College football Week 7 watchability rankings: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is appointment TV
Take a nap on Saturday. Down a few extra cups of coffee. Chug some soda.
Whatever you need to do to keep your eyes open for an 11 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday night, do it.
Because No. 17 Boise State plays at Hawaii on the CBS Sports Network, and Ashton Jeanty is going to run all over the Rainbow Warriors, like a hot knife slicing through a buttered biscuit. He’s going to run around them, over them and through them, like, well — Nick Saban still said it best.
That’s not a knock-on Hawaii’s defense — though it is allowing a mediocre 120.6 yards per game on the ground — it’s simply that Jeanty does this to everyone. And that’s not hyperbole.
Jeanty, a 5-foot-9 junior from Jacksonville, Florida, has rushed for at least 127 yards in each of the six games he’s played this season. Last week, he piled up 186 rushing yards and three scores on 13 carries.
He’s rushed for a nation-leading 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns so far this season. To put some of those astronomical rushing total into perspective, Jeanty has ran for 260 yards more than the country’s second-leading rusher, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, and for four more touchdowns than second-place rushing-scorer Dylan Sampson of Tennessee.
And Jeanty is running at an incredibly efficient pace too, averaging (you guessed it) a nation-leading 10.9 yards per carry. Jeanty isn’t even in the top 14 in the country in total carries.
What’s within reach now for Jeanty and Boise State are three things: a College Football Playoff berth for the Broncos, a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony for Jeanty, and a shot at breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
Sanders scampered for 2,628 yards. Jeanty currently trails him by 1,597 yards. Let’s assume that Boise State plays in the Mountain West title game and then at least one postseason game – either in the playoff or a bowl. That would give Jeanty nine games to catch him. He would have to average 177.4 yards per game.
Right now, Jeanty averages 206.2 yards per game.
So yes, there’s a legitimate chance for him to catch Barry.
Boise State and Jeanty might make history this season. They deserve the attention of college football fans across the country until further notice.
Here are the other games you should pay attention to this week…
Best Game of the Week: No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC, Peacock
(Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
The winner of this game gets a big leg up in the race for the Big Ten title, and might be ranked as the AP No. 1 on Sunday depending on what happens in the Red River matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma. Our last top five matchup we had this season — Week 5’s Alabama versus Georgia — had a big comeback and a memorable ending. Let’s hope the Ducks against the Buckeyes creates the same sort of fireworks.
Game that might have an impact on the College Football Playoff: No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ABC
(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
If we’re to assume that the SEC gets three or four teams in the College Football Playoff, this is shaping up to be a loser-leaves-town matchup. With Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama ranked ahead of both teams currently, and with Ole Miss and LSU already having one loss on their resume, neither side can probably afford another and still expect to get in. Especially considering Ole Miss still has to play No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 5 Georgia, and LSU still has to play No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 7 Alabama and OU too.
Fun fact: Ole Miss has not won in Baton Rouge since 2008, going 0-7 in Death Valley since then.
Weird Weeknight Game of the Week: No. 16 Utah at Arizona State
Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Is Utah for real, or a pretender? Kyle Whittingham’s team is coming off a 23-10 loss to Arizona in which they failed to rush for 100 yards, lost the turnover battle, and went 0-of-4 on fourth down conversions.
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils are a surprising 4-1 after a win over Kansas. Arizona State has already surpassed its win total from each of the past two seasons. Can they get one game closer to bowl eligibility here by upsetting Utah?
Awesome Group of Five matchup worth watching: Coastal Carolina at James Madison
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2
(Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
The Dukes are coming off a surprising loss at UL Monroe, while the Chanticleers just beat Old Dominion. Both teams are 4-1, and both have high-powered offenses, both scoring north of 38 points per game, and both ranking in the top 25 nationally in FBS scoring offenses. The winner of this matchup puts themselves back in the driver’s seat to contend for the Sun Belt crown.
Keep an eye on the quarterbacks. Coastal’s Ethan Vasko is eighth in FBS in passing yards per attempt (10), while JMU’s Alonza Barnett III has totaled more than 1,500 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns this season.
Sickos Guilty Pleasure Game of the Week: Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – The CW
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
It’s the Geoff Collins Bowl. It also might be the fourth loss in a row for the Tar Heels.
When does basketball season start in Chapel Hill?
Also watch…
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Cal at No. 22 Pitt: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Washington State at Fresno State: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET – FS1
No. 18 Kansas State at Colorado: Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET – ESPN