Winner:  Harold Fannin Jr. NFL Draft stock

The Bowling Green Falcons continue to demonstrate why they are one of the most underrated teams this season, hoisting a 6-4 record while being first in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have the fourth best offense in the MAC with 3,805 total yards through ten games. One of the key reasons why Bowling Green has been so successful through the air has been the play of junior tight end Harold Fannin Jr.

He has been one of the best tight ends this season, being nominated to the John Mackey Award watch list. The 6 ‘4 Canton, Ohio native dominated the Western Michigan Broncos this past Tuesday, with 137 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 31-13 win. If Fannin Jr. continues to be a dominant force, his draft stock will continue to rise.

Losers: Kent State losing streak

By the grace of Julian Edelman’s soul, something has to change for the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Golden Flashes have not won a game since Sept. 16, 2023 against Football Championship Subdivision team Central Connecticut State. Since then, Kent State has lost 19 straight games, including a 34-7 loss to the Miami, Ohio RedHawks on Wednesday. 

Kent State’s junior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski had an off night, throwing for just 82 yards on 10/21 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. The Golden Flashes’ defense also struggled stopping the RedHawks offense, with senior running back Keyon Mozee rushing for 196 yards and a touchdown. While Kent State fans are disappointed in the football team, they can at least support their basketball team, who has a 2-1 record.

Winner: Billy Napier’s job security

The Swamp was very recently calling for a change in leadership following a lackluster 1-2 start from coach Billy Napier’s Gators. Despite taking on one of the toughest schedules in the country, Florida has made the most of its 2024 campaign and are only one win away from bowl eligibility.

The once impenetrable LSU offensive line gave up seven sacks and was bullied en route to a 27-16 upset that saw head coach Brian Kelly lose his fake Cajun accent and his cool. Seriously, this man got in a screaming match with his wide receivers several times, as patience is running thin in Baton Rouge, Louisiana amid the Tigers’ three-game losing skid.

Napier, however, can rest easy knowing the locks won’t be changed at his facility, so long as the Florida faithful continue to believe him and true freshman QB DJ Lagway can return the program to the 2008 BCS Championship level — minus all the subsequent arrests. 

Losers: Carson Beck haters

Like many others, I was busy comparing redshirt senior Carson Beck to a hammerhead shark rather than actually believing he stood a chance against No. 7 Tennessee. Then-No. 12 Georgia entered the game as 7.5 point favorites but had many questions after an embarrassing 28-10 loss to Ole Miss in Week 11. The biggest question mark appeared to be Beck, whose hype train has been shelled with interceptions and fumbles alike.

Undeterred by that fact, however, the Jacksonville product engineered an all-too-necessary bounce-back game, going 25-for-40 with 379 total yards and three total touchdowns. Heck, he showed off a little Stetson Bennett IV magic on a third down scamper into the endzone.

Even more surprisingly, Beck did not turn the ball over after having four straight games of multiple turnovers. While his draft stock certainly needs a lot of repairing before Mel Kiper begins predicting the Georgia QB as a first round prospect, Beck has hushed the Dawg House for at least a moment as the Bulldogs set their sights on the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff.

Winner: The Tulane Green Wave taking on the US military

Led by Heisman Trophy candidate junior running back Ashton Jeanty, Boise State has been leading the way in the race for the Group of Five’s bid for the CFP. However, the last few weeks the Green Wave has crashed the party and looks to be the most dangerous team.

With a dynamic back of their own, redshirt sophomore RB Makhi Hughes, Tulane averages more than 40 points a game. After sinking Navy’s chances at the AAC Championship in a 35-0 win, Tulane now has a date with Army for conference supremacy. If Tulane continues their success and beats coach Jeff Monken’s men on Dec. 6, they will force the CFP selection committee to make a tough decision between the Green Wave and the Broncos.

Loser: Kennesaw State firing coach Brian Bohannon (Mathias)

After coach Brian Bohannon lifted Kennesaw State out of the doldrums of the FCS, the school repaid him by firing him on Nov. 10 because it is 1-8 on the year. Now, I’m under no illusions that 1-8 is a good record, but in the school’s first year as an FBS program, firing the coach who won you three conference titles in the FCS is short-sighted.

Bohannon continued to show his class by showing up to the game ahead of kickoff and greeted his players as they entered the stadium. That is the kind of coach you want if you are trying to build a culture at a program in its first year in the big leagues. So, if coaching mediocrity gets rewarded all the time by schools in the Power Four, why did the Owls think they were above that? Kennesaw State lost a good one.

Winner: Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes – DJ

BYU lost at home to an inconsistent Kansas team. The Cougars have struggled scoring in the red zone all season and it finally came back to bite them on their quest to beat the Jayhawks and improve to 10-0. BYU’s loss opens the door for coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes to take the conference. Tied at 6-1 in the Big 12, Colorado has an opportunity to take out the Kansas team that just downed the undefeated giant that was BYU and then a very winnable home matchup against Oklahoma State. 

BYU has to face No. 21 Arizona State on the road, and then battle the Houston Cougars. If Colorado can continue its win streak, it will be in a pretty good spot for the CFP.

Loser: Conner Weigman – DJ

Pre-season Heisman talks and first round potential had Texas A&M football fans buying into redshirt sophomore QB Conner Weigman. After his 979 passing yards and eight touchdowns through four games in 2023, Aggies were yearning for more from the Cypress, Texas native. 

When they got more Weigman, they immediately wanted less after his abysmal night against Notre Dame. An injury kept him sidelined and we saw dual-threat redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed run away with the starting job after Weigman’s rough first half versus LSU. 

Weigman may find himself sliding further down the depth chart after A&M’s decisive win over New Mexico State. The quarterback went two-for-five for 37 yards and an interception after Reed was subbed out early.

Freshman QB Miles O’Neill made a case for QB2 over Weigman, going five-for-six for 51 yards and a touchdown. Given the stark contrast between performances, O’Neill may have been the nail in the coffin for Weigman’s time in College Station.