College football Week 12: 15 players to watch

While the nation focuses on the race in the Big Ten East division, Wisconsin has been surging in the West. After disposing of Iowa and Purdue (and the finale against rival Minnesota next week), the Badgers are leading the division and look like a team who could give Ohio State/Michigan State/Michigan all they can handle in a Big Ten title showdown. Allen has been giving everyone all they can handle, as Wisconsin's emergence as a Big Ten contender has coincided with Allen's streak of six straight 100-yard games. He became the featured back against Illinois on October 9th and put up 131 yards and a TD in a 24-0 victory. Last week against Northwestern, he piled up 173 yards and 3 TDs. The Badgers host Nebraska on Saturday. 

Despite Oregon's inclusion in the College Football Playoff rankings right now (and their win at Ohio State in September), there are people that just don't believe in the Ducks. Their Saturday night showdown at Utah on ABC is a great opportunity for Oregon to show they are a legit title contender. Brown may not be the type of quarterback that you've usually associated with Oregon's Quack Attack, but he's been getting it done. His passing numbers the last few weeks have been eye-popping, but he's been a problem with his legs. He threw for 135 yards (17-of-22 passing) last week against Washington State but ran all over the Cougars for 123 yards and a TD. With running back CJ Verdell out for the season, he ... along with backs Travis Dye and Byron Cardwell ... have relied on the running game to grind out wins. Facing Utah in Salt Lake City will be a challenge, as the Utes are one of the better rushing defenses in the Pac-12.

This should tell you how wild the 2021 college football season is: Wake Forest is playing at Clemson this weekend ... and Wake is the favorite to win the ACC championship. Not only that, but it's the Demon Deacons' quarterback that is in the running to be the conference's player of the year and receive a few Heisman votes. Hartman has been fantastic this season, leading the ACC's top-scoring offense and throwing for over 3,100 yards and 30 TDs. He's also rushed for nine scores and has the Deacs as one of only three Power 5 schools that has a perfect conference record. His 290 yards passing in the win over NC State last week ended his streak of five straight 300+ yard games. Going into Death Valley and beating Clemson would be another notch in a magical season for Wake.

Michigan has everything sitting right in front of them. After winning a battle at Penn State last week (thanks in part to Haskins' 156 yards rushing) the Wolverines head to Maryland for what could be a trap game prior to their showdown with Ohio State. Haskins has hit the 100-yard mark in four of Michigan's past five games, with 324 total yards over the past two weeks. With backfield mate Blake Corum likely out against the Terps this week, Haskins will continue to get a lot of touches. That's been a great thing for the Wolverines this year. 

Mordecai will get a great chance to step into the limelight if he and his Mustangs can take down undefeated Cincinnati and end their shot at being the first Group of 5 school to make the College Football Playoff. The junior quarterback is coming off a big game, where he threw for 377 yards and 3 TDs in a 55-28 win over UCF ... ending a two-game losing streak. He leads the American in passing yards and has a sizable lead in TD passes (he has nearly twice as many as the next guy). Cincinnati has one of the best defenses in the country, though one that has seeming let their guard down against lesser competition. 

The Cowboys look to be the best team in the Big 12 right now and have a spot in the conference championship game in sight. Oklahoma State is being led by their defense, and freshman defensive end Collin Oliver has become a huge factor. He leads the team with 5.5 sacks and has recorded a sack in five of the last six games ... which began with his first career start. In the three games since their loss to Iowa State, the suffocating Cowboys D has allowed just 23 total points. Up next is a trip to Texas Tech. 

Pickett is second in the ACC in passing yards, first in passing touchdowns, and quarterback rating. He's also the guy who looks like he could be the top signal-callers selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Until then, Pickett hosts Virginia this week after coming off three spectacular games. He threw for 519 yards and 3 TDs against Miami, 416 yards and 3 TDs against Duke, and 346 yards and 3 TDs in an overtime win over North Carolina last week. 

With running back Jerome Ford out last week against South Florida, Desmond Ridder's arm became more of a focal part of the Bearcats' offense. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 304 yards (his first 300-yard game of the season) and a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 65 yards and a score against USF ... which is significant, because last season Ridder torched SMU, this week's opponent, with his legs. He ran for 179 yards and three TDs in a 42-13 thrashing of the Mustangs in their last meeting. This has been the game most surrounding the Bearcats have been pointing to as their toughest test since their win at Notre Dame seven weeks ago. 

Utah may not be well-known on the national scene, but did you know they're the highest-scoring team in the Pac-12? Quarterback Cameron Rising (who is known for his hair flowing from his helmet) is coming off one of his best games of the season, albeit against the lowly Arizona Wildcats. He completed 19-of-30 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for another TD. He doesn't make mistakes, as his two interceptions, all season proves. The Utes host Oregon on Saturday night in what should be a very physical game where making a big play ... while not turning the ball over ... could be the difference in the win. The two teams seem to be on a collision in the Pac-12 title game in Las Vegas, but this will be quite a battle in the SLC. 

If Smith keeps going off, I'm going to keep talking about him. Smith has been on a tear over the last four weeks, rushing for 188, 145, 124, and 148 yards in those games. His 1,203 rushing yards lead the Big 12 and has found the endzone in seven of ten games. For a back who averages over 16 carries per game, he's been punishing defenses with 7.3 yards per carry. With Baylor in the thick of the Big 12 race, Smith needs a big effort against a very solid Kansas State-run defense this Saturday. 

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has looked the part of a quarterback who can bring a national championship back home to Columbus. After an uneven showing against Nebraska, Stroud stomped Purdue with a 361-yard-5-touchdown effort that crushed the "Spoiler-makers" attempt at another upset of a top-five team. Stroud has thrown for at least 300 yards in five of his last six games and has tossed 22 TDs and just 2 picks (both in the Nebraska game) in that span. Ohio State is, essentially, approaching a three-game stretch that will determine if they'll get into the playoff and play for a national championship. Up next is Michigan State's bruising running attack, next week is Michigan at Ann Arbor before hopefully playing in the Big Ten title game. 

Thompkins leads the nation in receiving yards and is one of the country's top big-play threats. A speedy wideout, Thompkins has the ability to catch a deep ball as well as take a short pass and turn it into a huge gain. The slot receiver is averaging 18.7 yards per carry and has six games this season where he's caught at least a 45-yard pass. Utah State leads the Mountain Division of the MW and goes up against last place Wyoming on Saturday night.   

If I had a Heisman vote, I'd give it to Kenneth Walker III. He's been fantastic this season, rushing for 126+ yards in seven games, 170+ yards in four games, and 200+ yards twice. He's only getting stronger as the season moves along -- he's rushed for 476 yards and 8 TDs in his last three games. Ohio State has one of the best run defenses in the Big Ten, but Walker -- the nation's leading rusher -- will put that defense to the test this Saturday in the biggest game of the day. 

If it could ever be possible, but Notre Dame is quietly inching their way to having a shot at a playoff berth. One reason is that the Irish's offense has been coming together as the season has gone on. Kyren Williams has been a much more consistent back since their loss to Cincinnati -- he's rushed for at least 70 yards in each game since, and that 70-yard game was in last week's blowout of Virginia. He really hit his stride in a two-game stretch against USC and North Carolina, where he rushed for 138 and 199 yards, respectively, and has scored a touchdown in his last six games. The Irish have Georgia Tech this week before closing out the season at Stanford on Thanksgiving weekend. 

As we're hitting the final stretch of the season, Young is currently the Heisman trophy favorite. In his first season as the starter, he's thrown for 3,000 yards, 30 TDs, and just three interceptions. Last week against New Mexico State, he completed 21 of his 23 passes for 270 yards and 5 TDs -- all in the first half. He hasn't thrown a pick since October 9th and has an opportunity ... with games against Arkansas, Auburn, and Georgia ... to separate himself from the pack in the Heisman race.