With Ohio State not kicking off until the mid-afternoon, here are a host of other college football matchups around the country we have our eyes on this Saturday.
Nooners
Photo: Jerome Miron | USA TODAY
#8 Arkansas vs. #2 Georgia, 12 p.m. on ESPN
Last week's upset of Texas A&M by Arkansas was hardly a shocker for college football fans that have been paying attention to the Razorbacks this season. Aside from the fact that the Aggies were widely considered overrated and the game took place on a neutral field, Arkansas has looked the part of a two-way dominant team all season long.
KJ JEFFERSON WITH THE DIME@razorbackFB is off and running pic.twitter.com/gUWIIcTxom
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2021
If they can pull off an upset of Georgia on the road today, it could be full-blown hog heaven in the SEC this year.
The Bulldogs' offense has recovered a bit after their bizarre opener against Clemson that saw neither team score an offensive touchdown. Their quarterback situation remains a bit in flux after JT Daniels' shaky first outing, but senior Stetson Bennett will provide Georgia with experience and consistency when they need it. Even so, the Razorbacks defense they will face today will certainly put up more of a challenge than those of their last two SEC opponents that surrendered 103 points to the Bulldogs in the previous two weeks.
HE LAID OUT FOR IT
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2021
Montaric Brown with a clutch INT for @razorbackFB pic.twitter.com/sAKg1XcVMB
Against Clemson, Georgia had much more success running the ball than passing, but still ended the game with just 3.9 yards per carry across the entire team's rushing attempts. That speaks to how bad the passing game can get for the Bulldogs when the offense cannot execute on the ground.
If the stingy Razorback defense can hold down the line of scrimmage, Georgia could be in serious trouble on the offensive side of the ball. Texas A&M barely managed 150 passing yards and threw no touchdowns against the above interception despite playing from behind all game against Arkansas last week.
Georgia will need to figure out which quarterback they trust early on and commit to their success if they want to avoid a cross-divisional downfall. Arkansas already has its team identity and wants to put the rest of the SEC on notice.
Afternooners
Photo: Sam Greene | The Cincinnati Enquirer
Too Many to Choose!
Week 5 features probably the best mid-afternoon slate of college football all season. Unfortunately, Ohio State happens to be playing Greg Schiano's Rutgers at the same time as many of these games. Even so, Buckeye fans can catch some of the games with 2:30 ET start times before pivoting over to Big Ten Network to catch the kickoff from Piscataway, New Jersey.
Here are the five best college football games kicking off throughout the mid-afternoon today:
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#7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
As it turns out, Notre Dame might actually be good. They were gifted a few garbage time pick sixes from Graham Mertz last week in what was a glorified home game disguised as a neutral site meeting, but Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish have come a long way from a month ago when he supposed maybe his entire team needed to be executed.
This has been a game circled on the schedule for many for a long time. With each team playing outside of the major four conferences, this has widely been viewed as a key resume-building game for each team with respect to their ambitions of making the College Football Playoff. A loss for either of these schools today would slam the door shut on that dream.
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#12 Ole Miss vs. #1 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
The Lane Kiffin revenge game. While its hard to imagine one of the biggest contributors to Ohio State's 2015 National Championship run pulling one over on Nick Saban, the points in this game should at least be plentiful. The Rebels have scored at least 43 points in every game this season, while Alabama's offense has looked nearly unstoppable against every team it has faced going back to last season. Both of these teams scored over 60 points against an FBS team last week.
The over/under for this game is currently just shy of 80. Jameson Williams returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last week and also scored his second 80+ yard receiving touchdown of the season. For pure offensive entertainment purposes, it's hard to find a more appealing game than this one today.
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#6 Oklahoma vs. Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
It certainly feels like this Oklahoma team is on borrowed time. Despite not losing a game yet this season, the Sooners have fallen from #2 to #6 after unimpressive showings in every FBS game they have played so far. Their lone resounding win in September was a 76-0 win over Western Carolina that the school charged $55 for on pay-per-view. After 2018, you would have to pay me to cheer for an Alex Grinch defense.
Oklahoma has yet to defeat any FBS opponent by double digits this season, and they also have yet to defeat Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman. The Wildcats have won their last two meetings against the Sooners and managed to score at least 38 points in each of those games. Sooner Nation is ripe for some heartache this afternoon.
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Texas Tech vs. West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Speaking of Oklahoma upsets, West Virginia fell just short of pulling one off themselves last week after traveling to Norman and losing by just three points after entering the fourth quarter with the lead. They have a fun bounce-back game today against Texas Tech at home that will likely allow for their offense to open back up a bit.
Texas Tech gave up 70 points to Texas last week, but have scored at least five touchdowns in every game against FBS opponents this season. Each of these teams are currently giving up over 300 yards of offense per game while combining for over 830 yards of offense, so a high-scoring affair seems much likelier than the current over/under of 55.5 would indicate.
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Florida International vs. Florida Atlantic, 3:30 pm
W I L D C A R D of the W E E KAt long last, the Eleven Warriors Weekly Viewing Guide has found a game not available on national broadcast that is worth recommending anyway. The Shula Bowl — named for former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula — features a bitter regional rivalry between two prominent universities in the South Florida area.
Many of the players on these teams were in-state recruits that did not go to major out-of-state programs or the usual Sunshine State powerhouses. FIU and FAU are merely 46 miles apart from one another in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. That means many of these players faced each other in high school, and a good deal of them already do not like each other.
FIU is infamous for its chippy nature with in-state adversaries. Neither one of these teams is particularly impressive, and FAU is favored to win their fifth straight meeting since 2016. However, in a day full of competitive football but not necessarily any bad blood, this game could be worth a glance or two while any of the above or Ohio State's are at commercial.
If you can find a way to watch it, that is.
Primetime
Photo: Ken Ruinard | The Greenville News
Boston College vs. #25 Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ACCN
Dabo tears are all the more delicious when you can see them coming from a mile away.
Clemson's offense is in trouble. DJ Uiagalelei is a volatile passing quarterback that prefers throwing to running despite his strong and mobile presence when carrying the football. His enigmatic play was on full display last week against NC State when he lead an impressive 80-yard touchdown drive for the Tigers on their second possession of the game. Uiagalelei then proceeded to throw for just 61 passing yards for the remainder of the contest despite playing an additional two overtime periods on the team's way to a 27-21 loss.
Of all the QBs whove had slow starts, perhaps the most concerning is #Clemsons D.J. Uiagalelei.
— Max Chadwick (@Chad_Maxwick) September 24, 2021
Likely has the strongest arm in the country, but his accuracy just isnt there.
His 30.3% uncatchable pass rate is 4th highest among Power-5 QBs per @PFFpic.twitter.com/vQPqOob9kB
Boston College is currently 4-0, and former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley nearly took down Clemson last season during one of Trevor Lawrence's COVID absences. The Eagles are still navigating life without their number one quarterback after Phil Jurkovec went down with a hand injury that required surgery, but the Tigers remain more vulnerable than ever while the offense still searches for leadership and consistency.
It's hard to feel as comfortable about an upset alert as last week given Clemson is at home, but Hafley certainly has an opportunity to send Dabo Swinney into a downward spiral this evening.
#21 Baylor vs. #19 Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
If the above game gets away from the Eagles, this Big 12 matchup between two top 25 teams seems poised to provide some late-day excitement. Big Ten fans may be tempted to watch Penn State take on Indiana after the latter took down the Nittany Lions in overtime last season, but those seeking the most aesthetic football experience possible are highly encouraged to look elsewhere.
Baylor is scorching hot coming off of a 31-29 upset win over Iowa State last week that launched the Bears into the top 25. They outscored their opponents 171-63 in September on their way to a 4-0 start.
Came down to the wire, but @BUFootball picked up its first ranked win since 2015!
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 25, 2021
Catch the highlights in our 60' in 60" (Sponsored by @Cryptocom) pic.twitter.com/Yi1TwQXo90
Traditionally known for aerial assaults under Art Briles, this latest edition of Baylor features a rushing attack that is currently shredding teams for over 270 yards per game on the ground. Running backs Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner have each toted the ball over 50 times already this season — yet both still sport averages of at least seven yards per carry. The defense is surprisingly no slouch either, currently conceding less than 150 passing yards per game to its opponents.
Oklahoma State has held steady at 4-0 themselves, but they had a tough time dealing with a Tulsa team at home a short while ago that got thoroughly walloped by Houston this week. The Cowboys did hold off Kansas State last Saturday to knock the Wildcats out of the top 25, and they also at the moment enjoy one of the top 15 run defenses in college football. That makes them a good fit to tango with Baylor's potent rushing offense.
Baylor lost to Oklahoma State 42-3 last year. Mike Gundy will need to be ready for the counterattack.
On the Radar for Next Week
- Buckeyes: Maryland vs. #11 Ohio State, 12:00 p.m. on FOX
- Afternoon: #4 Penn State vs. #5 Iowa, 4:00 p.m. on FOX
- Primetime: #1 Alabama vs. #15 Texas A&M, 8:00 p.m. on CBS
