Week 2 recap:

Although week two of the young college football season may have seemed uneventful, there were some games that deserve recognition.

Everything went according to plan for the top 7 teams in the country as Alabama, USC, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Georgia all cruised to victory.

The same can’t be said for #8 Arkansas who was upset by Louisiana-Monroe in overtime.  Louisiana-Monroe rallied back from a 21-7 deficit at halftime.  They also accumulated 550 total yards compared to Arkansas who only totaled 377 yards.

Michigan State kept the train rolling with a 41-7 win over Central Michigan. Le’Veon Bell didn’t go over 200 yards.  In fact he didn’t even go over 100 yards, but he did add 2 touchdowns to the beat down.

Tajh Boyd kept Clemson rolling as well as they took down Ball State down with ease in a 52-27 victory.  Boyd threw for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns keeping his case as a possible Heisman candidate in tact.

Wisconsin had a very disappointing road loss to Oregon State in what many thought should have been a fairly easy win.  Ohio State was less than impressive in their 31-16 victory of UCF even though Braxton Miller did have 3 rushing touchdowns along with a passing touchdown.

Virginia Tech looked like Virginia Tech in a 42-7 rout over Austin Peay and Texas destroyed New Mexico.  Arizona upset Oklahoma State a week after they put up 84 points.

Michigan upset fans again by squeaking by Air Force.  However, Denard Robinson threw for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns.  Kansas State put a beat down on Miami, 52-13 and Florida took down Texas A&M 20-17 in Texas A&M’s SEC debut.

Although, it wasn’t as exciting as week one, it was still an exciting weekend of football, and as week three comes along there should be quite a few good games that could shake up the national championship discussions.

Once the Heisman Trophy winner was announced the discussions began for the favorites for the next season.  As we approach the upcoming season it is a good time to take a look at the early favorites.

The Favorites (Alphabetical Order):

Montee Ball, Senior, Running Back, Wisconsin:
Ball rushed for 1,923 yards, and 33 touchdowns while adding 306 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns giving him a total of 39 touchdowns for the season tying Barry Sanders record. Ball will be carrying the offensive load with the departure of Russell Wilson.  The Badgers also will have a new offensive line, but that shouldn’t worry Ball as Wisconsin always seems to have one of the best offensive lines in the country. The stats he put up a season ago are going to be very difficult to repeat, but he should be able to have another great season and be a potential finalist for the Heisman.

Matt Barkley, Senior, Quarterback, USC:
Barkley is by far the best quarterback coming into this season.  Barkley is a complete quarterback and would have been the second overall pick in the NFL draft had he decided to leave school early.  However, the NFL teams will be lining up for him after this season.  Barkley threw for 3,528 yards with 39 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions.  The Heisman Trophy could be sitting there waiting for him as he is the clear favorite.  The Trojans did not lose many players to the draft and they will be returning Robert Woods who was Barkley’s favorite receiver hauling in 111 catches last season as a sophomore.

Marcus Lattimore, Junior, Running Back, South Carolina:
Lattimore is an interesting candidate for the Heisman as he is going to be bouncing back from a knee injury that ended his year last season.  Lattimore rushed for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns before his season ending injury.  He is the most talented running back in the SEC and possibly the entire country.  The offense of the Gamecocks will run through him and if he comes back 100% and remains healthy he could see himself in New York as a Heisman finalist.

Aaron Murray, Junior, Quarterback, Georgia:
Coming off a great sophomore season throwing for 3,149 yards with 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions Murray is set to be the best quarterback in the SEC this coming season.  The Bulldogs could be serious contenders for the national title this season because of Murray.  He is a very talented quarterback and he has experience since this will be his third season as Georgia’s starter.  If Murray continues to improve he could be not only a Heisman finalist, but a hot NFL prospect as well.

Denard Robinson, Senior, Quarterback, Michigan:
Back to back 2,000 yard passing and 1,000 yard rushing seasons have Denard Robinson as the top contender to beat Matt Barkley.  He his electric and creates havoc for opposing defenses.  Michigan is returning a number of starters and they look to be favorites for the Legends Division in the Big Ten with possible National Championship discussions.  Denard Robinson looks to complete his career with both a Heisman and National Championship.

Geno Smith, Senior, Quarterback, West Virginia:
Smith’s 407 yard and 6 touchdown performance in the Orange Bowl victory against Clemson put his mark in the Heisman discussion.  He threw for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions last season.  Geno Smith has the Mountaineers back in the National Championship discussions.  He also has a talented receiving group returning which creates an arsenal of weapons for him to succeed and potentially win the Heisman Trophy.

On the Outside Looking In:

Tajh Boyd, Junior, Quarterback, Clemson

Rex Burkhead, Senior, Running Back, Nebraska

Landry Jones, Senior, Quarterback, Oklahoma

Logan Thomas, Senior, Quarterback, Virginia Tech

Robert Woods, Junior, Wide Receiver, USC

The Heisman Trophy race this season is set to be a great one.  There are a number of potential contenders that have not been named and the greatest thing about sports is that they are unpredictable.  So as we can discuss the favorites, it is unknown what will happen during the season.

The Preseason Top 25 is winding down, and we have finally reached the Top 10 in College Sports Feed’s countdown. Some teams will come as a surprise this week, but all of them have the ability to reach a bowl game and fight for that BCS title. Capping us off this week:

10. South Carolina

“The Gamecocks lost a hefty chunk of talent to the NFL this year, but they have a sufficient recovery plan. Victor Hampton will fulfill Stephon Gilmore, and Jadeveon Clowney will be a hearty defensive threat. South Carolina will come back swinging in 2012, and they will succeed in their march to the playoffs.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

“South Carolina’s season will depend a lot on Marcus Lattimore and his health after sustaining a bad knee injury last season. The Gamecocks lost a number of players to the NFL including Alshon Jeffery, Stephon Gilmore, and All-American Melvin Ingram, who will all be hard to replace. However, if the Gamecocks can overcome those losses they should be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC East this coming season.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

9. West Virginia

“The Mountaineers have tons of momentum heading into their inaugural season in the Big 12 after hanging 70 points on Clemson in last year’s Orange Bowl. Geno Smith returns under center, after averaging just under 350 yards per game last season. Look for much of the same in the new conference. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey will be two of the best receivers in the Big 12, and with second-year head coach Dana Holgerson, West Virginia will be primed and ready to make a run at traditional powers.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“The Mountaineers will have one of the top offenses in 2012. Quarterback Geno Smith will have the choice of two 1,000-yard receivers (Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin) to throw to, and sophomore RB Dustin Garrison is in line for a breakout year. The defense will suffer from the loss of pass-rushing LB Bruce Irvin, but has enough playmakers to compete with the high-powered Big 12 offenses.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

8. Michigan

Michigan is a football school. While it’s known for other things, a lot of what it is known for football. A big factor in that though is the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. While it’ not just a football rivalry, that’s what it’s best known for. It’s the biggest rivalry in all of sports, and even people that aren’t Ohio State or Michigan fans know about it and take sides. Michigan likes to prove how good they are, and with Denard Robinson returning this year as a senior, we all know that he is going to do everything in his power to make sure Michigan wins.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“The Wolverines look to continue the success they have had under Brady Hoke.  After an 11-2 season in 2011 and a big Sugar Bowl victory of Virginia Tech the Wolverines return the high powered offense that they have shown lately with Denard Robinson at quarterback.  However, the Michigan defense struggled last season and they will have to build if they plan on having success this season.  The schedule for the Wolverines does not make things easy for them as they play at Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska. Although this shows to be a tough task, the Michigan Wolverines have the offense to potentially carry them to a big ten title and a major bowl game.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

7. Florida State

“Florida State is a good football team. They aren’t the best but they are still up there. I don’t think that this will be a team to be taken lightly this season. They know that they are good, but they also know that they could be better. I don’t think that they will go out of their way to prove that they are better but they will ensure that they stay as good as they are now and hopefully not drop in the rankings.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“The ‘Noles were a decent offensive line away from being a 10 or 11-win football team last season. The ACC will once again be down, and West Virginia backed out of their game this fall in Tallahassee, which sent FSU scrambling to find another non-conference game. With no strong teams left to choose from, the Seminoles will instead play host to Savannah State. Expect the ‘Noles to win 11 games and an ACC title in ’12.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

6. Georgia

“Georgia’s coaching staff will serve as a hefty advantage in 2012, including Mike Bobo’s offensive position. He knows Georgia football well and can be very convincing on the field, and he will make the Bulldogs’ offense stand as a match to its high-caliber and long-awaited defense in 2012. Look for a powerhouse in Georgia football.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

“The Bulldogs’ defense is stacked, and it should be even better than it was last year (ranked in the top 25 in the country.) Returning All-Americans Jarvis Jones and Bacarri Rambo will be joined by an exceptional recruiting class to create a menacing defense. On the offensive side, the majority of Georgia’s positional starters are returning and junior QB Aaron Murray will benefit from the addition of 5-star RB Keith Marshall to an already solid backfield.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

In the Week 7 edition of the CSF College Football Recap, we break down five key storylines from last weekend’s action.

Denard Robinson struggles in loss to arch rival: There is no questioning Robinson’s athleticm or his “wow” factor, but it is clear that he doesn’t work well in a pro-style system.  Michigan State took away the run for the most part, holding the dual-threat QB to 42 yards rushing.  More importantly, they forced Robinson to beat them with his arm…and that didn’t work out so well.  Contained in the pocket for most of the game, Robinson attempted 24 passes and only completed nine of them for 123 yards with a TD and an interception.  He is a highlight reel waiting to happen, but the Spartans proved last weekend that he can’t beat you through the air alone.

Ryan Broyles hits another milestone: The nation’s best wide receiver blew up against lowly Kansas to the tune of 13 catches for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  The Oklahoma star wideout now has 326 catches in his stellar career, which is an FBS record.  On the year, Broyles has 60 catches (which is more than double the amount of receptions of the second leading receiver Kenny Stills, who has 27 catches) for 815 yards and 9 TDs.

Miami and FSU notch first conference wins: Who would have thought that the ‘Canes and the ‘Noles wouldn’t have ACC wins until mid-October?  Both storied programs finally got off the schnide last weekend, when Miami held off North Carolina 30-24 in Chapel Hill, and the Florida State actually held an opponent under 30 points in their 41-16 rout of Duke.  It was great quarterback play for each of the Florida schools that was the key to the wins.  Miami’s Jacory Harris passed for 267 yards and three TDs, and FSU’s EJ Manuel torched Duke for 239 yards passing with 2 TDs, and another 62 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground.

Russell Wilson adds to Heisman resume: In last weekend’s Indiana game the Badgers’ star quarterback did everything except park the cars and sell the popcorn in Wisconsin’s dominant 59-7 victory over the Hoosiers.  Wilson passed for 166 yards and a touchdown, rushed twice for 42 yards and caught 25-yard touchdown  pass from tailback Montee Ball on Saturday.  On the season, the senior QB is completing 74% of his passes with 14 TDs and only one pick.  He has rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns and now has a TD reception to give Heisman voters something to think about.

South Carolina loses Marcus Lattimore: Just days after dismissing senior quarterback Stephen Garcia, the Gamecocks lost their best offensive weapon, sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore for the year with a knee injury.  Expect a lot of visor throws from head coach Steve Spurrier in the coming weeks without his top two offensive weapons from 2010.  The Gamecocks still have three SEC match ups, and without their bruising RB, they could easily lose four of their final five games (Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and Clemson).  With a solid running game, they had a shot at all of those match ups, but the 2011 season looks like it won’t live up to last year’s great season in Columbia.

Editor’s Note: This was filmed Oct. 4, 2011.