It is time for the game of the year in the Big Ten — and perhaps the game of the year across the entire sport. No. 2 Ohio State heads to Eugene, Ore., to take on No. 3 Oregon in a matchup of two teams with national championship aspirations. The stakes couldn’t be higher for two coaches who have struggled in their career to win the biggest of games to date. One will leave Autzen Stadium with a signature victory and a clear path to the College Football Playoff.
There will be a breathtaking amount of talent on display on Saturday, with a star-studded Ohio State roster that features key returners who spurned the NFL to make a run at a national title as well as impact transfers such as safety Caleb Downs (from Alabama) and running back Quinshon Judkins (from Ole Miss). But the player I’m most excited to see on a stage like this is Ohio State true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who might very well be the best receiver yet for a Buckeye program known for churning out first-round picks. He is an absolute stud, and he’s surely going to have at least one jaw-dropping catch in this game. His counterpart for the Ducks, senior star receiver Tez Johnson, will also need to have a big game for Oregon to have a chance to win this. He’s Dillon Gabriel‘s favorite target, and their connection will be crucial to keeping pace with Ohio State’s prolific offense. But Gabriel has thrown three red-zone interceptions in the past two games, which is concerning. It’ll be interesting if we see him run more than he has so far this season, too.
To me, Ohio State has a clear edge coming into the matchup, but it’s a long trip from Columbus to Eugene and Autzen will be a hostile environment, so you never know what might happen.
Here’s what else I’m watching this weekend:
No. 1 Texas (-14.5) vs No. 18 Oklahoma
The Red River Rivalry rarely disappoints, and even with the Longhorns entering this matchup as heavy favorites, it’s going to be must-see TV. Weird things happen in this game! And it’ll be interesting to see if Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has any rust in his first game back from injury. The quarterback on the other side is a storyline to follow, too, as true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman Sooner QB to start in the history of this rivalry. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he has faith in Hawkins and that he’s mature enough to handle all that’s on his plate now. Can Hawkins help a relatively anemic offense keep up against the explosive Longhorns? Or will the No. 1 team in the land take care of business as it continues its chase of a national championship.
No. 4 Penn State (-5.5) at USC
It feels like both of these coaches are facing a must-win situation. For James Franklin, this is the kind of game you need to win to show that your Penn State team should be taken seriously as a CFP contender. The Nittany Lions have been the poster child for the 12-team CFP because they’d have benefitted more than anyone else if the bracket had been bigger over the past decade. So, the time is now. Penn State is unbeaten and playing pretty solidly to date, but I’m still not sure what the ceiling of this particular team is. This matchup will go a long ways toward answering that, even if the win isn’t quite as marquee as it would have seemed a few weeks ago before the Trojans’ skid. Meanwhile, Lincoln Riley is 22-10 at USC. At this point in his tenure, Clay Helton was 23-9. It’s not exactly a hot-seat situation, but things will get a lot more uncomfortable for Riley if he loses this game. He’s got to show program growth, and he’s got to give people reasons to believe he can build USC into a title contender. Penn State is a great benchmark for progress toward that goal.
No. 9 Ole Miss (-3.5) at No. 13 LSU
With all due respect to Jaxson Dart and co., the storyline I’m most interested in following here is faking injuries. It’s been a topic of conversation during and after Ole Miss games, with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer saying after the Gamecocks lost to the Rebels last week that “it’s fascinating to me how many injuries occur for them after the opposing offense makes a first down or has a big play. You go back and watch the Wake Forest game, and it happens a lot to the same guy.” Iiiiinteresting! Let’s see what happens against LSU!
No. 18 Kansas State (-4) at Colorado
This game will have huge implications for the Big 12 standings. The Buffs are unbeaten in league play, while the Wildcats — a popular preseason pick to win the Big 12 — already have a loss to BYU. Both teams are rested, coming off an idle week, and the star power should be more than enough to keep us all up late watching what’s happening in Boulder. You’ve got Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter on one side, and Avery Johnson coming off a five-touchdown performance his last time out on the other side. I’m expecting a fun one here.
And here’s a quick check-in on an already-fascinating Heisman Trophy race:
I will start out by saying, no, this is not what I thought the Heisman race would look like at any point in October. But I think it’s fantastic that both Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter are household names, and both appear to be getting the necessary buzz to stay in the Heisman picture even though they’re not quarterbacks. Jeanty, by the way, is averaging 8.9 yards per carry against stacked boxes (eight defenders) — while the national average for running backs in such situations is just 3.7. Miami quarterback Cam Ward needs little explanation, despite two shaky games for the ‘Canes, because it is his heroics that helped Miami stay unbeaten after facing a 25-point second-half deficit last Saturday at Cal. He threw for nearly 250 yards in the fourth quarter alone!
Let’s wrap this up by highlighting the performances of two quarterbacks that may not have been on anybody’s radar heading into the season. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who began his college career at the New Mexico Military Institute, has become something of a cult hero after his heroics led the ‘Dores past Alabama for the first win over an AP No. 1 in program history. Meanwhile, Indiana is 6-0 behind Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke, who has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of the Hoosiers’ last four games. He leads one of the nation’s most prolific offenses and is the face of one of the most surprising storylines in the sport this season. Keep an eye on both of these quarterbacks moving forward. Who knew that Vandy and Indiana would both be appointment viewing?!
