In his ‘Daft on Draft’ first round mock, expert draftnik Cory Kinnan mocked Michigan TE Colston Loveland to the #Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a perfect start to their 2024 campaign and have a ton of momentum behind them ahead of a Week 7 Super Bowl LVIII rematch against the San Francisco 49ers.
Though things are going great for the defending champions at the moment, some pundits are already looking ahead to the 2025 NFL draft to predict who the Chiefs might add to sustain their budding dynasty.
Though it would certainly make sense for the Chiefs to target a pass-catcher, Kelce may be able to allay the fears of his decline with an outstanding performance against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon in Week 7.
Three draft prospects at linebacker for Packers fans to watch on Saturday.
It’s Week 8 of the college football season and the 2025 NFL Draft is 187 days away. Let’s take a look at linebackers that Green Bay Packers fans should watch during each time slot (all times central).
Brunch Time: 11:45 a.m.: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
The Sooner linebacker plays with fearlessness playing downhill. He’s a battering ram that tries to destroy anything that gets in his way of tracking down the ball carrier. The former four-star recruit is quick to diagnose the action and sift his way through the trash. Stutsman’s motor doesn’t turn off and always seems to be around the football. The Sooner linebacker would bring grit to Green Bay’s front seven.
Crack a beer: 2:30 p.m.: Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
The Michigan linebacker is an explosive mover who has outstanding range. At 6-3, 248 pounds, Barham is a well-put-together linebacker with a nice blend of power and quickness. The Maryland transfer is an effective blitzer and has the lateral quickness to hold up in coverage. Over the past three games, Barham has recorded nine run stops and one tackle for loss.
Nightcap: 6:30 p.m.: Jay Higgins, Iowa
A year ago, Higgins led the nation in tackles (171) and through six games this season he has 62 tackles and 21 run stops, including 28 tackles, one sack and seven run stops during the last two games. He’s a sideline-to-sideline force, who has a nose for the football. The Iowa linebacker trusts his instincts and plays with a ton of confidence. Higgins explodes downhill to make plays behind or near the line of scrimmage to halt run plays before they can get started.
The Big Ten has a lot of uninspiring games in Week 8, but two contests stand out among the best in college football this weekend.
It is going to be difficult to top the best Big Ten – and college football – game of the season last Saturday between the Ohio Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks. The good news is that there is two games that deserve your eyes during Week 8.
14 Big Ten teams are in action Week 8, with the majority of them far from appealing. That said, only one matchup features a double-digit favorite, and it’s an island game! The Oregon Ducks head to Indiana to take on the Purdue Boilermakers Friday night.
It’s also safe to eliminate the UCLA Bruins-Rutgers Scarlet Knights and USC Trojans at Maryland Terrapins. All four teams are playing meaningless football in terms of the College Football Playoff, and only USC and Rutgers have legitimate bowl aspirations.
The Iowa Hawkeyes heading to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans would be more interesting if MSU was playing any sort of good football.
If you watch the Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats, enjoy the view of Lake Michigan.
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Indiana Hoosiers
Saturday, October 19 at 12:00 p.m. ET
When looking at the best games in Big Ten conference play, this was the game every fan and pundit circled.
Bad jokes aside, this game has an excellent defense taking on one of the best and most surprising offenses in FBS. Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has had as good of a start as an FBS coach as possible, and is vying to take Indiana and his stature to new heights.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers should be able to move the ball and play keepaway. Their top 50 third down conversion rate should help, but Indiana’s offense is top 10 in the same category.
Neither team can afford a slow start, an issue that has plagued both teams in each of their past two contests.
A win for Nebraska would pull them even with Indiana in the Big Ten standings (3-1).
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Michigan Wolverines at Illinois Fighting Illini
Saturday, October 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET
This has been a one-sided history between the two teams. Illinois has not won against the Michigan Wolverines since 2009 (1-6). That win 15 years ago gave the Illini a two-game win streak against Michigan, their first positive streak since 1957-58.
Illinois almost upset then No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2022. A game-winning Michigan field goal with nine second remaining was the difference.
Michigan has dropped in terms of talent since then, while Illinois came back to 2022’s level of talent, and then pushed past it with complete efforts on both sides of the ball.
An extra week of prep gives the Wolverines a small edge, but some of that goodwill is lost knowing that no matter which of the quarterback trio is starting, they are likely going to be ineffective.
That puts a target on the Illini run defense that allowed the Purdue Boilermakers and Penn State Nittany Lions to rush for 239 yards each over their past two games. Michigan is currently averaging 191 rushing yards per game.
Of Illinois’s 23 wins against Michigan since 1898, only 12 have been in Champaign, Illinois.
Playing golf in the northern parts of the United States can be challenging for most during the winter months.
For college golfers at Michigan, they don’t struggle with that because of the Weisfeld Family Golf Center. The facility opened in 2011 at a cost of $2.5 million, and it has only gotten better since then.
The on-campus facility is at the University of Michigan Golf Course, which is across the street from the Big House. The Weisfeld features two Trackman stations, a pair of GF Quad stations and the SAM Putt Lab.
The outdoor short game area, the Cilluffo Family Short Game Practice Area, was renovated recently. The five-acre area is at the northwest corner of the driving range at the Weisfeld Family Golf Center and features two large greens, several bunkers and subtle undulating fairways and rough areas.
And when Mother Nature turns the cooler on, players head inside to the Connie & Tony Ridder Short Game Practice Area.
One of Notre Dame football’s biggest remaining recruiting class of 2025 targets is linebacker [autotag]Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng[/autotag].
The brother of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah did include the Irish in his top-6 that he released last month, as he officially visited in early June. He’s made trips to all of his top contenders, and it seems like a matter of time before NOB makes a decision.
On Thursday a 247Sports panel handicapped the race for his commitment (subscription required), and it looks like there could be some good news for Notre Dame in the future. Of the five that took part in this prediction, only one, Brice Marich, a Michigan insider, picked against the Irish.
Tom Loy, Eric Thomas and Gerard Martinez all believe that Owusu-Boateng will ultimately select Notre Dame, while Hank South couldn’t make a decision between the Irish and Wolverines.
I’ll take those odds for Notre Dame to land the nation’s No. 76 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. With a visit scheduled for November to South Bend, the Irish could put themselves in the drivers seat for his verbal.
Ben Davis High School senior Thomas Gotkowski (3) is hit by IMG Academy High School junior Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (11) as he runs the ball out of the backfield during the first half of an IHSAA varsity football game, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, at Ben Davis High School.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
A look at four ranked college football teams who could be upset in Week 6 of the season, including Ole Miss and Michigan.
The college football slate in Week 6 only features one matchup between two ranked teams – the No. 9 ranked Missouri Tigers going to College Station to face No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies – but that just means there are plenty of opportunities to see big time teams get upset.
While the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are probably safe on the road at Vanderbilt, many other top programs could see their perfect record dashed while their chances of making the 12-team College Football Playoff dwindle as well.
Below is a look at four ranked teams who are all facing unranked opponents that could pull off an upset, including a pair of Big Ten teams taking lengthy road trips and an SEC team trying desperately to avoid a second straight loss.
We start in the ACC in a battle between two teams hoping to earn a share of first place in the conference:
Louisville Cardinals
Saturday, October 5th at 12:00 PM ET vs. SMU Mustangs
Louisville and SMU are each fighting for a share of first place in the ACC, with Saturday’s tilt carrying massive implications for the standings behind Miami and Clemson.
The Cardinals are coming off their first loss of the season at Notre Dame, and SMU is rolling with two major scoring outbursts against TCU and Florida State in its last two games. This one has all the makings of a very close game and a potential upset by the Mustangs.
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Ole Miss Rebels
Saturday, October 5th at 3:30 PM ET vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Ole Miss is the favorite on Saturday, but there are very few easy road games in the SEC and South Carolina is more than capable of handing Lane Kiffin and the Rebels a second straight loss.
In fact, the team Ole Miss lost to in Week 5 – the Kentucky Wildcats – were absolutely throttled by South Carolina in Week 2, losing 31-6. Transitive property doesn’t always apply, but it’s worth keeping an eye on here.
Michigan’s offense has struggled a bit with new quarterback Alex Orji, but Washington’s defense is a perfect opportunity to fix some of those issues.
However, travelling all the way to Seattle to face UW in the evening in a hostile road environment is not easy whatsoever, and this Huskies team has nothing to lose. Expect a tight one for all four quarters.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
USC Trojans
Saturday, October 5th at 7:30 PM ET vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Like Michigan, the USC Trojans’ offense hasn’t been able to put together a consistent performance across all four quarters this season – and that presents a problem against a very good Minnesota defense.
Playing on the road doesn’t help either, and in order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive the Trojans absolutely need to avoid looking past this game toward a matchup with Penn State in Week 7.
Penn State capitalized on an upset loss in the top 10 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.
Penn State took care of things on their home field on Saturday night with a victory over Illinois with a 21-7 win. But it was a loss by a team ranked ahead of them in the polls that led to the Nittany Lions managing to move up a spot in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. There is also a new no. 1 team in the nation after a wild ending to an SEC heavyweight fight Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Penn State moved up one spot this week by jumping from no. 8 last week to no. 7 in this week’s poll. The Nittany Lions benefitted from an upset loss by Ole Miss, who fell from no. 5 down to no. 11 after losing at home to Kentucky. Other teams moving up a spot as Ole Miss stumbled included no. 6 Oregon, no. 8 Miami, no. 9 Missouri (up two spots), and no. 10 Michigan (up two spots).
There is also a new team sitting on top of the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Texas Longhorns have taken over the top spot following a comfortable home win against Mississippi State and Georgia’s comeback effort ultimately cracking at Alabama in wild fashion last night. Georgia fell four spots in the coaches poll from no. 1 down to no. 5. Texas received 29 first-place votes and Alabama, now ranked no. 2 after moving up two spots, received 19 first-place votes.
Ohio State remained at no. 3 amid the reshuffling of the top-ranked SEC programs around them, but the Buckeyes did receive the seven remaining first-place votes in this week’s poll.
Penn State handing Illinois its first loss did not drop the Illini out of the top 25 this week. Illinois rounded out this week’s top 25 with the no. 25 ranking. Indiana also jumps into the coaches poll this week with the no. 24 ranking with a 5-0 record. With Indiana moving in and Illinois hanging on to a top 25 ranking, the Big Ten has seven teams ranked in this week’s coaches poll (USC is no. 15).
Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll following Week 5.
Ranking
Team
Record
Points
1
Texas Longhorns
5-0
1,339 (29)
2
Alabama Crimson Tide
4-0
1,330 (19)
3
Ohio State Buckeyes
4-0
1,281 (7)
4
Tennessee Vols
4-0
1,163
5
Georgia Bulldogs
3-1
1,153
6
Oregon Ducks
4-0
1,090
7
Penn State Nittany Lions
4-0
1,062
8
Miami Hurricanes
5-0
981
9
Missouri Tigers
4-0
948
10
Michigan Wolverines
4-1
792
11
Ole Miss Rebels
4-1
743
12
LSU Tigers
4-1
725
13
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
4-1
702
14
Clemson Tigers
3-1
671
15
USC Trojans
3-1
660
16
Iowa State Cyclones
4-0
500
17
Oklahoma Sooners
4-1
470
18
Utah Utes
4-1
408
19
BYU Cougars
5-0
375
20
Kansas State Wildcats
4-1
242
21
Texas A&M Aggies
4-1
198
22
Louisville Cardinals
3-1
197
23
UNLV Rebels
4-0
180
24
Indiana Hoosiers
5-0
143
25
Illinois Fighting Illini
4-1
122
Penn State will be home next weekend to face UCLA. The Bruins are coming off a home loss to Oregon and have lost both of their first two Big Ten games at home this season. This will be UCLA’s first road game in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions will host the Bruins for a noon Eastern kickoff and will host Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.
The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly from an exciting Week 5 of Big Ten college football action.
Big Ten football put on a compelling first week of conference play that included the potential of seeing five ranked teams upset, and one of those games a matchup between two ranked squads.
As good as some of the games were, some performances were bad or just plain ugly, including the near-collapse of Michigan and USC forgetting to show up for large chunks of its game.
Let’s look at all the good, bad, and ugly from Week 5 of the Big Ten football season.
The Good
Penn State dominated both lines of scrimmage in a 21-7 win over the visiting Illinois Fighting Illini. The defense allowed 219 total yards, and the offensive line allowed RBs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to get 196 combined rushing yards on 5.8 yards per carry.
Speaking of running backs, Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai helped the Scarlet Knights remain undefeated with 132 rushing yards and another touchdown against Washington.
The Indiana Hoosiers have scored at least 42 points in four straight games, and average 48.8 points per game. They have been a blast to watch with the ball.
The Bad
Nebraska won, but failed to score a point in the first half in their road win at Purdue. WR Jahmal Banks caught a six-yard pass from QB Dylan Raiola with 2:49 left in the third frame.
Illini QB Luke Altmeyer finally threw his first interception of the season. Two road games against top 25 opponents is a tough ask of most programs.
Wisconsin and Minnesota both had good halves in their losses to USC and Michigan, respectively, but both teams playing as if they didn’t belong was discouraging. Kudos to Minnesota for once again playing a close game against a good opponent (Michigan’s defense).
Wolverines QB Alex Orji is one of the worst signal callers starting in FBS. His inability to be trusted to move the ball through the air will cost Michigan as long as he plays.
Purdue and UCLA are happy to be here. Both teams are unwatchable so far this season.
Here is a look at everything that happened in the Big Ten in Week 5 and the updated conference standings.
For the first time this season, we had a Big Ten football schedule that stretched from Friday night on the East Coast to the late night hours on the West Coast. While not every Big Ten team was in action this week, there was enough to keep us entertained with a trophy game in Michigan, an unofficial whiteout game in Happy Valley, and Oregon and UCLA giving us some Big Ten After Dark.
Here is a look at everything that went down around the Big Ten in Week 5, including a look at the updated Big Ten standings as we head into October.
Washignton played its first road game in the Big Ten and had to fly all the way across the country to New Jersey to do so. It was a long flight back after coming up short against the Scarlet Knights on Friday night.
Kyle Monangai rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown to help Rutgers hold off the Huskies, who dropped its second game of the season already. Washington had a chance to force overtime but a 55-yard field goal attempt by Grady Gross went wide left as time expired.
Washington outgained Rutgers 521-299, Washignton quarterback Will Rogers passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Jonah Coleman rushed for 148 yards. But the Huskies had three missed field goals and were just 2-for-12 on third-down attempts.
Next up for Washington: vs. Michigan
Next up for Rutgers: at Nebraska
This was a game about missed opportunities by Maryland. The Terrapins forced four Indiana turnovers but could not score any points off those free possessions. Indiana forced Maryland to punt three times following a turnover by the offense and Maryland was stopped on a turnover on downs following a fourth turnover. The Hoosiers offense more than made up for the rare miscues this season by racking up over 500 yards of offense led by 359 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
Indiana is off to its first 5-0 start since 1967 and the Hoosiers are already one win shy of bowl eligibility before even getting into October. Not a bad start for new head coach Curt Cignetti in Bloomington.
Next up for Maryland: vs. Northwestern (Week 7)
Next up for Indiana: at Northwestern
Michigan may have retained possession of the Little Brown Jug once again, but the visiting Minnesota Golden Gophers made them work for it. Minnesota put together a furious fourth-quarter rally that ultimately fell short after closing the gap to a three-point margin with 1:37 remaining. Minnesota recovered an onside kick but was flagged for an offsides call on the attempt, and Michigan recovered the second onside kick attempt to put the game on ice.
Kalel Mullings led Michigan with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns, putting together his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game for Michigan. The Michigan defense held Minnesota to just 38 rushing yards as a team, and limited Darius Taylor to just 36 yards (Taylor did score two touchdowns and catch 10 passes for 52 receiving yards).
The Michigan passing game continues to lack much punch with Alex Orgi completing 10 of 18 passes for 86 yards, but the Wolverines appear comfortable working around their apparent shortcomings for now.
Next up for Minnesota: vs. USC
Next up for Michigan: at Washington
It took a while for anything to happen on the scoreboard in this one, but Nebraska did its part to make up for a slow start. After a scoreless first half by both teams, Nebraska put the first touchdown on the board in the third quarter to take a 7-3 lead and then pulled away in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns for a good road victory for the Cornhuskers.
Dylan Raiola passed for 244 yards and a touchdown but the Huskers were just 1-of-8 on third down conversion attempts. Nebraska’s defense did handle Purdue well by allowing just 224 yards of offense and holding the Boilermakers out of the end zone until the final minute and a half of regulation. It was a defensive touchdown, a 29-yard interception return by John Bullock, that helped put the game firmly out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Next up for Nebraska: vs. Rutgers
Next up for Purdue: at Wisconsin
USC quarterback Miller Moss passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns as USC shut down the visiting Wisconsin Badgers in the second half. USC trailed Wisconsin at halftime 21-10 but weren’t on a 28-0 run in the second half to run away for their first Big Ten conference victory in program history.
This was a bit of a sloppy game for much of the afternoon with five combined turnovers (USC with three, Wisconsin with two), and 14 penalties for over 100 yards of penalty yardage fairly evenly split between the two teams.
Next up for Wisconsin: vs. Purdue
Next up for USC: at Minnesota
Penn State and Illinois traded touchdown drives to start the game, but then the defenses for each took over. The Illini would not manage to score any more points in the game, so Penn State had to gain control with the running game to get the win. Fortunately for Penn State, the combination of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen helped grind out a win with 221 total yards of offense combined between the two, and some good work from tight end Tyler Warren out of the wildcat formations, the offense was too much to slow down for the Illini.
Penn State’s defense also forced a couple of turnovers and sacked Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer seven times. This was not an officially sanctioned whiteout game for Penn State, but the fans turned the night game into one anyway.
Next up for Illinois: vs. Purdue (Week 7)
Next up for Penn State: vs. UCLA
Ohio State’s first game away from home was not expected to be a massive challenge for the Buckeyes, and perhaps it wasn’t. The Buckeyes got off to a somewhat slow start with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter but put together three touchdowns in the second quarter and never had a reason to look back against Michigan State.
Will Howard passed for 244 yards, and the combo of Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith combined for 12 catches and 179 receiving yards with a touchdown each. the defense locked in on the Spartans’ running game and held Nate Carter to just 27 yards on six carries.
Michigan State had their opportunities though. But Michigan State had three turnovers inside the red zone in the first half, suggesting a team can move on the Buckeyes but still has to find a way to finish. Micigan State was unable to do so and paid the price.
Next up for Ohio State: vs. Iowa
Next up for Michigan State: at Oregon
Orgeon wide receiver Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks enjoyed a big win at UCLA to wrap up the Big Ten schedule in Week 5. Dillon Gabriel completed 30-of-39 pass attempts for 268 yards and had three touchdowns, including the two to Johnson, and his one interception was returned for a touchdown by former Oregon player Bryan Addison.
After a shaky start to the season, it appears as though Oregon has found its groove and is beginning to live up to some of the preseason hype. They’ll return home next week for their first Big Ten game in Autzen Stadium. Meanwhile, UCLA will make its first cross-country trip in Big Ten play for an early kickoff next Saturday in Happy Valley.
Social media checks in after a pair of exciting Big Ten matchups early on Saturday.
Big Ten conference play started with a bang. Two wild games commenced before the sun was setting, and that was before Illinois-Penn State and Ohio State–Michigan State.
The Michigan Wolverines welcomed the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Ann Arbor for a battle of defenses and the Little Brown Jug, while the Wisconsin Badgers Braedyn Lock era started with a matchup in Los Angeles against the USC Trojans.
Michigan squeaked out a 27-24 win after a failed onside kick attempt by Minnesota, while USC was down 21-10 at the half before storming to a 38-21 dub over Wisconsin.
One game started as expected, while the other finished as expected. Crossing the finish line was be a reprieve for the victors. Twitter/X was abuzz for both contests.
#USC rolled its collective eyes when asked about handling the physicality of B1G ball. All the stereotypes are coming true in this game. Wisconsin is just beating the Trojans up and we’re not even at halftime.
