Even with all the injuries ND has a lot of elite talent and a 6'4" QB who can run, throw and is smart. Kelly laying off him is a bonus. ND's playoff chances def. top ten.
btw john0gaunt - Wimbush no redshirt - just for next man up.... Kizer can take care of the "60 yard passes to Fuller, Brown, and/or Robinson, not to mention ESB" and he now has invaluable experience edge.
247Sports sees it this way >
With the first quarter of the season in the books, here's a look at the top four following Week 3.
1- Ohio State: The Buckeyes don't get any style points for a 20-13 home win against Northern Illinois, but the Huskies have given power teams fits over the years and the closeness of this contest isn't going to matter as long as Ohio State takes care of business down the stretch.
2- Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish looked just fine without starting quarterback Malik Zaire, defeating a good Georgia Tech team, 30-22 in South Bend. Notre Dame has a huge test in two weeks when the Irish travel to Clemson for a primetime showdown which will have plenty of playoff implications. The Tigers will have the best defense Notre Dame has faced so far this year.
3- Michigan State: The Spartans have a signature win against Oregon with two solid wins against Western Michigan and Air Force. This is shaping up to be a special season. Michigan State should be unbeaten heading into Ann Arbor to face in-state rival Michigan on Oct. 17.
4- TCU: Injuries on defense and giving up 508 yards of total offense to SMU in a 56-37 win are a concern for the Horned Frogs. Texas Tech is undefeated and is the opponent this week in Lubbock, so Big 12 play is here and the challenges will get stiffer.
Just Missed..
Ole Miss: Going into Tuscaloosa and topping Alabama is never an easy thing, particularly when you beat the Tide the season before, but Hugh Freeze and the Rebels did it. Indeed this may very well be the year for Ole Miss as its elite talent has matured on both sides of the ball and Chad Kelly is playing at a high level at quarterback. The Rebels have never won the SEC West and gone to the SEC Championship game, but that could change this season.
Clemson: There are some thoughts that the Tigers may be overrated after struggling to beat Louisville, 20-17, on the road, but the opinion here is that it was impressive that Clemson was able to go win a game by running the football between the tackles and playing defense. The offense is explosive and capable, but sometimes when you don't have your A game you need to run it, play defense and get out with a win. In the past, Clemson may have been in trouble. This year's Tigers team was not.
Florida State: Just like Clemson, the Seminoles needed to use their defense to survive a during the week game (they beat Boston College, 14-0), but that's a sign of a good football team. Florida State continues to win, even though it's not very pretty and if the Noles can get through until their Nov. 7 game with the Tigers (on the road), they are obviously contenders.
LSU: The Tigers are 2-0- both league wins (at Mississippi State, at home against Auburn). Their running game led by Leonard Fournette is outstanding and they have stabilized at quarterback with the emergence of Brandon Harris. This is a team that has put it together quite nicely in the first two games of the season and it's safe to call them legitimate contenders in the SEC.
FoxSports says
1. Michigan State: The win over Oregon and bottling up the Duck run game was impressive and handling a tricky Air Force team the week after is also solid. Aaron Burbridge’s emergence at WR has been key.
2. Ole Miss: Even with the Tide’s QB issues, winning in Tuscaloosa, especially at night, is impressive. No one has a better road win so far and strong-armed Chad Kelly has some very gifted receivers to work with.
3. Ohio State: Good win in the opener at Va. Tech, but the Buckeyes O has looked extremely shaky the past two weeks. OSU had all that it could handle from NIU Saturday and I’m dropping the Buckeyes.
4. Notre Dame: Backup QB or not, the Irish keep winning and they did a terrific job slowing down the Ga. Tech offense. This was a very good win.
5. LSU: RB Leonard Fournette is the best player in the country and the Tigers are feeding off him. QB Brandon Harris also has been solid so far.
6. UCLA: Survived a close call against a good BYU team as QB Josh Rosen struggled.
7. Texas A&M: The win over ASU doesn’t look so impressive with the Sun Devils stumbling all over the place but DE Myles Garrett has sparked the D and there’s a lot of firepower on offense.
8. Oklahoma: QB Baker Mayfield was fantastic Saturday, but the OU D was shelled by Tulsa, especially in the first half. Still, OU has a good win at Tennessee on its resume.
9. TCU: The Horned Frogs won a shootout with SMU but lost CB Ranthony Texada for the season. That marks their sixth defensive starter shelved.
10. Georgia: Greyson Lambert was razor sharp as the Dawgs mashed a mediocre South Carolina team.
btw john0gaunt - Wimbush no redshirt - just for next man up.... Kizer can take care of the "60 yard passes to Fuller, Brown, and/or Robinson, not to mention ESB" and he now has invaluable experience edge.
247Sports sees it this way >
With the first quarter of the season in the books, here's a look at the top four following Week 3.
1- Ohio State: The Buckeyes don't get any style points for a 20-13 home win against Northern Illinois, but the Huskies have given power teams fits over the years and the closeness of this contest isn't going to matter as long as Ohio State takes care of business down the stretch.
2- Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish looked just fine without starting quarterback Malik Zaire, defeating a good Georgia Tech team, 30-22 in South Bend. Notre Dame has a huge test in two weeks when the Irish travel to Clemson for a primetime showdown which will have plenty of playoff implications. The Tigers will have the best defense Notre Dame has faced so far this year.
3- Michigan State: The Spartans have a signature win against Oregon with two solid wins against Western Michigan and Air Force. This is shaping up to be a special season. Michigan State should be unbeaten heading into Ann Arbor to face in-state rival Michigan on Oct. 17.
4- TCU: Injuries on defense and giving up 508 yards of total offense to SMU in a 56-37 win are a concern for the Horned Frogs. Texas Tech is undefeated and is the opponent this week in Lubbock, so Big 12 play is here and the challenges will get stiffer.
Just Missed..
Ole Miss: Going into Tuscaloosa and topping Alabama is never an easy thing, particularly when you beat the Tide the season before, but Hugh Freeze and the Rebels did it. Indeed this may very well be the year for Ole Miss as its elite talent has matured on both sides of the ball and Chad Kelly is playing at a high level at quarterback. The Rebels have never won the SEC West and gone to the SEC Championship game, but that could change this season.
Clemson: There are some thoughts that the Tigers may be overrated after struggling to beat Louisville, 20-17, on the road, but the opinion here is that it was impressive that Clemson was able to go win a game by running the football between the tackles and playing defense. The offense is explosive and capable, but sometimes when you don't have your A game you need to run it, play defense and get out with a win. In the past, Clemson may have been in trouble. This year's Tigers team was not.
Florida State: Just like Clemson, the Seminoles needed to use their defense to survive a during the week game (they beat Boston College, 14-0), but that's a sign of a good football team. Florida State continues to win, even though it's not very pretty and if the Noles can get through until their Nov. 7 game with the Tigers (on the road), they are obviously contenders.
LSU: The Tigers are 2-0- both league wins (at Mississippi State, at home against Auburn). Their running game led by Leonard Fournette is outstanding and they have stabilized at quarterback with the emergence of Brandon Harris. This is a team that has put it together quite nicely in the first two games of the season and it's safe to call them legitimate contenders in the SEC.
FoxSports says
1. Michigan State: The win over Oregon and bottling up the Duck run game was impressive and handling a tricky Air Force team the week after is also solid. Aaron Burbridge’s emergence at WR has been key.
2. Ole Miss: Even with the Tide’s QB issues, winning in Tuscaloosa, especially at night, is impressive. No one has a better road win so far and strong-armed Chad Kelly has some very gifted receivers to work with.
3. Ohio State: Good win in the opener at Va. Tech, but the Buckeyes O has looked extremely shaky the past two weeks. OSU had all that it could handle from NIU Saturday and I’m dropping the Buckeyes.
4. Notre Dame: Backup QB or not, the Irish keep winning and they did a terrific job slowing down the Ga. Tech offense. This was a very good win.
5. LSU: RB Leonard Fournette is the best player in the country and the Tigers are feeding off him. QB Brandon Harris also has been solid so far.
6. UCLA: Survived a close call against a good BYU team as QB Josh Rosen struggled.
7. Texas A&M: The win over ASU doesn’t look so impressive with the Sun Devils stumbling all over the place but DE Myles Garrett has sparked the D and there’s a lot of firepower on offense.
8. Oklahoma: QB Baker Mayfield was fantastic Saturday, but the OU D was shelled by Tulsa, especially in the first half. Still, OU has a good win at Tennessee on its resume.
9. TCU: The Horned Frogs won a shootout with SMU but lost CB Ranthony Texada for the season. That marks their sixth defensive starter shelved.
10. Georgia: Greyson Lambert was razor sharp as the Dawgs mashed a mediocre South Carolina team.
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