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ESPN GameDay will be in Dallas where the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Rivalry will take place right after Lee Corso dons the headgear. At the same time, Ohio State and Maryland will be kicking off in Columbus with the Terps hoping to beat the Buckeyes for the first ever (0-8).
A huge SEC match kicks off in Austin at 3:30 as Nick Saban pays a visit to his one-time assistant, Jimbo Fisher, who is one of the few Saban disciples to beat the G.O.A.T.
At 7:30, Georgia may find its hands full between the hedges with an undefeated Kentucky team invading Athens with everything to prove.
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It’ll likely be a three-team race to the Big Ten mountaintop this fall. Maryland wants to flip the script and make it four.
The Terps are 5-0 for the first time since 2001, coasting through September. QB Taulia Tagovailoa has been dynamite spreading the ball around to his terrific set of receivers. And the defense is allowing just 13.2 points per game. However, a trip to Columbus is a significant step up in weight class. Maryland is 0-8 all-time versus Ohio State, with the defense giving up an average of 57 points in those losses. The fourth-ranked Buckeyes are coming off a bye week and have already defeated Notre Dame in one of the thrillers of the first month. Ohio State boasts an even better receiving corps, headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr., and an underrated D that’s held every opponent to 14 points or less.
Oklahoma is improved in Brent Venables’ second season. But so is Texas under Steve Sarkisian.
The Longhorns dismantled the Sooners last fall, 49-0, the most lopsided Red River Rivalry ever. Oklahoma is unequivocally better this year. The defense has turned the corner, and QB Dillon Gabriel is healthy after sitting out last year’s game in concussion protocol. The senior has already accounted for 19 touchdowns and is No. 6 nationally in passer rating. Will it be enough Saturday in the Cotton Bowl? Texas looked like a complete team in September, with the line play and defensive muscle to complement its many offensive playmakers. As if this storied rivalry needs more juice, this is the first time in 12 years that Oklahoma and Texas meet as unbeatens and their last as members of the Big 12.
The SEC West is up for grabs like never before. This weekend in College Station will be the first of many matchups that ultimately decides who takes the division.
Alabama and Texas A&M suffered Week 2 losses to Texas and Miami, respectively. Since then, both have regrouped around attacking defenses and have sorted out challenging quarterback situations. In their four wins, the Crimson Tide has allowed only nine points a game, while the Aggies sit at just over 11 points per game and rank among the nation’s leaders in tackles for loss. This could be a low-scoring street fight that hinges on which QB makes more plays in the second half, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Texas A&M’s Max Johnson.
Georgia has not looked invincible. Kentucky just cracked the Top 25 after dominating Florida, 33-14. Should the Dawgs be on upset alert Saturday night?
A case could be made that the Cats have been sharper than the Dawgs so far this year, especially in SEC games. Kentucky is moving the chains on the ground behind RB Ray Davis, and the defense has been a rock against the run. However, the Wildcats must travel to Athens, where they’ll be staring at two imposing streaks. They’ve dropped 13 straight to Georgia, which hasn’t lost since the 2021 SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina and Auburn in the second half before rallying back for wins. Kentucky is better than South Carolina and Auburn. First-year starting QB Carson Beck will benefit from the healthy return of WR Ladd McConkey and the presence of TE Brock Bowers, who was brilliant in the Auburn comeback last week.
Notre Dame’s midseason gauntlet continues with a trip to Louisville.
For a third straight game the Irish will face an unbeaten and ranked team. Two weeks ago, they lost to Ohio State on the final play, and last Saturday they rallied in the last minute to get past Duke. Now, it’s on to Louisville and another crowd that’ll be absolutely fired up have Notre Dame in its city. The Cardinals are off to a great start under first-year head coach Jeff Brohm, who quarterbacked the program from 1989 to 1993 under Howard Schnellenberger. The offense has been the catalyst behind the former transfer trio of QB Jack Plummer, RB Jawhar Jordan and WR Jamari Thrash. It’s prove-it time in Week 6 for the Cards whose best win was last Friday over 3-2 NC State.
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.
On a night ruled by the defenses, Bolden provided all the offense the Beavers needed to take down No. 10 Utah, 21-7, in Corvallis. The shifty, electrifying playmaker scored two of Oregon State’s three touchdowns to help complete a successful rebound from last week’s first loss of the year. Bolden ran for a 45-yard score on a direct pitch out of the backfield and caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against one of the Pac-12’s toughest defenses.
Brooks patiently waited for his turn behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson the past two seasons. Now he’s flourishing as the feature back of one of the nation’s top teams. After a sluggish start Saturday versus No. 24 Kansas, the Longhorns took off in the second half. Brooks, who’s hit the century in rushing three straight weeks, erupted for a career-high 217 yards and two scores on only 20 carries in a 40-14 home win.
Cook was being booed in CoMo at the beginning of the year. Now, the St. Louis native is the toast of the campus after riding his third straight 300-yard game to Mizzou’s first 5-0 start in a decade. The Tigers handled Vandy, 38-21, with Cook going 33-of-41 for 395 yards, four touchdowns and an eleventh straight game without an interception. Talented receivers Luther Burden and Theo Wease both went over 100 yards as the meat of the SEC schedule gets set to begin.
Give Dart credit for having a short memory, a must for any young quarterback. A week after his worst game of the year in a loss to Alabama, the junior delivered one of his best efforts as a Rebel in a wild shootout win over LSU, 55-49. Dart went toe-to-toe with Tiger QB Jayden Daniels, finishing 26-of-39 for 389 yards, no picks and four touchdowns, capped by the clincher with 39 seconds left. He also ran for 50 yards, one score and a highlight-reel hurdle over an LSU defender that ignited the Vaught-Hemingway crowd.
Florida began Week 5 allowing just 2.9 yards per carry, by far the best defense Kentucky faced in September. But that couldn’t stop Davis from having the game of his life, as the Wildcats moved to 5-0 with an impressive 33-14 win. Davis, a former star with Vanderbilt, galloped for 280 yards and three scores on the ground while adding a touchdown reception. It was the third-most yards ever by a Kentucky player and second-most allowed by the Gators in a game. The Cats, who once lost 31 straight to Florida, have now taken three straight in the series.
Four true freshmen in the last 10 years have thrown six touchdown passes in a game. Caleb Williams, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes… and Raynor. The Red Wolves are riding a three-game winning streak and have already equaled or surpassed their season win total from the last two seasons. Raynor, a rookie from Kernersville, N.C., has been one of the main catalysts. Arkansas State pounded UMass in Amherst, 52-28, as Raynor went 20-of-25 for 383 yards, those six TDs, no turnovers and 35 yards rushing.
The Terrapins might be ready to make the Big Ten East deeper and more competitive than ever before. Maryland moved to 5-0 for the first time in 22 years, pummeling Indiana, 44-17, for its fifth straight victory by at least 18 points. Tagovailoa was terrific once again, accounting for all six of the Terps’ touchdowns and 367 total yards. Three of his career-high five TD passes went to Tai Felton who enjoyed a breakout performance in the blowout.
Where would Troy be right now without No. 13 in the offensive huddle? The Trojan defense remains vulnerable, nearly squandering a 27-point second half lead in Boulder Saturday afternoon. Fortunately for the visitors, it was just another day at the office for Williams, who got little resistance from the Colorado D. The reigning Maxwell Award winner completed 30-of-40 for 403 yards, six touchdowns and a pick to help keep his team unbeaten, 48-41.
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.
Another nail-biter for the Irish. This time they survived with a gut-check win at Duke, 21-14. Notre Dame rebounded from its crushing Week 4 loss to Ohio State to remain in the College Football Playoff chase. Cross was a beast against a talented Blue Devil front wall. Playing with boundless energy—and a nasty sinus infection—he wreaked havoc with 13 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and six total pressures, tops among all Week 5 interior linemen according to Pro Football Focus. Cross’ strip-sack of Riley Leonard in the waning moments secured the win for the Irish.
Deal is extremely quick and explosive at 6-4 and 260 pounds, which UAB blockers endured up close and personal Saturday afternoon. The sophomore chalked up his best game with the Green Wave in a 35-23 victory, making eight tackles, four stops for loss and a sack. It was the first time a Tulane player made four tackles for loss in a game in almost eight years.
DeJean is one of the premier defensive backs in the country. He’s a pretty impactful special teamer as well. On a day that the Hawkeyes lost their starting quarterback and managed just 222 yards of total yards of offense, they still managed to escape Michigan State’s upset bid. DeJean was a pivotal reason why. He helped keep the Spartan offense out of the end zone with six tackles and a pick, while also taking a punt back 70 yards to break a tie late in the fourth quarter.
For the second straight year as an FBS member, James Madison is off to a 5-0 start after holding off South Alabama Saturday, 31-23. Green, who wasn’t even listed as a starter leading up to the game, was all over the field on defense. The senior had just four stops, but 3.5 were for minus yards, 2.5 were sacks of Carter Bradley and he had a crucial tip-six interception return to give the Dukes a cushion that they never relinquished.
The Dawgs survived their first road trip of the season, escaping Jordan-Hare with a 27-20 win over rival Auburn. It was not pretty, but it was effective as the two-time defending national champs extended its winning streak to 22 games. While TE Brock Bowers sparked the offense down the stretch, Mondon was the leader of a D that held the Tigers to three points over the final 28:31. The junior had a game-high 11 tackles, including seven solos, two for loss and a sack.
This Aggie defense is growing up in a hurry, which presents problems to the rest of the SEC moving forward. Since the Week 2 loss to Miami, the D has been terrific, including this past weekend in the annual showdown with Arkansas. The Aggies had 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks, yielding just 174 yards and 10 first downs. Nolen, the blue-chipper from 2022, is beginning to flash his enormous potential. He helped set the tone at the line of scrimmage with five stops, three tackles behind the line and a sack.
Volunteer fans may only get to enjoy Pearce for one more season because this breakout 2023 season will put him on every GM’s draft board in 2024. The sophomore terrorized South Carolina’s O-line in Saturday night’s 41-20 win. According to Pro Football Focus, Pearce led the nation with nine total pressures to go along with three tackles and two sacks of Spencer Rattler. The 6-5, 242-pounder has ideal length, violent hands and the ability to beat blockers on bull rushes or speed rushes.
As run stuffing inside linebackers go, very few are better or more consistent right now than Sirmon. The fifth-year senior was instrumental in Saturday’s 24-21 defeat of Arizona State that propped the Bears over the .500 mark. He had 13 stops and a tackle for loss, as the Sun Devils managed just 68 yards on the ground. Sirmon earned Pro Football Focus’ second highest run defense grade among all linebackers in Week 5.