There is never a dull moment during college football season, and this weekend is no different. With an absolutely loaded slate, teams can separate as contenders or pretenders early this October. Will chaos reign supreme or does some separation start to form?
Let’s get into the biggest games this week:
No. 24 South Florida Bulls vs. North Texas Mean Green
The American Athletic Conference, somehow has four or five teams who could be vying for the Group of 5 playoff spot, and two of those teams are playing Friday night.
The Bulls had one of the most impressive starts this season before getting blown out by Miami, but they have recovered nicely with blowout wins over South Carolina State and Charlotte.
North Texas on the other hand will be facing their toughest opponent to date, but they do come in with an undefeated record, including a 59-10 win over Washington State. This is their chance to show they are for real and assert themselves as playoff contenders this season.
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 14 Missouri Tigers
For the first time in 46 years, an AP top 15 matchup is going down in Columbia, Missouri,
After a humbling loss to Florida State, Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have found another gear. Their line play has improved greatly and Ty Simpson is a top Heisman contender after wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt. The biggest question is whether they can play to their best ability for the third week in a row.
Missouri, though, has a Heisman contender of their own in Ahmad Hardy. He leads the Power 4 in rushing yards with 730 and nine touchdowns this season. If quarterback Beau Pribula can avoid interceptions and stay protected, Mizzou has the ability to go toe-to-toe with Alabama’s offense.
The matchup to watch in this game is Alabama’s passing attack versus Mizzou’s secondary. If the back half of the defense hasn’t improved for the Tigers, Alabama has the potential to sling it deep numerous times and provide some killer shots.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Noon Saturday is heading back to Illinois for the 2nd time in three weeks as the Buckeyes come into town for their most important game to date.
Ohio State has been so good up to this point that their games have been boring. Their defense has yet to allow a team to score double digit points, which has allowed for freshman quarterback Julian Sayin to settle in and develop at his own pace. At this point, this is Ohio State’s last ranked matchup on the schedule until the Michigan game.
Illinois is a tough team to figure out. They got absolutely obliterated by Indiana, came back against USC, and then let Purdue hang around before pulling out the win. Their offense has played fantastic with Luke Altmeyer having 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. But their defense has left a lot to be desired in Big-10 play, allowing 63, 32, and 27 points in three games.
If Ohio State can shut down Illinois’ offense, it could be a long day for the Illini.
Texas Longhorns vs. No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners
In one of the sport’s greatest spectacles, the Red River Rivalry returns this season with unexpected storylines.
Texas has struggled mightily on offense this season. While Arch Manning hasn’t been anything great, it was the offensive line that really doomed them against Florida this past weekend, as they allowed Manning to get sacked six times.
The big story for the Sooners is whether John Mateer will be able to play. As of Thursday night’s injury report, he was listed as probable after receiving surgery on his throwing hand a few weeks ago. But even with him playing, just how healthy is he? Does he still have the ability to throw it accurately down field?
Rivalry games are weird, specifically this one at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, but Texas really can’t afford a 2nd SEC loss and 3rd loss overall.
No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 3 Oregon Ducks
The highest ranked matchup this week resides in Eugene, Oregon, as Dan Lanning and Curt Cignetti continue taking over the sport in the coaching ranks.
Indiana may be even better than they were last year. They asserted themselves with a blowout win over preseason darling Illinois, and then survived a let down game at Iowa. This will be by far their toughest test of the season though, and the Hoosiers have to show they are ready for the moment this season.
The Ducks will be behind one of the best home-field advantages in the sport, which will be ready to shout for this top 10 matchup. Somehow the Ducks continue improving year after year after changing quarterbacks once again. This year it’s Dante Moore leading the way, and Oregon has all the momentum after silencing the white out at Penn State two weeks ago.
The start of this game could be the key. Indiana can’t let Oregon get off to a fast start.
No. 15 Michigan Wolverines vs. USC Trojans
After an incredible game between these two teams in the big house last year, USC is looking for revenge on the home turf.
Michigan right now is in a precarious position in the Big-10; they are not in the upper tier of teams with Ohio State and Oregon right now, but better than teams such as Nebraska, Illinois, and others. Freshman QB Bryce Underwood certainly has shown he has the tools to be great, but has had some struggles as expected from a young player.
USC is looking to show that they can compete in the Big-10. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans narrowly failed their first test of the season against Illinois, and have to win this one. They have the pieces to do it, but can the defense be stout enough to hold the Wolverines under 30 points, because if they can the offense is more than capable of leading the Trojans to victory.
No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Utah Utes
A night game at Rice-Eccles Stadium might be exactly what Utah needs to get their first Big-12 home win since joining the conference.
Although, the big news out of Arizona State late Thursday night is that star quarterback Sam Leavitt is doubtful to play due to an injury. It looks to be backup Jeff Sims starting Saturday night for the Sun Devils, and he will be looking to get the ball to star receiver Jordyn Tyson to do some damage.
For Utah, they simply need to get back to winning the line of scrimmage. If they can lean on their running attack (especially in rainy conditions) and the Devon Dampier/Ryan Davis connection, then the Utes can insert themselves right back in the Big-12 title race.
Never take a college football Saturday for granted, Sit back, relax, and soak in the amazing slate we have to watch.