teams

Rank     Team               Record  Points
1          Georgia (34)      4-0        1563
2          Alabama (26)     4-0        1558
3          Ohio State (4)    4-0        1486
4          Michigan           4-0        1379
5          Clemson           4-0        1339
6          USC                 4-0        1226
7          Oklahoma State 3-0        1176
8          Kentucky          4-0        1136
9          Tennessee        4-0        1077
10         NC State           4-0        1015
11         Ole Miss           4-0        864
12         Penn State        4-0        824
13         Utah                 3-1        822
14         Baylor               3-1        638
15         Oregon             3-1        622
16         Oklahoma         3-1        601
17         Texas A&M       3-1        574
18         Washington       4-0        539
19         Arkansas          3-1        509
20         BYU                 3-1        359
21         Wake Forest     3-1        352
22         Florida State     4-0        252
23         Minnesota         4-0        238
24         Pittsburgh         3-1        223
25         Syracuse          4-0        74

Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 63, Kansas 59, Florida 49, Texas Tech 36, Kansas State 30, Texas 25, TCU 20, Michigan State 13, James Madison 11, Mississippi State 10, Air Force 8, Oregon State 7, UCLA 6, Washington State 4, LSU 4, Notre Dame 3, Iowa State 3, Maryland 2, Coastal Carolina 1

Dropped from rankings: Texas 19, Michigan State 21, Florida 22, Miami 25

College Football Monday – Week 3

Sept. 19, 2022
Frank Coyle – Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25
Georgia, Bama, Ohio State, Clemson & Michigan Top Polls

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Sept. 19th

Game of the Week – Sept. 24
#20 Florida vs #11 Tennessee – 3:30 pm – CBS

Players of Week Three
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Michael Penix – Washington
Defensive Player of the Week – CB Kelee Ringo – Georgia

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long-time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
        Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team           Record
1          Georgia             3-0
2          Alabama             3-0
3          Ohio St               3-0
4          Clemson             3-0
5          Michigan           3-0
6          Oklahoma         3-0
7         Oklahoma St       3-0
8         NC State             3-0
9         USC                    3-0
10         Kentucky          3-0
11         Tennessee        3-0
12         Utah                 2-1
13         Arkansas          3-0
14         Ole Miss           3-0
15         Penn St             3-0
16         Michigan St       2-1
17         Texas A&M       2-1
18         Wake Forest     3-0
19         Texas               2-1
20         Florida              2-1
21        BYU                 2-1
22         Washington       3-0
23         Baylor               2-1
24         Oregon             2-1
25         Miami               2-1

Coaches Top 25 Teams
Rank     Team        Record Points
1          Georgia (40)     3-0        1594
2          Alabama (24)    3-0        1580
3          Ohio State (1)    3-0        1505
4          Michigan           3-0        1379
5          Clemson           3-0        1362
6          Oklahoma         3-0        1281
7          USC                 3-0        1183
8          Oklahoma State 3-0        1161
9          Kentucky          3-0        1063
10         Arkansas          3-0        934
11         NC State           3-0        919
12         Tennessee        3-0        826
13         Ole Miss           3-0        734
14         Utah                 2-1        726
15         Penn State        3-0        579
16         Wake Forest     3-0        529
17         Baylor               2-1        507
18         Oregon             2-1        468
19         Texas               2-1        438
20         Texas A&M       2-1        385
21         Michigan State  2-1        305
22         Florida              2-1        297
23         BYU                 2-1        253
24         Washington       3-0        244
25        Miami               2-1        234

Others receiving votes: Pittsburgh 210, Florida State 107, Appalachian State 68, Oregon State 57, Washington State 55, Cincinnati 37, Syracuse 24, Minnesota 24, Iowa State 15, North Carolina 12, TCU 7, Kansas 5, Air Force 4, Wisconsin 4, Mississippi State 2, Duke 2, LSU 2, Notre Dame 2, Coastal Carolina 1, East Carolina 1

Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh 25

College Football Monday – Week 2

Sept. 12, 2022
Frank Coyle – Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25 Teams
Top Ten Clubs Remain Undefeated

Bama, Georgia & Ohio State Top Polls

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Sept. 12th

Game of Week – Sept. 17
#15 BYU (2-0) at #21 Oregon (1-1) at Eugene, Oregon – 3:30 pm FOX

Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Caleb Williams – USC
Defensive Player of the Week – LB Will Anderson – Alabama

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams

Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team         Record

1          Alabama           2-0
2          Georgia             2-0
3          Ohio St             2-0
4          Clemson           2-0
5          Michigan           2-0
6          Oklahoma         2-0
7         Oklahoma St     2-0
8         NC State           2-0
9         Michigan St       2-0
10         USC                  2-0
11         Utah                   1-1
12         Texas A&M      1-1
13         Pittsburgh        1-1
14         Texas                1-1
15        BYU                   2-0
16         Miami               2-0
17         Baylor               1-1
18         Kentucky          2-0
19         Tennessee        2-0
20         Arkansas          2-0
21         Oregon              1-1
22         Wake Forest     2-0
23         Florida              1-1
24         Ole Miss           2-0
25         Penn St            2-0

Coaches Top 25 Teams

1          Alabama (39)     2-0        1592
2          Georgia (25)      2-0        1574
3          Ohio State (1)    2-0        1514
4          Clemson           2-0        1387
5          Michigan           2-0        1370
6          Oklahoma         2-0        1253
7          Oklahoma State 2-0        1137
8          USC                 2-0        1133
9          Michigan State  2-0        1026
10         Kentucky          2-0        901
11         Arkansas          2-0        857
12         NC State           2-0        816
13         Miami               2-0        805
14         BYU                 2-0        739
15         Utah                 1-1        673
16         Tennessee        2-0        556
17         Ole Miss           2-0        552
18         Wake Forest     2-0        540
19         Baylor               1-1        531
20         Texas               1-1        306
21         Florida              1-1        297
22         Texas A&M       1-1        285
23         Penn State        2-0        279
24         Oregon             1-1        197
25         Pittsburgh         1-1        157

Others receiving votes: Florida State 85, Cincinnati 80, Appalachian State 50, Air Force 48, Kansas State 46, Wisconsin 43, Marshall 40, Notre Dame 35, Mississippi State 31, Washington State 29, Houston 25, Texas Tech 24, Oregon State 24, Minnesota 23, TCU 18, Auburn 16, North Carolina 10, Syracuse 7, Washington 6, Iowa State 4, UCLA 4

Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 9, Wisconsin 18

College Football Monday – Week 1

Sept. 5, 2022
Frank Coyle – Head scout – DraftInsiders.com

College Football Opening Week
Alabama, Georgia & Ohio St Set Pace

The first full week of college football entertained fans over Labor Day weekend and did not disappoint with a number of exciting national games. You need new roster sheets with the annual turnover of starters, plus the transfer rules which allow record number of player movement within Division 1 level. It makes for another season of highly contested matchups with weekly debates for the #1 ranking until the CFP title game in mid-January 2023.

Coaches also change loyalties with former ND head coach Brian Kelly moving to the LSU Bayou Bengals. The Tigers got into an uphill battle with Florida State and seemed to finally catch up with a last-second TD only to watch the extra point blocked to end the game. It was a major disappointment for Kelly in his SEC debut with the young and very talented Tigers failing to finish with big mistakes at critical moments.

Notre Dame begin a new era with head coach Marcus Freeman after a successful 12 year run with Brian Kelly who set a new career record for program victories. Freeman faced Ohio St in his debut and the Irish played the Buckeyes tough until faltering in a 21-10 loss. The Irish failed to score in the 2nd half and struggled to gain control of field position at any point of the game.

The traditional ‘Backyard Brawl’ between Pittsburgh and West Virginia finally returned after an 11-year absence due to conference schedules and ties. The ‘Brawl’ did not fail to live up to its long reputation as a bitter rivalry with the Panthers and Mountaineers going blow for blow before Pittsburgh won on a late drive 37-31. The two clubs scored 49 points over the second half in a wild exchange reminiscent of past matchups. Arguably the best game of the Holiday weekend.

Head coach Lincoln Riley shifted his alliances from Oklahoma to Southern Cal. While at Oklahoma, Riley guided the Sooners to three playoff appearances in five seasons with a 55-10 overall record. He hopes to revive the downtrodden Trojan program which has won only 22 games over the past four seasons. He started USC’s revival, smashing Rice in their opener. Oklahoma transfer QB Caleb Williams was Riley’s top recruit this offseason and they hope he will direct them in pursuit of the Pac-12 title. They make their Pac-12 debut this week at Stanford.

Both SEC finalists from last year’s national championship game, Alabama and Georgia won mismatches in blowouts. They do not play during the 2022 regular season, but certainly could meet in the conference title game or final four where the SEC seems to earn two seats annually.

Penn State faced Big Ten rival Purdue in West Lafayette in an unrated competitive matchup. QB Sean Clifford amended an earlier pick six with an 80-yard two-minute drive for the winning TD for a 35-31 victory with just seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions get a favorable early schedule until key contests from mid-October. Those games with Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State in succession will determine any pursuit of a Big Ten title.

Last but not least. Rutgers U won their opener at Boston College 22-21 in their most impressive early season victory in years. They hope to build on this momentum in their next two games vs Wagner and Temple before the Big Ten meat grinder portion of their schedule, starting with Iowa on Sept 24^th.

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches – Top 25 Teams

Bama, Georgia, Ohio State & Notre Dame Top Polls

Draft Insiders’ & Coaches Top 25 Teams – Sept. 2nd

Game of Week – Sept. 3rd
#3 Ohio St (0-0) vs #4 Notre Dame (0-0) at Columbus, Ohio – 8 pm ABC
Opening week provides a matchup with national title implications.

Frank Coyle is a longtime national scout of both College and NFL players. He is also a long time member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

Top 25 Teams
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Rank    Team                Record
1          Alabama           0-0
2          Georgia             0-0
3          Ohio St             0-0
4          Notre Dame      0-0
5          Clemson           0-0
6          Michigan           0-0
7          Texas A&M       0-0
8          Utah                 0-0
9          Oklahoma         0-0
10         Baylor               0-0
11         Oklahoma St     0-0
12         Oregon             0-0
13         NC State           0-0
14         Michigan St       0-0
15         USC                 0-0
16         Pittsburgh         0-0
17         Miami               0-0
18         Texas               0-0
19         Wake Forest     0-0
20         Wisconsin         0-0
21         Kentucky          0-0
22         Ole Miss           0-0
23         Cincinnati          0-0
24         Arkansas          0-0
25         Houston            0-0

Coaches Poll
Rank     Team                Rec      Pts

1          Alabama (54)     0-0        1634
2          Ohio State (5)    0-0        1564
3          Georgia (6)         0-0        1542
4          Clemson           0-0        1356
5          Notre Dame      0-0        1284
6          Michigan           0-0        1232
7          Texas A&M       0-0        1219
8          Utah                 0-0        1134
9          Oklahoma         0-0        1027
10         Baylor               0-0        891
11         Oklahoma State 0-0        859
12         Oregon             0-0        734
13         NC State           0-0        726
14         Michigan State  0-0        711
15         USC                 0-0        602
16         Pittsburgh         0-0        450
17         Miami               0-0        433
18         Texas (1)          0-0        383
19         Wake Forest     0-0        381
20         Wisconsin         0-0        369
21         Kentucky          0-0        353
22         Cincinnati          0-0        339
23         Arkansas          0-0        334
24         Ole Miss           0-0        327
25         Houston            0-0        257

Others receiving votes: Iowa 248, Penn State 246, Tennessee 163, BYU 152, LSU 143, Auburn 98, UCF 55, North Carolina 34, San Diego State 25, Fresno State 21, Mississippi State 19, Florida 17, Air Force 12, Utah State 12, Appalachian State 10, Boise State 10, UCLA 10, Minnesota 6, South Carolina 5, Kansas State 4, Army 3, Iowa State 3, SMU 2, Purdue 2, Coastal Carolina 2, Louisiana 2, Oregon State 2, UTSA 1, Louisville 1, Florida State 1