This weekend may not be stacked with marquee matchups, but it has a chance to sort out real business in the Big Ten and Big 12. In the Big Ten, eight of the 12 teams with two or fewer conference losses are facing one another, which should start trimming the title picture and lifting a few teams into better position. The Big 12 also gets a pair of games with weight after last weekend’s shake-up.
Ohio State heads into its game with USC in a favorable spot, and the Buckeyes are getting another break: the Trojans will be dealing with a new quarterback making his first college start. USC has not been strong enough to capitalize on the good fortune it has gotten this season, and Ohio State looks set to keep rolling toward a third straight playoff appearance.
Indiana’s trip to Minnesota carries its own odd edge. Outside of a rough outing against Rutgers, every Big Ten game for the Hoosiers has been decided by seven points or fewer, which makes the line feel strange.
The expectation here is that Indiana leans hard on the ground game, running the ball at least 40 times in an effort to take some of the pressure off Hoover. If Minnesota can slow that running attack, the game opens up.
Oregon, meanwhile, is trying to patch things together after firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, but that move does nothing to solve a defense that was pushed around for 225 rushing yards by Illinois on Saturday. Chip Kelly is likely to keep hammering the run in familiar territory until the Ducks force him away from it, and that could take all day.
The Wisconsin-Iowa matchup could be another slog. The Badgers’ win over USC on Saturday featured zero scrimmage plays of 20 yards or more from either team, and this one could land in the same neighborhood.
Still, the Hawkeyes may have a little more burst. Luke Fickell is 0-3 against Kirk Ferentz since arriving at Wisconsin, and those losses have not been close, with a combined margin of 78 points.
In the Big 12, Utah is dealing with a Cincinnati team that can be dangerous as an underdog. Scott Satterfield’s Bearcats played very well against Texas Tech, but they also caught a fair amount of self-inflicted trouble from the Red Raiders. If the Utes keep things clean, they should get the job done.
Texas Tech enters another game on a short fuse after its wake-up call last week, while Kansas State is riding a five-game winning streak. The Wildcats have won their last three games by 21 points or more, and Texas Tech looked shaken after leaving Cincinnati.
Georgia’s trip to Florida is being played in Atlanta for the first time in series history. The rivalry’s history is rooted elsewhere, of course: the game has been held in six locations since 1904, including a disputed contest in Macon, Ga., in 1904.
Athens has hosted five times, Savannah twice, Gainesville twice, Tampa once, and Jacksonville 92 times. The Dash says it prefers the historic Jacksonville setup, but next year’s meeting will be in Tampa before the series returns to Jacksonville.
The Bulldogs are trying to put away whatever led to their home loss to Auburn, especially the errors from quarterback Gunner Stockton. Florida, for its part, is trying to carry forward the level it showed in upsetting Texas in Austin. Georgia is a 11.5-point favorite, and the pick here is Georgia 31, Florida 17.
Florida State and Clemson meet in a game that barely resembles the old attraction it once was. Both teams helped push against the ACC and now find themselves afterthoughts in the league race for the second straight year.
Over the past two seasons, their combined ACC record is 9-15, and Florida State’s 4-16 mark is the worst in the league since expansion to 17 teams. That was enough to get the Seminoles a theoretical relegation from The Dash two weeks ago.
The stakes are modest at best: mostly, this is about two coaches trying to steady the public mood around their programs. Florida State is a 6-point favorite, and the pick is Florida State 27, Clemson 20. That still would not be enough to convince the Big Ten to offer an invitation.
Illinois has managed to keep moving after losing starting quarterback Katin Houser to a broken hand against Michigan State on Oct. 10.
Since then, freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II has helped the Illini stay unbeaten, with wins over the Spartans in overtime and Oregon to move to 4-3. It has not been a sparkling season, but Bret Bielema and his team are hanging on instead of folding.
North Carolina’s loss to Syracuse was another painful swing. The Tar Heels were 4-2 and had just one conference loss when they hosted last-place Syracuse with a chance to improve their standing in the ACC race.
They took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, then unraveled on defense, allowing 175 yards and two touchdowns before the game went to overtime. Syracuse got the ball second in overtime, scored, and then went for two and the win.
For Carolina, it was a big step backward after a few baby steps forward in Bill Belichick’s second season.
In Other News...
Floridas Georgia Game Just Got A Lot More Unsettling
The buildup to Floridas game against Georgia has taken a familiar late-October turn, only this one comes with a deeper layer of uncertainty. The Gators top two quarterbacks, Aaron Philio and Tramell Jones Jr., are both listed as questionable because of injuries, even though coach Jon Sumrall said each practiced this week. Jones, in particular, is now dealing with fresh bumps and bruises, which only adds to the unease around a matchup that already carries plenty of weight for Florida.
If neither of them is available, Florida would be pushed down the depth chart and into a much different kind of plan with Aidan Warner or Will Griffin in line for the job. The injury picture extends beyond the quarterback room, too, with several players on both sides showing up on the report before the Oct. 31 game in Atlanta, leaving the Gators to sort through a week of uncertainty at a critical position. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Could Get A Huge Offensive Boost Before Georgia
Florida has a chance to get a key piece of its passing game back at just the right time, with wide receiver Vernell Brown III now listed as probable after missing three games because of a knee injury. Head coach Jon Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner both offered updates on Browns recovery, and the timing matters with Georgia up next and the Gators looking for any offensive lift they can find.
The injury report still has a few names worth monitoring, with quarterbacks Tramell Jones Jr. and Aaron Philo listed as questionable but expected to be available. Florida may also be without receiver Bailey Stockton and linebacker Jaden Robinson, who are both doubtful, but Browns return would give the offense a far more dynamic option as the Gators prepare for one of their biggest games of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Could Make Georgia Sweat In Rivalry Game For One Reason
Georgia rarely walks into Jacksonville with much reason to worry about Florida, but this years rivalry game carries a little more intrigue because the Gators may be able to make the Bulldogs uncomfortable in the one spot where game plans can get scrambled fast. The Week 9 preview around college football flagged Florida as a team worth watching against Georgia, with the focus landing on the uncertainty under center and what that could mean for how the Gators approach one of the SECs biggest stages.
For Florida, the question is less about matching Georgia blow for blow and more about whether the quarterback situation gives the Gators enough stability to test a rival that is still chasing its own goals in the College Football Playoff picture. The Bulldogs are one of several ranked powers under scrutiny this week, and with the first playoff rankings approaching, even a game that usually feels familiar could carry more weight than usual if Florida can turn that uncertainty into something a little more stressful for Georgia. [Read more 🡒]