NCAAF

(1) Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 0

Welcome to the forefront of the Heisman race, Julian Sayin. The sophomore quarterback has been playing at a high level all season, but Ryan Day & Co. let him air it out yesterday. Consequently, Sayin’s abilities shined, as he went 36-of-42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns.

There will be imperfections for Sayin versus elite competition, but he’s arguably the nation’s premier precision passer.

Jeremiah Smith is an obvious beneficiary of Sayin, but Carnell Tate has been on a heater recently. Tallying six receptions for 111 yards and two scores, the junior continued his tear in this victory. With Smith and Tate (plus Sayin), Ohio State has no excuse not to play aggressively on offense.

Of course, the protection needs to hold up for an air-focused attack to succeed. For the most part, that’s been the case for the Buckeyes this year, although the right side of the offensive line has been leaky. Right tackle Phillip Daniels’ starting spot should be secure, but Ohio State ought to look at replacing right guard Tegra Tshabola.

With so many talented skill-position players on offense, the Buckeyes’ attack unit will always be a talking point. This defense, however, is the real story for Ohio State.

Arvell Reese has exploded onto to scene this year, as every game has been showcase of the linebacker’s immense talent. The junior is flashing more and more as a pass rusher in recent weeks, and he recorded another sack yesterday.

Reese now has 5.5 sacks this season. Matt Patricia is surely giddy drawing up an attack plan for the linebacker every week.

Alright, those were a ton of positives regarding Ohio State. Unfortunately, I can’t offer the same for Wisconsin. At this point, Luke Fickell is a dead man walking in Madison.

Where do I even start? The best play of the day for the Badgers was a 20-yard run on a fake punt by Sean West that resulted in a first down. That’s it. That’s all I have. I guess Ricardo Hallman played well. He had four tackles and defended two passes.

The Badgers travel to Eugene next week. Best of luck to Fickell & Co.

(3) Indiana 38, Michigan State 13

I had a sneaking suspicion that Michigan State would put up a fight in this game. After all, Indiana was due for a letdown game following a huge win at Oregon, and Michigan State is a proud program. That all makes sense, right? Right?

Wrong.

The Spartans held tough for around a quarter, but Curt Cignetti’s team is too well-rounded.

For the Hoosiers, it obviously begins and ends with Fernando Mendoza. For what the signal-caller lacks in mobility (it’s not much), he makes up for in accuracy. True to form, Mendoza finished 24-of-28 for 332 yards and four touchdowns. Julian Sayin is rightfully in the Heisman race, but Mendoza is directly aside him.

It certainly doesn’t hurt Mendoza that he has two premier receivers in Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper. Cooper was the star of the duo yesterday, recording eight receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana faces an upstart UCLA team next week. Is that contest intriguing? I guess. Will it be close in the end? No.

Michigan State has some big picture problems to solve, but enigmatic quarterback Aidan Chiles was excellent yesterday. Going 27-of-33 for 243 yards and a score, Chiles did his best to keep the Spartans alive. It’s not his fault that Michigan State was severely overmatched.

The Spartans host Michigan next week. I don’t like their chances.

(4) Texas A&M 45, Arkansas 42

There were so many good games yesterday that I didn’t catch a lick of this one. Of course, an extended weather delay didn’t make it any easier for me to fit this contest into my viewing. I apparently missed a good one, though.

Marcel Reed is also a good one. I admittedly didn’t believe in the Texas A&M passer entering this season, but he’s been an effective — at worst — dual-threat quarterback for the Aggies. Reed will always drive you crazy with some plays he makes, but the Aggies are 7-0 for a reason.

Reed went 23-of-32 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. His QBR was 83.9

Rueben Owens is really settling in as a top runner for the Aggies, at least while Le’Veon Moss is sidelined. Owens rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries yesterday.

In a 45-42 shootout, the offenses are always going to be the headliners, but Texas A&M rushed the passer well in this win. Cashius Howell and his 8.5 sacks have led the way for the Aggies in that department this season, but he had some help yesterday. Recording four sacks as a team, Texas A&M made life somewhat difficult for Taylen Green.

Life was only somewhat hard for the Arkansas signal-caller because he assaulted the Aggies’ stop unit when he wasn’t under duress. Green finished 19-of-32 for 256 yards and three scores.

Arkansas faces Auburn in an SEC cellar-dweller battle next week.