The seventh week of the season kicked off with some #FunBelt action on Wednesday night, as Louisiana spoiled Marshall’s first conference home game as a member of the Sun Belt. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored 20 unanswered second-half points en route to a 23-13 win.
Thursday evening offers two matchups: Baylor-West Virginia in Morgantown (7:00 p.m. ET, FS1) and Temple-UCF (7:00, ESPN) in Orlando. Both teams are coming off idle weeks after the Bears lost 36-25 at home to Oklahoma State and the Mountaineers suffered a 38-20 loss at Texas. This feels like a game WVU can win by feeding off of its home atmosphere under the lights. Meanwhile, the Knights will look to stay perfect in AAC play while the Owls are looking for their first conference win. We have not seen a real effective Temple offense thus far, while UCF has one of the best scoring defenses. Tough to envision the Owls notching their first league win in this spot.
Okay, let’s take a look at Friday’s action…
Navy at SMU, 7:30 p.m., ESPN: The Midshipmen are coming off a dominant 53-21 win at Tulsa—their largest scoring output since doing it twice in 2019—while the Mustangs are scuffling, putting up just 19 points in their loss to UCF. Navy will look to control the time of possession and take advantage of a generous SMU run defense.
UTSA at FIU, 8:00, CBSSN: The defending Conference USA champion Roadrunners are seeking their fourth straight win against Mike MacIntyre’s Panthers, who dropped a home contest to UConn last week following an embarrassing 73-0 road loss to Western Kentucky. UTSA’s Jeff Traylor has already been linked to the Colorado head opening, and he has the superior team in this one despite a slew of injuries.
Now, onto a LOADED Saturday lineup, which feature several high-profile games, including two matchups between Top 10 squads.
No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan, Noon ET, FOX: The Wolverines have been a pretty tough out at home as of late (outside of the COVID-19 2020 season). And Penn State last won in Ann Arbor (outside of ‘20) in 2009. The Nittany Lions finally have a ground game again with freshmen Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton pacing an attack that has 14 rushing scores in the past four games. That unit will be going up against a Michigan defense that is seventh-best nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (81.7). Can the Wolverines put Nittany Lions QB Sean Clifford in uncomfortable third-down situations?
Meanwhile, first-year coordinator Manny Diaz has cranked up PSU’s defense, and he’ll try to confuse Wolverines sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy, who will be making his first start against a ranked opponent. The thought is the Wolverines offense will continue to open up and evolve behind McCarthy’s athleticism, but can he connect on some deep shots to keep the Nittany Lions defense honest? And when he is pressured, can he keep the chains moving with his legs and make enough completions on broken plays?
No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee, 3:30, CBS: There is a ton of hype for this game, and rightfully so. We do not know if defending Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is going to play, but we do know Hendon Hooker will—and that means we can expect a lot of points from the Vols. However, he will face more pressure from this Alabama defense than he has been accustomed to during this ascent under Josh Heupel, and he will likely be involved in a shootout—with or without Young—because this Vols defense has some holes.
Based on what we saw last week against Texas A&M, it’s asking a lot of Jalen Milroe to go into Neyland and go score for score with a Vols offense that is first in FBS in yards and points per game. Taking the Young injury out of the equation, this could come down to a Crimson Tide defense that ranks in the top 10 in opposing yards and points per game versus the explosive Vols offense, which features a slew of weapons at Hooker’s disposal. We have seen the Tide struggle against up-tempo offenses in the past, and Hooker has generally been well-protected thus far. Whether or not Young plays, ‘Bama will need Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner and Co. to make Hooker uncomfortable.
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU, 3:30, ABC: This is a matchup of the last two unbeaten teams in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are looking for their third straight win over a ranked team, while the Cowboys are looking for a victory in Fort Worth for the first time since 2016. Max Duggan completed 22 of 33 passes for 308 yards and 3 TDs in last week’s win at Kansas and is fifth nationally in QBR (88.5), while the Pokes survived a 41-31 home conquest over Texas Tech, rallying from an 8-point second-half deficit and notching the final 18 points of the game.
Can the Pokes slow down Horned Frogs WR Quentin Johnston, who caught 14 passes for 206 yards as well as the game-winning score against Kansas? The Pokes have been susceptible through the air. And Duggan has been exceptional since taking over for Chandler Morris after Morris’ injury. His dual-threat ability keeps defenses on their heels, and he’s played error-free. Mike Gundy’s Cowboys have been very stingy on third down, though, leading the conference in third-down defense (27.5 percent).
No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse, 3:30, ACCN: Will star Wolfpack QB Devin Leary be available? Orange counterpart Garrett Shrader has been stellar and vastly improved as a passer. He is a much different player than the one who the Wolfpack saw in their 41-17 win over the Orange last season. Despite having some success on the ground in that loss, Shrader completed just 8 of 20 throws for 63 yards with an INT. But new OC Robert Anae has done a very nice job helping improve the passing game, and Shrader is completing 71 percent of his throws with 10 TDs and just one INT. He also has the luxury of having All-American RB Sean Tucker in his backfield.
The Wolfpack have been susceptible to mobile QBs this season, including Florida State’s Jordan Travis, who ran for 108 yards last week in NC State’s close win. A balanced Orange attack will be a real test for Dave Doeren’s squad this week.
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky, 7:30, SECN: Bulldogs QB Will Rogers set an SEC record for completion percentage—36 of 39—in last year’s 31-17 victory over Kentucky in Starkville, which came one year after the Wildcats recorded 6 INTs in Mike Leach’s debut SEC season. Star UK QB Will Levis, who is battling a turf toe injury and missed last week, threw 3 INTs in last year’s loss and will be looking to rebound if he’s cleared to play.
Levis missed last week’s 24-14 home loss to South Carolina, and the offense really struggled under redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron, who was making his first career start. UK is hopeful that Levis can return, but no matter who gets the start needs to get better protection from an O-Line that has allowed 25 sacks in six games and now faces a tricky 3-3-5 Bulldogs defense. Even if Levis starts, Rogers has a bevy of playmakers and leads an offense that has been very efficient inside the red zone.
No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah, 8:00, FOX: Expect Rice-Eccles to be intensely loud and be an issue for QB Caleb Williams and the Trojans offense. Playing the Utes in Salt Lake City in recent years—with the exception of the COVID-shortened ‘20 campaign—has been a real chore. USC’s last win there before that season was in 2012. While this game would have a little more shine had Utah not lost to UCLA last week, this is still a marquee Pac-12 game.
Kyle Whittingham’s squad should not be overlooked despite its two losses, especially at home. And we should expect QB Cameron Rising to put his turnover issues behind him, though the Trojans boast a very opportunistic defense.
Other notable Saturday matchups
Auburn-No. 9 Ole Miss
No. 19 Kansas-Oklahoma
Iowa State-No. 22 Texas
Minnesota-No. 24 Illinois
Vanderbilt-No. 1 Georgia
Arkansas-BYU
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Arizona-Washington
LSU-Florida
No. 4 Clemson-Florida State
Stanford-Notre Dame
North Carolina-Duke
Washington State-Oregon State
San Jose State-Fresno State
We also have late-night home Hawai’i action, so this week couldn’t be better. The Rainbow Warriors kick off at 11:59 p.m. against Nevada.
My Top 25 after Week 6
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma State
9. Ole Miss
10. Oregon
11. TCU
12. UCLA
13. Wake Forest
14. NC State
15. Penn State
16. Mississippi State
17. Kansas State
18. Syracuse
19. Cincinnati
20. Kansas
21. Illinois
22. Tulane
23. Utah
24. Coastal Carolina
25. James Madison
Heisman Watch: The 5 leading contenders heading into Week 7
*Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud: The preseason favorite excelled once again in Ohio State’s 49-20 victory over Michigan State, completing 21 of 26 passes for 361 yards and 6 TD passes—tying a school record—and putting his season total at 25. He is the first Buckeye to throw 6 scoring passes in three different games. He’s the clear favorite in this race.
*Michigan RB Blake Corum: The Wolverines junior rushed for 124 yards on 25 carries, including a 50-yard dash very early in the game, in Michigan’s 31-10 win at Indiana.
*USC QB Caleb Williams: The OU transfer didn’t light it up through the air, going 15 of 29 for 188 yards, but he added 34 yards on the ground and had 2 scoring passes while playing turnover-free in a 30-14 win over pesky Washington State.
*Texas RB Bijan Robinson: Not enough chatter is taking place regarding someone who was one of the most electric players last year. The Longhorns RB ranks second in the FBS in total TDs from scrimmage (11) and fourth in total yards from scrimmage (848). In his latest strong effort, Robinson rushed for 130 yards with 2 scores as the Longhorns handed Oklahoma its most-lopsided shutout loss ever, 49-0.
*Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker: The Vols signal caller helped lead his team to an emphatic 40-13 win at No. 25 LSU, completing 17 of 27 passes for 239 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions and adding 56 yards on the ground.
This week’s best bets* (subject to change by Saturday morning—check my Twitter)
*Penn State +7
*NC State +3.5
*Michigan State +7.5
This season: 11-8-2
Cocktail of the week
It’s getting chillier outside as we approach the middle of October, and I turn to bourbon when I want to feel warm and cozy. So let’s put a twist on the traditional Old Fashioned and infuse a little maple syrup to make the classic drink even smoother.
Prep instructions:
-In a rocks glass, combine 2 oz. bourbon (I prefer Woodford Reserve), 3 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes orange bitters and .5 oz maple syrup.
-Add ice to glass. Stir clockwise for 10 seconds and counter-clockwise for another 10.
-Peel a slice of skin from an orange and squeeze the oils from the peel into the drink.
-You are now ready to enjoy! You can add a luxardo maraschino cherry if you’d like, but I save those for my Manhattans.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend action. It is going to be beautiful watching the Lions not lose on Sunday (of course by virtue of a being idle).
Follow me on Twitter @Miller_Dave & email me at david.matthew.miller@gmail.com
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