College Football Mailbag: Josh Heupel Returns To Oklahoma, Arizona State Hype, And Billy Napier Is Hopeless

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Another week of college football has come and gone, with a pretty stacked slate of games ahead this weekend, which should be called ‘Reality Check Saturday’ for a number of teams.

Besides USC traveling to Michigan for a Big Ten showdown, the Tennessee versus Oklahoma game in Norman, also known as the “Heupel Bowl’, will be in prime time on ABC. Let’s not forget the Big 12 showdown between Oklahoma State and Utah, as that one has a chance to steal the day. 

As for the questions that are swirling around college football, the inbox was loaded this week from college football fans looking for answers, or making a few statements. Either way, I dove into the list and had to choose five questions out of the 23 received, just for the sake of holding your attention. 

So, here we go. 

Hey Trey. How personal is this upcoming weekend for Josh Heupel, with Tennessee coming to Oklahoma?

—William, Oklahoma City

Alright William, I’m going to shoot you straight with this one. As much as Josh Heupel doesn’t want to make a big deal about going back to Oklahoma to coach on the opposite sidelines, it certainly is. The Tennessee coach has done his best to keep things about his team, and not the fact that he’s walking back into a place where he won a national championship, but also had a falling-out as an assistant coach. 

Obviously, this hasn’t been the best relationship over the years, and folks behind the scenes know this. So to get to your question, he will never admit it publicly, but this is a very big deal for Heupel. And the other thing that should be noted is that his team knows how personal this is for him. How does that effect the game on Saturday? I have no idea, but IF the Vols get a chance to run it up, and that’s going to be difficult, I would imagine his team will push for him to add a few points to the scoreboard. 

For Oklahoma, I understand that some have wanted to mend some broken fences over the past number of years, and Josh has appeared in Norman for a few events since he was fired, but this one is going to be an intense game on both sides. 

I look forward to being in Norman for this one. 

Is Shedeur Sanders more Jackson Mahomes than he is Patrick Mahomes?

—Zach Paxton, Murfreesboro

Interesting comparison, but no. Look, I get that folks are thrown-off with the antics of Shedeur Sanders, along with others on the Colorado football team. It gets old at times, even for the folks inside the administration. But Sanders does talk a big game, and usually backs it up. Hence the key word ‘usually’, which wasn’t the case at Nebraska, or at times last season. 

But, he’s a good quarterback, and has found a way to use his platform to make money off NIL. Here’s the thing though. Nobody in the NFL gives a damn about his shenanigans, and that will not be tolerated at the next level, which we have seen with others players in the league. Once he leaves college, it’s time to put some of these things to the side, and it won’t be all about him and Travis Hunter. 

You’re probably referring to the video of him not shaking the hand of the Colorado State quarterback postgame. First off, that video of the Rams players talking smack about Colorado was put out at the perfect time last week, in my opinion. They had been sitting on that video for a month, and decided to release it three days before the game, which Deion Sanders discussed during his postgame press conference. So, take that for what it’s worth. They did talk trash, but why it was held for a month, you can come to your own conclusions. 

I really like Shedeur and his abilities as a quarterback, but NFL executives won’t tolerate some of the other ‘stuff’ that we’ve seen over the past three years. 

What do you think of Arizona State starting off 3-0?

—Emily, Sun Devils Fan

How about those fighting Kenny Dillinghams? Look, I have enjoyed seeing ASU have success on the field, as I think Dillingham had a really tough off-season making sure this team was ready for 2024. That being said, I’m curious to see how they play from here. An upcoming trip to Texas Tech, followed by games against Kansas, Utah, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State is going to be a tall task. 

But, if RB Cam Skattebo can keep grinding it out on the ground, and freshman QB Sam Leavitt can keep control of this offense, I think they can grab at least 2 out of the next five games, maybe three. The Big 12 is wild this season, with a bunch of new additions, so it’s a crapshoot at the moment with teams chasing Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah

I’m keeping my eye on Kenny Dillingham, because they have an opportunity to take the next step as a program. 

Can Florida just figure this sh-t out? I don’t think Billy Napier is going to make it to the end of season.

—James, Pensacola, Florida

James, all you can do now is somehow put on a smile. It’s like watching the ‘Joker’ movie with this team. The Gators don’t look like a squad that is prepared on game days, and that’s an indictment on the coaching staff. How in the world do you allow Marcel Reed to lead Texas A&M to a monster performance on the ground, in an area where I thought Florida would be improved. 

The flip-flopping at quarterback doesn’t help, as this should be the DJ Lagway show now, but this has not gone according to plan. Billy Napier is in a very tough spot, most of it self-inflicted, and I don’t think he survives the season, if this is the product we’re seeing in his third year. The Aggies ran circles around the Gators, and I would be dreading to see what UCF and Tennessee will do on offense against Florida. 

To be honest, James, the writing is on the wall. Just because Billy Napier says he hasn’t had any discussions with leaders at Florida about his future doesn’t mean the leaders haven’t held discussions about Napier’s future. This is going to come crashing down in a very big way, judging by what we’ve seen. And I don’t think Billy Napier will be the only one without a job at the end of the 2024 season in Gainesville. 

That will do it for this week’s mailbag. Don’t forget to send those questions in, and I will do my best to get to them all. Also, send me some recommendations for the trip to Norman, Oklahoma this week to, Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com