If both Notre Dame and Oklahoma finish 11-1, each will have strong arguments for why it should outrank the other. Let’s see how they stack up. Oklahoma State will not go down easy though, as they performed tremendously on both sides of the ball against TCU two weeks ago. After rushing for 100 yards in 15 straight games, Elliott is the only consistent player for the Buckeyes. Final Score: Alabama 61, Charleston Southern 10. Iowa would have fallen out of the picture (likely by losing to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship game) in order for Ohio State to remain where they are.
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The college football world will be paying close attention to what happens in both games, and if both the Cowboys and the Sooners win Saturday, it will set up a Bedlam like no other. Both offenses have its specific strengths. Baylor is coming off a stumble at home where it lost to the Oklahoma Sooners. The Bears are leading the nation in points (54.8) and yards (637.9) per game, and have one of the most explosive weapons in all of college football in Corey Coleman.
No. 9 MI State (9-1) at No. 3 Ohio State (10-0) 3:30 pm.
Currently, one could argue that realistically, only six teams are primarily in the discussion for the playoff: Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. Stanford vs Notre Dame then essentially becomes a play-in game, rather than the game being all about the Irish. Playing at Fenway Park may bring added pressure to the Irish which could favor the Eagles. Now the betting odds for the game have the Cowboys favored to pick up the victory in this one. They also need Notre Dame to lose, though that’s unlikely this week against Boston College. Star receiver Josh Doctson has been ruled out for the regular season and quarterback Trevone Boykin is questionable with a sprained ankle. “As a team, we know we have to have a great week of practice to keep improving to give ourself the best opportunity to win this week”.
You really couldn’t have picked a worse time for OSU to play their two toughest opponents, but there is one upside for the Pokes.
No. 18 TCU at No. 7 Oklahoma (Off) – ABC, 8 p.m.
Of course, the pipe dream is for three-loss Ole Miss to win the SEC. LSU is beginning to show its true colors after back to back losses. Expect a usual Big 12 game with fast paced offense and fireworks everywhere. The Pokes’ defense held the Cyclones to 28 yards in the final 16 minutes. For the stakes to be that high, No. 4 Oklahoma State will need to do its part this Saturday and defeat a Baylor team that is trying to bounce back from last week’s 44-34 loss to Oklahoma. Iowa now can not get in with a loss to Ohio State in the Big 10 title game. Can Baylor salvage a shot at a Big 12 title and a possible playoff spot with a win?
Even though Boone Pickens Stadium seems to have a few sort of hex on the Bears, Cowboy defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer doesn’t want to rely on that alone.
Iowa: Iowa is pretty much in the same boat as Ohio State. A win in this game wraps up the Pac-12 North for the Cardinal. The Ducks’ defense has been throttled all season, surrendering points in bunches to just about every team they’ve played, including 42 against FCS Eastern Washington, and 62 to Utah. If we assume, which is a big word when talking about Carolina football, that the Heels make it to Charlotte and upset Clemson, what are the chances it makes the playoff? Quarterback Cody Kessler and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster are one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the country, and have the potential for a great performance against an OR defense that has allowed 317.7 yards per game and 31 touchdowns through the air.
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DE at Elon: The Hens have been disgusting this season with just three victories.
