As the College Football Playoff picture annually begins to take shape, so does the concomitant whittling in the ranks of the unbeaten.
Look no further than the biggest showdown of Week 6 between the final two undefeated teams in the Big 12.
This year’s Red River Rivalry will pit No. 3 Texas against No. 12 Oklahoma in Dallas for their 119th meeting that could be a preview of the conference championship game (between two 5-0 teams that will be headed to the SEC next season).
The Longhorns (who last won the Big 12 in 2009 when they also started 5-0) have scored at least 30 points in every game, but the Sooners (which are in their second year under former Clemson defensive whiz Brent Venables) will be their biggest test since opening the season with a victory over Alabama.
Oklahoma is the only FBS school ranked in the top five of both scoring offense (47.4 points per game) and defense (10.8 points allowed per game), and there also is the motivation of last year’s 49-0 loss to Texas (the program’s biggest win in the series).
The Southeastern Conference also could have only one unbeaten team after this weekend. No. 1 Georgia (5-0) will play host to No. 20 Kentucky (5-0) while the conference’s third perfect record (also in the SEC East) will be on the line in Columbia, Missouri. In its second consecutive road game against ranked opponents, No. 23 LSU (3-2) will try to rebound against No. 21 Missouri (5-0) after its playoff hopes were dealt a serious blow in a 55-49 heartbreak to Mississippi.
There are four undefeated teams apiece among the other three Power 5 conferences – the Pac-12 (Washington, Oregon, USC and Washington State), the ACC (Florida State, North Carolina, Miami and Louisville) and the Big Ten (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Maryland).
The Big Ten will have at least one fewer perfect record after Saturday as Maryland will bring its 5-0 mark to Columbus against No. 4 Ohio State (4-0).
The Terrapins are coming off a 44-17 thrashing of Indiana but will be major underdogs against the Buckeyes, who will be Maryland’s first ranked opponent in 2023. The Terps have lost 20 consecutive to top 10 teams, but their preseason goal was breaking into the Big Ten elite category.
“It’s going to be a tall task for Maryland,” NBC Sports analyst Todd Blackledge said. “I think it’s now or never for their team. They’re a really well-rounded football team. Defensively, they’ve played at a really high level this year. They’ve got speed and athleticism. The reason you give them a chance is Maryland has (quarterback) Tua Tagovailoa.”
No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon will remain perfect while off this weekend. Staying unbeaten is at stake for No. 5 Florida State (which plays host to 2-3 Virginia Tech), No. 14 North Carolina (home against Syracuse, which is 4-1 after a 31-14 loss to Clemson) and No. 17 Miami (home against 2-3 Georgia Tech).
No. 2 Michigan will be favored on the road over an injury-riddled Minnesota (3-2).
Notre Dame is in the midst of facing three consecutive unbeaten teams and could tag two in the ACC with their first losses. The Irish will be on the road Saturday against No. 25 Louisville, the third of four consecutive opponents that likely will be undefeated. Notre Dame lost to Ohio State at home two weeks ago and then won at Duke 21-14 with a last-minute touchdown.
Louisville is 5-0 for the first time in 10 years but facing a ranked team for the first time this year.
Next week, the Irish will play host to No. 9 USC (which will be favored to improve to 6-0 at home Saturday against Arizona).
Focusing on the Big Ten, here are other major storylines for Week 6:
B1G injury toll
Two offensive playmakers are out, and a third is in doubt after last weekend’s physical Big Ten slate.
Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi (fractured left fibula) and Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (torn ACL against Michigan State) are done for the season, and the status of Minnesota freshman tailback Darius Taylor is uncertain after he missed a victory over Louisiana with a leg injury sustained near the end of a Sept. 23 loss to Northwestern.
The Badgers and Hawkeyes had enough depth to overcome the absences last week.
Wisconsin will shift its rushing workload to junior Braelon Allen, who has picked up the slack by averaging more than 20 carries in games that Mellusi missed with injuries the past two seasons. With 36 carries for 103 yards and four TDs (matching his total in five previous seasons with Oklahoma and SMU), quarterback Tanner Mordecai also is becoming a mobile threat for a Wisconsin offense averaging more than 420 yards per game (a balanced attack with more passing and rushing averages both over 200 yards).
Despite a mediocre stat line (11 of 27 passing, 115 yards, TD, INT) backup Deacon Hill was adequate enough to help Iowa beat Michigan State 26-16.
Another two-way star?
With Big Ten lows in passing (133.8 yards per game) and offense (240.8 ypg), the Hawkeyes’ offense still needs to pick up the pace in its Drive for 325 (the points total needed to renew offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s contract) – particularly with no top 25 teams left among its last seven games.
Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean scored on a punt return against Michigan State – his fourth touchdown (three on interceptions) since last season. That ranks second on the Iowa roster, prompting the question of whether the preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year might want to take a page from Colorado’s Travis Hunter by playing both sides of the ball as a wideout.
How to watch Purdue at Iowa: Time, live stream, key storylines for Week 6 matchup
“That’s a discussion, a thought, and believe me we’ve all had that discussion,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose team will play host Saturday to Purdue (3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock). “I suppose you could do it, but you don’t want to compromise what we’ve got defensively right now.”
DeJean was a legendary high school athlete in tiny Ida Grove, Iowa, starring in track, baseball, basketball and football (playing offense as a quarterback).
“Any time No. 3 gets the ball, I just look at the end zone,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said. “[Opponents] don’t want to see him in space. Coop, in space, equals good for the Hawkeyes.”
Critical crossroads
Rutgers (4-1) is off to its best start since 2014, its first season in the Big Ten and last with a winning record (8-5).
The Scarlet Knights never have won three consecutive games in the conference but have a major opportunity starting Saturday at Wisconsin (noon ET on Peacock) and continuing with Michigan State and Indiana.
Win two of three, and Rutgers is bowl eligible. Win all three, and Rutgers will face Ohio State at home with an impressive 7-1 record.
But the Knights have yet to face much pressure this year with their five games decided by at least a 17-point margin. That might explain why Rutgers (which is 0-4 against Wisconsin since their first meeting in 2014) was playing star junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt well into fourth-quarter garbage time of a 52-3 victory over Wagner.
“There’s always a risk but he’s got to play,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “He’s a young quarterback. He’s got to play.”
Schiano also knows he will have a formidable defensive opponent in Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell. Schiano and Fickell were co-defensive coordinators at Ohio State in 2016.
“One of the best coaches I’ve been around, literally, from an X and O standpoint, from a motivation standpoint, just everything,” Schiano said of Fickell.
Gophers’ holes
A home upset of No. 2 Michigan (7:30 p.m., NBC, Peacock) would mean a lot for Minnesota, which has lost nine of the past 10 in the Little Brown Jug rivalry. The Gophers struggled to beat Louisiana, trailing at halftime after blowing a 21-point lead on the road to Northwestern.
The health of Taylor (who is a Detroit native) could determine the prospects of derailing Michigan’s national championship hopes. Minnesota spread its rushing attack last week as four players had 10 or more carries.
How to watch No. 2 Michigan at Minnesota: Time, live stream, key storylines for Week 6 matchup
Blackledge believes the Gophers will need to get creative “against a Michigan team that really has no weaknesses.
“You’re going to have to do some things,” Blackledge said. “A fake field goal, a fake punt. Some way to steal a possession, a couple of trick plays. You won’t line up and go toe to toe with them. They wear you down. You have to find a couple of way to steal some possessions and maybe get turnovers. Do some things that maybe are unorthodox and get that home crowd riled up and involved.”
Minnesota might be facing bigger problems in the long-term, though, after suffering significant personnel losses in the backfield through the transfer portal since the last season. Coach P.J. Fleck, who has led Minnesota to consecutive 9-4 seasons after an 11-2 in 2019, warned this week that the Gophers will need more NIL help if they want to win their first Big Ten championship since 1967.
“We had players that were here that are now gone, playing at another school, that should be here playing right now,” Fleck said last week on his radio show. “Because again, NIL. We didn’t pay them enough. All these guys we have, they won’t be here next year. Just making sure everybody understands. We’ll be a Triple-A ballclub for somebody else. That is the reality and the truth of the situation.”
Read more about the Little Brown Jug, one of college fooball’s oldest trophy traditions
Opposing forces
The Purdue offense vs. the Iowa defense should offer one of the week’s most intriguing matchups.
While Purdue has run for at least two TDs in every game, Iowa is one of only two FBS teams that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 2023.
“Purdue will be better offensively, but Iowa does great job of limiting big plays; they’re so fundamentally sound,” Blackledge said. “Turnovers and special teams will be a big part of it. Iowa’s recipe for winning is to manage the game on offense and play to the strength of its defense and special teams.”
The Boilermarkers’ defense got a spark last week with Ryan Walters taking over play-calling in a 44-19 victory over Illinois. Walters left his job as the Illini defensive coordinator to become Purdue’s head coach.
More key matchups
--There’s always intrigue when Alabama coach Nick Saban faces one of his many former assistants, and that’s the case as the No. 11 Crimson Tide (4-1) travel to face Texas A&M and coach Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies won in 2021 on a last-second field goal the last time these teams met in College Station (when Alabama was top ranked).
--After consecutive losses to ranked teams, Colorado will try to regain its luster on the road against unranked Arizona State (1-4).
--No. 14 North Carolina is 4-0 for the first time since 1997 (the last season of Mack Brown’s first stint as Tar Heels coach) and will be facing Syracuse (4-1) for the first time since 2020 (and only their seventh meeting overall).
How to watch Big Ten football on NBC and Peacock this weekend
This week’s featured games are Rutgers at Wisconsin (noon ET, streamed exclusively on Peacock), Purdue at Iowa (3:30 p.m., Peacock) and Michigan at Minnesota (7:30 p.m., NBC and Peacock).
Information for how to sign up for Peacock is available here. Peacock is available for streaming on several devices (view the full list of supported devices here). NBC Sports recently announced its schedules for Big Ten men’s basketball and women’s basketball on Peacock.
Below is the announced remaining schedule for Big Ten teams on NBC Sports; more NBC Sports games will be announced during the season (all times are ET):
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers at Wisconsin | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Purdue at Iowa | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan at Minnesota | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 14 | Noon | Ohio State at Purdue | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Illinois at Maryland | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat. Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | USC at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat, Nov. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Ohio State | NBC, Peacock |
| Friday, Nov. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Penn State at Michigan State (Ford Field) | NBC, Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season.
