Some believe LaNorris Sellers should win the Heisman Trophy. (University of South Carolina Athletics)
Michigan upset Ohio State and then the teams went at each other; West Virginia was blown out by Texas Tech and then fired coach Neal Brown; and Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson has decided to leverage his big season by declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.
LaNorris Sellers Makes Heisman Bid
After a horribly disappointing 2023 season, the South Carolina Gamecocks have bounced back big time, winning their final six games to finish the regular season at 9-3, ranked 13th in the country — its highest since being a top 10 program a decade ago.
In the season finale, the Gamecocks pulled off another upset (having already beaten Texas A&M a few weeks ago), taking advantage of a Clemson squad that hasn’t been its usual dominant self this season.
South Carolina feels it’s done its part to earn a spot in the CFP; now we’ll wait to see if the selection committee agrees.
The hero in Week 14 was quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who coach Shane Beamer believes should win the Heisman. Well, we don’t know about that, but Sellers sure made his case against Clemson, scoring a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner with just over a minute to play (a 20-yard run, part of a season-best 166 yard rushing game for the freshman).
Sellers didn’t have his best performance in the air on Saturday, completing just 61 per cent of 21 passes for only 164 yards and one pick against zero TDs (while getting sacked three times). But it has been an impressive first full season for him as he’s completed nearly 65 per cent of his 265 passes while proving a real threat in the run game as well (655 yards on 155 carries).
A 2026 draft candidate, Sellers has emerged as someone to really keep an eye on next season. He’s very good at throwing the ball hard and accurately on quick slant plays, but has shown tendencies for playing a bit out of control (see video below for one of his rare mistakes from last game). Still, as a redshirt freshman, Sellers has time to address this weakness.
Vols Reach Double-Digit Wins Again
Still in the SEC, the Tennessee Volunteers bounced back from a tough loss to Georgia in Week 12 to win their final two games and reach double-digit wins for the second time in the last three seasons.
Ranked sixth in the country, Tennessee looks like a slam dunk to reach the CFP for the second time in school history and is currently listed at +1800 to win the National Championship according to FanDuel.
Similar to the Gamecocks, the Vols are led by a freshman quarterback, Nico Iamaleava. He wasn’t quite as accurate as he’d been in Week 13 (and was picked once), but he topped 250 yards passing while tossing four TD passes to help Tennessee come back and defeat Vanderbilt 36-23 on Saturday.
Iamaleava’s outstanding performance was perhaps his finest of the season, especially considering it didn’t start out very well. But he showed veteran poised in overcoming early adversity to help fuel the rally and give the Vols a legitimate chance to host a playoff game.
Iamaleava’s interception thrown was just his fifth of the year against 19 touchdowns, a very impressive ratio for a first-year starter. He has the potential to become a franchise quarterback in the NFL, even drawing comparisons to Justin Herbert.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
English pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood launched in 1980, took a break in 1987, came back in 2004 for three years and then reunited briefly last year. In 1993, they released the compilation album Bang!… The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which included their cover of Gerry and the Pacemakers‘ hit “Ferry Cross the Mersey.”