Before The Snap – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Before The Snap: Is USC a serious College Football Playoff contender?

What will it take from the Trojans to make the College Football Playoff?

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football series where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

Despite multiple major upsets in college football’s Week 2, USC is looking good with a 2-0 record so far in coach Lincoln Riley’s first season with the Trojans.

USC beat up on Rice in its season opener before cruising to a victory last week against Stanford in the team’s first conference matchup. Now, the Trojans are up three spots to No. 7 in the AP Poll and up four to No. 8 in the Coaches Poll, and, for the first time this season, they’re among the top-10 teams with the best chances to make the College Football Playoff with a 19.7 percent shot, per ESPN’s Playoff Predictor.

But is USC a serious playoff contender and one that could go up against powerhouses and playoff-contending regulars, like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State?

After two games, the Trojans’ defense looked good with room for improvement, but their offense, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Caleb Williams, could be dominant throughout the season, should it continue to play like it is.

On the latest episode of Before The Snap, we take a look at USC, its schedule and what it will likely take to make the College Football Playoff.

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Before The Snap: Is the College Football Playoff expanding too much or not enough?

Before The Snap takes a look at the College Football Playoff expansion and how it might affect players.

Last week, big College Football Playoff news broke! The playoff is looking to expand from four teams to 12 in 2026, but the expansion could happen as soon as 2024, as ESPN reported Friday.

Some fans were happy with the top-4 teams making it, some wanted eight teams, others wanted 12 or even 16. But it looks like 12 is what we’re getting in the somewhat near-ish future.

But are 12 teams too many or not enough? What will that look like for season schedules? And should players get a cut from all the new revenue?

On this week’s episode of Before The Snap, we dive into it. Plus, we’re looking ahead to No. 9 Baylor taking on No. 21 BYU on the road in Week 2.

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Before The Snap: Breaking down Georgia-Oregon, Ohio State-Notre Dame games in Week 1

Week 1 has a full slate of games, but the Before The Snap crew has their eyes on the top-2 matchups.

We’re back with another college football season and the fifth season of Before The Snap, and before Week 1 officially kicks off, we’re taking a look at two of the biggest matchups this weekend: Georgia versus Oregon and Ohio State versus Notre Dame.

The defending national champs enter their season opener against the Ducks as 16.5-point favorites, according to Tipico Sportsbook as of Wednesday. But will the Bulldogs still have their powerhouse defense, or will it be a bit of an adjustment now that former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is Oregon’s head coach? Does he have extra insight to help too?

For a top-5 matchup between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, Ohio State is a whopping 17.5-point favorite, which seems like an awful lot for a team with a Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback in C.J. Stoud who lost crucial pieces of his receiving corps since last season. Will this be a blowout, or are the Fighting Irish, with new coach Marcus Freeman, being underestimated?

Either way, we’re just thrilled college football is back, and we’re rooting for chaos.

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5 big storylines to watch through the 2022 college football season

Breaking down some key things to keep in mind this college football season.

The first games of the 2022 college football season kick off on Saturday with a light schedule before Labor Day Weekend’s huge slate of games. So with the season about to start, here are five big storylines to watch.

First up, the coaching carousel between last season and this one was wild. There are a lot of coaches with new programs, including some first-time head coaches.

And then there are the coaches who could be on their way out if they don’t have strong starts to the season. Those that could end up in the hot seat in a hurry include Nebraska coach Scott Frost, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, and, of course, Auburn coach Brian Harsin, who survived a coup attempt but is still on thin ice.

Next: Bring on the fun NIL deals. Now that college athletes are allowed to make money off their own names, images, and likeness in a massively overdue update from the NCAA, the deals are rolling in. Some of the best we’ve seen so far in 2021 include Nebraska WR Decoldest Crawford selling air conditioning and Texas RB Bijan Robinson having his own mustard, Bijan Mustardson.

And, of course, we can’t look ahead to the season without talking about the Heisman Trophy favorites. At the top of the list are Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, reigning Heisman winner Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and USC quarterback Caleb Williams. However, an important thing to remember here is that, as of late, the preseason Heisman favorite almost never actually wins come December.

Lastly, the College Football Playoff race, which we hope is fun and chaotic rather than some fairly boring combination of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

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Before The Snap: Alabama or Georgia? 3 reasons why each team will win the CFP national championship

Before The Snap debates why either Alabama or Georgia will win this rematch.

This is it: The 2021 college football season all comes down to Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia.

After being among the top-4 teams in the final playoff rankings, the Crimson Tide beat No. 4 Cincinnati, while the Bulldogs topped No. 2 Michigan.

But this isn’t the first time Alabama and Georgia have faced off in the College Football Playoff or even this season. The two teams played in the 2017-18 national title game with Alabama winning, 26-23, in overtime. They also played this season in the SEC championship game in early December, and, despite Georgia looking like the clear No. 1 team all season, the Crimson Tide blew out the Bulldogs, winning 41-24.

The 2021-22 national championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

So ahead of another matchup between two SEC powerhouses, Before The Snap broke down its predictions for which team will win and why.

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Before The Snap: Picks against the spread for the New Year’s Six bowls, including the CFP

College football’s biggest bowl games are still to come.

While college football’s bowl season began nearly two weeks ago, the New Year’s Six bowls don’t kick off until later this week, starting with the Peach Bowl before moving onto the College Football Playoff matchups and the New Year’s Day games.

So for our final Before The Snap episode of 2021, we’re making picks against the spread for the New Year’s Six games, based on betting info provided by Tipico Sportsbook as of Tuesday, Dec. 28.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pitt
Thursday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: Michigan State -2.5
O/U: 55.5
Our pick: Michigan State by a field goal in a low-scoring game fans will love to hate.

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State
Saturday, Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: ND -2.5
O/U: 45.5
Our pick: Oklahoma State as 2.5-point underdogs over the Fighting Irish.

Rose Bowl Game

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah
Saturday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: OSU -4.5
O/U: 64.5
Michelle’s pick: Ohio State by 3.
Caroline’s pick: Utah as 4.5-point underdogs against Ohio State.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss
Saturday, Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: Ole Miss -1.5
O/U: 55.5
Michelle’s pick: Baylor as 1.5-point underdogs for no other reason than I have a feeling.
Caroline’s pick: Ole Miss in a game that is certain to be wild (but also the uniforms).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Goodyear Cotton Bowl

No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Alabama
Friday, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: Alabama -13.5
Over/Under: 57.5
Our pick: Alabama cruises to a win as a nearly two-touchdown favorite (which will not invalidate Cincinnati’s worthiness for this game).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Capital One Orange Bowl

No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Michigan
Friday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Spread: Georgia -7.5
Over/Under: 44.5
Our pick: Michigan and its defense stifles the Bulldogs.

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Before The Snap: Will this be the year Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan team finally beats Ohio State?

The Ohio State-Michigan game headlines Week 13 of college football with a lot at stake.

As the 2021 college football season winds down, we’re headed into rivalry weekend with the Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn), the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State), the Apple Cup (Washington vs. Washington State) and Bedlam (Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State).

But despite all these and so many more Week 13 games that could be a ton of fun and create potential chaos for the College Football Playoff picture, we’re breaking down one game this week: Ohio State vs. Michigan.

The winner will sit at the top of the Big Ten East standings, play in the Big Ten championship game in two weekends and have a strong shot at the College Football Playoff, regardless of who the Big Ten West champ is.

According to ESPN’s FPI, the Buckeyes are favored to top the Wolverines, and Ohio State has a 62.4 percent chance to win the division, a 51.7 percent chance to win the conference and a 55.0 percent chance to make the playoff. Michigan enters Saturday’s game with a 37.6 percent chance to claim the division, a 25.8 percent chance to win the conference but a 29.0 percent chance to make the playoff, and those numbers will surely jump if it takes down Ohio State.

For Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh — who’s famously 0-5 against the Buckeyes during his tenure at the helm — Saturday’s matchup feels like his best chance to finally get that W against Ohio State, which leads the series, 52-47-4 overall, and when both teams are ranked in the top 10, 12-9-2. And the last time the Buckeyes lost this matchup was back in 2011.

However, Michigan is looking good after a dominant 59-18 win over Maryland in Week 12 and didn’t seem content with whatever lead it had over the Terrapins throughout the game. Going into Week 13, the Wolverines’ defense is seventh among FBS teams in points allowed per game (16.3), eighth in passing yards per game (178.4) and 10th in total yards per game (306.8).

And they’ll need to play a near-perfect game to slow down the Buckeyes’ surging offense, led by now-Heisman Trophy favorite C.J. Stroud, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

Ohio State is also riding some huge momentum after Week 12, when it crushed Michigan State — the only team the Wolverines have lost to this season. And after some early struggles, including a loss to Oregon, for the Buckeyes and Stroud, Ohio State seems to have found its rhythm. Their offense is statistically the best among FBS teams, sitting in first in yards per game (559.5), first in points scored per game (47.2) and sixth in passing yards per game (362.3).

And per Tipico Sportsbook as of Tuesday, Ohio State is an 8.5-point favorite to beat the Wolverines in a matchup basically serving as a College Football Playoff play-in game that could also boost Stroud’s Heisman chances.

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Before The Snap: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud jumps Alabama’s Bryce Young as Heisman favorite

As the college football season winds down, it’s looking like a two-man Heisman Trophy race.

After college football’s Week 12 games, the Heisman Trophy race has a new frontrunner in Ohio State freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

And he’s a slight favorite over Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young, who’s been in the mix all season.

As Ohio State destroyed Michigan State last weekend in a lopsided 56-7 win, Stroud had a standout game, completing 32-of-35 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns with zero interceptions. And clearly after that, his Heisman stock skyrocketed.

Stroud’s 3,468 total passing yards have him ranked No. 8 among FBS quarterbacks, and his 36 passing touchdowns put him in a tie for fourth with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who’s also on the Heisman watch list. The Buckeyes passer also has the eighth-best completions percentage at 71.1 percent.

However, none of that means he’ll ultimately edge out Young, who continues to have a stellar season for the Crimson Tide.

In Week 12 during Alabama’s 42-35 win over Arkansas, Young set the program’s single-game record with 559 passing yards while adding five touchdowns to help the Crimson Tide secure its spot in the SEC championship game against Georgia. And to compare him with Stroud, Young is ranked sixth in passing yards (3,584), tied for second with 38 passing touchdowns and sixth with a 71.7 completion percentage.

What has morphed into a two-man Heisman race will boil down to how they play over the next two weeks, assuming Ohio State beats Michigan on Saturday, wins the Big Ten East and advances to the Big Ten title game.

If the Buckeyes lose to Michigan and miss out on a conference championship opportunity, it seems like Young would have a clear advantage with an additional game to pad his resume. But if both Ohio State and Alabama play two more games, then Stroud could have the edge because no Big Ten West opponent could challenge the Buckeyes in a way comparable to the Bulldogs’ powerhouse defense against Young and the Crimson Tide.

So going into Week 13, here’s a look at the latest 2021 Heisman Trophy odds, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State QB -200
Bryce Young, Alabama QB +170
Matt Corral, Ole Miss QB +2500
Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State RB +3000
Kenny Pickett, Pitt QB +5000

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Before The Snap: What the first College Football Playoff rankings got right and wrong about the top-9 teams

Before The Snap reacts to the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2021 season.

The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2021 season are out, and the playoff committee got some things right, some rankings are fine and some we have a lot of questions about. Georgia and Alabama being Nos. 1 and 2 sounds about right, but after that things get a little questionable.

Sure, Michigan State beating Michigan last weekend was a big deal, but aren’t the Spartans a little high at No. 3? For Oregon at No. 4, it looks like the committee isn’t holding the Ducks’ loss to Stanford against them too much. And not only is undefeated Cincinnati not among the top-4 teams, it’s also not even No. 5. Ohio State is, while the Bearcats were snubbed in the opening rankings at No. 6.

After the College Football Playoff rankings dropped Tuesday night, Before The Snap gave its instant reactions to what the playoff committee seems to be thinking.

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Heisman Trophy odds: Is it a two-player race between Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral?

Breaking down the latest Heisman odds going into Week 8 of the season.

This week on Before The Snap, we’re looking at the latest Heisman Trophy odds with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in a tie at the top of the list. In the competition that favors quarterbacks — despite recent history with former Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith winning last year — Young and Corral have the best Heisman odds at +140 going into Week 8 of the season, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

Currently, Young boasts a 69.6 completion percentage and has thrown for more than 2,000 yards already and 24 touchdowns — good for third-most among FBS quarterbacks. With Alabama’s plentiful offensive weapons, Young has no shortage of talented players around him, and he can absolutely sling it.

Particularly in the Crimson Tide’s 49-9 blowout of Mississippi State in Week 7, Young faced multiple third-and-longs, and he found ways to extend plays on the ground, running for first downs, seemingly with ease. Against the Bulldogs, he completed 20-of-28 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns — all to four different receivers.

And even after Alabama crushed Ole Miss, 42-21, a few weeks ago, it still looked like it’d be a good Heisman race between Young and Corral.

But that could be in jeopardy, depending on whether Corral is healthy enough to play this weekend against LSU and beyond.

“He’s not in very good shape,” Kiffin said Monday of Corral, via The Clarion-Ledger. “He hasn’t been for the last two days. You guys know how we are on injuries. Hopefully he will play but I don’t feel good about that right now.”

Corral briefly left Ole Miss’ 31-26 win over Tennessee with an injury last weekend, but he returned to the game and finished with some stellar stats. He completed 21-of-38 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But he also put up 195 yards on the ground and was, by far, Ole Miss’ leading rusher.

Here’s a look at the latest Heisman Trophy odds for the 2021 season, per Tipico Sportsbook.

Bryce Young, Alabama QB +140
Matt Corral, Ole Miss QB +140
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State QB +750
Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State RB +1000
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati QB +1300
Kenny Pickett, Pitt QB +1500
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State RB +2000
Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama RB +2000
Caleb Williams, Oklahoma QB +3000

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