National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance looking at the best fits for each open Power Five job, the best offensive players so far this season, and the most talented rosters in football, some of which are underachieving.
— The best fit for each open Power Five job isn’t easy as many factors come into play and some coaches won’t want the headache. But here are the dream scenarios…
Auburn — Lane Kiffin
— the Ole Miss coach might not want to leave what he’s built in Oxford for a bit of a nightmare in Auburn but there is better recruiting territory and more money. Hugh Freeze is 1B for me.
Nebraska — Matt Rhule
— I say this because I’m not sure Lance Leipold would leave Kansas for the Nebraska job and I think Rhule is an amazing coach and talent evaluator.
Wisconsin — Lance Leipold
— He has ties to the state and I think he’s a coach who wants to keep moving up in the world. Wisconsin is a great job and he’s the perfect for despite his love for Kansas.
Georgia Tech — Deion Sanders
— I’m not sure this job is big enough for him but I think Sanders would be perfect here with his big name ability to recruit and sell Atlanta.
Arizona State — Kenny Dillingham
— The Oregon OC has ties to ASU, is a great young mind and he would recruit very well there. They need some life in this program and he brings it.
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Colorado — Barry Odom
— The Arkansas DC has experience recruiting the midlands and Texas from his days at Missouri and that’s key to this job. He’s also a great coach.
— The best at each position are not what you expect at this stage of the season.
Quarterback
Expected: Bryce Young, Alabama
Reality: Caleb Williams, USC
You can make a case for Young, CJ Stroud, and Hendon Hooker here too, but give me Williams and his incredible efficiency. The sophomore has 28 TDs and only one INT through the air, is averaging more than 300 yards per game passing, has added another four scores with his legs, and has the Trojans in the thick of it in the Pac-12. He makes the amazing look routine.
Running Back
Expected: Bijan Robinson, Texas
Reality: Robinson
I had this preseason and nothing has changed although, Treyveon Henderson was supposed to make a run. Robinson is arguably the most dangerous weapon in college football due to his toughness, ability to hit the home run, and catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s one of the most well-rounded backs in a long time.
Wide Receiver
Expected: Jordan Addison, USC
Reality: Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Hyatt is absolutely scorching opponents, leading the nation with 14 TDs and averaging more than 100 yards per game. He’s taken his game to a whole new level and is flying up draft boards.
Tight End
Expected: Brock Bowers, Georgia
Reality: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Wait, it’s not Brock Bowers? That’s correct. The junior from Kentucky actually has more catches, yards, and touchdowns than the standout from Georgia, and that’s even when you add in Bowers’ running ability. Mayer has been a beast all season and is the focal point of the Irish’s passing attack.
Offensive Tackle
Expected: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Joe Alt, Notre Dame
The underrecruited sophomore from Minnesota has been simply unreal at left tackle this season for the Irish. He’s a complete technician and moves with amazing fluidity. He’s yet to give up a sack on the season and allowed zero pressures against Clemson’s vaunted defensive line this past weekend.
Guard
Expected: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Reality: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
There have been zero issue for Torrence moving from the Group of Five level to the SEC. He’s PFF’s highest graded guard for a reason – he’s an absolute mauler in the run game and uses his thick lower half to counteract bull rushes on the interior, making him the most complete guard in the country.
Center
Expected: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
Reality: Schmitz
Coming into the season, I had Schmitz and Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann neck-and-neck, but Schmitz has been the best center I’ve seen this season with Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran and Michigan’s Olu Oluwatimi right there with him. But I give the edge to Schmitz because of everything he’s asked to do controlling the line for the Gophers’ mauling rushing attack.
— And finally, talented rosters usually equal playoff appearances but this season that’s not the case for some. Here are the five most talented rosters in college football.
1. Alabama
Just look at the recruiting rankings over the past five seasons, plus all of the extreme talents they’ve pulled in from the portal. They’ve got future day one draft picks at nearly every position on the roster and top 3 national talent at QB, RB, DE and in other spots.
2. Georgia
The Dawgs are neck-and-neck with the Tide and their defense might have even more future draft picks than their SEC rivals. But it’s the offensive side of the ball where Georgia has recently taken a couple of big steps forward. Brock Bowers is the big name at the skill positions, but they’re deep at WR and RB as well.
3. Ohio State
We already know that Ohio State is WRU at this point but they’ve got big swaths of five-star talent all over this roster. The defensive backfield has also been a strength for the Buckeyes over the past five years, and they have done a great job continuing to refill that position not only through recruiting, but also by key transfer portal pickups like Tanner McCalister.
4. Clemson
The Tigers have been rolling out some of the best defensive units in the country for a while now, and they do a fantastic job of turning highly recruited defensive players into collegiate stars and top NFL draft picks. They’ve struggled on the offensive side of the ball, but that has as much to do with coaching as it does with the talent available. They’ve got three former five-star quarterbacks on the roster – they need to do better offensively.
5. USC
The Trojans have hit the portal more than any other team on this list due to their recent coaching change, but they’ve been able to add tons of impact players to a roster that already had a good foundation of talent. Caleb Williams is obviously the name that everybody knows, but they’ve got future NFL day 1 picks all over the roster.
