College football Week 9: 15 players to watch

The Cavaliers aren't going anywhere, but they are still so fun to watch. Let me rephrase that: Brennan Armstrong is so fun to watch. Just check out the stats after eight games: 239 completions, 372 pass attempts, 3,220 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 177 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns. Last week against Georgia Tech, all he did was toss for 396 yards, 4 TDs, 99 rushing yards, and 2 touchdowns. Virginia is sneaky 6-2 in a down ACC and has hung 48 points on each of their last two opponents. The Cavs step out of conference play to travel to BYU, where current Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall coached from 2003 to 2015.

When Notre Dame hosts North Carolina on Saturday they will be showing off their new, faster-paced offense. To help with a struggling offensive line, Brian Kelly has put quarterback Jack Coan in more shotgun and pistol formations where he can make quicker reads and keeps the defense guessing. Coan hadn't run an offense like this in his time at both Wisconsin and Notre Dame, but he completed 20 of 28 passes for 189 yards and a TD against USC in last week's debut. While those stats may not be eye-popping, but it also allowed running back Kyren Williams to break out for his best performance of the season. As Coan grows more comfortable in this faster offense, look for him to take advantage of more opportunities, and possibly move the Irish closer to playoff contention.  

The Wolverines are the 5th best rushing offense in the country, so you know Jim Harbaugh is going to rely on his backs in Michigan's showdown with Michigan State on Saturday. That means Blake Corum will get a bunch of touches. Last week against Northwestern, Corum finally got back to the century mark after a three-game absence, running up 119 yards and two TDs against the Wildcats. Look for Corum and Hassan Hawkins to get a ton of carries on Saturday. 

Last week I touched on Hartman's season and he didn't disappoint in Wake Forest's game against Army. He completed 23 of 29 passes for 458 yards and 5 TDs and hung a 70-burger on the Black Knights. The Demon Deacons are climbing up the rankings -- currently, No. 13 in the AP poll -- and have an outside shot at making an improbable case to make the College Football Playoff. The Deacs host woeful Duke on Saturday, then head into a three-game stretch where they travel to North Carolina, host NC State, and visit Clemson. Get on the Sam Hartman bandwagon now.  

Henderson has rushed for a touchdown in six consecutive games (11 total in that span) as the Buckeyes' offense has been a juggernaut of late. Ohio State has scored at least 50 points over the last four games, and Henderson has rushed for 624 yards on just 65 carries (a 9.6 yards-per-carry average) in the last five games. The Buckeyes host Penn State, whose once stout defense just gave up 357 rushing yards in a loss to Illinois last week. Look for a huge day by Henderson. 

I may have been giving USC too much attention in this space this season, but Drake London is one of my favorite receivers. No matter who is throwing to him, who is coaching him or what's going on around the program, London just balls. Everyone knows the ball is going to him yet he keeps racking up these huge games. Last week at Notre Dame, he caught 15 balls for 171 yards ... which comes a week after catching 16 passes for 162 yards and a TD against Utah. Both games were losses but London has done his part. He's caught 79 passes for 1,003 yards (both second nationally to Western Kentucky's Jerreth Sterns) and gets to face 0-7 Arizona this week. 

South Florida hasn't had a great season, but running back Jaren Mangham has carved out a really nice year. Last week against Temple, he piled up 152 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Owls. While that was by far his best showing yardage-wise, it was the fifth time this season he's rushed for multiple touchdowns in a game. Despite the Bulls' 2-5 record, Mangham (a transfer from Colorado who totaled just five touchdowns in two seasons with the Buffaloes) has already rushed for 12 TDs this season. USF heads to East Carolina for ESPN's Thursday night football game. If you need a reason to watch the game, check out Jaren Mangham. 

One of the low-key good games of the week is SMU at Houston. While everyone in and around the AAC is waiting for the SMU-Cincinnati game to come in a couple of weeks, but Houston is currently sitting on top of the league with a 4-0 mark. SMU's Tanner Mordecai has been sensational of late, throwing for 427 yards and 3 TDs in a dismantling of Tulane last week (he also ran for a score). That was his best performance of the season and the sixth time he's thrown for over 300 yards in a game this season. He's already thrown 29 touchdown passes this season and the Tulane game was the first time he didn't throw a pick in a game since September 18th. 

Could Kenny Pickett actually win the Heisman trophy? He's currently 4th according to the oddsmakers and he has a strong case to be a dark horse in the race. He's completed 68.9% of his passes for 2,236 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just one interception. He's also rushed for a pair of touchdowns this year, has the Panthers at 6-1, and maybe the best team in the ACC. The Coastal Division hasn't produced an ACC champion in over a decade but Pickett and the Panthers could pull it off. The Panthers hosts Miami on Saturday. 

Things haven't gone to plan for Purdy or Iowa State this season. The Cyclones were a pre-season trendy pick to win the Big 12 and contend for a playoff spot and Purdy was on all those Heisman lists. Losses to Iowa and Baylor (neither seems as egregious now) ended those talks, but Purdy and Iowa State are warming up a bit. They knocked off previously-undefeated Oklahoma State behind Purdy's 307 yards and a pair of TDs. He's completed 82.5% of his passes over the last three weeks which has resulted in 7 touchdowns and zero picks. Iowa State is back in the rankings and heads east to West Virginia to face a team that has lost three of their last four games. 

Two weeks ago, Smith rolled up 188 yards and 3 touchdowns against future Big 12 foe BYU and has now scored a touchdown in six of the Bears' seven games this season. He had 27 carries in that game -- most this season -- which shows the faith the coaching staff has in him to literally carry the offense. It is an amazing rise for Smith, who was converted to a linebacker last season to help in coverage after gaining just 46 yards as a running back during his first two seasons in Waco. Now he's back on offense and finds himself as the featured back. Baylor hosts Texas on Saturday.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is getting healthier by the week. He was everywhere in the Ducks' win over UCLA last week and was a disruptive force (4.5 tackles for loss in the game). Still, Oregon gave up 31 points in the game and, while they still have that win in Columbus to hang their hat on, the Ducks don't allow you to put your faith in them to truly make a playoff run. Thibodeaux can be that leader that the entire team rallies behind. They should take care of Colorado this week and have a favorable schedule down the stretch, so if that defense can become what we feel they should be, the Ducks will make things very interesting for the Playoff committee. 

Tucker leads the nation in rushing yards and is currently the only player to reach the 1,000-yard mark already. He's hit the 100-yard mark in seven of the Orange's eight games, topping 150-yards four times. He also is a threat in the passing game -- against Albany, he caught a 72-yard TD pass. The 'Cuse hosts Boston College this weekend.

A huge showdown in the Big Ten features undefeated Michigan at undefeated Michigan State. Sparty has been led by running back Kenneth Walker III, who currently leads the conference in rushing and is second nationally. He's rushed for at least 172 yards three different times this season and has scored 10 total touchdowns. Arguably the transfer of the season, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon will be leaned on heavily against the Wolverines. 

In a season that has seemingly lacked the star power we've grown accustomed to in recent years, Caleb Williams has suddenly grown into a folk hero of sorts. After having his name chanted by the crowd as Spencer Rattler and Oklahoma were struggling against West Virginia, to coming in and leading the comeback to beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry, to torching TCU for four touchdowns, to his highlight play of ripping the ball away from a teammate to pick up a crucial first down, he has blown up in college football circles. Still, the Sooners struggled to beat a team they were favored to beat by 30+ points last week and have one of the most interesting schedules going forward. They get Texas Tech this week, who just removed their head coach, which creates a great opportunity to try to smooth the rough edges. After that comes at Baylor, Iowa State, and at Oklahoma State. Williams' dual-threat ability has Oklahoma back as a serious national championship contender, and he should show that off against the Red Raiders this week.