2022 College Football Insider Week 6

Quote of the week

TEAM TO WATCH: Wake Forest

Wake Forest has taken up residence in the Top 25 as it looks to make its seventh-straight bowl appearance under head coach Dave Clawson.

The team’s only loss this season was a 2OT nailbiter against conference favorite and fifth-ranked Clemson in which the Demon Deacons still impressed as they exchanged blows with the Tigers. They followed up with a 31-21 defeat of then-No. 23 Florida State last week to put them at No. 15 in the AP Poll, their highest spot this season.

They rank second in the ACC in passing yards per game (298.0) and running back Justice Ellison ran for a season-high 114 yards against the Seminoles. With big matchups against No. 15 NC State and No. 22 Syracuse still to come, this Wake Forest squad should continue to excite.

Wake hosts Army at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN3.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Texas Christian University

The Big 12 seems to be anyone’s game this season, with TCU the latest component of the unpredictability. Now ranked at No. 17, TCU’s 55-24 takedown of Oklahoma has the Horned Frogs at 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and on national notice.

Oklahoma fumbled within the first minute of the game, and the momentum remained with TCU from there. Quarterback Max Duggan shined with 302 passing yards and 116 of TCU’s 361 rushing yards, earning National Offensive Player of the Week accolades. He recorded a 73-yard passing touchdown and a 67-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to become just the second player (Lamar Jackson, 2016) in 15 years with a 60+ yard passing TD and 60+ yard rushing TD in the first quarter of a game.

The Horned Frogs travel to Lawrence on Saturday to take on Kansas at 9:00 a.m. PHX time on FS1.

“I just took advantage of it and blocked it… I saw [Decamerion Richardson] pick it up and I just wanted to go have fun with him in the end zone. I’d do anything to help my brother out.” - Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes on his blocked field goal and blocking of Texas A&M players on the “block-6” return

TENNESSEE AT

LSU

TCU AT

KANSAS

TECH AT #7 OKLAHOMA STATE

12:30

#3 OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE

1:00 PM

A&M AT #1 ALABAMA

5:00 PM

a full schedule of Week Six games,

the full AP Top 25 Rankings,

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

SEMIFINAL AT THE VRBO FIESTA BOWL:

ESPN Bonagura

Ohio State vs. Alabama

game of the week

#11 UTAH AT #18 UCLA

Two of the Pac-12’s top teams meet for a game with major conference championship implications. After beating then-No. 15 Washington to climb into the Top 25, UCLA looks to solidify itself as a true contender. Utah has maintained a steady stay in the rankings but will face a challenge in the undefeated Bruins.

The key could be in the run game—Utah will try to bounce back from a weak rushing performance last week against a UCLA defense that held Washington to just 65 rushing yards.

The Utes meet the Bruins at 12:30 p.m. PHX on FOX.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL:

ESPN Bonagura – Michigan State vs. Oklahoma

ESPN Schlabach

Ohio State vs. Georgia College Football News

USA Today

Ohio State vs. Clemson

Ohio State vs. Alabama

ESPN Schlabach – Iowa vs. Oklahoma College Football News – Wisconsin vs. Kansas State

USA Today

Maryland vs. Oklahoma

CBS

Ohio State vs. Alabama Action Network

Ohio State vs. Georgia

CBS – Wisconsin vs. Kansas State Action Network

Wisconsin vs. Kansas State

Miles Sanders

When we saw running back Miles Sanders in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, he punched in a touchdown for Penn State to help the Nittany Lions to a 35-28 victory over Washington. He went on to be selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and was key in their 29-21 victory on Sunday over fellow Fiesta Bowl alum Trevor Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sanders recorded two touchdowns and 156 total yards against the Jags, which proved critical in the Eagles’ push to stay unbeaten at 4-0. Sanders is third in the NFL in rushing yards (356) behind Nick Chubb and Penn State teammate Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles look to continue their stay atop the NFC East against Arizona on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PHX from State Farm Stadium, home of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Big NEWS!

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 27 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports, and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for week six:

Big Ten Big 12

• The Big Ten has three teams in the AP Top 10 heading into week six: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan and No. 10 Penn State. Maryland, Minnesota and Purdue also received votes in the Top 25.

• Of the 16 FBS teams that remain undefeated, three are from the Big Ten: Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State.

• Wisconsin parted ways with Head Coach Paul Chryst after eight seasons. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will serve in the interim as the Badgers determine the permanent replacement.

• Heisman hopeful C.J. Stroud threw a pair of touchdown passes for the 10th straight game on Saturday, the longest active streak in the FBS. He is one TD shy of tying Justin Fields for the second-most by an Ohio State player.

• Michigan is outscoring its opponents by 169 points, the third-most in the nation behind Alabama and Ohio State. They are one of five teams to outgain their opponents by more than 1,000 yards, joining Alabama, Ohio State, Minnesota and Georgia.

• The Big 12 has four teams in the AP Top 25 this week: No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 17 TCU, No. 19 Kansas and No. 20 Kansas State. Baylor and Oklahoma also received votes.

• Of the 16 FBS teams that remain undefeated, three are from the Big 12: Kansas, Oklahoma State and TCU.

• The Big 12 is the only conference in which 90% of teams have a winning record. The conference leads all others in scoring, total yards, rushing yards, pass completion percent, passing TD percentage and passer rating.

• TCU quarterback Max Duggan was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week after his 418-yard, 5 TD performance against Oklahoma. Duggan boasts the nation’s third highest QBR, behind Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels.

• ESPN’s College GameDay team will be in Lawrence for the first time for the TCU vs. KU game on Saturday.

MORE THAN JUST A GAME ®

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: JASON DE LUIGI’S CONTRIBUTIONS GO BEYOND BOX SCORE

When the Beaver County (PA) Sports Hall of Fame was ready to announce its 2020 class, the pandemic caused the ceremony to be rescheduled three times. For Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket Committee Member Dr. Jason De Luigi, the hall’s third inductee in the sports medicine field, it was worth the wait.

De Luigi earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001. He joined the Army after medical school and was twice-awarded an Army Commendation Medal (2007, 2010) and a Bronze Star Medal (2009).

He began a sports fellowship at Georgetown University following his military service, paving the way to roles like Head Team Physician with the Washington Wizards and Medical Director and Head Team Physician with the Washington Mystics.

He moved to Arizona in 2018, where he now works for the Mayo Clinic, Phoenix Rising, and will soon serve as the Medical Director of the 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He joined the Fiesta Bowl Organization in 2019, immediately impressed with the organization’s charitable impact.

“This is much more than a football game,” said De Luigi. “It is a major impact on the community. This is a terrific way for me to be part of the game but also be more part of the community.”

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT: CHINLE PLANTING HOPE

The Chinle Planting Hope Community Center is one of 40 Arizona nonprofits selected for the 2022-23 Fiesta Bowl Charities grant cycle. Located on the Navajo Nation, the organization is devoted to building projects for the physical, social, educational and spiritual health of local Navajo community members. The grant will help Chinle Planting Hope give children from Chinle and its surrounding communities access to resources, literacy, creative thinking, STEM programs, children’s museums and a bookmobile. The organization will design and implement these new projects to instill a passion for science in children and develop a place where they can experience it through hands-on play.

Chinle Planting Hope started with about 80 people working together as a community volunteer team. The team was able to complete community projects, help local teachers and develop programs for underserved individuals. The organization has offered services including a food bank, community garden, bike shop, playground and a thrift store.