Teams Who Can Own This Season

1. Ole Miss

The Rebels have their offense in high gear early on this season; they are top 5 in total, passing, and rushing yards in the SEC. Kewan Lacy and Harrison Wallace III are the two studs putting up numbers so far. Lacy came in from Mizzou and has 5 scores on 290 yards in three games, while Wallace is coming off a 720-yard junior year to put up 339 in 15 catches. He is averaging a big play nearly every time he pulls down a pass. The run defense is their hindrance through the first few games. Last place is their home for yards allowed on the ground. That won’t prove to be much of a factor if Ole Miss can put up points early and force teams out of the ground attack. Providing they avoid a letdown against Tulane, there are two midseason tests at home versus LSU and on the road in Athens coming up. Look for them to climb into the top 5 teams if they make it to 6 wins, no losses.

2. USC

It has been some time since the Men of Troy have been a hot topic. They can set themselves back on top by managing the grueling Big 10 slate to compete with the likes of Ohio State. They have talent on both sides of the ball showing up in this young season. They have Jayden Maiava (nearly 1000 passing yards), Waymond Jordan (3 rushing TDs), Makai Lemon (158 receiving yds vs. Ga Southern), Eric Gentry (7 tackles per game), and Bishop Fitzgerald (3 Ints, one for a TD) representing as Big 10 leaders. USC also tops all schools in the conference with 14 sacks; four more than Penn State through 3 weeks of play. The blind spot is their passing defense when the pressure is getting into the backfield. Opponents are putting up nearly 240 yards a game, and those opponents were Missouri State, Georgia Southern, and Purdue. They have a gauntlet coming up starting with Michigan State followed by Illinois, Michigan, and Notre Dame over the next month or so. Surviving means they can join Ole Miss in the top 5 teams in the nation; dropping a bad loss can put them on the brink of being unranked.

3. Iowa State

The Cyclones were here early last season as well. Their issue is that the Big XII is wide open all the way through the season because of the strength at the top. They play solid but not outstanding football. Team-wise, they are not topping the conference in any category outside wins and losses. The top performers, Rocco Becht, Carson Hansen, and Marcus Neal, Jr, do not have stats that jump off the pages. Can they prove that consistent play is enough to make an impact? They will benefit from one or two future opponents getting hot late in the season because their schedule provide few highlight games to bouey them into the playoffs without winning the conference from bell to bell.

Impact Games:

Texas Tech v. Utah; Auburn v. Oklahoma; Illinois v. Indiana

Come back next week to see who gets shaken out and who climbs in with a big win.