With Oklahoma on a bye, Saturday gives Sooners fans a rare chance to breathe and watch the rest of college football without having to deal with OU’s dysfunctional offense. Brent Venables and Co. are off this week, but the break won’t last long - next week brings No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry, and the Longhorns are also idle right now.
It’s not a packed slate, but there are still a few games worth your attention. And if one doesn’t grab you, there’s always the option of earning some goodwill with the family that hasn’t seen you in four straight Saturdays.
The early window offers the biggest stage of the day: No. 7 Alabama at No.
16 Mississippi State at 11 a.m. CT on ABC, available with a fuboTV free trial.
It’s the kind of matchup nobody saw coming before the season, and it gets even more interesting because it’s in Starkville. That gives Mississippi State a real shot to knock off Alabama in a showdown of unbeaten teams.
Former OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has turned the Bulldogs into a CFP contender with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The engine is quarterback Kamario Taylor, who has become a surprise Heisman Trophy contender and frequently connects deep with Zion Ragins, the former Sooners receiver who transferred from OU over the offseason.
Alabama, meanwhile, has its own young quarterback rising in sophomore Keelon Russell. The Crimson Tide still haven’t beaten anyone of real note, so this is the first true chance to find out what they’re made of. The winner leaves with a much stronger case as a CFP contender.
OU won’t face Alabama this year, but the Sooners do head to Mississippi State on Oct. 24, when Brent Venables will go up against one of his former assistants.
Another game that matters to Sooners fans is No. 8 Florida at No.
25 Missouri. Both teams are still ahead on Oklahoma’s schedule, and both trips are on the road.
Florida just blasted Ole Miss to move into the Top 10 under new head coach Jon Sumrall, while Missouri comes in off a loss to Mississippi State. If the Gators keep rolling, it will only sharpen the sense that they’re legitimate and make OU’s trip to The Swamp look dangerous.
It would also reinforce the idea that Missouri is, once again, overrated.
Later in the day, Washington visits No. 18 USC, and that one has plenty of eyes on Lincoln Riley after last week’s 41-27 home loss to Oregon.
The Ducks beat USC even after losing starting quarterback Dante Moore in the second quarter, and the Trojans still couldn’t get stops. Washington enters unranked at 3-1, but the Huskies were in the Top 25 before a loss to Minnesota and remain a solid team.
If Riley drops back-to-back home games, including one against an unranked opponent, the pressure at USC will get even louder.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces Two Big Injury Questions Before Kentucky
Oklahomas availability report ahead of Kentucky brings a little more uncertainty to a game that already carries plenty of significance. Cornerback Eli Bowen and offensive tackle Michael Fasusi are both listed as questionable, and the Sooners are dealing with several other injury designations across the roster, leaving the picture a bit hazy as kickoff approaches.
Kentuckys report adds another layer to the matchup, with former Oklahoma wide receiver Nic Anderson listed as probable and several Wildcats also carrying injury tags of their own. For Oklahoma, the biggest immediate concern is simply how much of its depth will be available when it tries to handle a Kentucky team dealing with its own health issues. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Debate Gets More Awkward After Oklahoma Win
Arch Mannings latest outing against Oklahoma only added fuel to a discussion that has followed him through much of this season. He threw two interceptions in the game, and the performance immediately drew criticism as observers weighed what the outing said about where his game stands right now versus the expectation that comes with the Manning name.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian stepped in to defend his quarterback, arguing Manning would be viewed differently if he did not carry that level of recognition. But the pushback came quickly, with ESPN analysts Paul Finebaum and Jordan Rodgers publicly disputing Sarkisians read and casting doubt on Mannings current level of play, turning one rough game into a broader debate that is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces A Big Test After The Texas Statement Win
Kentucky comes to Norman riding a four-game winning streak, and the timing makes this one feel like more than just another SEC date on the calendar. The Wildcats have already shown they can survive a tight one, including an overtime win over LSU, while Oklahoma is coming off the kind of result that can change the mood around a season in a hurry after beating then-No. 1 Texas.
The challenge for the Sooners is turning that statement win into something sustainable, because the next week always says a lot about a teams habits. Both coaches have pointed to focus and preparation as the keys here, and with Kentucky arriving confident and unbeaten in its recent run, Oklahoma will have to match the emotion of last week with the discipline required to handle the one in front of it. [Read more 🡒]