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For the third consecutive weekend, there is a Top 10 matchup to look forward to when Penn State, ranked 6th in the Coaches' Poll, heads to Columbus to face 3rd-ranked Ohio State in the 'Shoe. But we also get treated to a 15 vs. 8 showdown with Tennessee at Alabama, a 17 vs. 4 with Duke at FSU, and a 14 vs. 16 with Utah at USC.
For the second straight weekend in college football, there’ll be a matchup of Top 10 rivals with massive conference and playoff consequences.
In Week 7, Oregon and Washington took center stage and did not disappoint. This Saturday, it’ll be Penn State and Ohio State, two-thirds of the Big Ten’s heavyweight title contenders duking it out.
The Buckeyes have already passed one big test by beating Notre Dame in South Bend. QB Kyle McCord is becoming increasingly comfortable as the starter, the D allows 9.7 points per game and the program has won 10 of the last 11 in the series. Ohio State is a known commodity.
Penn State’s ceiling, though, has yet to be revealed. Sure, the Nittany Lions are unbeaten, and their D has been a rock as well. However, their best win is over an Iowa team that has nowhere near the skill and speed of Ohio State. This will be a particularly important test for Penn State QB Drew Allar. The sophomore from Ohio has yet to turn the ball over and has all the physical tools for stardom, but this trip to Columbus will be the biggest challenge of his young career.
It has not always been pretty, but these longtime rivals remain ranked and in SEC contention.
Alabama is surviving and advancing, winning back-to-back one-score games over Texas A&M and Arkansas. QB Jalen Milroe has carved out a successful role as the offensive leader. It’s not Tua or Bryce or Jalen, but it’s been enough to remain unbeaten in league play.
Tennessee will be looking for two straight over Bama after snapping a nasty 15-game losing streak in the series last October. However, this team should not be confused with the 2022 edition. Tennessee is winning with defense and having some issues on offense, flipping the usual script for a Josh Heupel-coached squad. The Volunteers have allowed just 47 points during the current three-game winning streak, and emerging stars like sophomore ED James Pearce Jr. are bolstering a veteran unit. Pearce’s speed to power, length and explosiveness are already next-level, and he’ll be facing a Tide blocking unit that’s 130th nationally in sacks allowed.
Three ACC schools have yet to lose a conference game this season. Two of them meet Saturday night in Tallahassee.
Duke and Florida State don’t have a rich tradition together in football. In fact, the Seminoles have won all 19 meetings between the programs. However, this year’s game will have a lot hanging in the balance since both are ranked and angling for a spot in the league championship game.
FSU has even loftier goals.
The fourth-ranked Noles already own wins over LSU and Clemson and should be favored in every remaining contest. Duke is a last-minute loss to Notre Dame away from being perfect as well. For this one, though, they’ll really need starting QB Riley Leonard back in the huddle. He missed last week’s NC State game with a high-ankle sprain, and backup Henry Belin IV completed only four passes. As stingy as the D is under Mike Elko, Duke must get more from the offense to have a chance against this deep and complete Seminole team.
How will USC respond to the worst loss of the Lincoln Riley era?
The Trojans were outclassed Saturday night in South Bend. The defense was already a concern, and now Caleb Williams and the offense must rebound from an uncharacteristically sloppy performance.
USC needs to get right fast, but the program has had trouble with Utah the past two seasons.
The Utes have won three in a row in the series, including last December in Las Vegas to capture the Pac-12 title. Utah has its own concerns at midseason, namely with an offense averaging 21 points per game. However, the Utes are coming off their biggest outburst of the year, beating Cal, 34-14, and producing a season-high 445 total yards. Expect plenty of ground-and-pound behind two-way safety Sione Vaki and former quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best offensive player with the Maxwell Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout offensive players.
The healthy return of Colorado’s Travis Hunter made headlines, but the play of Ayomanor wound up being the biggest story Friday night in Boulder. Stanford stormed back from a 29-point halftime deficit to complete the biggest comeback in school history, 46-43 in double OT. Ayomanor was the star, repeatedly torching the Buff secondary, even when it was obvious where QB Aston Daniels was looking. Playing in his first college season, the pride of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada caught 13 balls for a Cardinal record 294 yards and three touchdowns, including a beauty over Hunter in the first extra session.
After back-to-back wins over Kansas State and Kansas, the Pokes could be a dangerous team in the second half. Gordon has become the focal point of the offense with three straight games over 100 yards on the ground. In fact, he showcased the full array of his potential in Saturday’s 39-32 thriller over the Jayhawks. The sophomore from Fort Worth tallied 284 yards from scrimmage, 168 rushing and 116 receiving, while scoring twice. It was the first time in 34 years that a Cowboy had more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.
Jeanty, in particular, deserved a better fate Saturday night in Fort Collins. The Broncos somehow allowed three touchdowns over the final four minutes to squander another great Jeanty effort in a demoralizing 31-30 loss to Colorado State. The multi-dimensional sophomore rushed for a Week 7-high 212 yards and three scores on 31 carries while also leading the Broncos passing game with five catches for 42 yards.
Will Howard has been terrific in Manhattan, leading the Cats to the Big 12 title in 2022. But it became clear in Week 7 that Johnson needs more touches in the second half of the year. Splitting time in Saturday’s 38-21 road win over Texas Tech, the true freshman from Wichita announced that the future remains very bright at K-State. Johnson completed 8-of-9 for 77 yards and rushed 90 yards and five touchdowns. It was the most TDs by an FBS player this year and the most by a true freshman since Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine in 2014.
If the Gators see more of the Mertz that shredded South Carolina Saturday, they’ll be a very tough out following this week’s bye. The once-heralded Wisconsin transfer delivered arguably the best effort of his career, leading Florida to a pivotal 41-39 victory at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mertz completed 30-of-48 passes for a career-high 423 yards, no turnovers and three touchdowns, highlighted by the game-winning strike to Ricky Pearsall with just 47 seconds left on the clock.
Penix has had better games as a Husky, but none as important as Saturday’s 36-33 win over rival Oregon. In a game that lived up to the enormous hype, the lead changed hands seven times. The final lead change came with just 1:38 left when Penix found star WR Rome Odunze on an 18-yard scoring strike. Penix wound up 22-of-37 for 302 yards, four touchdowns and a pick against a Duck defense that yielded more than 10 points in a game just one time this year.
Houston’s first-ever Big 12 win is one the Cougars won’t soon forget. Smith found Stephon Johnson Jr. on a 49-yard Hail Mary as time ran out Thursday night to snap West Virginia’s four-game winning streak, 41-39. It capped a scintillating finish for Smith, who completed his final 16 passes. He accounted for five total touchdowns, one rushing, while hitting on 21-of-27 passing for 253 yards, four TDs and no turnovers.
Walker shook off some rust in his Tar Heel debut last week. This past Saturday, he shook off Miami defensive backs in an impressive 41-31 win. Carolina is rolling at 6-0 and off to its best start since 1997. Walker, the Kent State transfer who was briefly declared ineligible by the NCAA, could be the missing piece that unlocks the full potential of QB Drake Maye and the offense. Walker complemented the running of Omarion Hampton with six catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the third quarter that broke the game open.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout defenders.
The Illini traveled to College Park Saturday facing a fork in the road. And by upsetting Maryland in its own building, 27-24, Illinois took a step closer to .500 while keeping bowl hopes alive. The Terrapins were held 11 points below their season scoring average, as QB Taulia Tagovailoa faced edge pressure all afternoon. Coleman contributed six tackles and three sacks to set a new personal single-game high.
The Panthers snapped their four-game losing streak in style Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. Pitt handed No. 14 Louisville its first loss of the season, dominating the final two quarters in a 38-21 upset victory. The defense pitched a second-half shutout, headlined by Devonshire’s 86-yard pick six when the Cards were driving for the lead. The veteran also had six tackles and five pass breakups as Louisville QB Jack Plummer had his worst game of the season.
Forced to play without star QB Riley Leonard, the Blue Devil defense took matters into its own hands in Week 7. Duke defeated rival NC State, 24-3, marking the fewest points the program has allowed in an ACC game since a 31-3 win over Virginia in 2008. Freeman was all over the field for the Blue Devils, making a career-high 15 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and an interception that set up a touchdown.
The Scarlet Knights moved to within a win of bowl eligibility after erasing an 18-point deficit Saturday to beat Michigan State, 27-24. Igbinosun was instrumental in holding the Spartans to just seven second-half points as RB Kyle Monangai and the rest of the offense rallied. The hard-charging defensive back recovered a fumble and had a team-best eight tackles, four of which were behind the line of scrimmage.
Jackson was the best player on the field Saturday, and talent-rich Alabama was on the other sideline. The 6-7, 281-pound former blue-chip LSU recruit had his breakout moment against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Jackson looked like an NFL edge rusher, using his get-off, quickness and heavy hands to rack up a game-high 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks of Jalen Milroe. It was the most sacks by a Hog in a decade.
This Trojan defense is really beginning to round into form in October. Troy blanked Army, the Black Knights’ first home shutout in two decades, marking the third straight game an opponent failed to score more than seven points. Edge rusher Richard Jibunor and McDonald were the disruptive playmakers in the 19-0 victory. The latter posted a game-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 stops for loss and one of his unit’s six sacks.
If the Hokies play D the way they did Saturday versus Wake Forest, the program could earn a bowl berth in Brent Pry’s second season. Virginia Tech owned the line of scrimmage in the 30-13 home win, making 13 plays for minus yards and seven sacks. Powell-Ryland and STAR Keonta Jenkins, in particular, could not be contained. Powell-Ryland had six tackles, 4.5 stops for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The last time a Hokie had four sacks in a game it was J.C. Price, Powell-Ryland’s current position coach, back in 1995.
The Fighting Irish dominated No. 10 USC Saturday night, 48-20, in one of the most lopsided meetings between the longtime rivals. Reigning Maxwell Award winner Caleb Williams threw three interceptions for the first time in his career while being held to a season-low 199 yards through the air. Watts, a wide receiver when he arrived in South Bend, tallied seven tackles, two picks and a late scoop-and-score to add an exclamation point to the rout.