All Access Football Report: Week 5
All Access Football Report: Week 5
All Access Football brings you up to speed with the latest news from around the football universe!
Volume XXIV Edition LVI | AAF Report Week 5
Today’s AAF Report is presented by Sports Management Worldwide, now offering graduate programs in association with Concordia University! Learn more about earning your Master’s Degree in Sports Management and Sports Leadership. In addition, you can earn an MBA or Doctorate Degree with SMWW, “The Global Leader In Sports Education!"
As a way to ring in the new season, SMWW is opening its Football Career Conference EARLY, so you can get signed up for an amazing football networking event. This day-long career conference offers unique panel discussions and question-answer periods designed to start or advance your career in the business of football. The day will be split up into diverse speaker panels; including scouting, marketing, management, media, public relations, digital video editing, athlete representation, broadcasting, and sports career strategies. Simply put, if you are looking to work in football, this is a must-attend event!
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
The first month of the season has brought much excitement, in addition to plenty of surprises, as the calendar flips from September-to-October and embraces the fall football weather.
Every NFL team has at least one loss and every team except for Jacksonville (0-4) has won at least one game, signaling the ideal parity in which the league wanted when they enacted a salary cap back in 1994. The NFL is as wide open as one can recall during the past 30 years.
Thus far, injuries have had a significant impact on some of the top contenders. We have also seen the value and importance of a backup quarterback once again. In fact, much like starting pitching in MLB, in the NFL, each team is only as good as that day’s starting quarterback.
Nearly one third of the league has already had to resort to their backup at some point due to injury or ineffectiveness; they include the Colts (Joe Flacco), Dolphins (Tyler Huntley), Packers (Malik Willis), Panthers (Anthony Dalton), Patriots (Drake Maye), Raiders (Aidan O’Connell) and Steelers (Justin Fields). Clearly, the most critical element of a successful campaign is keeping your quarterback healthy.
Not having a durable quarterback is no problem for the Texas Longhorns in the college ranks. Sophomore sensation Arch Manning hasn’t skipped a beat in relief of Quinn Ewers, who is working his way back from an abdominal strain. It will be a tough decision for head coach Steve Sarkisian, as Texas enters the bye week and Ewers is expected to emerge healthy enough to return to action with Oklahoma and Georgia on deck.
The stars of tomorrow took stage front and center on Saturday night in a much-hyped SEC showdown that lived up to the billing and then some! The exhilarating 41-34 contest in which Alabama defeated Georgia featured countless future pros, including the potential top two draft-eligible quarterbacks for the 2025 NFL Draft. While Bulldogs signal-caller Carson Beck has widely been considered the consensus No.1 rated quarterback, it’s hard to anoint anyone other than Crimson Tide dual-threat dynamo Jalen Milroe as the true top quarterback prospect in the nation at this point.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more exciting player in the world right now than Travis Hunter of Colorado. Fun to watch, yet also extremely talented. Dating back to last season, Hunter has played in 14 games for the Buffaloes and has averaged a remarkable 120 snaps per game! Dial into a Buffs game and it seems like the two-way superstar is making an impact play nearly every other rep. From big play touchdowns on offense, to momentum changing turnovers on defense, Hunter is our leading contender for the Heisman Trophy and our No.1 overall prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Tune-in below for more on Hunter, the Heisman race, NFL Draft watch, Week 5 storylines and more with All Access Football founder Ric Serritella (Hour 2). Plus, our newsletter weekly polls and award winner watch list rankings, buckle up!
SPORTS RAGE - GABRIEL MORENCY & RIC SERRITELLA
*Tune-in every Tuesday night at 10p eastern on SIRIUSXM Channel 159 Sports Grid.
NFL POWER RANKINGS
Kansas City Chiefs: Injuries continue to mount, leaving Kansas City more vulnerable than ever but still king of the hill.
Baltimore Ravens: A statement win versus Buffalo in primetime proved that Baltimore is a strong challenger.
San Francisco 49ers: The system Kyle Shanahan has constructed around Brock Purdy is tailor-made.
Detroit Lions: This is a deep team with a competent quarterback, which means Detroit is built for the distance.
Houston Texans: A bounce back against Jacksonville has Houston trending back in the right direction.
Minnesota Vikings: The most shocking start to the season easily belongs to Minnesota who has earned respect.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Capable of beating any team ranked ahead of them on this list but must sustain consistency.
Buffalo Bills: We will find out if Buffalo deserves to remain amongst the best with a visit to Houston in the game of the week.
Los Angeles Chargers: A banged up Los Angeles squad played Kansas City down to the wire, this team is tough.
Washington Commanders: We welcome newcomers to the list, as Jayden Daniels has transformed Washington into a contender.
NFL SOUR RANKINGS
Tennessee Titans: Finding a winnable game on the schedule for Tennessee is becoming difficult, perhaps November 3rd (vs New England).
New York Giants: Watching Hard Knocks was witnessing the creation of a horror movie.
Carolina Panthers: One week of optimism was followed up by Carolina reverting back to form.
Miami Dolphins: The season is headed nowhere fast, as Miami is signing quarterbacks off the street at an unprecedented rate.
New England Patriots: It has become evident (to us) that Jacoby Brissett no longer provides New England with the best chance to win.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Making Trevor Lawrence the third highest paid player in the NFL during the offseason seems like a bad business deal.
Cleveland Browns: In an amazing stat, the last time Deshaun Watson threw for over 200 passing yards in a game was November of 2023!
Las Vegas Raiders: The ‘Minshew Mania’ show is on the verge of being cancelled on the Las Vegas boulevard.
Cincinnati Bengals: Can Joe Burrow regain strength in his throwing arm? That is what Cincinnati’s season boils down to.
Arizona Cardinals: There is no consolation for being a competitive 1-3 football team but that’s exactly what Arizona is.
NFL QB RANKINGS
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: Can do more with less than any other QB in the NFL.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens: Could be on his way to a third MVP season.
Josh Allen, Bills: Must prove he can win the big games when it counts most.
Matthew Stafford, Rams: As reliable as it gets when it comes to game time.
Aaron Rodgers, Jets: A smooth operator but failed to will a win over Denver.
Brock Purdy, 49ers: No other signal-caller is more efficient or accurate.
CJ Stroud, Texans: Picking up where he left off, slicing and dicing defenses.
Sam Darnold, Vikings: On a mission to become the modern day Jim Plunkett.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: Second to Darnold for most touchdown passes.
Jared Goff, Lions: One of the most under appreciated players in the league.
HOUSTON: FOOTBALL SHOWCASE & NETWORK EVENT
Attention H-Town! … This Saturday, October 5th is the FA Fall Showcase in Houston at CE King High School. Over 75 players have registered to workout in front of scouts from various pro leagues [signup here]. Join us on Friday night, October 4th at SpringHill Suites Houston Intercontinental Airport for FA Showcase Football Industry Meet & Greet from 8:00-10pm. All Access Football founder and Edmonton Elks scout Ric Serritella will be in attendance for both events. To RSVP contact Eric Merrida: eric.merrida@gmail.com
CFB POWER RANKINGS
Texas Longhorns: Can a two-headed QB conundrum work for Texas?
Alabama Crimson Tide: The consensus No.1 amongst national polls.
Georgia Bulldogs: Slightly edged out by Alabama but firmly in the fold.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Built for the long haul and equipped with talent.
Tennessee Volunteers: A dark horse candidate amongst the loaded SEC.
Ole Miss Rebels: Still opportunity to slay LSU, Oklahoma and Georgia.
Penn State Nittany Lions: On a crash course to face Ohio State in one month.
Miami Hurricanes: Just one ranked opponent (Louisville) remains on schedule.
Oregon Ducks: Own one of the more daunting schedules amongst top ten.
USC: A tough loss against Michigan but otherwise a strong overall resume.
HEISMAN TROPHY WATCH
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado: Continues his Marvel super hero campaign.
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: Stating a strong case for his invitation to New York.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: The best player that no one talks about.
Cam Ward, QB, Miami: Numbers look great but Miami must steadily win.
Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee: A Heisman contender for years to come.
Carson Beck, Georgia: A ding in the rankings after a close loss to ‘Bama.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: In the hunt as long as Oregon is undefeated.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas: Will be fascinating to see how QB drama unfolds.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: Will need to return back soon, in order to have a shot.
Jaxon Dart, QB, Ole Miss: Still keeping hopes alive with UGA matchup on tap.
NFL DRAFT TOP 10 PROSPECTS
Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado, Jr, 6001, 181, 4.52
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama, rJr, 6015, 220, 4.48
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia, rSr, 6042, 218, 4.80
James Pearce Jr., ER, Tennessee, Jr., 6036, 242, 4.55
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan, Jr, 6020, 202, 4.44
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado, Sr, 6012, 198, 4.70
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan, Jr, 6024, 320, 4.95
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona, Jr, 6040, 210, 4.45
Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas, Jr, 6036, 320, 5.21
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri, Jr, 5110, 208, 4.40