4-Down Territory: Weekend of College Football Wreckage & Changes the Teams in the Lead Pack of the Playoff Chase

This picture pretty much sums up last weekend's wreckage in college football. After a major upset of Alabama and another Auburn loss, the best thing in Alabama sports last weekend was at Talladega. And even that NASCAR race incurred a massive 27-car pileup. So, this week the Pigskin Stew takes a look at the College Football Chase through the lens of auto racing.

First Down: Surviving The Pileup Ahead of Them: While top teams got caught up in some upset wreckage, some teams deftly avoided the pileup (or luckily had bye weeks) to find themselves back on the lead lap within sight of the front of the pack....#11 Clemson (4-1) at Wake Forest (3-2) 12:00 ESPN: Clemson was dismissed by many after a season-opening loss to Georgia. But in college football--when you lose matters. Now the Tigers have climbed back into contention. Do not sleep on Wake Forest. They’re coming off a 10-point comeback win over NC State last week. But for the Demon Deacons to get this upset the defense will have to play much better against a Clemson team that is really clicking on offense…..Stanford (2-3) at #12 Notre Dame (4-1) 3:30 NBC: Now that Texas A&M is 3-0 in the SEC, ND's season-opening win at Texas A&M has given them a resume boost towards the front. The Irish lost their best pass rusher to injury. Since their win at Syracuse three games ago, the Cardinal have struggled to stop people. That should help a Notre Dame offense that is still looking for consistency. Without a ranked opponent left on their schedule, the Irish will need to keep their foot on the gas and get some drafting help…….#8 Ole Miss (5-1) at #10 LSU (4-1) 7:30 ESPN: The SEC is still wide open, and there are lanes to the front for both of these teams. Both Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier are playing well. Dart has the benefit of help from a 200+ yard per game rushing attack and a big-time WR in Trey Harris. Harris is on pace for over 100 catches and 1700 yards. LSU will stress getting more turnovers this week, as they’ve amassed just six in five games. For LSU, Nussmeier has been sacked just twice this year, but they face an Ole Miss defense that is a top 5 pass rush unit nationally….#13 Iowa State (5-0) at West Virginia (3-2) 8:00 FOX: And just when you started to count out the Big 12 here come two undefeated teams. First up is Iowa State. They’ve got a very good defensive unit that allows just 10 points a game. They get it done by preventing the big play and holding teams to just 4.41 yards per play, good for 12th in the country. The challenge will be in handling the environment in Morgantown. Of note: WVU remains unbeaten in the Big 12 as both of their losses came to non-conference teams that are currently ranked (Penn State & Pitt)…..Arizona (3-2) at #15 BYU (5-0) 4:00 FOX: The other undefeated Big 12 team that is speeding up the track is BYU. The Cougars have two wins over teams that are currently ranked (SMU & Kansas State) which is more than higher ranked unbeatens like Miami, Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas can say. But Arizona is dangerous. They have a QB in Noah Fifita who had some big wins last year, but he’s turned the ball over more this year. If he can protect the ball they could make a run at BYU.

Second Down: Moving Up Towards The Front:  These teams started way back in the pack but as teams ahead of them falter they’re now moving up……Cal (3-2) at #24 Pitt (5-0) 3:30 ESPN: Pitt is off to its best start since 1991. They’ve been throwing the ball at eye-popping numbers when you consider how much Pat Narduzzi likes to run the ball. Cal is two plays from also being undefeated and will be the best team Pitt has faced. Pitt’s passing game will get its toughest test of the year, with Cal ranking #9 in the country in pass efficiency defense. If Cal can play 60 minutes like the first 45 minutes they played against Miami, they could pull the road win…..UAB (1-4) at Army (5-0) 12:00 CBS Sports Network: While 5-0 Navy has the week off, Army looks to extend their 10-game winning streak against a struggling UAB team…..Purdue (1-4) at #23 Illinois (4-1) 3:30 FS1: Purdue is really struggling, while Illinois is coming off a bye week. Illinois has exceeded most people’s preseason expectation and they’ve done it with an improved offense from a year ago……#19 Kansas State (4-1) at Colorado (4-1) 10:15 ESPN: Colorado is starting to sneak into the Big 12 contender conversation just in time to face K-State. Both teams have mobile QBs, but Colorado may have the more explosive skill players. Give K-State the edge upfront which could be a real key to this one. The winner moves into the lead pack chasing the Big 12 title……#22 Boise State (4-1) at Hawaii (2-3) 11:00 CBS Sports Network: This is a late-night offering, but we cannot stress this enough—Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is must-see TV. He’s eclipsed 1,000 yards in just five games. Boise State has just one loss, to #3 Oregon. He single-handedly almost wrecked the Ducks' season. Oregon needed both a punt return and a kickoff return for TDs to win the game.

Third Down: Looking for Draft Partners: These teams faltered and fell back but can still find some drafting help to get back in the lead pack…..South Carolina (3-2) at #7 Alabama (4-1) 12:00 ABC: In Alabama’s last 6 quarters against two offenses that had previously not been making lots of explosive plays, the Bama defense yielded 67 points. That’s 11 points per quarter. The Gamecocks will fight to get after that defense and see if Alabama has corrected some of the coverage busts and missed tackles that led to the big plays they’ve given up…..#18 Missouri (4-1) at UMass (1-5) 12:00 ESPN2: Missouri was probably overrated last week as a top ten team. Now they begin the climb back up. A trip to UMass is a good way to get back in the win column….Mississippi State (1-4) at #4 Georgia (4-1) 4:15 SEC Network: Georgia coach Kirby Smart mentioned that he’d like some more noise from the home fans. His team has certainly found ways to make noise of their own with an offense that is playing up to the preseason expectations. One disappointing stat for UGA: through five games they’ve gotten just 4 turnovers. This would be a good week to make that a habit before next week’s trip to take on #1 Texas……Florida (3-2) at #9 Tennessee (4-1) 7:00 ESPN: Last Friday this game looked impossible for Florida. A win over UCF and Tennessee’s loss to Arkansas has some of the Gators feeling better about their chances. The Tennessee offense was riding high by feasting on some bad defenses before last week's loss to Arkansas. The Razorbacks shut down the passing attack and sacked QB Nico Iamaleava four times. The Gator defense will have to set the tone to have a chance.

Fourth Down: If You Ain't First, You're Last: These teams are out front with everyone else chasing them….#5 Penn State (5-0) at USC (3-2) 3:30 CBS: The Big Ten was a USC upset loss away from a monster double header of Big Ten/ Top Ten matchups. But USC got sent into the pits by the upset wreck. From a talent and statistical perspective this is the best team Penn State has faced all year. USC’s defense is playing the pass well but has been susceptible to power run attacks like Michigan, Minnesota and now Penn State. Penn State’s defense has yet to face a top-level QB with an array of skill receivers like USC. Pass rush has been the key to disrupting USC QB Miller Moss, but UCLA showed that the quick pass game is there against PSU. The difference is that USC has four WRs, all of which are matchup problems. And RB Woody Marks is not only a running threat. He is a true receiving threat that can line up and run receiver-type routes. He's caught at least one pass in fifty straight games. USC will probably feel confident in covering the PSU WRs outside which will give them the flexibility to pay extra attention to PSU TE Tyler Warren and to crowd the run game. Stopping the run is the one area that USC will need to address. It is the Achilles heel of a vastly improved defense. Look for PSU to utilize the extra o-linemen sets they’ve used. This PSU offense remains a bit of a mystery. They’ve played a series of weak defenses and rolled up 718 of this season’s 2300 yards against Kent State. PSU fans will know more Saturday……#1 Texas (5-0) vs #16 Oklahoma (4-1) In Dallas 3:30 ABC: This is one of the best annual rivalry games in college football. Texas is playing really well defensively, smothering everyone they’ve played. QB Quinn Ewers is expected to return. His ability to avoid the rush and find targets downfield makes him dangerous. But he also has an elite running game to go along with the pass game. Oklahoma is coming off a great escape at Auburn and a loss to Tennessee. The OU defense must be a strength to keep them in this game into the 4th quarter. That’s what happened last year which led to the late game-winning TD pass by Dillon Gabriel who is now at Oregon……#2 Ohio State (5-0) at #3 Oregon (5-0) 7:30 NBC: Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel has settled in and is posting big-time numbers for the Ducks. The Ohio State defense is loaded with veterans who came back. They lead the country in scoring defense and total defense—BUT—they have played a less than impressive group of offenses. The OSU safeties are aggressive in run support opening up some play-action pass possibilities partly because Oregon RB Jordan James is a real weapon they'll have to stop. For the Ducks’ defense, they face an OSU WR corps that is loaded, and that’s an understatement. The best way to take these guys on is to play coverage and hope to slow the run game down and pressure OSU QB Will Howard. The Oregon d-line has three guys who’ve registered 3.5 or more sacks, which means that both Ohio State tackles and one of the interior linemen will be challenged on every deep drop back pass. But that is assuming that the secondary can reroute the WRs enough to make OSU hold the ball. And when the kicking game comes into play, the Ducks are dangerous on both punt and kickoff returns if they get a chance. Ultimately, this game, like most big games, comes down to the play of the quarterbacks. Both Will Howard (while at Kansas State) and Dillon Gabriel (while at Oklahoma) have registered wins over Top 10 and Top 5 opponents. That is why both of these schools went out to get them from the transfer portal. Should be a great game in Eugene with the winner edging even closer to the front of the college football playoff pack.