Friday night’s college football slate brings three very different tests, and Oregon may be the team under the brightest microscope.
The Ducks are trying to shake off an ugly loss at Oklahoma State, a result that dropped them from No. 6 to No. 21 and left Dan Lanning’s group in a place it did not expect to be this early. Portland State is next, and Oregon will be expected to handle it without drama.
That is the point. Get out in front, clean up the mistakes, and move on.
Lanning didn’t lean on excuses after the loss in Stillwater, either. He said his team had not shown the improvement he wanted to see.
Friday is the first chance to answer that.
A routine win would not erase what happened last week. But if Oregon makes this one messy, the Oklahoma State defeat starts to look even worse.
Miami is in a different kind of spot, but the pressure is real there too. The Hurricanes opened the season on the road at Stanford, came away with a win, then rolled past Florida A&M and climbed to No.
- Now they head back out for Wake Forest, and the expectations around them are impossible to ignore.
Miami played for a national championship last season, so a 2-0 start or a September win over Wake Forest is not going to move many people. A loss, though, would change the tone fast.
Wake Forest gets a nationally televised home game and a shot to knock Miami off script.
The most intriguing matchup of the night might be in Lubbock, where Houston gets a crack at No. 13 Texas Tech.
Both teams are 2-0, and both arrive unbeaten. Texas Tech won the Big 12 last season, so there is no surprise factor here.
Houston, though, has a chance to make a statement and alter the way people see it. A road win in Lubbock would do that in a hurry.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire has already called Houston his team’s toughest test in two years, and Friday will show whether he was right.
Miami and Wake Forest kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Houston-Texas Tech follows at 8 p.m. on FOX, and Portland State-Oregon closes the night at 10:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
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Miami Secondary Depth Is About To Face Its First Real Test
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Cristobal has leaned on the idea that the next-man-up approach can pay off, and now Miami will have to prove it in real games. For a defense that wants to stay sturdy on the back end, these upcoming weeks are more than just a lineup shuffle - they are a chance for younger players and reserves to stack snaps, settle in and show the staff what kind of trust they can handle when the competition sharpens. [Read more 🡒]