4-Down Territory: Colossal High Noon Showdown and a Whole Lot More

We head into week 2 with another colossal SEC/Big 10 matchup when Texas heads to Ann Arbor to play Michigan….more on that later.

Last week USC made a big statement for themselves and for the Big 10 with an important win over LSU. The Big Ten was a field goal away from an 18-0 start to the year in non-conference games. Keep in mind that only 3 of those games were against Power-4 opponents and they went 2-1. The SEC tallied a 13-3 record with the 3 losses being Florida’s blowout loss at home to Miami, a tight Texas A&M home loss to Notre Dame and LSU’s aforementioned loss to USC in Las Vegas.

For those who are DirecTV subscribers, the good news is that the biggest game and most of the intriguing games are on Fox, CBS and NBC so the whole ESPN/DirecTV feud won’t impact you too much. When Disney and AT&T/DirecTV are fighting it’s hard to root for either team.

First Down: Big Ten: Bowling Green at #8 Penn State 12:00 Big Ten Network: Don’t count this one out right away. Bowling Green beat Georgia Tech last year and gave Minnesota a run in a bowl game. The key in those games was offensive production. RB Terion Smith rolled for 138 yards in the Ga Tech win. Tight End Harold Fannin had 44 grabs for 600+ yards a year ago. In those two games against power-4 teams last year QB Connor Bazelak was 42 for 69 and almost 500 yards passing. But this Penn State defense and secondary will be a much bigger challenge for them……Iowa State at #21 Iowa 3:30 CBS: This in-state rivalry has generally been marked by low-scoring games. The winner of this game the last five years has scored –on average—17.6 points. Iowa seemed to have found their legs on offense with QB Cade McNamara in the second half last week scoring 34 of their 40 points after intermission. Iowa State is coming off a season where they fell short of the raised annual expectations in Ames. The raised expectations are a testament to the job Coach Matt Campbell has done.

Second Down: Big Ten vs Big 12: #19 Kansas at Illinois 7:00 FS1: A win over a ranked opponent by Illinois would go a long way to showing the depth of the 18-team Big Ten. As the Big 12 looks towards building a brand as a true peer in the Power-4 power structure, wins like these build the perceived depth of the newly reconstituted Big 12……. Colorado at Nebraska 7:30 NBC: A year ago Nebraska was plagued by turnovers in the loss to Colorado. There were also post-game comments by a Colorado player calling out Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule. Nebraska was one of the top defenses in the country in 2023, but the turnover virus plagued them all year. With highly touted freshmen QB Dylan Raiola at the helm last week against UTEP the Nebraska offense showed the balance and ball security that may start to push this program into the upper echelon of the Big Ten. More importantly Nebraska did not throw an interception and was +1 in turnover margin. For Colorado to move beyond being the “Kardashians” of college football, they will need to end the slide they’ve been on against FBS opponents. QB Shedeur Sanders and WR/DB Travis Hunter are among the best players at their positions in the country. Sanders’ mobility has covered up an offensive line that has struggled with pass rush. Watch to see if Nebraska’s defense can stay in their pass rush lanes and stay in coverage……Baylor at #11 Utah 3:30 FOX: Utah enters the Big 12 as a conference favorite. QB Cam Rising is back. Rising was born in the last century (1999) and Head Coach Kyle Whittingham has been the Head Coach at Utah since the days of the second term of the George W Bush administration (2005). That kind of stability gives them a unique ability to navigate new conference waters.

Third Down: Primetime SEC: USF at #4 Alabama 7:00 ESPN: A year ago, Alabama’s offense absolutely struggled at USF and they narrowly escaped with a win. QB Jalen Milroe did not even play in the game after getting benched following the loss to Texas. After that game Nick Saban spoke about simplifying what they were doing and allow their players to make critical halftime adjustments. That sparked a run to the SEC Title and the College Football playoff. Look for Alabama to start fast in this one……#14 Tennessee at #24 NC State 7:30 ABC in Charlotte—The Duke’s Mayo Classic: NC State needed a 21-point 4th quarter to beat Western Carolina 38-21 last week. If they have a slow start this week it could be big trouble. Tennessee has been a fast-start team under Coach Josh Heupel. Both teams are starting new QBs this year and NC State’s defense feasted on INTs last year grabbing 17.

Fourth Down: High Noon at the Big House: #3 Texas at #10 Michigan 12:00 FOX: Texas….Michigan…the names alone conjure up images of legendary teams, players and coaches. This is college football royalty. The Texas defense absolutely smothered Colorado State last week. The Rams did not score a point, and until the very last drive of the game the Texas defense never lined up with less than 44 yards at their backs. Colorado State punted six times, threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and gave up the ball on downs twice and did not have a play of more than 13 yards. The Michigan offense they’ll be facing still has some questions. The Wolverines played two quarterbacks and got the ball to TE Colston Loveland successfully. The wide receivers will need to step up. While QB Davis Warren was the starter, Michigan used QB Alex Orji as a change-up because of his running ability –he is fast and physical. The pressure will be on the Michigan defense led by the guys up front. Last week DE Josaiah Stewart was dominant with 5 tackles & 2 sacks while DT Rayshaun Benny made 4 tackles and a sack. DT Mason Graham was dominant in 2023 and is also a major headache too. With Texas losing so many of their best skill players on offense from a year ago QB Quinn Ewers worked with a new cast of characters. The receivers were impressive, making lots of plays downfield. Six different players had multiple catches and the RB duo of Jerrick Gibson and Jaydon Blue combined for 21 carries and 124 yards. Will the Texas O-line be able to create the time for Ewers to pass and the space for that duo to run? This game will give everyone a good sense of where these two teams are now. The conventional wisdom is that Texas has a bit too much for Michigan—and that perception is largely based on the experience differential at quarterback—especially when you have a QB like Quinn Ewers who won at Alabama last year. That QB experience often is the determining factor in early season games like this. But do not count out the importance of the kicking game in a match-up with two aggressive and talented defenses.

Overtime: Big Ten After Dark?: With the West Coast expansion, the Big Ten can now own the late-night slot……Boise State at #7 Oregon 10:00 p.m. Peacock: After Oregon’s close week one win over Idaho, it may not be overstating it to say that some panicked. But one-week snapshots rarely define a season.……Utah State at #13 USC 11:00 p.m. Big Ten Network: USC looks like a real contender after one week and a win over LSU. QB Miller Moss led a game-winning drive with precision and confidence. In two starts against #15 Louisville last year and #13 LSU he has played with tremendous poise and confidence. USC has an impressive collection of skill players around him. The biggest change was on defense. If the improved defensive performance they displayed against LSU is the beginning of a lasting trend upward, this will be a dangerous team in the Big Ten.