College football week 9 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 9.
1. Kenneth Walker III is Getting Invited to New York
The Heisman Trophy race has been lackluster this season, with many of the preseason candidates (Spencer Rattler and D.J. Uiagalelei) falling off. Running back Kenneth Walker III has taken advantage of the situation and has now firmly put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Against the number two defense in the country, Walker rushed for 197 yards and five touchdowns. The win gave Michigan State a win over their in-state rivals and kept them undefeated.
The game and comeback against Michigan gave Walker a Heisman moment, which is important for every candidate. On the season, he has rushed for 1,194 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has added eight catches for 36 yards and a score. With four games left in the regular season, the Spartans are undefeated and Walker still has plenty of time to add to his ridiculous stat line. It would take a lot from this point on for him not to be invited to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony in New York City.
2. The SEC West is Confusing
Ole Miss losing to Auburn has created a weird dynamic in the SEC West. Alabama sits as the favorite of the SEC West with just a loss to Texas A&M. After that though, it becomes a little crazier. Auburn is the only other team in their division with just one conference loss. They will of course play Alabama in the final game of the regular season. After them, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all have two losses. The unpredictability of this division will get more clarity after week 10.
The Crimson Tide are the frontrunners to win the SEC West. They lost to Texas A&M though, who has two losses. If Alabama slips up, Texas A&M has the tiebreaker with them for two losses. If Auburn goes into the last game of the season against Alabama with just one conference loss, they could win the division with a win. Ole Miss and Mississippi State are sitting and waiting for chaos, which given how things have gone this season, isn’t out of the question.
3. Miami is Rolling With Tyler Van Dyke
Miami got off to a rough start to the season. Just a few weeks ago they sat at 2-4 with games against ranked teams on the horizon. They have since gone on to win their last two games to get back to .500. They were able to defeat two of the current favorites in the ACC, NC State and Pitt, both by one possession to help get their season back on track.
After D’Eriq King went down with an injury, the rest of the season looked bleak for the Hurricanes. Whether they would make a bowl game was in question. Tyler Van Dyke has risen to the occasion. The freshman has passed for 1,448 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions on 63.4 percent completion. With Van Dyke, the Hurricanes look like they’ll make a bowl game and the next couple of seasons could be special.
4. Dan Mullen has Put Himself Nearer to the Hot Seat
Dan Mullen has built himself a lot of job stability over his time at Florida. He helped them win National Championships as an assistant to Urban Meyer. Since getting the head coaching job in 2018, he has made three New Year’s Six Bowl games. But the last two seasons have been worse than his first two seasons, which highlights the frustrations of Florida fans.
After losing to Georgia in week 9, Florida sits at 4-4 on the season. Four losses ties Mullen’s career-high for losses at Florida with four, which happened in 2020. They have one win over a solid team, and that is only if Tennessee, who is 4-4 is considered to be solid. There is a real possibility Florida finishes 6-6 this season. That may not be enough to get Dan Mullen fired, but the program certainly isn’t heading in the right direction.
5. Baylor and Oklahoma State are Still Threats in the Big 12
Oklahoma sits atop the Big 12 with an undefeated record. They blew out Texas Tech this weekend, but have looked shaky this year. Plenty of their games have been too close for comfort and on top of that, they still have some big games left. Two of the teams that could give them problems are Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Baylor defeated Texas this weekend to extend their record to 7-1. Dave Aranda has done a good job getting the program back in a position to compete for the Big 12. They play Oklahoma in two weeks, and will be tough for the Sooners because they boast a good rushing attack and defense. Oklahoma State destroyed Kansas a week after Oklahoma struggled against them. They too are 7-1. Their rushing attack and defense could also create problems for the Sooners. While Oklahoma has found some life with Caleb Williams at quarterback, they aren’t out of the woods just yet.
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