1 – NC State QB CJ Bailey (vs. Georgia Tech)

24/32 – 340 yards – 2 touchdowns / 34 rushing yards – 1 touchdown

The Wolfpack pulled off a big 48-36 upset win over 8th ranked Georgia Tech and spoiling the Yellowjackets quest for a perfect regular season. The offensive explosion from the Pack was led by star sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey, who played arguably his best game of his young career as he scrambled and found wide open deep receivers on several plays to keep NC State ahead as the Bees continued to press. For the season, Bailey quietly ranks 13th in QBR and has tied his passing touchdown totals from his freshman season (17) but it hasn’t been all sunshine in Raleigh, as head coach Dave Doeren has found himself on the hot seat after a subpar 4-4 start. Now at 5-4 and with a big win headed into the bye week, the rejuvenated Pack will look to take down the Miami Hurricanes in two weeks to secure another potential top 25 upset as well as bowl eligibility.

2 – Arizona State QB Jeff Sims (vs. Iowa State)

13/24 – 177 yards – 1 touchdown / 29 carries – 228 yards – 2 touchdowns

A name I never would have guessed would show up in the Five Stars this season, Jeff Sims had a ‘remember me’ performance on Saturday in the Sun Devils 24-19 road win over the Cyclones. In the pouring rain, head coach Kenny Dillingham put the game almost entirely in the hands of the 6th year senior, passing 24 times while rushing 29 times (second highest on the team was Raleek Brown with 16) while also being without national standout Jordyn Tyson in the passing game. It wasn’t all pretty, as Sims did turn the ball over three times, but for a quarterback who hadn’t won a game since 2022 and had just 72 pass attempts in his previous 2 seasons it was a performance the Arizona State faithful needed to see especially after the news that Sam Leavitt was done for the season with injury. Now at 6-3 and bowl eligible, the Sun Devils cap the season with a winnable stretch with West Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona.

3 – North Texas RB Caleb Hawkins (vs. Navy)

33 carries – 197 yards – 4 touchdowns / 3 receptions – 9 yards

North Texas made an impressive statement in their bid to secure an American Championship Game birth with a 31-17 win over previously unbeaten Navy. A week after quarterback Drew Mestemaker etched his name in the school record books for passing, the Mean Green relied on their freshman sensation Hawkins to tote the rock and keep the offense on the field as long as possible. His 197 yards and 4 touchdowns were a career high to this point but also the third instance of him eclipsing the century mark on the ground and second instance of him scoring four rushing touchdowns (ironically the other came against Army). North Texas still sits behind Navy and Memphis in the standings, but a closing stretch of UAB, Rice, and Temple should see the Mean Green secure the first (non-forfeit) double digit win season in program history.

4 – San Jose State WR Danny Scudero (vs. Hawaii)

7 receptions – 215 yards – 2 touchdowns

The Spartans continue to produce high output receivers. A year after Nick Nash set the Mountain West a blaze, Scudero has taken the mantle as one of the nations elite receiving threats. At just 5’9″, it’s not as if the sophomore from San Jose is a physical threat but wins with intangibles in the route game and ability to find open space against zone. Now just 8 games into the season, Scudero leads the nation in receiving yards and is averaging over 17 yards per catch but it hasn’t been as great from a team performance. At 3-5, the Spartans need to win three of their final four games (Air Force/Nevada/San Diego State/Fresno State) in order to reach bowl eligibility for a fourth straight season.

5 – Oklahoma K Tate Sandell (vs. #14 Tennessee)

4/4 FG (40, 51, 55, 55) / 3/3 XP

I initially had pass rusher R Mason Thomas on this list for making what was possibly the highlight reel play of the weekend on a 71 yard fumble recovery touchdown in which he stiff armed a Volunteer for a solid twenty yards down field and hobbled his way into the end zone, but we’ll give the standout defender an honorable mention for his Greg Jenningsian effort. It was kicker Tate Sandell who helped propel the Sooners offense to a 33-27 road win in Knoxville, nailing all four field goal tries including three from 50+ while the offense could only muster two trips into the end zone. For the season, the UTSA transfer has hit 18 of his 19 attempts and should be a serious contender for the Lou Groza Award considering his importance to the Sooners scoring cause. Oklahoma will get a bye next week before wrapping the season up with Alabama, Missouri, and LSU.