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The Dozen: Penn State hits Iowa
September 19, 2017
Conference games should start dominating this countdown of college football's top games going forward now that we're getting into the bulk of the season. The theme this week appears to be heavyweights battling promising teams punching upward as they try to put together the beginning of a special season.
1. Penn State at Iowa: After impressively dismissing Wyoming and surviving at Iowa State, the Hawkeyes went through the motions and hurt themselves with turnovers against North Texas last week. Expect a better effort since they should be up to take their shot against the Nittany Lions. Penn State won 41-14 last season but will be making their first trip to Iowa City under James Franklin. Trace McSorely threw four touchdowns, one of which Saquon Barkley took 85 yards to make up for only getting 10 carries against overwhelmed Georgia State. These are the type of games that can elevate Penn State's prolific duo in the Heisman race and opens their most challenging six-week stretch of the season.
Kirk Ferentz's team was embarrassed in falling behind 35-0 and the defense surrendered 500 yards, so there will be a revenge factor in play that should have Iowa far more prepared to play this one. It beat Michigan and Nebraska after the Penn State rout last October and opened the season by holding serve against NFL prospect Josh Allen from Wyoming, so the defense should be up for this and would have to be the driving force in any upset. It would also help if RB Akrum Wadley is out there at 100 percent after leaving the win over the Mean Green. Ferentz says he could've returned if he had to, which is encouraging.
2. Mississippi State at Georgia: MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald did his latest Tim Tebow impression in helping pull off a resounding 37-7 win over LSU, so this battle of Bulldogs should definitely command your attention. After surviving Notre Dame in South Bend, Georgia coasted against FBS-member Samford to improve to 3-0 for a second straight year. This is the point where things fell apart for Kirby Smart lasat season, as his team fell at Ole Miss in dropping four of five in maddening fashion. These teams haven't played since 2011, and Dan Mullen is 1-1 against the Dawgs in his tenure in Starkville. With road games at Georgia and Auburn next week, Mississippi State can continue to open some eyes if they pick up where they left off in dominating LSU in one of Saturday's most impressive performances. That was no fluke, just a bigger team imposing their will and beating the Tigers with their brains in addition to their frames. Currently the second and third-best teams in the SEC, the winner here becomes the flavor of the month in college football for the next week.
3. TCU at Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys crushed Pitt last weekend, so he's got everyone's attention thanks to those eye-popping numbers. There's no question that the Bedlam game at home against the Sooners on Nov. 4 will be one of college football's blockbuster clashes, but this Big 12 opener is large in its own right. TCU has destroyed Arkansas and SMU in consecutive weeks, getting four touchdown passes from Kenny Hill against the Mustangs and making big plays downfield. It wouldn't be surprising to see this end up being a shootout, which would be progress since the Horned Frogs managed just 3 points in last year's loss to Oklahoma State, which has won four of five meetings since TCU entered the conference.
4. Washington at Colorado: This is a rematch of last year's Pac-12 Championship game, which the Huskies won easily 41-10. After struggling in the first quarter and trailing Rutgers 7-3 in its season opener, U-Dub has outscored its opposition 138-30. The Buffs will provide their stiffest competition yet, especially since Mike MacIntyre has a nine-game winning streak going in-state. QB Steven Montez threw four TDs in Saturday's win over Northern Colorado and will now look to keep the Huskies on their heels with his ability to run. If he can buy himself time and create plays, the Buffs have a shot at home. Washington has dominated in covering each of the last four meetings, winning by a combined margin of 176-43. This should be the toughest matchup for Chris Petersen's Huskies until they host UCLA on Oct. 28.
5. Alabama at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide gave up 391 yards as Colorado State actually held the ball longer in a 41-23 win that became the second straight no-cover for the nation's top-ranked team. There won't be any talk of complacency since this is Bama's SEC opener and will be contested against an unbeaten Commodores squad that comes off an impressive non-conference win, albeit one where visiting Kansas State had multiple touchdowns called back. The Vandy defense has surrendered just 13 points in its three wins to help the school to its first 3-0 start since 2011, back when Franklin was helping turn the program around. He never beat Alabama - no one at Vandy has since 1984 - but the 'Dores were 3-0 that season and coming off a 14-7 win over K-State that was a version of the type of game this would have to be for Vandy to have a chance. They'll need a turnover-free game from QB Kyle Shurmur and playmakers Ralph Webb and Trent Sherfield to make plays when called upon against an elite defense locked in on stopping them. The Tide hasn't lost in Nashville since '69 and Nick Saban earned his first SEC win at Alabama there, so it would be an wild to see this talented a team suffer an upset there. It wouldn't be as crazy to say this might be closer than anticipated.
6. UCLA at Stanford: Both teams come off upset losses to "Group of 5" schools, so there's a lot on the line in this matchup since the loser's season could quickly nosedive if this one gets away. The Cardinal haven't lost three straight games under David Shaw and have also won their home opener under his watch in each of his six seasons. He's owned Jim Mora, Jr., beating the Bruins six times, including twice in 2012 as the schools faced off for the conference title. UCLA has only covered in one of those losses, but couldn't get stops in a disappointing loss at Memphis that derailed an undefeated season. It didn't help that Josh Rosen threw a costly interception late, but he's leading the country with 13 touchdown passes. Meanwhile, folks on the Farm aren't at all happy with turnover-prone QB Keller Chryst after a dreadful night in the loss at San Diego State, but Shaw hasn't turned to redshirt freshman KJ Costello just yet.
7. USC at California: The Trojans survived what would've been an embarrassing loss to Texas in double OT and hit the road for the first time by heading north to Berkeley. Cal is off to a perfect 3-0 start under Justin Wilcox, producing turnovers to fuel upsets of North Carolina, and last week, Ole Miss. The Bears benefited from the Rebels losing center and shut them out in the second half, but they also some excellent defensive talent with LB Devante Downs leading the way. If Sam Darnold threw two interceptions against the Longhorns in addition to 397 yards and three TDs, so he's only had one excellent game out of three played thus far. If the picks continue to be an issue, this could be a dangerous spot since USC is just 15-12 in its last 27 true road games and has dropped at least two in each of the last five seasons. Wilcox coordinated defense at USC as recently as '15, so he knows who he's dealing with on that side of the ball. The Trojans won last year's game 45-24 in L.A. and have won 13 consecutive games in the series.
8. Notre Dame at Michigan State: This is a huge swing game for both of these programs this season. The Fighting Irish could be 5-1 and coming off a bye when USC comes to town in a month's time, or they could be saddled with multiple losses and fighting for relevance entering October, something they already dealt with last year. Brian Kelly's team lost to the Spartans in South Bend last season to fall to 1-2 and eventually finished 4-8, so there's got to be some nervous tension around those offices. Mark Dantonio's young Spartans get to show whether they're fast learners since they've been locked in on this rivalry game after surviving Western Michigan on Sept. 9. Dantonio is 10-9 coming off bye weeks at Michigan State and is just 2-3 against Kelly-coached Notre Dame squads. QB Brian Lewerke's ability to generate offense with his legs has Sparty fans encouraged, so expect a conservative run-heavy game plan that puts the pursuit of a road win squarely on a young defense's shoulders.
9. NC State at Florida State: The Seminoles get back to work after last playing Sept. 2 and losing starting QB DeAndre Francois and a showdown with Alabama. Hurricane Irma has provided a major disruption, but the 'Noles weren't as affected as the rest of the state since the storm lost steam as it traveled north. FSU was still mentally preparing for an annual rivalry game against Miami that was subsequently postponed, so they shouldn't have tuned out altogether. True freshman QB James Blackman takes over after Francois' season-ending injury, but the depth chart from the loss to the Crimson Tide returns intact around him. NC State nearly pulled an upset last season and is 3-1-1 against the number since 2012, when they beat the No. 3-ranked Noles in Raleigh with 17 unanswered points. They haven't won in Tallahassee since 2005. Doeren is 0-4 against Jimbo Fisher.
10. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: Bret Bielema and Kevin Sumlin haven't gotten off to the starts they wanted, so the loser will add a second September loss to their list of woes and will have their already scalding hot seat warmed by a few more degrees since they'll be dropping their SEC opener. They're playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where A&M has won the past three meeetings, claiming two in overtime. Bielema is 0-4 against the Aggies but does have the benefit of a bye week to help him prepare and come in healthier. Texas A&M is banged up but will have RB Trayveon Williams and linebacker Otaro Alaka, the team's leading returning rusher and top tackler, in the mix after injury scares.
11. Texas Tech at Houston: Major Applewhite debuted with a road win at Arizona and coached his Cougars to a 38-3 win over local rival Rice in his host debut as the city recovers from all the damage Hurricane Harvey caused. The shootouts have yet to materialize, but that is likely to change with a game whose total opened 71 and has only climbed. Kliff Kingsbury returns to play the school he worked at for four years for the first time, having aided Sumlin in taking the program to new heights before leaving for A&M. His Red Raiders are averaging 54 points in home wins against Eastern Washington and Arizona State. Iowa transfer Nic Shimonek has as many touchdown passes (8) as incompletions in replacing first-round draft pick Pat Mahomes and has thrown for an average of 463.5 yards per game.
12. Michigan at Purdue: The Wolverines haven't picked up style points since dominating Florida, but did pull away from Cincinnati and Air Force and are where they wanted to be entering their conference opener. Wilton Speight isn't going to win many popularity contests in Ann Arbor despite hanging on to the starting QB role. He's been abysmal in the red zone and must now prove capable of thriving on the road in his first road trip of the season after losing his final two away starts last year. Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers playing with confidence three games into his tenure, picking up impressive wins over Ohio and Missouri after hanging with Louisville. The Purdue defense has been successful in forcing turnovers and has seen two quarterbacks succeed with picking up his system. This is going to be a much different animal defensively than they've seen thus far, but the Boilermakers definitely look improved and have the fan base excited in West Lafayette. Michigan has won the last three meetings, last losing in 2009.
Others: Oregon at Arizona State, UCF at Maryland, San Diego State at Air Force, Duke at North Carolina, Virginia at Boise State, Utah at Arizona, Toledo at Miami (FL), Syracuse at LSU, Boston College at Clemson, Auburn at Missouri.
September 19, 2017
Conference games should start dominating this countdown of college football's top games going forward now that we're getting into the bulk of the season. The theme this week appears to be heavyweights battling promising teams punching upward as they try to put together the beginning of a special season.
1. Penn State at Iowa: After impressively dismissing Wyoming and surviving at Iowa State, the Hawkeyes went through the motions and hurt themselves with turnovers against North Texas last week. Expect a better effort since they should be up to take their shot against the Nittany Lions. Penn State won 41-14 last season but will be making their first trip to Iowa City under James Franklin. Trace McSorely threw four touchdowns, one of which Saquon Barkley took 85 yards to make up for only getting 10 carries against overwhelmed Georgia State. These are the type of games that can elevate Penn State's prolific duo in the Heisman race and opens their most challenging six-week stretch of the season.
Kirk Ferentz's team was embarrassed in falling behind 35-0 and the defense surrendered 500 yards, so there will be a revenge factor in play that should have Iowa far more prepared to play this one. It beat Michigan and Nebraska after the Penn State rout last October and opened the season by holding serve against NFL prospect Josh Allen from Wyoming, so the defense should be up for this and would have to be the driving force in any upset. It would also help if RB Akrum Wadley is out there at 100 percent after leaving the win over the Mean Green. Ferentz says he could've returned if he had to, which is encouraging.
2. Mississippi State at Georgia: MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald did his latest Tim Tebow impression in helping pull off a resounding 37-7 win over LSU, so this battle of Bulldogs should definitely command your attention. After surviving Notre Dame in South Bend, Georgia coasted against FBS-member Samford to improve to 3-0 for a second straight year. This is the point where things fell apart for Kirby Smart lasat season, as his team fell at Ole Miss in dropping four of five in maddening fashion. These teams haven't played since 2011, and Dan Mullen is 1-1 against the Dawgs in his tenure in Starkville. With road games at Georgia and Auburn next week, Mississippi State can continue to open some eyes if they pick up where they left off in dominating LSU in one of Saturday's most impressive performances. That was no fluke, just a bigger team imposing their will and beating the Tigers with their brains in addition to their frames. Currently the second and third-best teams in the SEC, the winner here becomes the flavor of the month in college football for the next week.
3. TCU at Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys crushed Pitt last weekend, so he's got everyone's attention thanks to those eye-popping numbers. There's no question that the Bedlam game at home against the Sooners on Nov. 4 will be one of college football's blockbuster clashes, but this Big 12 opener is large in its own right. TCU has destroyed Arkansas and SMU in consecutive weeks, getting four touchdown passes from Kenny Hill against the Mustangs and making big plays downfield. It wouldn't be surprising to see this end up being a shootout, which would be progress since the Horned Frogs managed just 3 points in last year's loss to Oklahoma State, which has won four of five meetings since TCU entered the conference.
4. Washington at Colorado: This is a rematch of last year's Pac-12 Championship game, which the Huskies won easily 41-10. After struggling in the first quarter and trailing Rutgers 7-3 in its season opener, U-Dub has outscored its opposition 138-30. The Buffs will provide their stiffest competition yet, especially since Mike MacIntyre has a nine-game winning streak going in-state. QB Steven Montez threw four TDs in Saturday's win over Northern Colorado and will now look to keep the Huskies on their heels with his ability to run. If he can buy himself time and create plays, the Buffs have a shot at home. Washington has dominated in covering each of the last four meetings, winning by a combined margin of 176-43. This should be the toughest matchup for Chris Petersen's Huskies until they host UCLA on Oct. 28.
5. Alabama at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide gave up 391 yards as Colorado State actually held the ball longer in a 41-23 win that became the second straight no-cover for the nation's top-ranked team. There won't be any talk of complacency since this is Bama's SEC opener and will be contested against an unbeaten Commodores squad that comes off an impressive non-conference win, albeit one where visiting Kansas State had multiple touchdowns called back. The Vandy defense has surrendered just 13 points in its three wins to help the school to its first 3-0 start since 2011, back when Franklin was helping turn the program around. He never beat Alabama - no one at Vandy has since 1984 - but the 'Dores were 3-0 that season and coming off a 14-7 win over K-State that was a version of the type of game this would have to be for Vandy to have a chance. They'll need a turnover-free game from QB Kyle Shurmur and playmakers Ralph Webb and Trent Sherfield to make plays when called upon against an elite defense locked in on stopping them. The Tide hasn't lost in Nashville since '69 and Nick Saban earned his first SEC win at Alabama there, so it would be an wild to see this talented a team suffer an upset there. It wouldn't be as crazy to say this might be closer than anticipated.
6. UCLA at Stanford: Both teams come off upset losses to "Group of 5" schools, so there's a lot on the line in this matchup since the loser's season could quickly nosedive if this one gets away. The Cardinal haven't lost three straight games under David Shaw and have also won their home opener under his watch in each of his six seasons. He's owned Jim Mora, Jr., beating the Bruins six times, including twice in 2012 as the schools faced off for the conference title. UCLA has only covered in one of those losses, but couldn't get stops in a disappointing loss at Memphis that derailed an undefeated season. It didn't help that Josh Rosen threw a costly interception late, but he's leading the country with 13 touchdown passes. Meanwhile, folks on the Farm aren't at all happy with turnover-prone QB Keller Chryst after a dreadful night in the loss at San Diego State, but Shaw hasn't turned to redshirt freshman KJ Costello just yet.
7. USC at California: The Trojans survived what would've been an embarrassing loss to Texas in double OT and hit the road for the first time by heading north to Berkeley. Cal is off to a perfect 3-0 start under Justin Wilcox, producing turnovers to fuel upsets of North Carolina, and last week, Ole Miss. The Bears benefited from the Rebels losing center and shut them out in the second half, but they also some excellent defensive talent with LB Devante Downs leading the way. If Sam Darnold threw two interceptions against the Longhorns in addition to 397 yards and three TDs, so he's only had one excellent game out of three played thus far. If the picks continue to be an issue, this could be a dangerous spot since USC is just 15-12 in its last 27 true road games and has dropped at least two in each of the last five seasons. Wilcox coordinated defense at USC as recently as '15, so he knows who he's dealing with on that side of the ball. The Trojans won last year's game 45-24 in L.A. and have won 13 consecutive games in the series.
8. Notre Dame at Michigan State: This is a huge swing game for both of these programs this season. The Fighting Irish could be 5-1 and coming off a bye when USC comes to town in a month's time, or they could be saddled with multiple losses and fighting for relevance entering October, something they already dealt with last year. Brian Kelly's team lost to the Spartans in South Bend last season to fall to 1-2 and eventually finished 4-8, so there's got to be some nervous tension around those offices. Mark Dantonio's young Spartans get to show whether they're fast learners since they've been locked in on this rivalry game after surviving Western Michigan on Sept. 9. Dantonio is 10-9 coming off bye weeks at Michigan State and is just 2-3 against Kelly-coached Notre Dame squads. QB Brian Lewerke's ability to generate offense with his legs has Sparty fans encouraged, so expect a conservative run-heavy game plan that puts the pursuit of a road win squarely on a young defense's shoulders.
9. NC State at Florida State: The Seminoles get back to work after last playing Sept. 2 and losing starting QB DeAndre Francois and a showdown with Alabama. Hurricane Irma has provided a major disruption, but the 'Noles weren't as affected as the rest of the state since the storm lost steam as it traveled north. FSU was still mentally preparing for an annual rivalry game against Miami that was subsequently postponed, so they shouldn't have tuned out altogether. True freshman QB James Blackman takes over after Francois' season-ending injury, but the depth chart from the loss to the Crimson Tide returns intact around him. NC State nearly pulled an upset last season and is 3-1-1 against the number since 2012, when they beat the No. 3-ranked Noles in Raleigh with 17 unanswered points. They haven't won in Tallahassee since 2005. Doeren is 0-4 against Jimbo Fisher.
10. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: Bret Bielema and Kevin Sumlin haven't gotten off to the starts they wanted, so the loser will add a second September loss to their list of woes and will have their already scalding hot seat warmed by a few more degrees since they'll be dropping their SEC opener. They're playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where A&M has won the past three meeetings, claiming two in overtime. Bielema is 0-4 against the Aggies but does have the benefit of a bye week to help him prepare and come in healthier. Texas A&M is banged up but will have RB Trayveon Williams and linebacker Otaro Alaka, the team's leading returning rusher and top tackler, in the mix after injury scares.
11. Texas Tech at Houston: Major Applewhite debuted with a road win at Arizona and coached his Cougars to a 38-3 win over local rival Rice in his host debut as the city recovers from all the damage Hurricane Harvey caused. The shootouts have yet to materialize, but that is likely to change with a game whose total opened 71 and has only climbed. Kliff Kingsbury returns to play the school he worked at for four years for the first time, having aided Sumlin in taking the program to new heights before leaving for A&M. His Red Raiders are averaging 54 points in home wins against Eastern Washington and Arizona State. Iowa transfer Nic Shimonek has as many touchdown passes (8) as incompletions in replacing first-round draft pick Pat Mahomes and has thrown for an average of 463.5 yards per game.
12. Michigan at Purdue: The Wolverines haven't picked up style points since dominating Florida, but did pull away from Cincinnati and Air Force and are where they wanted to be entering their conference opener. Wilton Speight isn't going to win many popularity contests in Ann Arbor despite hanging on to the starting QB role. He's been abysmal in the red zone and must now prove capable of thriving on the road in his first road trip of the season after losing his final two away starts last year. Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers playing with confidence three games into his tenure, picking up impressive wins over Ohio and Missouri after hanging with Louisville. The Purdue defense has been successful in forcing turnovers and has seen two quarterbacks succeed with picking up his system. This is going to be a much different animal defensively than they've seen thus far, but the Boilermakers definitely look improved and have the fan base excited in West Lafayette. Michigan has won the last three meetings, last losing in 2009.
Others: Oregon at Arizona State, UCF at Maryland, San Diego State at Air Force, Duke at North Carolina, Virginia at Boise State, Utah at Arizona, Toledo at Miami (FL), Syracuse at LSU, Boston College at Clemson, Auburn at Missouri.
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