College football Week 4: 15 players to watch

The Florida State-Miami game was one of the must-see games of the season -- and that was well before the two became members of the ACC. Since 2004, when the two have shared the league, the game has lost its luster. This year, Miami is ranked and rolling while the Seminoles are coming off an ugly home loss to Georgia Tech. Blackman must play better. He threw for just 198 yards in the loss last week and has thrown just three passes against the 'Canes since throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns against them in 2017. How Blackman performs will be crucial to not only this game but what the 'Noles' season will look like.

All Myles Brennan has to do is follow one of the best single seasons anyone has had in college football history. Brennan doesn't need to be Joe Burrow but he does need to come in and take command of an offense that will be breaking in a lot of new guys. Coach Ed Orgeron loves Brennan's accuracy and arm strength but isn't sure how he'll perform under pressure. Well, his first start is Saturday against Mississippi State.

Last year, the Texas transfer led SMU to its first 10-win season since 1984. Last week, Buechele threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns in a 65-35 win over North Texas. Buechele has thrived with the Mustangs now that he is healthy and is showing the potential he would flash with the Longhorns before injuries limited him. SMU hosts Stephen F. Austin this Saturday night in its final non-conference game.

Ehlinger was magnificent against UTEP two weeks ago: 25 of 33 for 426 yards and five touchdowns. One of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country and one with a big chip on his shoulder, Ehlinger has his sights set on getting back to the Big 12 Championship Game and finally getting the Longhorns over the hump. Up next is a road trip to Texas Tech,  which barely beat Houston Baptist in its first game.

Gabriel made a huge splash in the Knights' opener against Georgia Tech. The sophomore threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns in the dominating win. Last season, Gabriel threw for 3,653 yards and 29 TDs in what was considered a down year for the program. In last year's game against East Carolina (this week's opponent), he threw for 365 yards and totaled three touchdowns.

Alabama begins its season on a mission to get back to the College Football Playoff after missing it in 2019. A lot has changed offensively for the Tide, but Harris is back to likely be the focal point of the offense. Last season he rushed for 1,224 yards and had 20 total touchdowns. With Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs all gone, look for Harris to get the ball in his hands a lot more this year. Bama opens up at Missouri this Saturday. 

One of the most interesting storylines of the 2020 season will be how Kylin Hill is used at Mississippi State. Hill will be playing for his third head coach in four years and the latest one, Mike Leach, isn't known for running the football that often. Last season, Hill was a workhorse back (242 carries, 1,350 yds, 10 TDs) but that will likely change under Leach's passing attack. It will be intriguing to see if Leach adapts to Hill or if Hill can become an all-purpose back. We will get our first look this Saturday as the Bulldogs head to LSU to face the defending champs.  

Hubbard had to work for his yards last week, carrying the ball 27 times for 93 yards but he did score a touchdown in a 16-7 win over Tulsa. Last year against West Virginia, Oklahoma State's upcoming opponent, Hubbard didn't score a touchdown but had his best receiving game of his career (seven catches, 88 yards). Oh, he would run for 106 yards as well. The last time Hubbard failed to reach 100 yards in a game he would rush for 256 in his next outing. Look out Mountaineers. 

I've been a fan of King's for several years now, and he's finally getting his chance to play on a big stage. Last week in a big prime-time game against Louisville, he threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in a huge ACC win. King now gets his first and only taste of the Florida State-Miami rivalry as the Seminoles head south to face the Canes. Miami has won the last three meetings. 

This Friday night, UTSA hosts Middle Tennessee State for the only game of the day. It gives you a great chance to see Sincere McCormick -- a player with a great name and a great game. McCormick currently leads the nation in rushing after rushing for 197 yards against Texas State and 98 yards against Stephen F. Austin. In each game he broke out for huge runs (and had a 30-yard reception against SFA. 

With the Pac-12 and the Big Ten (yet) not playing, we've been enjoying teams such as Louisiana getting into the rankings. Last week, Elijah Mitchell was a force, rushing for 164 yards and two touchdowns in a three-point win over Georgia State. He rushed for more than 1,100 yards last year and has 35 career touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns and ran for 81 yards and two TDs against Georgia Southern, this week's opponent.

Nix won Auburn's starting job by beating out Joey Gatewood last year (Gatewood now plays for the Tigers' opponent this week, Kentucky) and would throw for 2,542 yards and 16 TDs and rush for another seven scores. While Nix's stats didn't wow anyone, his biggest moment was winning the Iron Bowl against Alabama and ending the Tide's chance to win a national championship. 

When we last saw Rattler, he was putting up 290 yards on 14-of-17 passing and fired four touchdown passes in the first half against Missouri State. Rattler now goes up against a Kansas State squad that gave up 35 points to Arkansas State a couple weeks ago. If Rattler puts up another stat-tastic game, he will fire way up the Heisman race as Sooner quarterbacks tend to do.

South Alabama gets some national television love this week as it hosts UAB on Thursday night. A name to know in that game is junior receiver Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert has caught six passes in each of the Jaguars two games this season -- he racked up 169 yards and 2 TDs against Southern Miss and 99 yards against Tulane last week. Tolbert is a big play receiver going up against a UAB team that gave up a lot of big plays in their last game against Miami. 

Trask may enter the season as the best quarterback in the SEC, which completes a wild ride over the past year. Trask took over the Gators' job when Feleipe Franks got hurt during a game against Kentucky last season and he never let go (Franks has transferred to Arkansas). He would end up throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and would go 9-2 the rest of the way. Florida heads to Ole Miss on Saturday.