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USC, Ohio State, Michigan Football Stars Highlight AP Preseason All-Americans

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USC, Ohio State, Michigan Football Stars Highlight AP Preseason All-Americans


The 2023 college football season is rapidly approaching; Week 0 kicks off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET with Notre Dame vs. Navy, in Dublin, Ireland. The AP released its preseason top-25 poll last week, and now the AP preseason All-American teams are here. USC, Michigan and Ohio State football all bring serious talent to the table, with Caleb Williams topping the first team.

 

First Team Offense

No surprise USC’s Caleb Williams takes the quarterback spot on the All-American first team. He won the Heisman Trophy last year, he’s the favorite to win it again, and he’s the expected No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. He’s the best player in college football.

Rounding out the backfield, there’s Michigan RB Blake Corum and Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins. Corum was awesome for the Wolverines in 2022, putting up over 1,500 scrimmage yards and 19 touchdowns before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. He’s the driving force behind this Michigan football team, and he will be the main reason Michigan is in the College Football Playoff again. Judkins also had a ridiculous breakout year as a freshman last season. He fell just short of 1,700 total yards and scored 17 touchdowns.

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Moving to the pass catchers, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is the obvious first-team choice here. He’s the best tight end in the country by a landslide and the best tight end prospect in a long time. Future top-15 pick.

At wide receiver, two Buckeyes made the first team: Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Washington’s Rome Odunze joins the list as well. Ohio State continues the trend of putting an NFL-caliber receiving corps on the field. Harrison could be a top-5 pick next year and Egbuka could easily go first round. These two were on the 2021 roster that included three eventual first-round picks in Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That could go down as the best receiver room in college football history. Despite losing three awesome playmakers in the last two drafts, the Buckeyes still have the best receivers in the country.

The All-American first team offensive line comes from five different programs. Two-way x-factor and former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter of Colorado makes it here as an all-purpose player. Clemson RB Will Shipley is a first-team talent, but there wasn’t really a place for him above anyone else. Maybe he could have made it over Hunter as all-purpose.

Here is the full preseason All-American First Team offense:

Quarterback: Caleb Williams, USC

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Running backs: Blake Corum, Michigan; Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

Wide receivers: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State; Rome Odunze, Washington

Tight end: Brock Bowers, Georgia

Tackles: Joe Alt, Notre Dame; Olu Fashanu, Penn State

Guards: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State; Zak Zinter, Michigan

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Center: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

All-purpose: Travis Hunter, Colorado

Kicker: Joshua Karty, Stanford

 

First Team Defense

The first-team defense includes multiple starters for Georgia and Iowa. Other preseason top-10 teams LSU, Alabama, Penn State and Iowa State also have guys here.

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LSU linebacker Harold Perkins is probably the best defensive player in the country. He was excellent for the Tigers in 2022, racking up 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, plus an interception. He’ll be instrumental as No. 5 LSU tries to make a playoff run.

Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was the top-ranked defensive back in the class of 2021 and he has lived up to that hype. McKinstry is the best DB in the nation and he’ll be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Ohio State edge J.T. Tuimoloau was perhaps a first-team snub, though he did make the preseason All-American second-team. Tuimoloau has the ability to make game-breaking impact, the way 2023 top-10 picks Will Anderson and Jalen Carter did in the SEC last year.

USC safety Calen Bullock also has a case for a spot on the first-team over the second-team, as well as Georgia Safety Javon Bullard. Travis Hunter could have been a defensive back selection had he not made it on the offense as an all-purpose player.

Here is the full preseason All-American First Team defense:

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Edge rushers: Jared Verse, Florida State; Bralen Trice, Washington

Defensive tackles: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois; Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati

Linebackers: Harold Perkins, LSU; Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia; Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State

Cornerbacks: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama; Kalen King, Penn State

Safeties: Kam Kinchens, Miami; Malaki Starks, Georgia

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Nickel back: Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Punter: Tory Taylor, Iowa

 

Second Team Offense

Quarterback: Drake Maye, North Carolina

Running backs: Raheim Sanders, Arkansas; Braelon Allen, Wisconsin

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Wide Receivers: Xavier Worthy, Texas; Malik Nabers, LSU; Jacob Cowing, Arizona

Tight end: Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse

Tackles: JC Latham, Alabama; Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Guards: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State; Christian Mahogany, Boston College

Center: Zach Frazier, West Virginia

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All-purpose: Will Shipley, Clemson

Kicker: John Hoyland, Wyoming

 

Second Team Defense

Edge rushers: J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State; Dallas Turner, Alabama

Defensive tackles: Tyler Davis, Clemson; Mekhi Wingo, LSU

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Linebackers: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson; Barrett Carter, Clemson; Cedric Gray, North Carolina

Cornerbacks: Josh Newton, TCU; Ben Morrison, Notre Dame

Safeties: Calen Bullock, USC; Javon Bullard, Georgia

Nickel back: Will Johnson, Michigan

Punter: Kai Kroeger, South Carolina

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Ohio State Buckeyes’ Biggest Weakness Revealed Before Michigan Game

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Ohio State Buckeyes’ Biggest Weakness Revealed Before Michigan Game


Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to take care of business against the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. Now, they are set to prepare for the massive rivalry matchup against the Michigan Wolverines to end the regular season.

Ohio State has been unable to beat Michigan for the last three years. In order to get a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, they’ll need to snap that losing streak.

At this point in the year, the Buckeyes absolutely look like a national championship favorite. However, there is one weakness that is worth monitoring.

David Pollack, a former star college football linebacker and a current analyst, spoke out about the one weakness that he sees with Ohio State.

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“I don’t see a lot of gamewreckers,” Pollack said. “But I don’t see a lot of weaknesses, except at the cornerback spot. I’ve got to address the cornerback spot as a weakness. I’ve seen enough to know. There are enough penalties back there, enough flags, enough big plays that it’s not a strength.”

All season long, the Buckeyes’ cornerbacks have underperformed. Denzel Burke has looked nothing like the expected first-round pick talent that he was being hyped up to be. Davison Igbinosun has been heavily penalized and has struggled as well.

Going up against other elite national championship contenders will be a tough task with a struggling secondary.

Outside of the cornerback position, everything else seems to look solid. If they can fix the issues and get better production out of it, they would be a much more complete contender.

Thankfully, the talent is there for them to improve. Both Burke and Igbinosun are talented players who have simply struggled this season. They are more than capable of turning things around.

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All of that being said, the stage has been set for Ohio State and Michigan. On paper, the Buckeyes should be able to dominate the game, but rivalry games can get tricky. It will be interesting to see what ends up happening.



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Paul Finebaum names CFP National Champion favorite between Oregon, Ohio State

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Paul Finebaum names CFP National Champion favorite between Oregon, Ohio State


With just one week remaining in the regular season, there is only one team across all of college football that remains undefeated at this point: the Oregon Ducks.

So, it stands to reason that the undefeated Ducks should be the favorite to end the 2024 hoisting the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy, right?

Not according to SEC Network host and ESPN personality Paul Finebaum.

“I’m ‘Paul Out’ with block letters. I don’t even think Oregon is the best team in the Big Ten, let alone the favorite to win it all,” Finebaum said during Sunday morning’s ‘Paul-In, Paul-Out’ segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “And thanks Ducks fans waking up on the West coast, I’m aware that you beat Ohio State. But Ohio State, to me, looks like the best team in the country.

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“I think they’ll have a fun game in a couple of weeks in the Big Ten championship game, and both are going to go to the Playoffs and be in very good shape. But Oregon, to me, looks a tad below Ohio State.”

As Finebaum reminded the college football world, this exact matchup has already been decided on the field once this season, with the Ducks eking out a 32-31 win in Eugene in mid-October. While it’s not official yet, all expectations are Oregon (11-0, 8-0 B10) and Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) will meet again in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.

But in the meantime, Finebaum is sticking by the preseason favorite Buckeyes.

Ryan Day wanted to ‘leave no doubt’ vs. Indiana

Ryan Day wanted to leave no doubt during Ohio State’s 38-15 win over Indiana Saturday in Columbus and it certainly worked out by the time the game came to its conclusion.

After trailing 7-0, Ohio State ripped off 31 straight points to erase any opportunity of the Hoosiers pulling off the biggest win in school history. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers came in No. 2 and 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

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But with Day and Ohio State one step closer to the Big Ten Championship vs. Oregon, they can put this game to rest.

“Game got a flip there with the punt return (for a touchdown by Caleb Downs),” Day told FOX’s Jenny Taft postgame. “I thought, you know, we had a chance to really separate ourselves in the first half. We didn’t do that. I thought we played well in the second half. I thought we played physical all across the board, and our guys had a great look in their eye. And so now it’s onto the rivalry game.”

As far as scoring the final touchdown, despite a 31-15 lead with less than two minutes to go, Day and Ohio State wanted to leave their mark.

“Well, you say, leave no doubt,” Day said. “And you know, these guys want to finish the game the right way. TreVeyon (Henderson) did the right thing going down at the one-yard line. We ate up the clock. We didn’t want to put the defense back out there. You just never know in games like this, it’s a top five matchup. So we wanted to finish it the right way and make sure that everybody knows that this is the Ohio State Buckeyes.”

Nick Kosko contributed to this report.

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College football top 25 rankings for Week 14: Dreaming of a Ohio State-Notre Dame playoff matchup | Sporting News

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College football top 25 rankings for Week 14: Dreaming of a Ohio State-Notre Dame playoff matchup | Sporting News


Ohio State and Notre Dame looked the part of national championship contenders in Week 13. 

The Buckeyes – who are No. 2 in this week’s Sporting News Top 25 – came one step closer to a Big Ten championship rematch against No. 1 Oregon. The Buckeyes beat Indiana 38-15, and the Hoosiers dropped to No. 8 as a result. 

Now, Ohio State faces Michigan and can break a three-game losing streak in The Game on Nov. 30. To be honest, that’s not the game we want to see. 

How about a rematch from last year’s 17-14 thriller against the Irish on Sept. 23, 2023. That was the one where the Buckeyes scored a late touchdown when the Irish had 10 players on the field, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day called out Lou Holtz afterward. How sweet would a rematch in the College Football Playoff be? 

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Notre Dame moves up to No. 5 after a 49-14 blowout against No. 19 Army at Yankee Stadium. The Irish set up a win-and-in matchup against rival USC, which seemed unthinkable after a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. 

A playoff matchup between the Buckeyes and Irish would not materialize until the quarterfinals or semifinals at this point, but we would take it whenever and wherever it happened. Ohio State has allowed 10.2 points per game since the Oct. 12 loss to the Ducks. The Irish have allowed 11.6 points per game in their last five games. Of the 10-1 teams in the top-10, Ohio State and Notre Dame are on the best trajectory heading into Rivalry Week. 

Here is a closer look at The Sporting News top 25 rankings.

MORE: SEC title game scenarios | Big 12 | Big Ten | ACC

Sporting News Top 25 rankings for Week 14

Here is a closer look at our latest top 25 ranking heading into Week 14:

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RANK SCHOOL RECORD PVS. WEEK 12 RESULT
1 Oregon 11-0 1 Bye
2 Ohio State 10-1 2 Beat Indiana 38-15
3 Texas 10-1 3 Beat Kentucky 31-14
4 Penn State 10-1 4 Beat Minnesota 26-25
5 Notre Dame 10-1 6 Beat Army 49-14
6 Miami, Fla. 10-1 10 Beat Wake Forest 42-14
7 Georgia 9-2 9 Beat UMass 59-21
8 Indiana 10-1 5 Lost to Ohio State 38-15
9 Tennessee 9-2 11 Beat UTEP 56-0
10 SMU 10-1 14 Beat Virginia 33-7
11 Boise State 10-1 12 Beat Wyoming 17-13
12 Arizona State 9-2 17 Beat BYU 28-23
13 Iowa State 9-2 20 Beat Utah 31-28
14 BYU 9-2 13 Lost to Arizona State
15 Clemson 9-2 18 Beat The Citadel 51-14
16 Alabama 8-3 7 Lost to Oklahoma 24-3
17 Ole Miss 8-3 8 Lost to Florida 24-17
18 South Carolina 8-3 21 Beat Wofford 56-12
19 Texas A&M 8-3 15 Lost to Auburn 43-41
20 Tulane 9-2 22 Bye
21 Kansas State 8-3 23 Beat Cincinnati 41-15
22 Illinois 8-3 24 Beat Rutgers 38-31
23 Army 9-1 19 Los to Notre Dame 49-14
24 Colorado 8-3 16 Lost to Kansas 37-21
25 Missouri 8-3 NR Beat Mississippi State 39-20



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