Oregon-Ohio State leads the headlines in Week 7 of college football

It’s time for the game of the year in the Big Ten – and perhaps the game of the year in all of sports. No. 2 Ohio State travels to Eugene, Oregon to face No. 3 Oregon in a matchup of two teams with national championship aspirations. The stakes couldn’t be higher for two coaches who have struggled to win the biggest games to date in their careers. They will leave Autzen Stadium with an outstanding win and a clear path to the College Football Playoff.

A staggering amount of talent will be on display Saturday, with a star-studded Ohio State roster that includes key returnees who spurned the NFL to pursue a national title, as well as key transfers like safety Caleb Downs (from Alabama) and running back Quinshon Judkins (from Ole Miss). But the player I’m most excited to see on a stage like this is Ohio State University’s true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smithwho may be the best receiver yet for a Buckeye program known for producing first-round picks. He’s a real looker and will surely make at least one stunning catch in this game. His counterpart for the Ducks, senior star receiver Tez Johnsonmust also have a big game for Oregon to have a chance to win this game. He is Dillon Gabrielis Ohio State’s favorite target, and their connection will be crucial to keeping pace with Ohio State’s prolific offense. But Gabriel has thrown three red zone interceptions in the last two games, which is concerning. It will be interesting to see if we see him running more often this season than before.

In my opinion, Ohio State has a clear advantage heading into the matchup, but the trip from Columbus to Eugene is long and Autzen will be a hostile environment, so you never know what could happen.

Here’s what else I’m looking at this weekend:

No. 1 Texas (-14.5) vs. No. 18 Oklahoma

The Red River rivalry rarely disappoints, and even though the Longhorns come into this matchup as heavy favorites, it will be must-see television. Strange things happen in this game! And it will be interesting to see if Texas is quarterback Quinn Ewers has rust in his first game back from injury. The quarterback on the other side is a story to follow even as a true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. will be the first true newcomer in the history of this rivalry. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he has faith in Hawkins and is mature enough to handle whatever he faces now. Can Hawkins help a relatively anemic offense keep up against the explosive Longhorns? Or will the No. 1 team in the country take care of business as it continues its quest for a national championship?

No. 4 Penn State (-5.5) at USC

It feels like these two coaches are facing a must-win situation. For James Franklinthis is the type of game you need to win to show that your Penn State team should be taken seriously as a CFP contender. The Nittany Lions are the flagship of the 12-team CFP because they would have benefited more than anyone else if the group had expanded over the past decade. So now is the time. Penn State is undefeated and playing pretty solid, but I’m still not sure what the ceiling is for this particular team. This matchup will go a long way toward answering that question, although the win is just as great as it would have looked a few weeks ago before the Trojans were eliminated. In the meantime, Lincoln Riley is 22-10 at USC. At this point in his term Clay Helton was 23-9. It’s not exactly a sticky situation, but things will get a lot more uncomfortable for Riley if he loses this game. He needs to show program growth and give people reasons to believe he can turn USC into a title contender. Penn State is a great benchmark for progress toward that goal.

No. 9 Ole Miss (-3.5) at No. 13 LSU

With all due respect Jaxson Dart etc., the storyline I most want to follow here is faking injuries. It was a topic of conversation during and after Ole Miss games with the South Carolina coach Shane Beamer After the Gamecocks lost to the Rebels last week, he said, “It’s fascinating to me how many injuries they get after the opposing offense gets a first down or makes a big play.” You go back and look the Wake Forest game, and it happens to the same guy a lot.” Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeily interesting! Let’s see what happens against LSU!

No. 18 Kansas State (-4) at Colorado

This game will have a huge impact on the Big 12 standings. The Buffs are undefeated in league play, while the Wildcats — a popular preseason pick to win the Big 12 — already have one loss to BYU. Both teams are rested and coming off an off week, and the star power should be more than enough to keep us all up late at night watching what happens in Boulder. You have Shedeur Sanders And Travis Hunter on one side and Avery Johnson In his last appearance on the other side, he managed a performance of five touchdowns. I’m expecting a funny thing here.

And here’s a quick overview of an already intriguing Heisman Trophy race:

Let me start off by saying: No, I didn’t think the Heisman race would look like this at any point in October. But I think it’s fantastic that both Ashton Jeanty And Travis Hunter are household names, and both seem to be getting the buzz needed to stay in the Heisman picture, even if they aren’t quarterbacks. By the way, against stacked boxes (eight defenders), Jeanty averages 8.9 yards per carry – while the national average for running backs in such situations is just 3.7. Miami’s quarterback needs little explanation despite two shaky games for the Canes, as it’s his heroics that helped keep Miami undefeated after a 25-point second-half deficit at Cal last Saturday. He threw for almost 250 yards in the fourth quarter alone!

Let’s wrap this up by highlighting the performances of two quarterbacks who may not have been on anyone’s radar at the start of the season. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Paviawho began his college career at New Mexico Military Institute, has become something of a cult hero after his heroics led the Dores past Alabama for the first victory over an AP No. 1 in program history. Indiana is now 6-0 behind Ohio Transfer Kurtis Rourkewho has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of the Hoosiers’ last four games. He runs one of the most prolific offenses in the country and is the face of one of the sport’s most surprising storylines this season. Keep an eye on the development of these two quarterbacks. Who would have thought that Vandy and Indiana would both show up for a date?!