Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s rank the best games on the college football schedule this week.
Some intriguing conference games, some exciting quarterback matchups, and a historic rivalry add up to a very solid slate of college football games this weekend. Given the matchups we will see some teams fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, as well as some conference title races come into focus.
We may also see a national title contender suffer some heartbreak of their own.
Here are the five best college football games of the upcoming weekend.
5. Washington State (13) at UCLA
It is beyond time to talk about Cameron Ward.
The Cougars began the year unranked, but are up to No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25, and their quarterback is a huge reason why. Ward has played elite football this season, putting himself in both the Heisman discussion, as well as the debate over who might be QB3 in the upcoming draft behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
Washington State also has two impressive wins on their resume already, over Oregon State and Wisconsin. They have some huge contests coming up, as they play both Oregon and Washington in the Apple Cup, but they cannot look past a trip to Los Angeles to take on the Bruins.
4. Maryland at Ohio State (4)
One of these teams enters Saturday’s Big Ten tilt with an unblemished record, a perfect mark in the conference, and having won every game in blowout fashion.
The other is Ohio State.
Yes, the Terrapins are 5-0 for the first time since 2001 and they are one of just two teams with a 5-0 record, having won each game by 18 or more points. Michigan joins them on that small list. Of course the Buckeyes are favored, and ESPN’s “Matchup Predictor” gives Ohio State a 90.6% chance to win this game. But do not sleep on Maryland. Behind Taulia Tagovailoa the Terrapins have an explosive passing game, and if they can force a turnover or two, they could just pull this off.
3. Kentucky (20) at Georgia (1)
The Bulldogs eked past Auburn last week, by a final score of 27-20. While the game reminded many that Brock Bowers might just be the best player in all of college football, you could view the one-score affair in one of two ways.
Option A? It was the wake-up call Georgia needed and they will steamroll through the rest of their schedule en route to another SEC Championship Game appearance.
Option B? They are vulnerable, and a good team can beat them.
Is Kentucky that team? The Wildcats have a perfect 5-0 record as well, and are coming off a 33-14 throttling of Florida. Transfer running back Ray Davis is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season and had the game of his life against the Gators, rushing for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
Coming into the Auburn game, the Bulldogs were one of the stingiest run defenses in college football. The Tigers, however, found some success running the ball, but that came largely via the QB run game. If Kentucky can find a way to get Davis going, that could make for another uncomfortable Saturday for Georgia fans.
2. Notre Dame (10) at Louisville (25)
There is no rest for weary if you are Notre Dame.
After two hard-fought games, both of which came down to the final snap, Notre Dame now faces a tough test on the road against Louisville. The Cardinals enter Saturday night’s matchup with an unbeaten record, coming off their own hard-fought road win over N.C. State last weekend.
Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer, who followed Jeff Brohm from Purdue to Louisville, has bolstered this passing game, throwing for 1,406 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season. The Cardinals also have a much-improved rushing attack, as Jawhar Jordan leads the ACC with 510 yards and six touchdowns.
After the last two weeks, Notre Dame fans might be hoping for a more comfortable win. However, that might not happen given this year’s Louisville team.
1. Oklahoma (12) vs. Texas (3)
Dare I say it, but this might be the first truly competitive Red River Rivalry game in a while. We all know how good Texas is at this point: the offense is physical up front, and when QB Quinn Ewers is on, there might not be a more impressive team in the country. They’re just as big and physical on the defensive side, and now have the dudes on that side of the ball to make opposing offenses’ days just absolutely miserable.
However, it’s been rather quiet but Oklahoma has been one of the better teams in the country. Their defense has gone through a complete 180 this year, placing 10th in total EPA per play allowed through this first portion of the season. Head coach Brent Venables has stopped toggling with three and four man fronts and now has started to get the players to win games for him on that side of the ball, and it allows him to get very creative on that side of the ball.
This game will be won on the arm of Dillon Gabriel. If Gabriel can make the throws to keep up with the Texas offense without making boneheaded mistakes, we could have an upset on our hands. Either way, this is the game of the week, and one that’ll hold major CFP implications.
