College Football Viewing Guide (Rivalry Week)

Probably the biggest game of the year. First, it’s a rivalry some consider the greatest in sport. Awesome. Next, it’s almost certainly for a conference championship AND Playoff berth. Fantastic. And finally, it boasts the best offense in the country (the Buckeyes) against the second-best defense (the Wolverines). I do not need to sell this game to you. Watch it.

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler is ready to attack, fresh off a drubbing of Tennessee. But let me bring the Gamecock faithful back down to earth: that was an uncharacteristically great performance by ol’ Spency, the Vol secondary is terrible, and this week Clemson hosts your squad. The good news for SC, I guess, is that Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has struggled to produce big plays this year in the passing game, and the Gamecocks are certainly better at defending through the air than on the ground. We’ll see what happens.

Oregon’s two losses were an absolute obliteration by Georgia in Week One and a three-point squeaker against Washington. The Ducks are incredibly dangerous. Led by quarterback Bo Nix, they score a lot of points, especially against suspect defenses (they struggled a touch against Utah last week). And while I’m high on the Beavers this year, they have their weaknesses, namely their ability to pass and defend the pass. But you know who really, really doesn’t have a secondary? The Ducks. Maybe *checks notes* Ben Gulbranson steps up?

No matter how good — or bad — the Tigers are, the Iron Bowl always has plenty of pomp and pageantry. This year, it’s tough to see how Auburn (now with Coach Cadillac Williams at the head) knocks off Bama.  Two bright spots on offense: running back Tank Bigsby lives up to his name on the ground, and the Tigers tend to hang onto the ball well. This one’s for bowl eligibility, and it’s gonna be stormy in Tuscaloosa. All of that favors the boys in blue and orange. But I don’t think Bama’s interested in dropping another high-pressure matchup to a rival this year. Sure, the Tide have their slight weaknesses this year, but that’s not saying a ton. The offense still hums, the defense still stifles. Let’s see if Auburn can shake them like LSU and Tennessee did.

Michigan State at Penn State (4p/3p, FS1)

The Trojans won a hard-fought one last week against UCLA. Now, the only thing standing between them and a potential Playoff spot is Notre Dame. Like last week, I’ll just mention that the Trojans’ method of winning is basically to rack up enough yards through the air to compensate for a mediocre-to-bad defense, and that they’ve only lost a single game (to Utah) by a single point.  Notre Dame is kind of USC’s mirror image. They’ve really given up some embarrassing games this year, but they hold teams down on defense to give their run-heavy offense a chance to score. This battle of wits and wills should be fun to watch.

I know LSU’s playing Texas A&M at this time too. Your mileage may vary, but I’d rather watch a competitive game than one in which the question is how badly Jimbo Fisher will lose. Both of these teams have overachieved this year. The Jayhawks are bowl eligible for the first time in forever. They’re great at keeping their speedy offense on the field — completing about half of their third-down attempts with a versatile running attack — which is great because they do not have a defense. The Wildcats are in a great position to take advantage of that, boasting a bruising attack that beats up opposing defensive fronts while holding teams down on the other side of the ball.

LSU at Texas A&M (7p/6p, ESPN)

Tennessee at Vanderbilt (7:30p/6:30p, SECN)

Pitt at Miami (8p/7p, ACCN)

Oklahoma at Texas Tech (7:30p/6:30p, FS1)

Time for the Apple Cup to close out the rivalry games, as is tradition. The Huskies are feeling the good vibes under Kalen DeBoer, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. simply thriving as team leader and chucking the pigskin for more yards on average than anyone in the nation. Their defense could be better, but I’m sure Washington’s counting their blessings. On the other side, Wazzu’s been a bit inconsistent. Quarterback Cam Ward’s put the offense on his back of late, and the pass game is certainly the bright spot for the Cougars’ offensively. What really excels is Wazzu’s run defense and ability to limit explosive plays, which could make the Huskies one-dimensional.