Final Regular Season FBS PRS Rankings

Sunday, December 3, 2017
Rank	Points	Team	Record	Opponent
1	2793	Oklahoma	12-1	Def. Texas Christian 41-17
2	2711	Central Florida	12-0	Def. Memphis 62-55 2 OT's
3	2607	Wisconsin	12-1	Lost to Ohio State 27-21
4	2484	Georgia	12-1	Def. Auburn 28-7
5	2443	Clemson	12-1	Def. Miami (FL) 38-3
6	2395	Ohio State	11-2	Def. Wisconsin 27-21
7	2294	Alabama	11-1	Regular Season Over
8	2162	Penn State	10-2	Regular Season Over
9	2106	Southern California	11-2	Def. Stanford 31-28
10	2038	Toledo	11-2	Def. Akron 45-28
11	1899	Memphis	10-2	Lost to Central Florida 62-55 2 OT's
12T	1849	Oklahoma State	9-3	Regular Season Over
12T	1849	Washington	10-2	Regular Season Over
14	1792	Boise State	10-3	Def. Fresno State 17-14
15	1776	Florida Atlantic	10-3	Def. North Texas 41-17
16	1726	Troy	10-2	Def. Arkansas State 32-25
17	1695	Auburn	10-3	Lost to Georgia 28-7
18	1674	Texas Christian	10-3	Lost to Oklahoma 41-17
19	1671	San Diego State	10-2	Regular Season Over
20	1628	Miami (FL)	10-2	Lost to Clemson 38-3
21	1613	South Florida	9-2	Regular Season Over
22	1586	Notre Dame	9-3	Regular Season Over
23	1474	Northwestern	9-3	Regular Season Over
24	1453	Stanford	9-4	Lost to Southern California 31-28
25	1401	Virginia Tech	9-3	Regular Season Over
26	1343	Michigan State	9-3	Regular Season Over
27	1304	Louisiana State	9-3	Regular Season Over
28	1280	Washington State	9-3	Regular Season Over
29	1188	North Texas	9-4	Lost to Florida Atlantic 41-17
30	1154	Fresno State	9-4	Lost to Boise State 17-14
31	1116	Ohio	8-4	Regular Season Over
32	1106	Louisville	8-4	Regular Season Over
33	1099	Michigan	8-4	Regular Season Over
34	1085	Appalachian State	8-4	Def. Louisiana-Lafayette 63-14
35	1034	Army	8-3	Bye
36	1014	Central Michigan	8-4	Regular Season Over
37	986	Northern Illinois	8-4	Regular Season Over
38	961	Southern Mississippi	8-4	Regular Season Over
39	940	North Carolina State	8-4	Regular Season Over
40	926	Mississippi State	8-4	Regular Season Over
41	880	Alabama-Birmingham	8-4	Regular Season Over
42	876	Arkansas State	7-4	Lost to Troy 32-25
43	801	Florida International	8-4	Def. Massachusetts 63-45
44	797	South Carolina	8-4	Regular Season Over
45	791	Iowa	7-5	Regular Season Over
46	783	Arizona	7-5	Regular Season Over
47	751	Marshall	7-5	Regular Season Over
48T	691	Arizona State	7-5	Regular Season Over
48T	691	Missouri	7-5	Regular Season Over
50	656	Boston College	7-5	Regular Season Over
51	644	Colorado State	7-5	Regular Season Over
52	641	Wake Forest	7-5	Regular Season Over
53	632	West Virginia	7-5	Regular Season Over
54	630	Southern Methodist	7-5	Regular Season Over
55	624	Iowa State	7-5	Regular Season Over
56	564	Oregon	7-5	Regular Season Over
57	555	Kansas State	7-5	Regular Season Over
58	547	Navy	6-5	Bye
59	515	Houston	7-4	Regular Season Over
60	478	Texas A&M	7-5	Regular Season Over
61	458	Kentucky	7-5	Regular Season Over
62	445	Wyoming	7-5	Regular Season Over
63	440	Texas	6-6	Regular Season Over
64	391	New Mexico State	6-6	Def. South Alabama 22-17
65	330	Texas-San Antonio	6-5	Regular Season Over
66	319	UCLA	6-6	Regular Season Over
67	267	Western Michigan	6-6	Regular Season Over
68	254	Georgia State	6-5	Lost to Idaho 24-10
69	237	Texas Tech	6-6	Regular Season Over
70	234	Akron	7-6	Lost to Toledo 45-28
71	219	Utah State	6-6	Regular Season Over
72T	203	Buffalo	6-6	Regular Season Over
72T	203	Middle Tennessee State	6-6	Regular Season Over
74	200	Florida State	6-6	Def. Louisiana-Monroe 42-10
75	184	Utah	6-6	Regular Season Over
76	128	Mississippi	6-6	Regular Season Over
77	125	Western Kentucky	6-6	Regular Season Over
78	109	Duke	6-6	Regular Season Over
79	96	Eastern Michigan	5-7	Regular Season Over
80	68	Louisiana Tech	6-6	Regular Season Over
81	48	Temple	6-6	Regular Season Over
82	24	Virginia	6-6	Regular Season Over
83	-22	Purdue	6-6	Regular Season Over
84	-61	Georgia Tech	5-6	Regular Season Over
85	-143	Air Force	5-7	Regular Season Over
86	-144	Minnesota	5-7	Regular Season Over
87	-187	Indiana	5-7	Regular Season Over
88	-189	Nevada-Las Vegas	5-7	Regular Season Over
89	-195	Colorado	5-7	Regular Season Over
90	-210	California	5-7	Regular Season Over
91	-233	Tulane	5-7	Regular Season Over
92	-234	Miami (OH)	5-7	Regular Season Over
93	-255	Louisiana-Lafayette	5-7	Lost to Appalachian State 63-14
94	-307	Vanderbilt	5-7	Regular Season Over
95	-364	Florida	4-7	Regular Season Over
96	-373	Pittsburgh	5-7	Regular Season Over
97	-378	Louisiana-Monroe	4-8	Lost to Florida State 42-10
98	-465	Old Dominion	5-7	Regular Season Over
99	-569	Nebraska	4-8	Regular Season Over
100	-685	Idaho	4-8	Def. Georgia State 24-10
101	-687	South Alabama	4-8	Lost to New Mexico State 22-17
102	-693	Arkansas	4-8	Regular Season Over
103	-725	Syracuse	4-8	Regular Season Over
104	-730	Maryland	4-8	Regular Season Over
105	-767	Massachusetts	4-8	Lost to Florida International 63-45
106	-806	Cincinnati	4-8	Regular Season Over
107	-815	Tennessee	4-8	Regular Season Over
108	-873	Rutgers	4-8	Regular Season Over
109	-897	Brigham Young	4-9	Regular Season Over
110	-921	Nevada-Reno	3-9	Regular Season Over
111	-961	Hawaii	3-9	Regular Season Over
112	-990	Coastal Carolina	3-9	Def. Georgia Southern 28-17
113	-1000	Georgia Southern	2-10	Lost to Coastal Carolina 28-17
114	-1013	North Carolina	3-9	Regular Season Over
115	-1096	Tulsa	2-10	Regular Season Over
116	-1124	New Mexico	3-9	Regular Season Over
117	-1145	East Carolina	3-9	Regular Season Over
118	-1148	Connecticut	3-9	Regular Season Over
119	-1348	Bowling Green State	2-10	Regular Season Over
120	-1458	Illinois	2-10	Regular Season Over
121	-1509	Texas State	2-10	Regular Season Over
122	-1606	Kent State	2-10	Regular Season Over
123	-1647	Baylor	1-11	Regular Season Over
124	-1686	Ball State	2-10	Regular Season Over
125	-1689	Rice	1-11	Regular Season Over
126	-1814	San Jose State	2-11	Regular Season Over
127	-1853	Charlotte	1-11	Regular Season Over
128	-1955	Oregon State	1-11	Regular Season Over
129	-2011	Kansas	1-11	Regular Season Over
130	-2301	Texas-El Paso	0-12	Regular Season Over

Mountain West Championship Preview

Boise State Broncos (9-3, 7-1) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3, 7-1)

This is the second straight week these two teams have played each other, as Fresno State won last weekend by a score of 28-17. It was the first loss in conference play for Boise State, who may not have put all of their cards on the table based upon the fact that both teams knew they would be playing again this week.
For Boise State, they are averaging 33.3 points per game. Brett Rypien has had time taken away from his reps by Kansas transfer Montell Cozart, and they have combined for over 3000 yards passing and 24 TDs to just five INTs. That said, it seems to disturb the flow of the game once Rypien gets pulled for Cozart and then comes back in, as Boise State has, at times, had struggles moving the football against certain opponents. Alexander Mattison has rushed for just over 1000 yards this seasonwith 11 scores, but the Broncos are not consistent in this area, and run for just 149 yards per game. They are averaging 254 yards per game through the air.
Cedrick Wilson is the star at WR, as he has rolled up  1142 yards receiving and has scored six times, while TE Jake Roh has been the other go to option, with 9 TD receptions this season.
On the defensive side, Leighton Vander Esch emerged as the leader this season, as he wraps the regular season with 13 tackles, with 71 tackles being solo jobs. Kekoa Nawahine has been a star as well at DB with 90 tackles. Freshman LB Curtis Weaver has been a major threat up front with 10 TFLs, and Tyler Horton has defended 11 passes.
On the Fresno State front, the Bulldogs have had one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history under first year coach Jeff Tedford. Oregon State transfer Marcus McMaryion gave the Bulldogs some stability at the QB position, which they had not had since Derek Carr graduated. They went to a team approach at RB, and rushed for 158 yards per game. KeeSean Johnson emerged at WR as well, catching 64 passes this season while scoring 8 times.
On defense, the Bulldogs made major strides and went from allowing 30.9 points per game in 2016, to allowing just over 17 in 2017. Sophomore LB Jeffrey Allison finished with a solid 103 tackles, while LB Robert Stanley joined defensive linemen Tobenna Okeke and Malik Forrester to combine for 25.5 TFLs on the season. JuJu Hughes and Jaron Bryant, both sophomores, combined for 13 PBUs as well.

Conference USA Championship Preview

Florida Atlantic Owls (9-3, 8-0) vs. North Texas Mean Green (9-3, 7-1)

FAU dominated North Texas in an earlier meeting this season 69-31, and looks to be heavily favored coming into this contest as well. All eyes are on the Lane Train, as Lane Kiffin has put FAU football back on the map in one single season, and seems to be having fun doing it.
Jason Driskel is the key player at QB for the Owls, and has tossed 12 TDs to just four picks since taking over the starting job from Daniel Parr early in the season. All eyes, however, will be on RB Devin Singletary, who rushed for a nation leading 26 TDs on 1632 yards rushing. Willie Bright is the key receiver for the Owls when passing.
Defensively, FAU allows just 24.8 points per game, and generally finds ways to outscore everyone with a barrage of offense. The Owls do allow 233 yards passing per game, and another 172.8 yards per game rushing. LB Azeez Al-Shaair is the star, with 123 tackles.
North Texas had a stunning season in their own rights, but they are the underdog heading in. They are led by the play of Mason Fine, who passed for 3393 yards and 27 TDs to 11 INTs. Senior RB Jeffrey Wilson gives them balance with 1215 yards and a whopping 16 rushing scores of his own. Jalen Guyton and Rico Bussey, Jr. combined for 15 TD receptions and Michael Lawrence added 50 receptions on the season.
Defensively for the Mean Green, they are allowing a whopping 3 points per game. If they cannot shore up their scoring defense deficiencies, the Owls are going to jump all over them early, just like the first time around. They allow 212 yards passing per game and teams are running all over them to a tune of 202 yards per game on the ground.

MAC Championship Game

Akron Zips (7-5, 6-2) vs. Toledo Rockets (10-2, 7-1)

Toledo hammered Akron 48-21 back on 10/27, and the Zips rebounded to shock everyone and win the East division over Ohio. Akron scores just 23.3 points per game on offense, and has ridden solid defense to this point by only allowing just over 24 points per game. Freshman QB Kato Nelson has taken the team on his shoulders with the injury to Thomas Woodson, and the Zips are 2-1 in his starts. The Achilles for the Zips on offense is a run game that averages just 107.75 yards per game.
Defensively, Akron is led by LB Ulysees Gilbert III, who finished the regular season with 117 tackles, with 8.5 for loss. DE Jamal Davis II leads the team with 10.5 TFLs, and Kyron Brown leads the secondary with 11 passes broken up. Jordan Georgie picked off four passes this season as well.

For the Rockets, they have been on a solid run, scoring over 50 points per game the last two weeks in wins over Bowling Green and Western Michigan, as they were coming off a loss to Ohio in which they scored just 10 points. Logan Woodside, despite missing a ton of talent around him coming into the season, has been rock solid again, passing for 287.6 yards per game, with 24 TDs to just three INTs. Senior RB Terry Swanson stepped up big, rushing for 1139 yards on the year, while scoring 12 times. Freshman RB Shakif Seymour also managed to rush for 12 scores on 665 yards rushing. The favorite target in the passing game is Diontae Johnson, who finished the regular season with 1139 yards receiving and 11 scores.
Defensively, Toledo allows just over 25 points per game. DE Olasunkamni Adeniyi is the star, with 16.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks on the season. Most nights, Toledo will be happy just trying to outscore opponents while not having much in the way of any special talent on defense.

ACC Championship Preview

Clemson Tigers (11-1, 7-1) vs. Miami Hurricanes (10-1, 7-1)

Clemson Wins If: Kelly Bryant Finds Consistency
Kelly Bryant has been solid in 2017, but what he needs to be is consistent to win this football game, and that has not been his strong suit this fall. Bryant has passed for just 12 TDs on the season with six picks, and his rushing totals are all over the place as well. Miami has one of the better front sevens in college football, and Bryant will have to be on his A game to beat it.

Clemson Wins If: They Follow the Game Plan That Pitt Rolled Out Last Week
Malik Rosier completed just 44% of his passes in an upset loss to the Panthers in the regular season finale last week, and Clemson has to be able to pressure Rosier into making mistakes in ball placement this week as well. Clemson allows just 169.7 yards passing per game, and that could spell trouble for the Hurricanes this week.

Miami Wins If: Travis Homer Finds a Way To Explode
Homer has done an admirable job taking over for the injured Mark Walton, but he has not found a consistent week to week groove, and he was shut down by Pitt last week to the tune of just 12 yards rushing on seven carries. He has rushed for 861 yards this seasonand had a 146 yard effort against Notre Dame in the win. If he can replicate that night, Miami has a shot,because the passing game cannot do it alone.

Miami Wins If: They Don't Bend and Break On Defense
The Hurricanes allow just over 18 points per game, but they do allow a bit of activity between the 20s. Miami allows 210 yards passing per game, and just over 152 yards rushing, and if you allow that to Clemson, you are playing with fire.

Clemson Key Players Offense: QB Kelly Bryant, Rb Travis Etienne, RB Tavien Feaster, WR Deon Cain, WR Hunter Renfrow, WR Ray Ray McCloud
Clemson Key Players Defense: LB Dorian O'Daniel, LB Kendall Joseph, DL Clelin Farrell, DL Austin Bryant, DL Christian Wilkins, DB Ryan Carter, DB AJ Terrell, DB Taryvon Mullen

Miami Key Players Offense: QB Malik Rosier, RB Travis Homer, WR Braxton Berrios, TE Christopher Herndon IV, WR Jeff Thomas
Miami Key Players Defense: LB Jaquan Johnson, DL RJ McIntosh, DL Trent Harris, DL Joe Jackson, DL Chad Thomas, DB Malek Young

Big 10 Championship Preview

Wisconsin Badgers (12-0, 8-0) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2, 8-1)

Wisconsin Wins If: Alex Hornibrook Doesn't Have to Do Too Much
Hornibrook is the consummate game manager, but when he has to become a passer, train wreck status looms. He has tossed 21 TDs this season, but has also tossed 13 INTs as well. This is a game in which Jonathon Taylor just has to take over at RB. Taylor has rushed for 1806 yards and 13 TDs, and this game is his shining moment opportunity.

Wisconsin Wins If: They Take Advantage Of a Gimpy JT Barrett
Barrett just had arthroscopic knee surgery in the last 36 hours, and yet will play this week. WIth Wisconsins's athleticism on defense, they should be able to take advantage of what could be a gimpy Barrett who has a tricky knee. If they can take Barrett out as a weapon, the Badgers win this football game. Even if he can throw the ball, he has to avoid Nick Nelson and Natrell Jamerson (30 combined PBUs).

Ohio State Wins If: Barrett Is Completely Healthy and Able
I don't like the chances of this happening, just having had surgery. Barrett will likely be slow, and his knee will be shot up with meds to make him get by, but he will not likely be at full speed. If he takes a bad hit, there could be trouble. If he is a miracle man, and is 100% healthy, he was just named Big 10 QB of the Year for a reason.

Ohio State Wins If: They Contain Taylor
That will be the key to winning this week. They have to keep Taylor from being able to do whatever he wants to in the run game. If they can do that, it puts too much of a load on Alex Hornibrook, and things could fall apart. The Buckeyes simply have to make Taylor a non factor. Wisconsin runs for 243 yards per game, and if they get near that number, the Buckeyes are in trouble.

Wisconsin Key Players Offense: QB Alex Hornibrook, RB Jonathon Taylor, WR Quintez Sephus, TE Troy Fumagalli, WR AJ Taylor
Wisconsin Key Players Defense: LB Ryan Connelly, LB TJ Edwards, LB Garret Dooley, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, LB Leon Jacobs, DL Alec James, DB Nick Nelson, DB Natrell Jamerson, DB Derrick Tindall, DB Joe Ferguson

SEC Championship Preview

Auburn Tigers (10-2, 7-1) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1)

Auburn Wins If: Their Hot Hand Continues
The Tigers were a mess for the first month of the season, but suddenly the jets turned on across the board, the offense clicked, and they ran through the rest of their schedule, including earlier blowout wins over both Georgia and Alabama. Auburn is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, and they are getting hotter by the minute on the field.

Auburn Wins If: The Defense Continues to Dominate
The Tigers give up just 16.4 points per game, and that number was lower against Alabama, as they allowed just 14 points against the Tide. The Tigers only allow 177 yards passing per game, and just 125 yards rushing. If that continues to be the trend tomorrow, the Tigers will be your SEC champs.

Georgia Wins If: Jake Fromm Clears His Head From the Last Meeting
Fromm was terrible against Auburn, completing just 46% of his passes. He will need to be a passing threat in order to keep the Tigers from bunching up with eight in the box to stop backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb was able to run for just 27 yards, while Michel was held to 21 yards in that loss, all because Fromm could not spread the field as a passing threat.

Georgia Wins If: The Defense Outplays Auburn's Defense
With the offense going into complete failure mode last time in a 40-17 loss, the defense quickly became overwhelmed. Georgia, on average, allows just 13.8 points per game, but imploded that day to allow a total of 40. With Auburn having injury concerns in their run game, the Bulldogs have to make that work in their favor, and slow down Auburn's ground attack. On the season, Georgia allows just 112 yards rushing. They will have to keep the number somewhere near there to have a shot here.

Auburn Key Players Offense: QB Jarrett Stidham, RB Kerryon Johnson (Could be injured), RB Kam Martin, WR Ryan Davis, WR Darius Slayton
Auburn Key Players Defense: LB Jeff Holland, DL Derrick Brown, DB Carlton Davis, DB Jamel Dean, DB Stephen Roberts, DB Javaris Davis

Georgia Key Players Offense: QB Jake Fromm, RB Nick Chubb, Rb Sony Michel, WR Javon Wims, WR Terry Godwin
Georgia Key Players Defense: LB Roquan Smith, DB JR Reed, LB D'Andre Walker, LB Lorenzo Carter, DB Deandre Baker, LB Davin Bellamy

Big 12 Championship Preview

Oklahoma Sooners (11-1, 8-1) vs. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2, 7-2)

Oklahoma Wins If: Baker Mayfield Does His Thing
Mayfield averages over 341 yards passing per game and has tossed 37 TDs to just five picks all year long. In their 38-20 win over the Frogs this season, Mayfield passed for 333 yards and three scores, with no INTs. Marquis Brown, Mark Andrews, and CeeDee Lamb will all get plenty of opportunities to catch the football, because you cannot double up all of them.

Oklahoma Wins If: They Play Defensively More to What They Did In the Earlier Win
Oklahoma beat TCU 38-20, but does allow over 25 points per game on average. If the Sooner can frustrate the Frogs and QB Kenny Hill early enough, and keep TCU from scoring a bunch of first half points, the Sooners should easily win this football game.

TCU Wins If: Kenny Hill Has the Game of His Life
Hill has not thrown a pick since 10/28 in a loss to Iowa State. He has to keep on that track if the Frogs are to have a shot tomorrow in this game. Look for Oklahoma to try to bottle up the edges and keep Hill in the pocket where he will have to make throws against an opportune play making secondary. Hill completed just 46% of his passes in the earlier loss to Oklahoma, and if that happens again, it will be another long day.

TCU Wins If: They Keep Mayfield From Tossing More Than Two Scoring Passes
Mayfield is at his best when he is hitting strikes in the end zone and helping OU run away with the win. When the Sooners get trapped into having to move the ball on the ground, they slow up and that does not fit their personnel. On the season, TCU allows just over 15 points per game, and they will have to do what they did to get there this time around, but that is a huge task.

Key Players Oklahoma Offense: QB Baker Mayfield, WR Marquis Brown, WR CeeDee Lamb, TE Mark Andrews, RB Rodney Anderson
Key Players Oklahoma Defense: LB Emmanuel Beal, DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, DB Parnell Motley, DB Tre Norwood

Key Players TCU Offense: QB Kenny Hill, RB Darius Anderson, Rb Siwo Olonilua, WR John Diarse, WR Jalon Reager
Key Players TCU Defense: LB Travin Howard (Missed last 2 games), DL Ben Bonogu, DL Mat Boesen, DB Ranthony Texada, DB Jeff Gladney

American Athletic Conference Championship Preview

UCF Knights (11-0, 8-0) vs. Memphis Tigers (10-1, 7-1)

UCF Wins If: McKenzie Melton Plays His Brand of Efficient Football
Melton passes for 300 yards per game, and is also proficient on his legs, as he has added 429 yards rushing and six scores on top of his 30 passing scores. He has a QBR of 182.90 this season, and is one of the better passers in the nation, hitting on just over 69% of his passes, averaging 10.3 yards per pass. Tre'Quan Smith will be his favorite big play threat, as he averages over 19 yards per catch.

UCF Wins If: The Knights Will Create Pressure and Force Turnovers
UCF has forced 13 fumbles, has deflected 44 passes, and 34 hurries in 2017, and allows just over 22 points per game. UCF has already beaten Memphis in 2017 by a score of 40-13, and employed their brand of pressure in the win.

Memphis Wins If: Riley Ferguson Goes Off, Pollard Gets His Hands on the Ball
Ferguson is the premier QB in the AAC, and for Memphis to have a shot here, he has to have one of his patented career games. He had, by far, his worst game of the year in that earlier loss to the Knights, tossing just one TD pass, and was picked off three times. Anthony Miller will have to go crazy at receiver, as he has rolled up 1212 yards and 14 scores this season. Tony Pollard also has to be able to get his hands on the ball in the return game, as he has already returned four kicks for scores.

Memphis Wins If: They Can Shave 10 Points Off of Their Allowed Average
If Memphis loses this football game, it will be their defense that betrays them in that loss. The Tigers allow 30 points per game in 2017, and that is something that the Knights are sure to take advantage of. The Tigers can make plays, as they have defended 66 passes this season, forced 14 fumbles, and picked off 13 passes.

UCF Key Players Offense: QB McKenzie Melton, RB Adrian Killens, Jr., RB Taj McGowan, WR Tre'Quan Smith
UCF Key Players Defense: LB Pat Jasinski, LB Shaquem Griffin, DL Tony Guerad, DB Mike Hughes, DB Brandon Moore
Memphis Key Players Offense: QB Riley Ferguson, RB Darrell Henderson, RB Patrick Taylor, Jr., WR Anthony Miller, WR/KR Tony Pollard
Memphis Key Players Defense: DB Austin Hall, LB Curtis Akins, LB Genard Avery, DB Jonathon Cook, DB Terrell Carter, DB Tito Windham

PAC-12 Championship Game Preview

Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 7-2) vs. USC Trojans (10-2, 8-1)
The Cardinal and Trojans will have a rematch from USC's 42-24 win back in the second week in September. Here is my breakdown on what to expect:

Stanford Wins If They Control Tempo On Offense
By controlling tempo, they have to get Bryce Love active in all parts of the offense early on, as both a back and a receiver. He is their greatest weapon, and they have to use him as such.
KJ Costello will have to be nearly perfect in this game. He does not have to be a superstar, but he has to manage this football game, and manage turnovers. JJ Arcega -Whiteside will have to have his most efficient game as a receiver, while Kaden Smith and Dalton Schultz will have to work the underneath in Stanford's vaunted double TE formations.

Stanford Wins If They Slow Down Ronald Jones II, and Keep Darnold From Extending Plays
Harrison Phillips will need to have his biggest game yet, as he comes off his best game of the year against Notre Dame. Phillips leads the Cardinal with 16 TFLs, and will have to get disruptive up front to stop gaps from opening up for Jones, and he has to provide edge pressure to contain Darnold, as he crushed UCLA by working with his feet to make big plays once the pocket collapsed.
Stanford also has to be able to be disruptive in the passing game, and are not exactly adept at knocking down passes, with fewer than 25 PBUs this season. That average has to increase this week.

USC Wins If They Neutralize Phillips, Open Holes For Jones, Get Darnold Too Much Time
Neutralizing Phillips up front will be key, because he is the most disruptive player Stanford has up front. If they can isolate him out of the play, and open up holes elsewhere, the Trojans will be in good shape.
Jones has been a major surprise, and has been an unsung star for the Trojans at times. If he gets loose early, and Stanford has to crawl up defensively to get at him, Darnold can then be set loose to do his damage.
For Darnold, he made big play after big play when needed against UCLA, because he was aloud to get out of the pocket and direct traffic to make the big play happen. If he has enough time to roll around and redirect, or if he is allowed to escape pressure, and Stanford fails in contain, USC will get the win.

USC Wins If They Gum Up Love and Force Costello To Win Game
KJ Costello is not a gunslinger, and Stanford cannot have him in that role. If Love fails to get on track in this game, that could mean huge problems for Stanford early on.

Key Offensive Players Stanford: RB Bryce Love, QB KJ Costello, TE Kaden Smith, TE Dalton Schultz, WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside
Key Defensive Players Stanford: DE Harrison Phillips, DB Justin Reid, LB Bobby Okereke, DB Quentin Meeks, LB Peter Kalambayi

Key Offensive Players USC: QB Sam Darnold, RB Robert Jones II, WR Deontay Burnett
Key Defensive Players: USC: DL Christian Recker, Dl Rasheem Green, LB Cameron Smith, LB Uchenna Nwosu, DL Josh Fatu, DB Iman Marshall, DB Jack Jones, DB Isaiah Langley

As the Coaching Carousel Turns: Volume 7

For this edition, let's start with the jobs that are still open in college football, and see what is happening there before switching gears to those jobs that have been filled...

Arizona State
There have been some strange happenings in college football's coaching carousel, but none that have been as strange as Ray Anderson's approach to the Sun Devil coaching search this week. First, Anderson spent upwards of $12 million in firing Todd Graham, who had just completed a 7-5 season with a second place finish in the PAC-12 South. Both of those happenings exceeded most sane expectations this season. Secondly, after it seemed that he had the attention of Kevin Sumlin, and shortly, Chip Kelly, Anderson got crazy and decided that the new coach would have to retain the coordinators. That is something that a sane AD in this process just does not do. Chip Kelly was only passively interested in the job, and ended up with PAC-12 South rival UCLA, while Sumlin has just faded into the carousel itself, not to be heard from for days.
Every realistic shot that Anderson had at hiring a top tier coach went out the window with his nutty demands, and it appears now, that we are within hours of Herman Edwards being named as head coach, the same Herm Edwards who has not coached in upwards of a decade, and last coached college football when I was in high school in the 80s.
It's probably one of the worst developments for Arizona State that could have happened, and when it all falls down, Anderson should be shown the door along with his coaching choice. By the way...Anderson used to be Edwards' agent.

Arkansas
Arkansas is all in on the Gus Malzahn train right now, and they are waiting to see if Auburn loses to Georgia this Saturday in the SEC title game, because they believe that would be the event that would lead him to leave Auburn for the Hogs. If Auburn wins, and the Tigers are a playoff team, Malzahn likely stays, or so goes the theory. If he stays at Auburn, all attention turns to Mike Norvell of Memphis as plan B. Nothing has changed in this situation, and nothing likely will until Sunday.

Kent State
There is still virtually zero buzz about this job, and nothing is likely to happen this weekend. There has been zero national talk about this job, largely thought to be one of the worst available.

Nebraska
The Huskers will likely have an answer on the Scott Frost front this weekend, as UCF will play Memphis for the AAC title Saturday. Frost is not making any decisions until that game has been played. If Frost turns them down, the field gets murky, at best. Mike Leach may be the fall back plan here, but he would likely not be a decent cultural fit for the Huskers, nor would they be for him.

Rice
With David Bailiff out at Rice, look for two small school candidates to get major play here. Colby Carthel of Texas A&M Commerce is still a young offensive mind that is on the rise, and Willie Simmons is a riser at Prairie View as well. Look for both to be involved sooner than later.

South Alabama
With no information free flowing out of Mobile, at this point it makes sense that Jacksonville State coach John Grass will be a candidate for USA. Grass is still in the FCS playoffs now, and will not be discussing anything of this nature until that run ends for the Gamecocks.

Tennessee
In the worst coaching search dumpster fire in coaching search history, the only consistency is that once a mob mentality negated the hire of Greg Schiano (Peyton Manning supported the hire), and set the Vols up for defamation lawsuits and breach of contract suits to boot, nobody wants this job. Mike Gundy has said no. Jeff Brohm has said no. David Cucliffe has said no. Jason Witten has said hell no. Dave Doeren has said no. Now, Kevin Sumlin has told people that he has zero interest in the job. It sounds as if people have gone public about having no interest, even if they have not been contacted or named as candidates. The Vols are almost out of major options at this point. Just think, just a couple of weeks ago, the myopic morons that have ruined this job thought that they would have John Gruden in the job. Here's another statement on that matter...Gruden isn't coming, and never was.

Texas A&M
We could have an answer tomorrow when it comes to the Aggies, and it looks as if Jimbo Fisher is currently on a private plane from Tallahassee to College Station tonight. If this were to get wrapped up tomorrow, and all indications point to it getting done, A&M will have their only candidate locked up in short order.

UTEP
UTEP seems to be swimming in a very similar candidate pool as Rice is at this point, but as I reported last week, Sam Houston State KC keeler was identified as a front runner today. The Bearkats are in the middle of an FCS playoff run, and nothing will get done until that run is complete.

Florida State
I am getting questions from Twitter followers on this job tonight, with Jimbo Fisher likely to take the Texas A&M job after cornering himself into having to accept that job by virtue of overplaying his hand with Florida State. At this point, their top candidate would be Willie Taggart, which I believe would likely not be a perfect fit. Taggart has never been a one year guy on a job, and usually stays at least five years on average to get the job done that he starts before moving on. It's so early in that process of FSU protecting themselves that Taggart has been the only name mentioned, and anything else would simply be conjecture by me. Now if you would like to hear that...tune in to my coaching search podcast, which will be out in the next few days.

FCS Jobs

I receive occasional tweets from people on openings in FCS jobs, and I try to get as much information about those jobs as I can. One such job that I have received questions about is Tennessee Tech, where Marcus Satterfield was recently fired. One thing to note is that the job is posted on the NCAA website, and applications are not being accepted until tomorrow. Stay tuned there.
In the meantime, Montana will be announcing Bobby Hauck, Part 2 tomorrow. His contract was agreed upon yesterday, was being approved by the university board today, and will be finalized with an official announcement tomorrow. Hauck was 80-17 the first time around, but his teams were plagued by off-field issues.
Brad Laird was hired as head coach at Northwestern State this week, and he has  already began assembling his staff, which is quick for any job on any level.

Jobs Already Filled

Florida, Dan Mullen: The prodigal son under Urban Meyer returns to Gainesville.
Georgia Southern, Chad Lunsford: The interim guy got the job after big wins over USA, ULL.
Mississippi State, Joe Moorhead: Penn State OC and former Fordham coach goes south.
Ole Miss, Matt Luke: Spent $137,000 on a search firm to hire the guy they already had.
Oregon State, Jonathon Smith: Former Beaver comes home after botched search.
UCLA, Chip Kelly: One of the home runs of the coaching search season, Bruins go all in on football.

Radio Appearance Lineup For This Week

Remember to listen in as I appear on the following radio shows coming up this week!

Tuesday, Nov. 28th

on ESPN Vegas

at 1:30 pm PST

Click link below to listen live or if you are local, tune into 1100 AM or 98.9 FM.

 http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?s=kwwn-am

Friday, Dec. 1st

on VSIN SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 2014

at 6:30 am EST / playback at 11:30 am PST

VSIN broadcasts from The South Point Casino, Las Vegas.

Listen live on your SiriusXM radio channel 204 or via internet by clicking link below

https://www.vsin.com/listen/

Friday, Dec. 1st

on ESPN Vegas

at 1 pm PST

Click link below to listen live or if you are local, tune into 1100 AM or 98.9 FM.

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?s=kwwn-am

As the Coaching Carousel Turns: Volume 6

Here are the latest developments that I am hearing this morning. As always, you can follow me throughout the day on Twitter @BiloFootball to get up to the minute information as well.

Mississippi State: I got word yesterday that Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt has been telling some people that he intended on accepting the Mississippi State job, but that talk may have been premature, as other candidates are reportedly being interviewed as well, including Penn State OC Joe Moorhead, Clemson DC Brent Venables, SMU Coach Chad Morris, and former Bulldog DC Manny Diaz. I should have more info on this job shortly.

Arkansas: Two different search firms are being hired today, one to hire an AD, and one for head football coach. Gus Malzahn is still the primary target, but again, that is a leaky proposition as of now. The second target is Mike Norvell of Memphis, if Malzahn falls through. Venables and Morris fall under the plan C category as well, and have already been vetted, according to multiple sources.

Tennessee: The circus continues in the toxic atmosphere that is Knoxville. Representatives have flown to Stillwater this morning to interview Mike Gundy, who's name always appears in relationship to any Tennessee job search. Understanding that Dave Doeren and Jeff Brohm are targets as well, but it feels like the administration is just grasping at straws now, and this job just became very expensive. More in the coming hours here.

Of course, it's still fairly early, and I expect this not to be my only piece written on the coaching carousel today. More news as it becomes available later today.

Please don't forget to tune into ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas today at 1PM PST to hear me on "The Pressbox" with Clay Baker and Ed Graney as we discuss all of the madness that has been this crazy week in college football!

 http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?s=kwwn-am

As the Coaching Carousel Turns: Volume 5

The circus is alive and well around the carousel this evening after what was an incredibly eventful week and weekend. Here is the latest news as the carousel spins faster and faster:

Arizona State: With the firing of Todd Graham (as was expected) in place, ASU has turned their sites squarely on now fired Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, and the interest is entirely mutual. That said, no deal has been finalized yet, and other names are still being tossed about.
One technical hang up for any potential hire could be the insistence that DC Phil Bennett and DC Billy Napier both be retained. Other candidates that have been mentioned are Derek Mason of Vanderbilt, and former Sun Devil Teryl Austin, however neither of those candidates are likely to fire anyone up at this point.

Arkansas: With Bret Bielema out the door, the future of Arkansas football is at stake. There are several high level people in Fayetteville that are pushing hard for the Gus Malzahn move that has been talked about, but after Auburn won the SEC West bu beating Alabama to make it to the SEC title game, that seems less likely than ever to happen now. Mike Leach is another name getting a ot of love from some influential people, so he could very well show up in the circus there if the Malzahn thing does fall through.

Florida: The Gators took three tries, but finally landed their man over the weekend in Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Mullen's ties to the Gators run deep, and he has already stated that he would enlist the help of one of his better pupils in Tim Tebow to help re-energize the program. Chip Kelly had a deal in place, but jolted the Gators in the 11th hour for UCLA. Scott Frost, who was their second target, never gave them an interview opportunity.
Mullen is a perfect fit guy for the Gators, and will pour his entirety into this job. That said, the pressures at Florida are much more intensive than in Starkville, and he will find that out soon enough.

Mississippi State: With Mullen gone, all one can do in Starkville is think about what Mullen brought to the program. He has built a fantastic foundation, and leaves with a solid base of talent entering 2018. Word today was received that Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt had interviewed today, and was teling people close to him that he would be taking the job. That said, it appears that Penn State OC Joe Moorhead is interested, and that the administration wants to speak with Clemson's Brent Venables after the ACC title game as well. Pruitt remains the favorite at this hour, but stay tuned as this is still fluid.

Nebraska: The Huskers are in a corner. They have to find a coach who is a perfect fit for their culture, someone who will cater to a myopically rabid fan base and a booster group that is even more so. Chip Kelly was approached, but they whiffed (it was a terrible fit, anyway). Mike Leach has been discussed, but an ass kisser he is not. We are now down to UCF coach and former Husker Scott Frost, but for Frost, he has to be able to believe that he has a chance to recruit and win in Lincoln. The culture is very different in Lincoln than it was in Frost's days there, as the Huskers had major recruiting ties to Texas as a member of the Big 12. In the Big 10, some of their major recruiting areas dried up for them, and the struggle is real. Something to remember here is that UCF AD Danny White believes that he can keep Frost, and a very lucrative contract extension is being worked on that may have Frost considering sticking around a bit longer. Nothing will be done until the AAC title game against Memphis has played out next weekend.

Ole Miss: The Rebels payed a search firm $137,000 to hire the guy they already had in interim coach Matt Luke, who was elevated to the full time job. What that says is that this job was one that nobody else wanted due to the lingering black cloud of NCAA violations under former coach Hugh Freeze. That concern was very real indeed. Willie Taggart was offered the job, and said no thanks and moved on. For the Rebels, the only option was sticking with who they have until everything clears over, which could be months, or even years down the line. This was a move of necessity and desperation, not a move that anyone really wanted to make.

Oregon State: Beau Baldwin was supposed to be announced as the next head coach of Oregon State football, but strangely enough, nothing has happened. Baldwin, the former Eastern Washington head coach turned Cal OC, was mentioned all night Saturday as the Bears lost to UCLA as the guy, and suddenly we have radio silence. Jedd Fisch, the OC at UCLA, and Jonathon Smith, current Washington OC and former Beaver QB have both been in the mix as well, but again, all signals have gone dead out of Corvallis. We should have something here in the next 24 to 48 hours, but this is very odd indeed. One thing to note is that the entire staff was let go today with the exception of current interim coach Corey Hall.

Tennessee: The cluster of all clusters, nuclear waste dumps to end all waste dumps, raging inferno to end all raging infernos. That is the state of Tennessee football tonight. Greg Schiano was hired and fired in the same day because, simply enough, his name was not John Gruden. An angry group of fans and boosters brought back to life a ridiculous story tying Schiano to knowing of Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse during his time at Penn State as a defensive assistant in the 1990's. By the way, this is a story that has been debunked time and time again, and no investigation, FBI or otherwise, has ever found this information to have any merit, all the way to the point that Schiano was never deposed in that case, and was never sued by any victims for having knowledge of the situation. His reputation is clear, and he has since been hired as a head coach at Rutgers, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and as DC at Ohio State. This was simply an attack on the character of a man not named Gruden, and it will lead to lawsuits for both wrongful termination and defamtion of character.
Now, nobody wants the job, as even David Cutcliffe got preemptive, as the Duke head coach shot them down before they even had a chance to call. The nuts that encompass the Tennessee booster and fan base have gone so far as to calling on former players to come in and clean up the mess, driving Jason Witten's name into this circle of fire, which drew the response of Witten having to say that he wanted nothing to do with it. Names that are flying around now are names of former players who have never coached anything of note, ever.
Nobody who is sane wants to be within 100 miles of Knoxville these days, and the Volunteer brand has been stained beyond recognition. Enjoy being the Cleveland Browns of the SEC, you morons!

Texas A&M: With the Kevin Sumlin dragged out finale being played last Saturday night, attention here has moved on to Jimbo Fisher and nobody else. Of course, on paper, this seems utterly ridiculous, as Florida State is a much better gig these days than A&M simply because the Aggies play in the same division as a man named Saban. That being said, the rumors persist, up and to the point that FSU had to go public and state that they would be willing to do whatever it took to keep Jimbo in Tallahassee. The rumors are still circling, and A&M is going to push hard until they get a definitive no. If we start to hear other names being floated about with this one, it will mean that the Fisher chase is waning, and that the Aggies are moving on. Until then, stay tuned!

UCLA: As I reported all last week, days before it became official, UCLA hired Chip Kelly as their next head football coach, and a presser was held this morning on the picturesque Westwood campus. Kelly was already on the recruiting trail on Sunday, a day before his official presser.
Kelly's hire is a massive shift in hiring philosophy for the Bruins, and no other candidate was considered or interviewed during the process that took under one week to play out. In all of my years around this program, this is a first. It's a brand new day in LA, and everyone is taking notice.

Georgia Southern: The Eagles made a bold move today in promoting interim coach Chad Lunsofrd to the permanent job. Lunsford picked up huge wins against South Alabama and then UL-Lafayette, and that was enough to be picked up for the full time gig. He had the support of players, fans, and boosters, and got the job over Brent Price of Army and Mike Houston of James Madison, who pulled his name out of the hat to concentrate in the FCS playoffs.

Kent State: Paul Haynes was officially fired, but there is zero buzz around this job at this hour. It is largely thought to be one of the worst jobs in college football, a potential graveyard for coaches. More on this as we hear it, but right now, it's the job that few people are even discussing on any level.

Rice: David Bailiff was officially let go today, which was highly expected to happen after a 1-11 finish to the season. Stanford coordinators Lance Anderson and Mike Bloomgren are hot names here right now, as is South Carolina OC Kurt Roper, who is a former player at Rice. More news is expected here in the next 72 hours.

South Alabama: Auburn OC Chip Lindsey is the hot name for the South Alabama opening to replace Joey Jones, who resigned a week ago. Auburn DC Kevin Steele has been rumored here as well, but both Lindsey and Steele are working on getting Auburn prepped for the SEC title game this week. Jeremy Pruitt, the Alabama DC has been rumored here as well, but he is the current front runner at Mississippi State, so I would not consider him a candidate here, unless something goes completely sideways. USC OC Tee Martin has been rumored to be wanting to head back south, and has been mentioned at USA and at Georgia Southern, but with the GSU job closed now, and Tennessee maybe calling, Martin may not be in play for the Jaguars at this point. Georgia LB coach Kevin Sherrer was the DC at USA in 2013, and may be in play, but he is working for Georgia this week getting ready for the SEC title game. One more name that is intriguing here Jacksonville State coach John Grass, who's team is involved in the FCS playoffs.

UTEP: Names here include Sam Houston State coach KC Keeler, Ole Miss OC Phil Longo, Texas A&M Commerce coach Colby Carthel, Utah WR Coach Guy Holliday, and Prairie View Coach Willie Simmons. Carthel is still involved with the D2 playoffs, but could be the young, energetic guy that teams look for these days. Simmons just wrapped up his season at Prairie View with a win over Texas Southern last week, and is looking to move up as well.

Montana: Former head coach Bobby Hauck interviewed today, and looks to be the only real candidate in play right now. I expect a hire in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Northwestern State: Brad Laird was hired as head coach last week, and is building his staff from scratch after some assistants were being considered to be candidates to stay.

More news tomorrow! As always, follow me on Twitter @BiloFootball for the latest, up to the minute information as I receive it!