We’ve hit the midway point of the college football season, and the best two teams are easy to pinpoint — Texas and Oregon.
The Longhorns have two top-flight quarterbacks in Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, and a talented roster on both sides of the ball. They also have routs over Michigan (31-12) and Oklahoma (34-3) on their ledger.
No. 1 Texas faces a big test this Saturday when it hosts Georgia.
“Size. Speed. Two best front guys,” Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said. “Every defense starts with train-wreckers, big guys, physical guys at the point of attack that are hard to move. They got ’em.”
Oregon is fresh off its biggest exam and passed with a 32-31 victory over then-No. 2 Ohio State. The Ducks swapped places with the Buckeyes in the rankings and moved from No. 3 to No. 2.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is doing a stellar Bo Nix impersonation by completing 76.1% of his passes for 1,790 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Ducks visit Purdue on Friday night.
Related: How To Watch Georgia Bulldogs Football in 2024
Utah’s Cam Rising falling on more hardship
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising is sidelined indefinitely after sustaining a lower right leg injury during Friday’s 27-19 loss to Arizona State.
Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said that true freshman Isaac Wilson will be the starting quarterback “until further notice.”
Rising remained in the contest after being hurt but struggled with his footwork and finished just 16 of 37 for 209 yards and three interceptions.
Whittingham said it was Rising’s call to remain in the game.
“Cam is a warrior,” Whittingham said Monday. “He’s a seasoned vet, and he would let us know if he felt like he was not being effective enough.”
Wilson started three games earlier this season while Rising was out with a hand injury. He has thrown for 830 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions entering Saturday’s home game against TCU.
Related: QB Cam Rising returning to Utah in 2024
Florida’s QB Graham Mertz done for the season
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz sustained a torn ACL in his left knee during Saturday’s 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee and is done for the season.
Mertz passed for 3,694 yards, 26 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 16 games for the Gators after transferring from Wisconsin.
“I’m just thankful to all that he has brought to the table for our team,” Florida coach Billy Napier said on Monday. “Not only his production on the field but also just his impact on the team as a whole, his leadership, his work ethic, the example, the self-discipline.”
Highly-coveted true freshman DJ Lagway will be the starter moving forward. He started a game earlier this season when Mertz was out due to a concussion. Overall, Lagway has passed for 765 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions this season.
The Gators host Kentucky this Saturday.
Related: CFB insider addresses Florida Gators’ Billy Napier rumors
SMU Mustangs are for real
There were a lot of people figuring SMU might experience troubles in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Instead, SMU (5-1, 2-0 ACC) is exceeding expectations as it returns from a bye to visit Stanford on Saturday.
The No. 21 Mustangs have posted victories over Florida State and Louisville in their past two outings and are thriving behind quarterback Kevin Jennings.
Jennings passed for 281 yards and rushed for 113 yards (including a 59-yard run) in the 34-27 road victory over Louisville.
“This is what we can do in the ACC,” Jennings said. “Hopefully, we can continue and get a championship.”
SMU’s lone loss was 18-15 at BYU on Sept. 6.
Related: ACC votes to add Stanford, Cal, SMU
