College football has an amazing way of letting us know we know nothing, just when we think we have it all figured out. What an incredible weekend of football that was! We now have 2+ weeks of data points to digest and use moving forward.
Hoosier Efficiency
The Hoosier QBs have 10 TDs on 32 passing attempts on the season. Josh Hoover currently has a TD rate of 29.6%. His TD rate over his two years as a starter at TCU was 6.3%. The same thing happened to Fernando Mendoza, whose TD rate rose from 4.8% at Cal to 10.8% at Indiana. Kurtis Rourke almost doubled his TD rate at Indiana. Furthermore, Charlie Becker has 5 TDs on 7 receptions.
Six different pass catchers are averaging over 20 yards per reception. This won’t continue in conference play, but it will remain higher than any other program. Indiana under Cignetti is an anomaly. They defy the data, and they break every volume-based rule we have for CFF.
Here are some teams that have unexpectedly increased the pace of play…
Oregon: They are moving 3.5 seconds/snap faster (23rd nationally) than they were last year when they were one of the slowest pace teams in the country. The Ducks’ D is giving up a full 1.2 yards per play more than last year. I was worried the pace and resting players in blowouts would make them irrelevant for CFF, but the loss to Okie State means they are one loss away from needing to run it up on teams to secure a playoff spot.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders rank 7th in pace of play (20th in 2025) mostly because games haven’t been as lopsided as we saw last season. Their defense is giving up 6.5 yards/play as compared to 3.9 yards/play in their dominant 2025 season. They have been a mess to figure out on offense so far, but it could be lucrative if they decide to condense the snaps in conference play.
Others: Ohio State, Nebraska, Syracuse, Baylor, Purdue, Vandy
Players I Expect to be Playing Elsewhere in 2027
Nate Sheppard, Duke- Run em while ya got em, Manny. Duke will need to convince Jon Scheyer to hand over some of that hoops NIL to hang on to Sheppard.
Marcus Stokes, Memphis – He’s proving he is a P4 QB, and those programs will be a lot more comfortable with his past now that a few years have gone by.
Darius Taylor, Minnesota – It is time for the Darius and Fleck divorce. It is time for a fresh start somewhere else. Use those five seasons wisely.
Jesse Legree, Oregon State – I know he has a strong connection with JaMarcus Shephard, but Legree is not long for the G6. I’m sure Lincoln Riley has already made the call.
JKS, Cal – You better get your crap together quick, Somerville. You simply don’t get a second bullet with a talent like JKS when you miss the target this badly.
The OG TEITO 2.0?
Our good friend at Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Eric Froton, once titled the hybrid tight end position a “TEITO” – Tight End In Title Only. One of the original TEITOs was none other than Oronde Gadsden for Syracuse. Well, the Orange may have found their next TEITO in Daunte Bacheyie. He’s a second-year “TE” listed at 6-5, 225. His positioning in either the slot or out wide 43% of the time isn’t quite the level of Gadsden at close to 67%, but he’s on his way. Steve Angeli has even said Bacheyie reminds him of Gasden, and Fran Brown said, “My vision of him is to become like OG.”
Fame is Very Right
I’ll admit, I wasn’t in on Purdue RB Fame Ijeboi. I thought he looked stiff and lacked explosiveness when filling in for Darius Taylor at Minnesota. But here is the deal…players can improve! Per PFF, he has 19 missed tackles forced through two games. I understand it was against Indiana State and Wake Forest, but he looks to have added a step. His nine targets will also play. He appears to be the Boilermakers’ workhorse and is in line for a strong season.
