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...
Gophers Just Landed An In-State Recruiting Win Fans Will Notice
A big in-state recruiting win is taking shape for the Gophers, who landed Hastings High School standout Zack Shatek for their 2027 class. Shatek, the leading rusher in Minnesota high school football, had been committed to South Dakota State before an unofficial visit to Minneapolis changed the direction of his recruitment and led to an offer from Minnesota.
Shatek has been one of the most productive players in the state this season, piling up 1,964 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. For Minnesota, bringing in a player with that kind of homegrown profile matters both for the roster down the line and for the message it sends in-state, especially when a prospect already familiar with the region decides the Gophers are the right fit. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Land Intriguing In-State Back With Real Big Ten Upside
Minnesota added an intriguing in-state target to its future backfield picture after hosting running back prospect Zack Shatek, a player whose strong high school season has put him firmly on the radar. The appeal is easy to see from the Gophers side: Shatek has been productive, physical and productive enough to draw plenty of attention, with a scouting report that points to a runner who can challenge defenses in multiple ways while still having room to sharpen parts of his game.
The visit only made the story more interesting, since Minnesota is trying to keep top in-state talent close to home and Shateks profile suggests there could be real Big Ten upside if the development follows the right path. For the Gophers, it is the kind of addition that can matter well beyond one recruiting cycle, especially with a back who has been piling up yards and touchdowns at a pace that has made him one of the states most talked-about players. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Faces A Brutal Test In Bloomington With Little Margin
Minnesota heads to Bloomington facing a stiff assignment against Indiana, the defending national champions, in a game that feels like it could be decided by the slimmest of margins. Both offenses have been sputtering lately, which only raises the value of every possession, every red-zone trip and every mistake in a matchup that figures to lean more on execution than explosiveness.
For the Gophers, the biggest concern may be trying to slow down Indiana receiver Charlie Becker, a matchup that could tilt the evening if Minnesota cannot find an answer. Even with both teams searching for rhythm on offense, the recent trend points toward a tight game and, if the pattern holds, a late Indiana push could be enough to send Minnesota home with another hard-luck result. [Read more 🡒]