Tag: michigan

The 3 College Football Games to Watch for Week 2.

Week 2 of the college football season is here. While we all know that most of the games this week are “money games”, there are still a few games, that have serious meaning for not just the upcoming season, but potentially, for the college football playoff picture.

So here are the 3 most important games to watch this weekend.

1) #11 Illinois Fighting Illini at Duke Blue Devils.
Game starts at Noon (EST) on ESPN.

The Fighting Illini are highly ranked and return their best players in starting quarterback Luke Altmeyer, and linebacker Gabe Jacas. Both performed well in their Week 1 win over WIU.

They need junior running back Aidan Laughery to have another 100-yard game, and keep the Duke offense, off the field.

Illinois is a popular “sleeper team” in the Big Ten. They must win games these non-conference games, as their conference schedule starts off tough.

Blue Devils starting quarterback Darian Mensah transferred in from Tulane and made a big impact in Week 1. The sophomore went 27 of 34, for 389 yards, with 3 TDs and 0 INTs. He’ll need to keep that momentum going, because the run game is lacking.

Prediction – Illinois wins 35-28.

2) #15 Michigan Wolverines at #18 Oklahoma Sooners.
Games starts at 7:30 PM (EST) on ABC.

This is only the 2nd time these two rich and storied programs have ever met.

This game is all about the tale of two different quarterbacks.

Michigan is starting a true freshman in Bryce Underwood in his first “true road test”. He looked OK, in his first start last week, going 21 of 31, for 251 yards, with 1 TD.

Oklahoma is trotting out a veteran transfer in junior John Mateer. He looked great in his Sooner debut, going 30 of 37, for 392 yards, with 3 TDs and 1 INT.

Both teams need this win, to break the absolute stink of last season off their skins.

I think homefield and crowd noise is going to play a big part early in this game. It’s hard to play on the road in college football, and Norman is going to be rocking.

Prediction – Oklahoma wins 28-17.

3) Iowa Hawkeyes at #16 Iowa State Cyclones.
Game starts at Noon (EST) on FOX.

Nothing like an early season rivalry game to get the juices flowing.

The Cy-Hawk Trophy Game was started in 1977 by fans, after these two football teams didn’t play for 43 years.

It is one of my favorite rivalry games and trophies.

We all know that the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to be allergic to the passing game. They really on defense and running the football. They ran for 310 total yards in their Week 1 victory, and will absolutely need to do the same thing again. Their defense is always gap sound, and they don’t miss tackles. Senior kicker Drew Stevens nailed a 55-yarder last week, and that’s a great weapon to have.

Iowa State is led by redshirt junior Rocco Becht. He’s a three-year starter for the Cyclones. He’s a gritty and tough quarterback, who has proven he knows how to win big games. Through two games this season, he’s gone 33 of 48, for 461 yards, and 5 TDs and 0 INTs.

Iowa leads the series 47-24, but Iowa State won the trophy last year in a gritty 20-19 game. The Cyclones have won 2 of the last 3 games.

Prediction – Cyclones make it 2 straight wins with a 27-24 victory.

– by Sean McKenzie

Stats and information courtesy of…..ESPN and NCAA.

Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, profootballnetwork, clutchpoints, and sportsgrid.

September 5, 2025
The Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Draft Review.

After a 3-year absence from picking the in the 1st round, thanks to the Deshaun Watson fiasco, the Cleveland Browns made their return in a big way.

They made their first trade before the draft even started. Then decided to keep it going, making multiple trades during the draft.

They started with the #2 pick, but decided to trade it to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the #5 pick, in addition to the Jaguars 1st round pick in next year’s draft.

With that pick, they took Mason Graham, DT, Michigan. He was my one of my top two players. Graham is a hardhat, blue collar type of player. He plays through the snap; he sheds blockers and can rush the passer from the interior. Something the Browns have been sorely missing for over a decade now. Lining him up next to Myles Garrett, will cause problems for opposing offensive lines.

With the 33rd pick, the first in the 2nd round, the Browns took Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA. Carson is a do everything player. His 115 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions, proved his ability to play sideline to sideline. He can drop back into zone coverage and cover tight ends and running backs. He hits the hole hard on the blitz, and does a nice job against the run.

I reported months ago, that the neck injury to Browns starting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, was much more serious than the team let on. There’s a chance the he never plays again, so taking Schwesinger here was a good pick.

Three picks later, with the 36th pick, the Browns selected Quinshon Judkins, HB, Ohio State. Judkins is a hard-nosed, between the tackles, power back. He doesn’t have the speed to take it 90 yards on any play; he has the speed to pick up the chunk plays needed to keep the offense on the field. He showed that he has the capability to catch the ball out of the backfield and showed improvement when picking up blitzers. He’s a faster Kareem Hunt for Browns fan.

With the 67th pick, the Browns selected Harold Fannin Jr, TE, Bowling Green. I love this pick! Fannin is a catching machine. He play on the line of scrimmage, in the slot, and the Falcons even played him out wide at the X sometimes. While he does need to improve his blocking technique, his playmaking ability is undeniable, and he played his best football during Bowling Green’s biggest game. The vaulted defenses at Penn State and Texas A&M had no answers for him at all. Fannin along with Browns Pro-Bowl TE David Njoku, gives the Browns a hellava combination for 12 personnel formations.

With the 94th pick, the Browns selected Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon. Gabriel had 63 career starts in college, with 3 different teams (UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon). He makes quick decisions, and his 155-32 touchdown-to-interception ratio shows that he doesn’t put the ball in danger that often. Yes, he’s short at 5’10”, but his ability to scramble and move within the pocket, keeps hit “batted balls” stat low.

With the 126th pick, the Browns took another running in Dylan Sampson, HB, Tennessee. Sampson is a short, fast, and sneakily powerful running back. He has a nose for the endzone scoring 22 rushing touchdowns last season. He was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year last season with 1,485 yards rushing as well. He can take it to the house at any time, from anywhere on the field. He needs to improve his blitz pickup and blocking ability. He only had 19 catches last season. To be fair, he wasn’t asked to that a lot at Tennessee though.

With their final pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, selected Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado. See my previous article.

FINAL GRADE.

When you add everything together, the Cleveland Browns get an A+.

They came away with 6 players who will start on Day 1 or be meaningful contributors to the team.

Along with securing a 2nd first round draft pick in the 2026 class, it’s impossible to deny that the Cleveland Browns got better not just for this upcoming season, but for the next 3 to 4 seasons to come.

– by Sean McKenzie

Stats and information courtesy of…..ESPN, NFL, NCAA, Cleveland Browns.

Photos courtesy of…..wallpapercave, brownsnation, brownswire, USA Today, Cleveland Browns, duckswire,

April 27, 2025