Games of the week
16 BYU @ Notre Dame in Las Vegas
Photo Cred: ESPN
Notre Dame has bounced back after laying an egg against Marshall, the Irish are back on track, and this week they play the 16th-best team in the Nation in BYU. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman hasn’t come up big in the critical matchups in his early career. Head Coach for BYU Kalani Sitake has done an amazing job as head coach coming into BYU after Bronco Mendenhall left for UVA. Coach Sitake has the Cougs in a position to not only play in a New Year’s six bowls. The Cougars are led by quarterback Jaren Hall, who ranks 21st nationally with 300.4 yards of total offense per game, including 287.6 yards passing. The Irish counter with Drew Pyne, who has settled in as the starter since Tyler Buchner was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury. Pyne had career-bests in Notre Dame’s 45-32 win at North Carolina on Sept. 24 with 289 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Texas A&M @ 1 Alabama
Photo Cred: ESPN
On paper, this game should be a complete mismatch. Eyes will be glued to the sidelines between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher after the fireworks between both coaches during SEC Media Day. When Jimbo was asked if he thought Nick Saban was the greatest coach he responded in a very sarcastic tone and called Saban a narcissist. Saban attacked Jimbo by saying he had to buy every player by using NIL. On the field headline heading into the matchup is the status of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The Heisman Trophy winner was knocked out of last week’s game with a shoulder injury. The Aggies rank last in the SEC and 105th in the nation in total offense with just 335 yards a game. They are also scoring the fewest points in the conference at just 21.8, a total that is 108th in the country. Things could get even tougher this week when they face an Alabama team that ranks fourth in the nation by allowing just 236.4 yards a game.
Texas vs Oklahoma
Photo Cred: ESPN
The Red River Rivalry game is always a heated matchup, and this year is no different as the Longhorns and Sooners battle for the 118th time. For the Longhorns QB, Quinn Ewers returns to the field after suffering an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in week two. As for Oklahoma, no one excepted they’d be in this spot after suffering back-to-back losses to Kansas State, then getting smoked by TCU. Oklahoma’s head coach Brent Venable has been on the sideline for this matchup numerous times with strong defenses. But this year defense has struggled. Blown coverages and missed assignments have been alarming news considering the hiring of defensive-minded coach Brent Venables. On offense, Oklahoma has a deep running back unit. Eric Gray has 460 yards on 66 carries this season and three touchdowns. Jovantae Barnes has 223 yards on 44 carries and two touchdowns. Lastly Marcus Major has 164 yards on 33 carries and four touchdowns.
17 TCU @ 19 Kansas
TCU is playing one of the top teams in the nation in Kansas. The biggest surprise in a long time. The Jayhawks have not been a team with any relevance for a long time. Failed experiences with Charlie Wies and Les Miles. You must go back to the Mark Mangino days. Lance Leipold run has College Football’s premier pregame in College Gameday coming to Lawrence for the first time. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has 983 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, 68.2% completion percentage. On the other side, TCU quarterback Max Duggan
has 997 yards, 11 touchdowns, zero interceptions, 74.5% completion percentage.
11 Utah @ 18 UCLA
Photo Cred: ESPN
For a conference considered to be the weakest in college football, there are five teams currently in the top 25, and 3 of them have a realistic chance of making the playoffs in Utah, UCLA, and USC with a run in the back half of the season. This matchup is huge for both teams. UCLA still has a lot to prove even with an undefeated and underwhelming victory over South Alabama, the narrative is what will UCLA do against a superior opponent. For Utah, it’s been smooth sailing since their opening week loss to Florida. The Utes must look ahead to a monster showdown against USC next week. The Utes lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense (14.4 ppg), passing defense (155.4 ypg), total defense (278.6 ypg), first downs allowed (14.4), and opponents’ third-down conversion rate (28.8 percent). Key matchup is UCLA WR Jake Bobo vs. Utah CB Clark Phillips III. Bobo, a fifth-year senior transfer from Duke, has quickly settled in as the top option in the passing game for the Bruins.
