Week 7 brings a slate loaded with heavyweight games, and this is the kind of Saturday that can redraw the College Football Playoff race in a hurry. Nebraska, Indiana, Missouri and the playoff format itself all sit in the spotlight as the weekend opens with more uncertainty than answers.
Start with Oregon, where the quarterback picture is still a mess. Dylan Raiola, Akili Smith Jr. and Brock Thomas are all in the mix after Raiola’s rough outing turned into a 17-15 loss to UCLA, with Thomas putting up the more encouraging numbers after stepping in.
Nebraska walks into that uncertainty as a tougher team than the Bruins by ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ metric, and the Huskers also come in with fresh motivation after losing to Indiana. Oregon’s seven-point spread edge looks vulnerable here, especially with Nebraska’s strong secondary waiting to make life miserable for whichever quarterback the Ducks choose.
Anthony Colandrea is expected to deliver a clean day at quarterback, and that should be enough for Nebraska to keep pushing toward a CFP berth.
Indiana gets its own chance to shake up the top of the sport when it faces Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ offensive line has already shown cracks this season, and now it will be missing starter Austin Siereveld.
That is a dangerous setup against an Indiana defense that ranks third nationally with 20 sacks, behind only Tennessee and LSU. Julian Sayin is expected to feel that pressure throughout the day, much like he did in the Big Ten championship, when Indiana sacked him five times.
Add in a strong showing from Indiana’s receivers, and the Hoosiers have a path to slip past Ohio State and leave Ryan Day’s team with very little breathing room.
Ole Miss also enters the weekend under pressure at a spot that should be its strength. Pete Golding’s defense has not exactly been airtight, with 392.4 yards per game allowed - a mark better than only Florida in the SEC.
Missouri visits with a quarterback who has both a reason and a resume to make the Rebels pay: Austin Simmons. He lost his job a season ago to Trinidad Chambliss, had not thrown an interception before last week’s pick against Texas A&M, and still averages 239 yards per game even after that off day.
If Simmons has another rough one, Missouri’s defense looks good enough to carry the Tigers and strengthen their case as CFP contenders.
And then there’s the other big conversation hovering over the entire day: a 24-team CFP. That subject figures to pop up everywhere Saturday, but don’t expect much real pushback on air.
Networks have every incentive to talk up the idea, especially with ESPN likely needing to spread CFP inventory to other channels if the field expands next year. If there’s a viral moment, it may come from whichever commentator is willing to say what plenty of fans are thinking.
Pat “Rat” McAfee, Sean McDonough and Robert Griffin III all stand out as possibilities to be that voice.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Suddenly Faces A Secondary Test At The Worst Time
Ole Miss is suddenly having to adjust its secondary plans after Edwin Joseph Jr. had a tightrope procedure on his ankle following a high ankle sprain. The injury is expected to keep him out at least for the upcoming games against Missouri and Texas, a tough development for a defense that has leaned on him in key spots and now has to shuffle roles on short notice.
Pete Golding will turn to a group that includes Nick Cull, Sharif Denson, Joenel Aguero, Ladarian Clardy and Anthony Robinson III to help cover the load. The Rebels also need steadiness at boundary cornerback, where Antonio Kite, Jaylon Braxton and Jayln Crawford are among the options trying to keep the back end from becoming a larger problem at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious About Week 7
Week 7s SEC slate is packed with the kind of matchups that usually command a full days attention, and instead they all hit the screen at once. Auburn at Georgia, Alabama at Tennessee and Missouri at Ole Miss are all set to kick off simultaneously, which has already left fans and commentators grumbling about how hard it will be to keep up with the conferences biggest games at the same time.
From the Ole Miss side, the frustration is easy to understand because Missouris trip to Oxford was the one drawing the sharpest criticism. A game with that much conference weight feels like it should have been given a bigger national stage, but instead it landed on SEC Network, adding to the sense that the scheduling and TV decisions made this a needlessly messy weekend for viewers. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces An Early SEC Test It Cant Afford To Flunk
Ole Miss gets an early SEC measuring stick this week with Missouri coming to town for only the ninth meeting between the schools. The Rebels have had almost no history to lean on in this series, and the one prior win for Ole Miss came back in 1974. This matchup also arrives with familiar concerns still hovering over the defense, particularly against the run, which makes the margin for error feel awfully thin before conference play has even settled in.
Missouri brings enough offensive pieces to make the trip interesting, with Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Jamal Roberts all standing out statistically. For Ole Miss, the focus is as much about shoring up the defense as it is about getting enough from Kewan Lacys health to keep the offense balanced. The setup points to a competitive game, but for the Rebels it is also the kind of test that can expose whether the early-season progress is real or just surface level. [Read more 🡒]