Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

5-Star OT Andrew Babalola Commits to Michigan

5-Star OT Andrew Babalola committed to Michigan yesterday over his other finalists: Oklahoma, Missouri, Auburn, and Stanford.

For Babalola, he spoke on “the overall family atmosphere,” for why he wanted to be a Michigan Man. He sees the Michigan program as the complete package, saying to On3 that it has “everything I need off the field, the academics, just knowing that I’m going to be taken care of… playing on the big stage of Michigan, one of the more tradition-rich schools in the country. I can’t wait to get in with the guys and turn this thing around.”

Babalola is a 5-star according to both 247 and On3, with ESPN and Rivals rating him a 4-star talent. According to the On3 industry composite, Babalola is a 5-star who ranks 19th nationally and 4th of the OTs.

He is also Michigan’s highest rated recruit in the 2025 class as the Wolverines’ lone 5-star. Michigan now has 13 Blue Chip commitments, though, and 17 commitments overall for a 2025 class which ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State, Oregon, and USC.

Dan Lanning on Being Ranked #1: Who Cares?

During his weekly press conference, Oregon Coach Dan Lanning was asked about Oregon’s #1 ranking, to which, he replied: “who cares? Our messaging hasn’t changed. You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating. There’s a lot we still want to accomplish.”

Oregon’s #1 ranking is its first #1 ranking since 2012, when it promptly lost to Stanford in overtime.

This weekend, Oregon is 21.5-point favorites over Illinois. Then the Ducks travels to Michigan before hosting Maryland. Then they finish the regular season traveling to Wisconsin, resting with a bye week, and then hosting Washington.

4-Star DL Joseph Mbatchou Decommits from Florida

4-Star DL Joseph Mbatchou decommitted from Florida yesterday after originally committing back in late July.

Mbatchou now appears to be considering the following 7 programs, including Florida, still: Texas, Auburn, USC, Florida, Michigan, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Mbatchou is a 4-star according to every recruiting service except Rivals. According to the On3 industry composite, he ranks 379th nationally and 33rd for the DL position.

Florida’s 2025 class is now down to 6 Blue Chip commitments and 11 commitments overall for a 2025 class which currently ranks 33rd nationally and 15th out of 16 in the SEC, ahead of only Vanderbilt.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers Not Sitting for Remainder of 2024 Season; 247’s IG Was Likely Hacked

247Sports briefly posted a graphic on Instagram stating that Quinn Ewers was going to be sitting out the remainder of the 2024 season to focus on preparation for the NFL Draft.

Sources are saying that this deleted post is categorically false, and 247Sports’ Instagram account was likely hacked.

“It is absolutely not true,” a source said, also pointing out that Ewers practiced with the team Monday, if there was any concern.

Oklahoma Names Jackson Arnold Starting QB for Game vs. Ole Miss

Oklahoma has announced that Jackson Arnold will start this weekend for the Sooners against Ole Miss.

This move comes shortly after former OC Seth Littrell was fired after the loss to South Carolina. True freshman Michael Hawkins started 3 games which saw OU go 1-2 and struggle offensively.

Arnold came in against South Carolina, which ruined his chance of redshirting this season, a move Arnold was comfortable with:

“I told Coach V that if things were going to continue to go how they were, I didn’t want to take pointless snaps and burn a redshirt if it would be better for me to keep. But I also told him that if you need me to come in and win a game, I was going to do that. I’ve invested so much in the team, and I was going to be there for them regardless.”

Hawkins also burned his chance at a redshirt this season by playing in the South Carolina game, as he’s played 187 snaps across 5 games this season (Temple and Tennessee, plus starts against Auburn, Texas, and South Carolina).

The rest of Oklahoma’s schedule is at Ole Miss, Maine, at Missouri, [bye week], Alabama, and at LSU, a really tough way to close the season in SEC play.

Michigan QB Update: Right Now, Tuttle Will Be The Guy, Per Sherrone Moore

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore recently took some time to share where the Wolverines currently stand at the quarterback position following the 4-3 start where quarterback has been one of the glaring issues with the team.

And as for how Moore sees it, Moore said on his Monday radio show that, “I think right now, Jack [Tuttle] will be the guy. But you have to go through the week and see what happens.”

On the season, Tuttle is currently 30-for-50 passing with 306 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Davis Warren opened the season as the starting quarterback, and he is 48-for-72 on the season, with 444 yards, 2 touchdowns, but 6 interceptions. Alex Orji then got a few games-worth of starts, where he’s been 23-for-43 passing with 148 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. He’s also added 124 yards on 35 rushing attempts, as he provides a dual-threat capability.

The problem for Michigan is that through 7 games, the QBs are a combined 101-for-165 with 898 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Despite this, Michigan is still 5.5-point favorites over rival Michigan State this weekend.

Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava on Mindset in 2nd Half to Beat Alabama

In Tennessee’s 24-17 win over Alabama, it was a fairly slow start for the Volunteers offensively, going into the locker rooms with 143 yards and 0 points.

However, by the end of the game, Tennessee scored enough points to win and tallied 265 yards in the 2nd half. As for how QB Nico Iamaleava was able to keep his mind right to overcome that adversity, he described it as a “next play mentality.”

Iamaleava shared, “Coach Heup, that’s something he always preaches. Man, it’s not going the way we wanted in the first half. And we got to keep battling, keep going strong for our guys. … I’m glad the way we came out in the second half.”

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty Responds to Travis Hunter’s Comments

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty had some time to respond to Colorado star Travis Hunter’s comments due to Boise State being on a bye this week.

Jeanty responded to Hunter’s comments by saying, “Kudos to Travis, he’s balling for real. He’s doing some stuff we ain’t ever seen nobody do. Personally, I don’t take no offense to it. He’s just speaking his opinion, everybody’s got an opinion. For me, what I’ve been doing hasn’t been done in 36, 37 years, so that’s something special. If I keep that up and break a record that’s been around for 36 years, I feel like you can’t really compete with that.”

As for if Jeanty believes he should be the winner of the Heisman, there’s no question in his mind: “Me, for sure. You know I gotta say me. He is balling, but I just feel like what I’m doing, it’s too special. … I know my talent, I feel like I’m the best player in college football.

3-Star TE Logan Farrell Flips to Illinois from North Carolina

3-star TE Logan Farrell has flipped his commitment from North Carolina to Illinois after originally committing to the Tar Heels back in November of 2023.

According to the On3 industry composite, Farrell is the 729th ranked player nationally and 39th ranked TE for the 2025 class.

Illinois is now up to 15 commitments for the 2025 class, which ranks 55th nationally and 15th of 18 in the Big Ten.

Maryland Backup QB Cameron Edge Plans to Enter Transfer Portal

Maryland’s backup QB, Cameron Edge, plans to enter the transfer portal after Billy Edwards Jr. has taken command of the starting job.

Edge, along with NC State transfer MJ Morris, lost the job over the summer to Edwards, and Edwards has since ran with the job, leading the Big Ten with 301.9 passing yards per game.

Edge has only appeared in two games: against UConn and Villanova. He was a combined 5-for-8 with 67 yards and a touchdown.

Edge was originally in the Class of 2022, where he was rated a 4-star by both Rivals and ESPN, but rated a 3-star by both On3 and 247. According to the On3 industry composite, he was the 439th ranked player nationally and the 24th ranked QB of the 2022 class.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (87) QB Tristan Ti’a commits to Oregon State

3-Star (87) DL Asaiah Hamond commits to Maryland

3-Star (86) LB Austin Howard decommits from Mississippi State

2026 3-Star (86) DL Tyson Bacon commits to Tennessee

3-Star (85) EDGE Gavin Garretson decommits from San Diego State

3-Star (84) S Alijah Hamond commits to Maryland

3-Star (80) IOL Filimone Fangupo commits to Utah State