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An edible mascot? The Pop-Tarts Bowl is taking its best shot at one-upping the iconic mayonnaise bath of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Here’s what’s happening in college football Until Saturday …
Pac-12 Title and Heisman
Should voters wait to cast ballots?
The Athletic’s Heisman straw poll is down to a race among three quarterbacks: Oregon’s Bo Nix, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
- Nix and Penix will meet on Friday in the Pac-12 Championship Game, but it’s not Penix who was Nix’s biggest Heisman competition this week.
- Daniels received the same number of first-place votes (16) as Nix and finished only four points behind the Oregon star. Daniels leads the country in touchdown passes (40), yards per attempt (11.7) and rushing yards by a QB (1,134). Daniels, however, won’t get the opportunity to prove his case this weekend as the 9-3 Tigers won’t play for the SEC championship.
Before official Heisman ballots are submitted (they are due from voters on Monday) The Athletic senior writer David Ubben has a bone to pick with the voting system:
“Monday morning, the Heisman Trophy’s website opened up for voters to submit their ballots. It’s reasonable timing, with the regular season wrapped up.
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“But voters who submit ballots before Saturday should have them taken away. This is true in any year but especially this year. Daniels won’t play again until after the trophy is handed out, but contenders like Penix and Nix will play what amounts to a national quarterfinal on a neutral field indoors on Friday night in Las Vegas.
“The winner will advance to the College Football Playoff as the Pac-12 champion. And the winning quarterback may state a clear case as the best player in the sport.
“In many years, the SEC has had a candidate taking the field on Saturday night, five days after voting begins. Championship weekend is always an opportunity for players to make a convincing final argument in the Heisman race. Bryce Young did it in 2021, shredding Georgia’s historically great defense to win the SEC title and send Alabama to the Playoff. A week later, he hoisted the Heisman.
“If voters cast a ballot before those games are played, they’re voting without all the pertinent data to make that decision. Each year, there are 870 voters spread out in four regions across America, plus former winners. Most years, around 10 percent of ballots are turned in before conference title games are played. Those voters shouldn’t get to cast ballots the next year.
“The Heisman is the most storied individual award in sports. At the very least, those in contention to win it should have all of their performances considered before voters decide their winner.” — Ubben
Deion Sanders’ first Colorado team finished with a 4-8 record. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)Colorado’s Recruiting Troubles
Early signing period approaching
Colorado is 0-for-2 in the recruiting department the past few days. The Buffs lost four-star 2025 QB Antwann Hill Jr. on Sunday, and on Monday, 2024 three-star QB Danny O’Neil decommitted. The Buffs’ 3-0 start and lofty recruiting goals seem like a lifetime ago.
Deion Sanders is now without a committed quarterback in his 2024 class as the dominoes just keep falling in Boulder. The Buffs’ 2024 class ranks 65th in the 247Sports Team Composite, two spots ahead of in-state foe Colorado State and 13th out of 16 (for 2024) Big 12 teams. These poor recruiting results could be a major problem for Sanders’ Colorado rebuild, our Ari Wasserman writes.
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With three weeks until the early signing period begins, here’s a look at which team leads each Power 5 conference (don’t forget realignment, folks!):
- ACC: Florida State (No. 3 overall): 3 five-stars, 13 four-stars.
- Big 12: Texas Tech (No. 22 overall): 1 five-star, 5 four-stars.
- Big Ten: Ohio State (No. 2 overall): 5 five-stars, 14 four-stars. (New member Oregon at No. 6 overall is next in line).
- SEC: Georgia (No. 1 overall): 4 five-stars, 19 four-stars (New members Oklahoma and Texas are No. 7 and No. 9, respectively).
- Pac-2 (who knows what’s next): Washington State (No. 59 overall) ranks ahead of Oregon State (No. 63 overall), but neither has a five- or four-star commit.
Delaware Moving Up
What to know about future CUSA member
Delaware is expected to join Conference USA in the 2025-26 academic year, sources briefed on the decision confirmed to The Athletic yesterday. The addition will expand CUSA to 11 members (Kennesaw State joins next year) and will increase the Football Bowl Subdivision to 135 members.
A few Delaware fun facts to get us all acquainted:
- Delaware’s mascot is a Fightin’ Blue Hen. UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources keeps a flock of 20 live blue hens (which aren’t actually blue) on campus, and three members of the flock attend home football games. Contrary to popular belief, the university coined the mascot in 1911, well before the state established the blue hen as its state bird in 1939.
- Notable football alumni: Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator and former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy played QB for the Blue Hens from 1997 to 2000. Former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco played QB there from 2005-07 after transferring from Pitt and was the 18th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
- Oh, and a guy named Joe Biden is also an alum.
Could Blue Raiders stay in the family?
Rick Stockstill is out after 18 seasons as the coach at Middle Tennessee. The 65-year-old had a 113-111 record, but the Blue Raiders haven’t won a conference championship since Stockstill’s first season in 2006.
Stockstill was the fourth-longest-tenured active coach in FBS behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham. But longevity isn’t the only thing Stockstill has in common with his counterpart in Iowa City.
Brent Stockstill, Rick’s son, is Middle Tennessee’s QBs coach and passing game coordinator, just like the father-son tie between Kirk Ferentz and Iowa OC Brian Ferentz. The difference is that some have thought the younger Stockstill (29 years old) might take over the reins in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The younger Ferentz (40 years old) will be out of Iowa City after this season.
Quick Snaps
With Mike Elko returning to Texas A&M, who could replace him at Duke? Marshall coach Charles Huff and Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz lead Bruce Feldman’s list of candidates.
Stewart Mandel lays out each possible College Football Playoff scenario. My personal favorite? A chaotic debate between 12-1 Texas and 12-1 Georgia. After all, if UGA loses to Alabama, which lost to Texas …
Plus, The Athletic’s weekly bowl projections include some intriguing matchups outside the Playoff, including LSU vs. Notre Dame and USC vs. Clemson.
The transfer portal opens Monday, and the action is heating up, including Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke jumping into the action yesterday.
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(Photo of Bo Nix: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
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