4-Down Territory: The SEC/Big Ten Cold War Summit & The Weekend's Big Games....

The heads of the SEC and Big Ten had a superpower summit meeting last week in Nashville to discuss a range of issues facing the two leagues. Certainly, both sides want to de-escalate an all-out war on long-established rules and norms. They also want to head off the potential influence of private equity investing in college sports. Was the nuclear option as it relates to the NCAA discussed? Like the Cold War days, two superpowers are forcing the rest of the world to choose sides or be left out. If you're not in either the Big Ten of SEC, the arrogant fans of those two leagues would lump you in the group of conferences called “AYO”--as in All You Others.

Turning to on-the-field action, fourteen weekends between Labor Day and Thanksgiving means two bye-weeks, so October is a popular month for them. This week seven teams in the Top 25 are sitting it out: #3 Penn State, #4 Ohio State, #8 LSU, #13 BYU, #15 Boise State, #18 Ole Miss and #20 Pitt. But there are still some major games to be played with big playoff implications.

First Down: AYO Part 1: East Carolina (3-3) at #23 Army (6-0) 12:00 ESPN2: Since we started the blog with a “Cold War” reference it’s fitting to begin with the service academies. Army has yet to throw an interception and has been sacked one time. That’s how you avoid disruption plays, particularly when you throw it less than eight times a game. The rushing trio of QB Bryson Daily, RB Kanye Udoh and RB Noah Short have piled up 1666 yards and 23 TDs on the ground while averaging a gaudy 7.8 yards per carry. East Carolina is lower middle-of-the pack nationally in run defense and that will have to improve this week…..Charlotte (3-3) at #23 Navy (5-0)  3:30 CBS Sports Network: Prepping to play against Navy’s offense is not easy, but as luck would have it, Charlotte had a bye week last week giving them two weeks to get ready for Navy. Will that be enough to beat Navy? We’ll see…..#17 Kansas State (5-1) at West Virginia (3-3) 7:30 FOX: K-State had a dramatic win at Colorado last week and now heads to Morgantown. These teams are part of a logjam of five teams with 1 conference loss. This becomes a must-win for both of these teams…..#21 SMU (5-1) at Stanford (2-4) 8:00 ACC Network: SMU is one of the surprise teams of the year so far, and they’ve been that way because of an explosive offense. Stanford has allowed 120 points the last three games. That spells trouble for the Cardinal.

Second Down: AYO Part 2: #6 Miami (6-0) at Louisville (4-2) 12:00 ABC: Miami’s offense has been very good. Their defense? Not so much. They’re coming off a bye week and given the close calls and near misses the previous two games, the timing could not have been better. Louisville has had close calls against SMU and Notre Dame. This is a dangerous game for the Hurricanes……Virginia (4-2) at #10 Clemson (5-1) ACC Network: At 4-2 UVA is ahead of expectations, but this is by far the biggest test of the year for them. The rebirth of the explosive Clemson offense has been well-documented. What has really clicked for them has been on defense. Since allowing 35 points in a win over NC State, they’ve become miserly in shutting down Stanford, Florida State and Wake Forest. However, the UVA offense presents more challenges than those teams…..#12 Notre Dame (5-1) at Georgia Tech (5-2) Mercedes Benz Stadium Atlanta 3:30 ESPN: As Notre Dame looks for ways to make the playoff committee forget about their one loss, this is a game where they must play well and beat a team that is looking to get noticed. For the Irish, defense has been the most consistent part of their game. In recent weeks the offense has gotten much better. Part of that has been the play of QB Riley Leonard. In the last four weeks he’s rushed for 326 yards and 7 TDs to go with an improved passing attack…..UCF (3-3) at #9 Iowa State 96-0) 7:30 FS1: Iowa State continues to march up the standings and the combination of the Cyclones and undefeated BYU provide a real possibility for two Big 12 teams to make the playoff. Time will tell.

Third Down: The Big Ten’s Slate: #2 Oregon (6-0) at Purdue (1-5) Friday 8:00 FOX: Purdue’s offense came alive last week in a 50-49 OT loss against Illinois. That will certainly get Oregon’s attention. Oregon won a big showdown at home against Ohio State and now gets a short week to go play three time zones away. Don’t think it will matter…..Nebraska (5-1) at #16 Indiana (6-0) 12:00 FOX: This is perhaps one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend. Nebraska is quietly 5-1 and playing good hard-nosed football on both sides of the ball. They’d like to be more consistent running the ball and could use more explosive plays on offense. Indiana is in the national top 20 in several statistical categories on both sides of the ball. But are those stats inflated because of their schedule so far? This is the first part of a schedule gets a lot tougher with games against Nebraska, Washington, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State. Those teams are a combined 21-10 and three of those defenses are in the top 13 and all of them are in the top 45. But new Coach Curt Cignetti has preached confidence and that has led to them obliterating the softer schedule to start the year…..#24 Michigan (4-2) at #22 Illinois (5-1) 3:30 CBS: The Illini faithful are energized and expect to pack the house to see a win over Michigan. But after a close call against lowly Purdue, the confidence may be a bit shaky. Michigan is a team still in search of balance on offense. The defense for the Wolverines has also slipped from the preseason expectations, but their upfront guys are as good as anyone in the conference. Illinois has a decided advantage at quarterback and has a trio of good running backs. Those guys upfront for the Wolverines will have to keep Illinois in check to give their own offense a chance to score enough to win.

Fourth Down: The SEC’s Big Day: A week after the Big Ten had Penn State at USC and Ohio State at Oregon, the SEC takes center stage with the two biggest games of the day that will be played in Knoxville and Austin.…..Auburn (2-4) at #19 Missouri (5-1) 12:00ESPN: Missouri has yet to really impress this season. Their blowout loss to Texas A&M hangs over the season. Auburn has shown flashes of capability in close losses to Oklahoma and Arkansas. This game smells like a possible trap…..#14 Texas A&M (5-1) at Mississippi State (1-5) 4:15 SEC: A&M is rolling, and Mississippi State is struggling. The Aggies are undefeated in SEC play and with games ahead against #8 LSU and #1 Texas, they cannot afford to stumble in this one…..#7 Alabama (5-1) at #11 Tennessee (5-1) 3:30 ABC: Question marks abound for both of these teams. Alabama’s defense continues to look like a problem, requiring QB Jalen Milroe to make Houdini-esque escapes for wins. Tennessee rocketed up the polls after blowing out a then-ranked NC State team. Since then, they’ve looked mortal with a loss at Arkansas and a near miss against Florida. Their last three opponents have really slowed the Tennessee offense. Will Alabama be good enough on defense to slow the Vols? Tennessee’s defense has been consistent all year, but this will be the biggest test all season……#5 Georgia (5-1) at #1 Texas (6-0) 7:30 ABC: These are the types of matchups that the TV executives at ESPN dreamt about when Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC. With one loss already in the SEC, this becomes a big must-win for the Dawgs to stay in the SEC hunt. Texas is #1 nationally in total defense and #7 in total offense. Their defense has really limited big plays, but this will be the best offense and quarterback they’ve faced all year. Both QBs have shown creative escapability to make throws downfield. The Texas run game is led by a three-RB committee that has amassed 773 yards and 9 TDs. On defense, keep an eye of LB Anthony Hill, he is not only the leading tackler but is an active and effective pass rusher. Despite the 5-1 mark, UGA still has some questions that have emerged because of inconsistency. The dominating pass rush is not quite there and they’ve only come up with 5 turnovers in 6 games. Mississippi State and Alabama both moved the ball and scored points. On offense Georgia is heavily pass-reliant. They’ve gotten the ball downfield to a number of targets. The run game has been lagging and that may have to change against a Texas defense that is athletic and active in the secondary. This is the kind of matchup between two big-name programs that gets fans excited. Buckle up.