Last week, only Cade and Austin were able to get a point in the first MVP draft of the week. It was a tough go, but the good news is there’s not many other ways it can go for everyone.

This week, I, as rule maker/game master have taken the liberty of making the picks a bit tougher. Since they will likely get about a million yards each, I didn’t allow our pickers to pick Mason Rudolph, James Washington or Justice Hill.

LET’S GET TO THE PICKS!

Cade

Oklahoma State

Offense: Jalen McCleskey

Last week was not a good one for No. 1, and I think they try to get him the ball early and often. I think Washington and Johnson will be the home run hitters, but I don’t see a reason McCleskey can’t haul in at least five catches and rack up nice yards-after-the-catch.

Defense: A.J. Green

I would love to see him get his first collegiate interception this week, and against South Alabama, I could see it happening. He’ll be able to be just as aggressive on the edge as he was last week, but I think because the preseason jitters are out of the way, he could have a huge game. I think S. Alabama will try to spread it around, and even if he doesn’t snag an interception, I could see him racking up some tackles.

South Alabama

Offense: Cole Garvin

Gravin is a formidable quarterback for the Jags. He won’t wow you with his arm and he doesn’t pose much of a big play threat, but he is a solid game manager. Last week against Ole Miss, he completed over 60 percent of his passes and threw a touchdown. Oklahoma State should be able to limit him in the vertical game, but I think he gets his in the underneath game.

Defense: Jeremy Reaves

He’s the engine that makes the S. Alabama defense go. As a senior, he’s the defensive leader. Last week, he had 8 tackles. I expect the Pokes to run the ball a ton on Friday, and I think we’ll hear Reaves’ name called a lot in support.

Austin

Oklahoma State

Offense: Tyron Johnson

Johnson should be pissed everytime he doesn't score 3 touchdowns in a game. He's that good, y'all. There should be tons of long heaves by Mason in this game and I expect Tyron to be under two or three of those.

Defense: Kenneth Edison-McGruder

Am I allowed to pick a player two weeks in a row? If so, KEM is my guy. He's all over the field. In every single play. He's my bet to lead this defense to domination.

South Alabama

Offense: Cole Garvin

I chose the QB because their running back is going run less than 45 yards on us. I guarantee it.

Defense: I concede.

Micah

Oklahoma State

Offense: J.D. King

King looked really good last week. I was really impressed with how he played. We're most likely going to get up by quite a few points in this game so he'll more then likely get a lot of carries.

Defense: Tre Flowers

He was the defensive stats leader last week and I think he'll be there all season. He's the most experienced player and he played a good game last week.

South Alabama

Offense: Cole Garvin

Garvin got two rushing touchdowns last week. He also had 204 passing yards which isn't just absolutely awful.

Defense: Jeremy Reaves

He was their defensive stat leader and had a big game against Ole Miss last week with eight total tackles.

Joel

Oklahoma State

Offense: Tyron Johnson

Last week, Johnson proved how much of a dynamic player he is. He only touched the ball a few times, but he is electric with it in his hands. I hope the coaches recognized that and he will be more involved in the offense this week.

Defense: Justin Phillips

Phillips was in a lot of tackles last week, flying to the football no matter where it went. He did miss a few last week as well. He's too good of a linebacker to have a couple poor games in a row. Against an offense that is subpar, he'll bounce back.

South Alabama:

Offense: Tra Minter

He ran for 85 yards last week against Ole Miss. Tulsa was able to move the ball on the ground pretty effectively at times against the Cowboys. I excepts the Jags to establish the ground game early.

Defense: Jeremy Reaves

Reaves was a versatile player for South Alabama last week. He had 8 tackles (6 solo), 2 for loss, and a pass defended. This shows me that he can defend both the run and the pass. He will have an impact (hopefully not too big of one) in this game.

Dustin

Oklahoma State

Offense: Tyron Johnson

I know, I know… he only had one catch against Tulsa. BUT, that one catch was a 40+ yard touchdown where he made a great play on the ball.

Mason threw deep to this dude twice in the first half, one was the play above, and the other he was able to draw a pass interference call on his defender. I know Mike Gundy said in his presser this week that there aren’t enough footballs to go around, but after seeing Johnson’s explosiveness against Tulsa, I think you have to find more ways to get this guy the ball. I’ve had a man crush on him since the day it was rumored he may transfer to OSU, so I feel like I’m obligated to pick him in my first go round in the MVP draft.

Defense: Kenneth Edison-McGruder

KEM had a great game against Tulsa. He had a fumble recovery for a touchdown, a tackle for a loss and a sack against the Golden Hurricane, and he should’ve had an interception. He looked solid all around and I expect him to put on another great showing against South Alabama. The Jaguars saw success running around the outside against Ole Miss. Edison-McGruder and Calvin Bundage will be key in making sure these plays are stopped for short to no gain. This will take speed, which he has, and good old-fashioned form tackling, and I think he can get the job done.

South Alabama

Offense: Tra Minter

The 5’9,185 lb. former JUCO All-American came into the season as the number two guy behind Xavier Johnson who was the go-to back in 2016. However, watching him run for 83 yards and average 6.9 yards per carry against Ole Miss, I think Minter might see a lot of action against the Pokes. He also got one more carry than Johnson against the Rebels, and I could see it going that way again this Friday. The Jaguars really like this toss sweep play, and after watching Minter run it like this, I don’t know why they wouldn’t use it against the Cowboys:

Defense: Jeremy Reaves

The senior safety recorded one sack and two tackles for a loss on his way to eight total tackles against Ole Miss. Reaves is one of the leaders of this defense and seems to end up around the ball on every play. He will be without his partner in crime, fellow safety Neiko Robinson, against OSU, and he will have to step up and play an even bigger role in the Jaguar defense. In addition, Tulsa’s top two tacklers last Thursday were their safeties, so that’s another reason for taking Reaves. The South Alabama secondary is going to have their hands full, so this means Reaves should have his fair share of chances to make a play.

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With Oklahoma State’s “Big 3” unable to be selected, the majority of our writers are banking on the 5-star LSU transfer to have a big week.

We will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow night in Mobile, Alabama.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m CST. on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. Go Pokes!