Week 10 Viewing Guide: Sparty Bound for Where Dreams Go to Die, Clemson's Season is on Life Support, and the Alamo Invades El Paso

By George Eisner on November 6, 2021 at 8:35 am
Nick King | Lansing State Journal
Nick King | Lansing State Journal
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With Ohio State kicking off early today, let's take a look at a host of other college football matchups from around the country we’ll have our eyes on this Saturday.

NoonersJames Guillory | USA TODAY Sports

Photo: James Guillory | USA TODAY Sports

Three Viewing Alternatives for Buckeye Channel-Changers

Hard as it may be to believe, today is the first time in almost a month that Ohio State has played on the opening Saturday slate. To the chagrin and misfortune of Buckeye fans, the team's previous two contests directly conflicted with several opportunities to watch other quality games in primetime. Sadly, that trend continues into a third week despite the shift in scheduling.

Anyone looking for brief relief from the action in Lincoln today should check out these three other games kicking off at noon.

  • #10 Wake Forest vs. North Carolina, 12 p.m. on ABC
    At the start of the season, North Carolina's expectation was to be in the position that Wake Forest currently finds itself in. But fate is often unkind in college football, and preseason Heisman candidate Sam Howell has since slid with his team into a .500 record — while Wake Forest's Sam Hartman is quietly shredding every defense the ACC throws at him. Despite Howell having thrown an interception in three straight contests and taken over 20 sacks across the last five games, the Tar Heels are slight home favorites at the moment. Howell and UNC led Notre Dame in South Bend early on in the second half last week, but Hartman is coming off consecutive 400+ yard passing performances and Wake Forest hasn't scored fewer than 35 points all season.
     
  • #23 SMU vs. Memphis, 12 p.m. on ESPNU
    Prior to Halloween, SMU was the team best-positioned to give Cincinnati trouble on its way to the College Football Playoff. The Mustangs already had the Bearcats on the schedule for the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, and a win over Houston would have given SMU the easiest pathway to the AAC Championship game among the non-Cincy teams.

    But in a game tied at 37 with only 30 seconds remaining last weekend, Houston returned a 100 yard kickoff for a game-winning touchdown to stun SMU and take firm lead in AAC conference rankings — ahead of even Cincinnati. With a conference title appearance unlikely, the Mustangs' greatest remaining accomplishment this season would be playing spoiler to the Bearcats. Memphis is a bit of a cheeky team that upset Mississippi State and also nearly took down the undefeated UTSA Roadrunners (more on them later).

    This meeting will be a good barometer for whether or not SMU remains invested in the remaining month of their season after such a deflating loss.
     
  • Liberty vs. #15 Ole Miss, 12 p.m. on SECN
    If you have not yet seen Liberty since the school joined the FBS as an independent in 2018, now is the chance to witness what you have been missing. The Flames currently enjoy a record of 7-2 and cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history last season, but are also 2-7 against the Power 5 since entering Divison I-A and still searching for their first regular season win ever over a ranked FBS opponent.

    That might not arrive today opposite an Ole Miss team thirsty for a rebound following its road loss to Auburn last weekend. However, if Lane Kiffin's offense gets out ahead early on, that will force quarterback Malik Willis — a former Auburn Tiger himself — to operate the Liberty attack at a breakneck pace in the interest of keeping up. The Rebels will need to be ready for Willis, as he already has over 2,600 total yards of offense and 30 total touchdowns this season.

AfternoonersNikos Frazier | Lafayette Journal & Courier

Photo: Nikos Frazier | Lafayette Journal & Courier

Teatime Triple Threat

The afternoon features three games that include three teams with substantial relevance concerning Ohio State's College Football Playoff aspirations. Stick through to the evening with one matchup, or flip routinely between the three for the ultimate chaotic viewing experience.

  • #5 Michigan State vs. Purdue, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
    The Spartans won arguably the state of Michigan's biggest college football in-state rivalry game in over half a century last weekend when they took down Jim Harbuagh's Wolverines in East Lansing. The victory moved Mel Tucker to 2-0 against Jim Harbaugh while also moving Michigan State ahead of Ohio State in the AP Poll and first College Football Playoff rankings. Their success is largely fueled by Heisman-candidate running back Kenneth Walker III — the only man to ever score five rushing touchdowns against Michigan in one game. Tragically, Michigan State has a road trip to West Lafayette to look forward to in their follow-up performance. If Sparty proves to be emotionally exhausted following the triumph over Michigan, a Purdue team that handily upset Iowa on the road could score its first home victory since the end of September.
     
  • #12 Auburn vs. #13 Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
    Auburn would be the second team this afternoon that holds some relevance to Ohio State fans. The Tigers are playing their best football of the season at the right time, fresh off a win over the aforementioned Ole Miss Rebels last weekend. A win today over Texas A&M would not only remove some luster from the loss on Alabama's playoff resume, but also position Auburn well to hold a top-10 ranking heading into the Iron Bowl at the end of this month.

    The Aggies realistically won't catch the Crimson Tide in the SEC West race, but a win for them today over Auburn and a random loss for Alabama over the next three weeks would make matters much more interesting. Even so, Texas A&M has plenty of pride to play for already with another ranked matchup on the radar for next weekend with Ole Miss.
     
  • Tulsa vs. #2 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
    Technically, this meeting has two teams with some relevance to Buckeye fans, given Tulsa's earlier matchup with Ohio State back in September. The Golden Hurricane's mixed bag of performances this season against good teams makes them a bit unpredictable heading into a matchup with a Cincinnati team that has faltered against inferior competition in the early stages of recent games.

    The Bearcats only led Navy by a field goal at the half two weeks ago, and last weekend led Tulane by even less heading into the locker room. Cincy ultimately won both games, but the pressure of trying to become the first College Football Playoff team from beyond the Power 5 may be starting to get to the Bearcats just a bit.

PrimetimeMark Hoffman | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

#19 Iowa vs. Northwestern, 7:00 p.m. on BTN

H A Z A R D   W A R N I N G

In November, the Eleven Warriors Viewing Guide will be adding a HAZARD WARNING game that all the college football sickos can enjoy. Those that prefer football games in the style of car accidents rather than symphonies will consider these contests appointment television.

And for the debut of HAZARD WARNING, what could be better than one of the most diseased matchups in the Big Ten West over the last decade: Iowa vs. Northwestern.

Iowa enters this game appearing fundamentally broken as their rapid fall from grace continues. The former second-highest ranked team in the nation got exposed by Purdue in the middle of last month, then promptly put up an even worse performance against Wisconsin coming out of a bye last weekend.

Turnover regression has finally arrived. After winning the battle for total takeaways 20-5 through their first six games, the Boilermakers and Badgers have successfully turned the Hawkeyes over by a ratio of 7-1 over the last handful of weeks.

Northwestern is equally gross this season, but Pat Fitzgerald is shockingly 9-6 all-time against Kirk Ferentz. Fitzgerald is no stranger to taking down ranked Hawkeyes teams at home, having beaten Iowa in 2010 when they entered Evanston at #13 in the nation. Twenty years from now, bed nurses in an Iowa City nursing home will wonder why the long-retired Hawkeyes coach never ceases from yelling "FIIIIIIIIITZ" through his night terrors.

One team is imploding, the other is post-implosion and no stranger to making matters difficult for the former. Sit back and enjoy the post-Halloween horror show with an over/under barely above 40 points.

Clemson vs. Louisville, 7:30 p.m. on ACCN

W I L D C A R D   of the   W E E K

Malik Cunningham came up short in last week's Wildcard of the Week, failing to add to his total of 13 rushing touchdowns that previously led all FBS players. However, given the weak slate of matchups in Week 10 that do not feature ranked teams, Cunningham and the Cardinals will get a shot at redemption in this week's Wildcard installment.

Louisville's fleet-footed field general faces James Skalski and the Clemson defense in what could be the game that effectively ends the Tigers' streak of six straight ACC Championship appearances. N.C. State's win over the Cardinals last week made matters much more difficult for the Tigers' conference title aspirations, as the Wolfpack are now a win ahead of Clemson in second place for the Atlantic Division and also own the pair's tiebreaker.

The Tigers averted disaster last weekend at home against Florida State after one of the worst final play sequences in recent memory that invoked shades of Joey Bosa against Northwestern several years ago.

Had the Seminoles not giftwrapped those final points, Clemson would still be searching for its first win over an FBS opponent this season by a double digit margin.

Cunningham could struggle to get going early on against a stingy Tigers run defense, but their front only stops rushers at the line of scrimmage on roughly 16% of all running plays according to Football Outsiders. If Louisville's electric playmaker can get beyond Clemson's first four with momentum and into open space, the Cardinals have a great shot to earn that win over the Tigers that Lamar Jackson could never quite reach.

Saturday Night FeverJoe Rondone | The Commercial Appeal

Photo: Joe Rondone | The Commercial Appeal

#16 UTSA vs. UTEP, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN2

This has long been one of the most highly-anticipated G5 games on the college football schedule this season. University of Texas at San Antonio quietly joined the FBS ranks in 2014 and struggled to a 19-29 record through its first five years in Conference USA. Today, the Roadrunners are streaking into November on the rush of an undefeated record with arguably the most difficult remaining test on their schedule on tap for late this evening.

University of Texas at El Paso had some nice momentum of its own heading into this meeting, and even had the potential to break into the AP Top 25 last weekend prior to a three-point road upset loss to Florida Atlantic. The Miners' offense has not quite materialized this season in the way some expected, but their quarterback Gavin Hardison still has one of the strongest throwing arms in all of college football.

Of course, the more fun offense between the two teams has to be that of UTSA. Frank Harris plays quarterback with a sense of fun and fearlessness. He does a good job of evenly distributing the ball (three UTSA receivers with five or more receiving touchdowns this season) and is not afraid to stand up defenders on rushing attempts despite standing just over 6'0".

Turnovers will be the key to deciding this game. Other than their season-opening win over Illinois, UTSA's defense has forced at least two turnovers in every game this year. Conversely, five of Hardison's nine interceptions this season occurred in UTEP's two losses, and the Miners have lost the turnover battle 8-1 in those games combined.

A care-free offensive showcase favors the Roadrunners. However, if UTEP can control the ball and keep their San Antonio counterparts from setting the pace, the Miners could dial up some deep shots in what will likely prove to be Conference USA's game of the year.

On the Radar for Next Week 

  • Buckeyes: Purdue vs. #6 Ohio State, TBD on ABC Networks / Fox 
  • TBD: #4 Oklahoma vs. #14 Baylor, TBD on ABC Networks / Fox
  • Primetime: #13 Texas A&M vs. #15 Ole Miss, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
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