The Hodgepodge: Brandon Inniss Nears Ohio State's Punt Return Total from 2023 in Just One Game, Clemson's Time As a National Power in CFB is Over, Tetairoa McMillan Channels His Inner Jaxon Smith-Njigba

By Garrick Hodge on September 2, 2024 at 11:35 am
Dabo Swinney
Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY NETWORK
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

You won’t find any uncomfortably long commercial breaks here, unless you take them on your own free will. Can’t say the same about the sport we all know and love, unfortunately. 

It wasn’t perfect, but positives outshine negatives in OSU opener

Every year, Week 1 never fails to deliver a wry chuckle out of me. 

We wait on pins and needles for eight months so football can return to stadiums and our television screens, and then 15 minutes into a new season, a good chunk of fans (sometimes yours truly included when the Chicago Bears inevitably mess something up) completely forget how antsy we were to have our sport back and instead unleash a rapid fury of questionable takes and fire off a few WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON remarks the second anything goes wrong in the first quarter of a long season.

I’m sure more than a few readers felt that way during the first half of Ohio State’s eventual dominating 52-6 win over Akron Saturday. A big part of the angst probably stems from expectations that are damn near out of the solar system following an offseason of touting a $20 million NIL budget and former Buckeye coaches saying this is the most talented OSU roster they’ve ever seen.

Given those circumstances, it’s fair to hold this team to a standard that’s borderline unfair given the ebbs and flows this sport can produce. And we won’t pull punches. The Buckeyes were clunky offensively at times in the first half. 

It was apparent on the field the offensive line was breaking in three new starters up front, one by necessity because of the minor injury to Donovan Jackson. New quarterback Will Howard needed a half to fully settle in. A freshman phenom who had arguably the greatest Ohio State debut by a true freshman wide receiver fielded more questions about his early drop and penalty instead of his 92 yards and two touchdowns following the game. And what was heralded as potentially the best running game in the country was efficient enough but still a little underwhelming from a production standpoint when factoring in the opponent. 

There are many more positive things than negative to write home about concerning the defense, but Akron still put together a few drives that were longer than Jim Knowles was probably comfortable with, and there were still too many plays in the flats that repeatedly went for modest gains. 

Alright, now that the negatives are out of the way, it’s OK to take a deep breath and celebrate the positives, too. 

For starters, Ohio State won by 46 points. It’s just pretty hard for me to find too many faults in a five-touchdown-plus victory when other top programs have their heads spinning right now. 

No. 10 Florida State lost to an unranked conference opponent, something Ryan Day has never done. Oregon had an offseason hype machine that nearly matched Ohio State’s in Eugene and now has some explaining to do about how it won by only 10 points and led by as little as three with 5 minutes remaining against FCS Idaho. Clemson can’t score. Florida’s message boards have already fired Billy Napier, it’s only a matter of time before the administration does. Michigan can barely complete a forward pass, but worse, its offensive line looked out of sorts and its video game cover athlete ran for 27 yards on 11 carries. The point being, while there’s nothing wrong with wanting to see things cleaned up, it could be much worse.

As for on the field, Jeremiah Smith looks to be everything we’ve heard, seen, written about and more. On a team with talented playmakers like Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss on it, Smith is already arguably the Buckeyes’ best receiver as an 18-year-old. Once he settles in even more to the collegiate game, his potential is scary to think about.

TreVeyon Henderson averaged more than eight yards per carry and had a hell of a block in pass protection, and Quinshon Judkins is going to be an excellent goal-line back for Ohio State. Howard continues to grow on me, and once Ohio State plays an opponent actually capable of beating it, I won’t be surprised if Chip Kelly completely schemes up a running game that fully utilizes Howard’s ability to run. 

Defensively, this team is filled with dudes. The first-team unit has been talked about at length here and deservedly so, but what’s really striking is how deep the team is. Arvell Reese plays with his hair on fire and you can see why Jim Knowles and Ryan Day have been so complimentary of him in fall camp. C.J. Hicks could be a true weapon as a situational pass rusher once Cody Simon returns from injury. Jermaine Mathews Jr. may be the best backup cornerback in the country. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry each made a highlight play Saturday. 

As for the first-team unit, the Buckeyes are dangerous to opposing quarterbacks’ health. It was hard not to feel bad for Akron quarterback Ben Finley, who was hit early and often. Finley left with an injury after his team’s first play from scrimmage, tried to gut it out and return to the contest, then had to leave the game again after being tossed around like a rag doll. 

In all, OSU’s defense had five sacks, 10 tackles for loss, three takeaways and two defensive touchdowns. Pretty excellent day at the office, and these guys are must-see TV. 

Oh, and there’s one more thing I’m super optimistic about.

Ohio State spotlight of the week: Brandon Inniss on punt return

There was one very noticeable improvement from last year’s team displayed on Saturday that deserves excitement and cautious optimism as we move into the season: Brandon Inniss at punt returner. 

Inniss was explosive at times, returning four punts for 60 yards, his longest going for 36 yards. In one season, punt return has gone from a borderline liability to an actual weapon, which is a nice change of pace. 

Do you know how many punt return yards Ohio State had in the ENTIRETY of the 2023 season? Anyone? Seventy-five. 

That’s right, Inniss is 16 yards away from surpassing last season’s total in just one game as a returner. I’m going to go ahead and predict he will accomplish that Saturday against Western Michigan. To take the prediction a step further, I’ll guess he returns a punt for a touchdown sometime this season.

Clemson’s time as a national powerhouse has passed itself by

I try not to be too reactionary from Week 1 either way. It’s always the flukiest week of the year and isn’t always indicative of a team’s yearly success or failure. Yet, there was one impression I’m firm on after the opening weekend.

I think Clemson’s time as a powerhouse in this sport is over. It’s not just because the Tigers got boat-raced by an excellent Georgia team. 

Clemson has been on a downward trajectory for a few seasons now in terms of its ability to reasonably compete against the cream of the crop of the sport for a national title, and Saturday’s 34-3 shellacking from Georgia was a stark reminder of that. The Tigers still recruit at a high level, finishing with a top-11 recruiting class in each of the past three seasons. But Dabo Swinney refuses to supplement his roster with any additions from the transfer portal in an era where the portal has never been more active. 

Swinney has always been stubborn and reluctant to embrace change, vehemently arguing against player compensation before eventually changing his tune once NIL was implemented. Now, he’s adamant about constructing his roster his way with purely high school additions. It’s costing his team dearly. The Tigers already suffered their worst season since 2010 in 2023 and showed signs of a team in desperate need of proven playmakers offensively. Those additions are usually best found in the transfer portal, and as you know, they were nowhere to be found for Clemson.

This isn’t to say the world is ending or Swinney is suddenly on the hot seat or anything. Clemson is still a very good college football program and hell, the Tigers could very well win the ACC this year. But their offense stinks against quality competition and this Clemson team doesn’t have the makings of a team that can advance far in the 12-team College Football Playoff if it even qualifies. 

Following this season, Swinney is going to have to either reevaluate his approach or be content with being a very good but no longer elite program. On an ironic note, the Tigers would probably do anything to be ranked No. 11 right now.

There were a few other Week 1 takeaways I had.

  • This is nothing new to anybody who follows the sport, but damn, Georgia is good. The Bulldogs suspended top transfer running back Trevor Etienne for the Clemson game and still ran for 169 yards. Carson Beck was efficient and delivered a ho-hum 278-yard and two-touchdown game. Clemson didn’t have a prayer moving the ball against Georgia, with the Tigers having only two plays in Bulldog territory in the first half alone. It’s easy to see why many pundits consider this roster the best in the sport, and Ohio State will have to bring its A-game if these two ever match up. 
  • After leaving College Station with a win, Notre Dame has a tailor-made schedule to earn a CFP berth. The only remaining opponents who should pose a threat to the Fighting Irish are Louisville, Florida State and USC. 
  • I think Miami is the real deal in the ACC. The Hurricanes have been a preseason darling that’s failed for years in an attempt to reclaim their glory, but they have the best roster on paper in the ACC and started their season by throttling an in-state rival on the road. Looking at Miami’s schedule the rest of the way, it should be favored in every game it plays.

Tetairoa McMillan goes nuts for Arizona

To this day, I still think the best game I’ve ever seen a wide receiver play was Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 15-catch, 347-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2021 Rose Bowl. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillian didn’t quite reach those numbers Saturday, but he still put on one of the best performances I’ve seen from a receiver in a while against New Mexico. McMillian set a school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 304 yards on 10 catches and four touchdowns in a 61-39 win. It was the first time a wide receiver had eclipsed the 300-yard mark in a game since Smith-Njigba three seasons ago.

Arizona is quickly moving into my top-five must-watch teams list, especially since my preferred style of football is windshield-wiper, high-flying affairs. 

Week One had some fun moments

  • You know we have to lead this section with that fake field goal from Western Michigan. That’s the good stuff.
  • Not to be outdone, bet you didn’t have 6-foot-3, 320-pound TCU defensive tackle Tymon Mitchell securing an interception on your bingo card. 
  • McMillian would be my pick for National Player of The Week, but Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (20 carries, 267 yards, six touchdowns) and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (418 yards, five touchdowns in a single half) are close runner-ups.
  • This Robert Morris defensive back may have made the catch of the year.
  • USC’s Kyron Hudson came close to matching it just one day later, though.
  • Ollie Gordon came 23 carries shy of Mike Gundy’s tongue-in-cheek proposed 50-carry punishment for his highly touted running back after his offseason arrest for a DUI in Oklahoma State’s Week 1 win against two-time defending national FCS champion South Dakota State. But Gundy was entertaining as ever after the win, insinuating he needed Connor Stalions to run the Cowboys’ IT department.
  • Regardless of your feelings about Colorado, Travis Hunter is must-see television. What a catch, what a performance: Seven catches, 132 yards, three touchdowns, 55 snaps on offense. Three tackles, three catches for 18 yards allowed, 69 snaps on defense. A must-watch player week in and week out.
  • Let’s not talk about Colorado’s running game, but Shedeur Sanders was slinging it. He finished 26 of 34 for 445 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Jimmy Horn Jr. didn’t have a bad day at the office either with seven catches for 198 yards and a touchdown.
  • Leading vote-getter for the Hodgepodge All-Name team: Louisiana-Monroe quarterback General Booty. He also helped the school end a 10-game losing streak!
  • Not quite an All-Name team MVP, but one that turned heads: Michigan State long snapper Jack Carson-Wentz, with the full last name appearing on the back of the jersey.
  • Third-team All-Name selection is FIU tight end Rocky Beers.  
  • The first Big Ten touchdown of the year was a pick-six by Rutgers defensive back Eric Rogers. Speaking of Rutgers, Kyle Monangai had a ho-hum, 19-carry, 165-yard season debut in the team’s 44-7 win over Howard. 
  • Can I interest you in a 100-yard pick-six by Tulane cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant?
  • I can’t say how successful they’ll be as a team, but I think it will be fun watching the UCF Golden Knights play offense this season.
  • Speaking of fun offenses, Kansas is going to be right up there if quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal stay healthy. 
  • It was like old man quarterback Cam Rising never missed a beat for Utah, throwing for a career-high five touchdowns and 254 yards on just 15 attempts during the Utes’ 49-0 win over Southern Utah.
  • Tim Brando caught a little flack for straight-up having an awkwardly good time during Jump Around, but anyone who’s been in that stadium for that knows what a banger it is. 
  • Somehow, Northwestern’s makeshift stadium turned out to be freaking awesome. The Wildcats should just play here forever. 
  • Following a 354-yard, four-touchdown day for Kyle McCord in Syracuse’s win against Ohio, Fran Brown thanked Ryan Day for allowing Syracuse to secure its signal-caller for the 2024 season and offered to send Day a bottle of champagne. We’ll see if he still feels the same way in November, but regardless of how this ends for both parties, it’s a fascinating storyline to watch unfold and I’m here for the drama.
  • Idaho executing a trick play on Oregon to perfection was absolute cinema. 
  • I feel like you have to feel happy for Vanderbilt by default whenever anything goes right for that program.

Week One had some wacky things, too

  • We have a Western Michigan player unnecessarily playing leapfrog with an official a few seconds after Wisconsin converts a two-point conversion.
  • Deion Sanders went to the Mario Cristobal school of clock management on Thursday. Colorado seemingly clinched a win over North Dakota State after drawing a pass interference penalty with less than two minutes remaining, giving the Buffs a fresh set of downs and leaving NDSU with only one timeout. Then, Colorado launched a pass downfield that fell incomplete, eventually leading to the Bison getting the ball back down a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining. Sanders is incredibly lucky NDSU quarterback Cam Miller’s Hail Mary came up five yards short as time expired. 
  • Unfortunate way to throw an interception by Shedeur Sanders.
  • Sometimes college kickers giveth, like North Carolina’s Noah Burnette with a four-for-four performance with his longest field goal coming from 52 yards out. Sometimes college kickers taketh away, such as Minnesota’s Dragan Kesich missing a 47-yard field goal as time expired that would have given the Gophers a walk-off victory against the Tar Heels. 
  • Adding insult to injury, Minnesota accidentally set off its stadium fireworks for the missed field goal, giving the impression the Gophers were celebrating a loss.
  • Have to feel for North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson, who transferred in, worked his butt off to win the starting quarterback job, then breaks his leg in Week 1, ending his season. This sport can be cruel sometimes.
  • Exactly how Minnesota drew it up, right?
  • I’m still bullish about the future of quarterback Aidan Chiles at Michigan State, but man, it was a rough debut against Florida Atlantic. Chiles completed 10 of 24 passes for 114 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, though he did add 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. You’d think he’ll improve as the year goes on, but man, that Ohio State game could be ugly.
  • But in the essence of fairness, one of Chiles’ interceptions was this.
  • Michigan State has plenty of problems everywhere, as the Spartans barely held on against FAU, 16-10. But the wackiest thing from that game is a turning point that probably let the Spartans escape with a win. On a fourth-down scramble near midfield, FAU quarterback Cam Fancher slid close to the first down line and was hit on the ground by Spartans linebacker Jordan Taylor, drawing a flag for targeting, then drawing another 15-yard penalty for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the fact. The officials eventually negated the targeting penalty, changing it to an unnecessary roughness penalty, and kept the unsportsmanlike conduct foul. Only problem for FAU was the officials determined Fancher slid before the first down marker, giving Michigan State the ball and applying the 30 yards of penalties to the Spartans’ offensive possession. What a weird sequence. 
  • You’re not fooling anyone, James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III.
  • Not quite sticking the landing there, Mr. USC Trojan. 
  • Admittedly this could also go in the “fun” category, but I didn’t know what to do with myself when I saw both the USC and LSU defenses make positive plays.
  • Brian Kelly sure has a way of getting reactions out of people in any postgame presser when his team loses. 
  • Not to take away from Notre Dame’s defense, but man, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman looked like he’d seen the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future out there. Once considered one of the best quarterbacks in his recruiting class, Weigman delivered an underwhelming performance against Notre Dame and completed 12 of 30 (!) passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. 
  • Miami tight end Cam McCormick is in his ninth (!) season playing college football. How many degrees does this dude have? He did catch a touchdown in the win against the Gators, but sources can not confirm or deny if that officially earned him a senior discount at his local retirement home. 
  • Texas Tech needed overtime to avoid losing to FCS program Abilene Christian, escaping 52-51. Woof.  
  • Penn State kicked West Virginia’s ass, but the Nittany Lions really put an offensive lineman in motion on a play? 
  • This isn’t the week to make fun of Iowa’s offense after it somehow scored 40 points, but I’m still going to take the low-hanging fruit when it’s offered. 
  • Speaking of Iowa, Kent State channeled the Hawkeyes’ motto of "punt to win" after seeing this wacky play unfold.
  • One word: Ow. 

Former Buckeye of the week 

Week One former Buckeye of the week: Evan Pryor, RB, Cincinnati

There are a couple of nominees we could have gone with following the Week 1 slate, but we’re going with the running back who averaged more than 25 yards per carry.

Old friend Evan Pryor had a prolific but brief day at the office in Cincinnati’s 38-20 win over Towson, racking up 105 yards on just four carries with a touchdown, including a 64-yard scamper. He also caught one pass for 13 yards.

Past results

Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, long snapper, Florida State

Games of the week

We’ll always take an above .500 record picking games, but like every team, we’re trying to get better every week and striving for perfection.

Week 1 record: 4-3

Appointment viewing

Texas at Michigan, noon Saturday on FOX

Pick: Texas -6.5

Breakdown: This seems like the lock of the week, doesn’t it? Michigan’s offense inspired no confidence against Fresno State in a win that looks a lot better than it should following a Will Johnson interception. Running back injuries aside, Texas looked like a well-oiled machine against a Colorado State team not completely devoid of talent in a 52-0 rout. Whatever offensive issues Michigan has it's still tough to score against that defense, but Texas should be just fine here unless the Wolverines make adjustments in a hurry. 

Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

Pick: Iowa -3

Breakdown: How about those Hawkeyes? That was a big ole point total that started with a 4 against Illinois State last week, and Iowa’s 461 yards were the most offensive yards by a Hawkeyes team in five (!) years. Now, does that mean that Iowa doesn’t still have serious flaws on offense? Of course not, but it seems to be a noticeable improvement from the disaster that was a year ago. Anyway, the Hawkeyes have won seven of the last eight games against the Cyclones and it’s hard to envision that changing with the game in Iowa City. 

Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC

Pick: Nebraska -7

Breakdown: Perhaps it’s foolish to drink the Cornhusker Kool-Aid, but Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola have to be licking their chops thinking about facing Colorado’s leaky defense. Stopping Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is a far less appetizing manner of course, though Nebraska should have enough on defense at home to at least slow down the Buffs enough to cover the spread. 

Tennessee at North Carolina State, 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pick: Tennessee -7

Breakdown: The Nico Iamaleava hype isn’t slowing down after the Tennessee signal caller completed 22 of 28 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the Vols’ season-opening win. North Carolina State has garnered a lot of attention as a playoff darkhorse this offseason, but sputtered at times in a shaky showing against Western Carolina despite the win. I expect NC State to have a better showing this week, but asking the Wolfpack defense to limit Iamaleava is a bit too tall a task for now.

Underrated games

Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. on FS1 

Pick: Kansas -6

Breakdown: I’m bullish on this Kansas team, mostly because of the offensive firepower Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal provide. It is a road game, but if the Jayhawks are going to be the contender in the Big 12 they hope to be this season, surviving a road game against Illinois should be manageable.  

Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. Saturday on Peacock

Pick: Boise State +18.5

Breakdown: I’m still a little confused about how Oregon was only beating Idaho by three late in the fourth quarter despite outgaining the Vandals 496-217 on the day. Something doesn’t add up here. Anyway, the Ducks have some injury problems on their offensive line and assuming those aren’t fixed by Saturday, this could be a closer game than expected. Frankly, I’d consider picking Boise State to cover even if Oregon didn’t look like a shell of itself last week because Ashton Jeanty is truly a dynamic player, but I feel much better about it now.

Who I like tonight 

Boston College at Florida State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Pick: Boston College +17.5

Breakdown: Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect lighting to strike twice and Florida State to fall to 0-2. But if the Seminoles had trouble containing Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos could present all sorts of problems as a runner, as he ran for more than 1,000 yards a season ago. Bill O’Brien (that’s former Ohio State offensive coordinator to you!) will have had plenty of time to prepare for FSU and while an upset would be nothing short of shocking, this could be a closer game than expected. 

Hot seat tracker

After one week, not a whole lot has changed on the hot seat tracker.

Seat is red hot

Billy Napier, Florida: Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for ole’ Billy. His team got thumped by an in-state rival at home, Cinderella struck midnight on Graham Mertz’s better-than-expected 2023 season and he morphed back into Wisconsin Graham Mertz, a select group of fans on message boards are calling for a boycott of donations until Napier is fired and poor Napier can’t even open a water bottle.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas: As I type this sentence, I think Arkansas just scored on Arkansas-Pine Bluff again after a 70-0 throttling Thursday. That still doesn’t change a lot of perceptions about the Hogs, who open as a 9.5-point road underdog against Oklahoma State this week.

Dave Aranda, Baylor: The Bears beat something called Tarleton State 45-3, so there’s that. Bad news, they face projected Big 12 champion Utah this week.

Seat is probably a little warm

Kalani Sitake, BYU: The Cougars took care of business against FCS Southern Illinois, but now face league newcomer SMU in a game that could be pivotal to Sitake’s season outlook. 

Tony Elliott, Virginia: Similar to Sitake, Elliott could really use a win this week, especially considering his opponent is Wake Forest. If he can get past the Deacons with a win, the Cavaliers could rack up some wins against some beatable opponents all in a row such as Maryland, Coastal Carolina and Boston College. 

Justin Wilcox, Cal: The Golden Bears started their season strong with a 31-13 victory over UC-Davis, but three of their next four opponents include Auburn, Florida State and Miami.

Shane Beamer, South Carolina: The only positive thing you can say about the Gamecocks’ Week 1 performance against Old Dominion was they won the game despite their best efforts to lose it in a 23-19 affair. You can even tell from Beamer’s mannerisms afterward he thinks this may be a long year. 

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: Lea gets moved from red hot to warm following the Commodores’ unlikely victory against Virginia Tech. Nonconference games against Alcorn State, Georgia State and Ball State provide more opportunities for wins, but in conference play, it’s hard to see the Commodores finding a way to make a bowl game. 

Safe, but if it’s a bad year, let’s talk

Ryan Day, Ohio State: I’ll guess that everyone reading this site is pretty well aware of the stakes surrounding this season for the Buckeyes. 

Mario Cristobal, Miami: We won’t do it yet, but the time is getting closer to removing him from this list entirely. The Hurricanes dominated a rival on the road in their season opener and should be favored in each of their remaining 11 games. 

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati and Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh: I’m combining these two for one week because they actually play each other on Saturday, so beating the other may be pivotal for each to have a path to a bowl game. 

Neal Brown, West Virginia: Not a great start to the season against Penn State, but hey, that happened a year ago and the Mountaineers still won nine games, so we’ll see.

Deion Sanders, Colorado: A one-score game against North Dakota State, even though the Bison are a respected FCS squad, doesn’t instill confidence in the Buffs’ ability to find a way to six wins this season. Even if they don’t become bowl-eligible it would be a stunner if Sanders is let go, but the chatter around him will be extremely loud entering Year Three. 

Hodgepodge Week One team classifiers

We’ll keep this pretty vague for now and expand on some of it on Tuesday when we drop our first College Football Playoff lookahead article on Tuesday, but we’ll give you a sneak peek.

Conference contenders: Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Georgia, Texas, Alabama (and still probably Florida State and Clemson)

At-large bid contenders: Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, USC

Better get your act together fast: Florida State, Clemson, LSU

Playoff darkhorses: Nebraska, Syracuse, Louisville, NC State, Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State

Tough Group of Five teams: Boise State, Toledo, Miami (OH), Memphis, Liberty, Appalachian State, Tulane, UTSA, South Florida, UNLV, Fresno State, Texas State

Could make a nice bowl game but don’t know about much else: Rutgers, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, SMU, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M

Uh, hey man, if they can make it to a bowl game it’s a good year: Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan State, Washington, Maryland, Illinois, Cal, Duke, Pittsburgh, Colorado, TCU, South Carolina, Florida, Auburn, Texas Tech

Not optimistic, but it’s early: Northwestern, UCLA, Purdue, Boston College, Wake Forest, Stanford, Baylor, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

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Ohio State Remains No. 2 in the Second College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2024 Season

Cody Simon

THE SITUATIONAL: Things We Cannot Say

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom (8) celebrates with cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) after Ransom intercepted a pass in the second half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
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