In today’s Fact or Fiction national columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. Malik Willis should be the top QB in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I saw the Liberty quarterback making it to the top of some draft boards before the weekend and I was a bit puzzled. Willis is a talented player and he is very athletic, but he doesn’t have the overall polish for No. 1 overall in my book and would be a risk there.
Who’s my No. 1? It’s still Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, who is running for his life each play and having receivers run wrong routes, which is making him ineffective. See below.
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2. Clemson is the most disappointing offense so far this season.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Clemson is pretty bad on offense and the play-calling puzzles me, but with a new quarterback, a star receiver coming back from a year off and replacing a first-round running back, maybe it’s not as stunning as Oklahoma.
The Sooners were supposed to be unstoppable this season with Kennedy Brooks back, Eric Gray added to the offensive backfield and Spencer Rattler in year two of the system. And with so many elite wide receivers to choose from there is no way anyone expected these weak performances.
The problem? The offensive line is horrible, and Rattler is running around each play while the running game can’t get on track. If they keep struggling the Sooners will likely be out of the playoff picture before too long.
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3. Wisconsin should have stuck with Jack Coan.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This has come up after Graham Mertz laid an absolute egg against Notre Dame and Coan was solid before leaving with an ankle injury in the Irish's win over Wisconsin. Coan could still be the starter for the Badgers had Paul Chryst made that decision. But with Mertz younger and showing so much promise at times last season and with Coan hurt he had to make that call.
The problem? Coan could lead Notre Dame to the playoff, and Wisconsin is heading backward with Mertz, who simply doesn’t look the part of an elite signal caller. But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
