College Football Today: Bo Nix Surging for Ducks
Bo Nix is gunning for the Heisman. (Sports Illustrated)
Iowa St. QB Spencer Petras has entered the transfer protocol; Marvin Harrison Jr. — who we’ve been tracking for several weeks — is making a push for the Heisman Trophy; and Georgia got even more dangerous with the return of TE Brock Bowers. Here are some other stories we’re following heading into Week 12…
Heisman Trophy Watch
As we alluded to in the intro, Harrison keeps building his Heisman case, but after a brilliant showing in Week 11, Oregon Ducks QB Bo Nix has become the new front-runner for college football’s top honour.
Nix was phenomenal in tossing over 400 yards to lead Oregon over USC in what was clearly his best game of the season (four TDs, no picks, no sacks). Best of all, he wasted no time making an impact… and we mean no time (check out the video below for his first two passes of the game).
Looking at Nix’s performance over the last two games (and in three of the past four) suggests that he’s hitting his stride at the right time to take over as the new Heisman fave. The former Auburn QB has been so much better since arriving in Oregon last season. Another game like he had in Week 11 will have him knocking on the door of his career high in passing yards, set last season.
Nix’s big game came at the perfect time considering he was opposing last year’s Heisman winner, USC QB Caleb Williams. Needless to say, NFL scouts were well represented at this one, and Nix did nothing to hurt his draft prospects (he’s currently projected to be a mid-first round pick).
His biggest strength is his long passing game which could propel him to being the third QB off the board in next year’s draft.
FSU Keeps Rolling
The Florida State Seminoles look unstoppable right now, so small wonder they’ve risen to +900 to win the National Championship as per odds at FanDuel.
Let’s see… after beating rival Miami for the third straight time, fourth-ranked FSU has now won 16 straight games and is unbeaten in ACC play. It’s looking more and more likely that the Seminoles will reach the college football playoffs this season.
The key FSU player we’re tracking is Junior wide receiver Keon Coleman, who could be a top 15 pick in next year’s draft. While he only managed four receptions for 24 yards in Saturday’s win, he scored his third TD over the last two games. Coleman, who transferred from Michigan State this season, has now hit paydirt 10 times after scoring seven TDs for the Spartans in 2022.
He grades out in the top 89th percentile for his hands and has the exact type of physicality NFL teams drool over: elite size, body density and compact mass plus a top athletic build. Coleman has the potential to become a Dez Bryant type in the NFL.
Jamari Thrash Cools Off
Breathing down FSU’s back in the ACC are the Louisville Cardinals, now 9-1 (6-1 conference record) after beating Virginia for its third straight win.
The Cardinals’ top 2024 draft prospect is probably Junior wide receiver Jamari Thrash, currently projected as a sixth rounder. He’d been on a major roll before a quiet game in Week 11 (three receptions for 22 yards), racking up three straight games of at least seven receptions and 73 yards. In his defense for Week’s 11 subpar showing, Thrash has been playing through a hand injury.
Louisville’s top receiving option isn’t averaging as many yards per reception as he did in his final season with Georgia State before transferring. Still, Thrash’s best skill is his intermediate route running, and he’s very good at adjusting to less accurate throws downfield. However, he needs to get better at creating separation and pulling in contested catches.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American singer Lesley Miller has been active since 1964. In 1967, she had a hit with “Teach Me to Love You,” and the B-side to that single was “Think of Rain.”
