4-Down Territory: 5 Ranked Matchups Highlight a Weekend of Conference Games. PSU Enters a New Era.....

FRIDAY: Louisville (4-1) at #2 Miami (5-0) 7:00 ESPN: As the season has unfolded, Miami’s most impressive win is now USF. Louisville was rolling until losing in OT to UVA two weeks ago. Both of these teams are coming off bye weeks. Louisville can put the ball in the air on offense but Miami has the ability to get after Louisville QB Miller Moss…..#25 Nebraska (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2) 8:00 FOX: The Huskers have had two comeback wins the past two weeks and the confidence in their ability to rally and win close games has soared. QB Dylan Raiola may be the headliner of the Husker’s offense but RB Emmett Johnson is 8^th nationally in rushing and is averaging around 6.2 yards per carry…..UNC (2-3) at Cal (4-2) 10:30 ESPN: We are obligated to mention the UNC game every week.

1^st Down: Around The ACC/Big 12/AYO: Note: AYO stands for All You Others. The Big Ten and SEC seem to see everyone but themselves as second-class citizens. Having said that, both the ACC and Big 12 have shown surprising strength……#12 Georgia Tech (6-0) at Duke (4-2)12:00 ESPN: Both of these teams are undefeated in ACC play behind big production from their QBs. Duke QB Darian Mensah is racking up over 300 yards per game passing and has gone without an INT in three straight ACC wins. However he has been sacked 8 times in those games. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King leads his team in passing and rushing and has 9 TDs on the ground……#7 Texas Tech (6-0) at Arizona State (4-2) 4:00 FOX: If ASU QB Sam Leavitt returns for the Sun Devils that is a big deal for them. Injury questions linger for Texas Tech QB Behren Morton, but backup Will Hammond has already proven himself when he came off the bench to light up Utah on the road. No matter who plays QB for Tech, the run game and a tough defense will help the cause,,,..,Washington State (3-3) at #18 Virginia (5-1) 6:30 The CW: Last week the Cougs gave Ole Miss all they could handle by causing problems for the Rebels in the Red Zone. That film will certainly get the attention of everyone at UVA…..#22 Memphis (6-0) at UAB (2-4) 4:00 ESPN2: Memphis is rolling and UAB is reeling from the sudden firing of coach Trent Dilfer…..FAU (3-3) at #19 USF (5-1) 7:30 ESPNU: USF finds itself among a lead pack of schools for a potential playoff spot if they can win their conference. They should roll……#24 Cincinnati (5-1) at Oklahoma State (1-5) 8:00 ESPN2: Oklahoma State is also playing with an interim coach and that should spell trouble when they face the Bearcats who’ve won five straight since a close opening loss to Nebraska.

2^nd Down: Around The SEC: #14 Oklahoma (5-1) at South Carolina (3-3) 12:45 SEC Network: Oklahoma’s defense has been excellent all year –even last week in the loss to Texas. The OU offense will need to return to from after QB John Mateer was sacked 5 times and threw 3 interceptions last week. The Gamecocks are averaging just 3.2 yards per carry on the ground. They will need offensive balance to have a chance against a swarming OU defense…….#4 Texas A&M (6-0) at Arkansas (2-4) 3:30 ESPN: The Aggies are surging at the right time and are a week away from a showdown at LSU. The Aggies boast one of the best pass rush units in the country, and they rack up sacks from a whole host of players. That makes it hard to protect the QB consistently. Look for Arkansas to try to get the quick passes and screen game going……#21 Texas (4-2) at Kentucky (2-3) 7:00 ESPN: Texas’ season was left for dead eight days ago, but it has risen like Lazarus with the return of their dominant defense and a timely special teams play. Not all is solved in Austin. They need to keep developing the WRs in the pass game to help QB Arch Manning and the offense……#16 Missouri (5-1) at Auburn (3-3) 7:45 The SEC Network: Mizzou was a yard away on a fake punt from perhaps pulling the upset against Alabama last week. The hangover from that game needs to lift quickly because Auburn is a dangerous team that went toe-to-toe with Georgia and was hurt by some bizarre officiating. More on that later.

3^rd Down: Around The Big Ten: Michigan State (3-3) at #3 Indiana (6-0) 3:30 Peacock: If you have not seen IU play you’d better watch this team. You can talk about their QB Fernando Mendoza but the heart of this team is a hyper-active defense that gets after opposing QBs. Michigan State’s defense will need to play their best game of the season and limit the big plays like Iowa did to the Hoosiers…….#8 Oregon (5-1) at Rutgers (3-3) 6:30 The Big Ten Network: Rutgers has a very good pass attack and has created a nice balance on offense. The defense has not been as stout as the past two years. They will be challenged on that in this game. If Rutgers can slow the game down and find the pace that netted them 28 points against a very good Iowa defense, they will make this a tough one for the Ducks. The Ducks’ defense will be aggressive and try to put pressure on RU. Dan Lanning and his team won’t be lamenting last week’s loss. In his post-game press conference, he immediately pivoted to remind everyone that all of the team’s season-long goals were available……#1 Ohio State (6-0) at Wisconsin (2-4) 3:30 CBS: Wisconsin has been unsettled at QB and mistakes have plagued them. The arrival of the Buckeye defense is certainly no cure for an ailing offense. Given all the he is asked to do in the OSU system Buckeye Safety Caleb Downs should be a Heisman Trophy contender. He is an incredible football player and he is “the straw that stirs the drink”. Of note: Mr. October Reggie Jackson disputes that he ever uttered that quote, but what is undeniable is that he was a great football player recruited by Penn State and everyone else. At Franco Harris' funeral Reggie told me that he was a better football player than baseball player. His RB skills are undeniable…….

4^th Down: The Biggest Games: This week we get 5 ranked matchups...#10 LSU (5-1) at #17 Vanderbilt (5-1) 12:00 ABC: Vanderbilt is favored in this game. LSU Coach Brian Kelly’s best offenses have generally utilized the QB as a run threat but that is not the case this year. They win in other ways. LSU is a top 20 caliber defense that has netted 8 interceptions and held teams in check. Vanderbilt has shown that they are for real. They have an exciting offense, but they are also a solid defensive football team. They’ve had two weeks to get ready for this one…….#20 USC (5-1) at #13 Notre Dame (4-2) 7:30 NBC: This is the biggest game between these two teams in quite a while. In some ways it has the feel of a must-win playoff game. This could be a shootout. There are exceptional young QBs on both sides. USC Jayden Maiava has an array of dangerous weapons around him that makes this offense difficult to defend. While Notre Dame QB CJ Carr may not have as many weapons at WR, Tight End Eli Raridon (6-7 251) is a tough guy to cover and the one-two punch of RBs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price force you to defend the run first. Twenty years after the epic 2005 game between these two teams, it is great to see these teams battle on the national stage on an October night…….#23 Utah (5-1) at #15 BYU (6-0) 8:00 FOX: This is a rivalry between two teams whose proximity has driven an animosity that seems at odds with the polite reputation of residents of The Beehive State. The home crowd has been buzzing about BYU freshman QB Bear Bachmeier. He will be happy to be at home when he takes on the nation’s 8^th-ranked pass defense. Part of that challenge will be containing Utah’s John Henry Daley who ranks second in the country with 8 sacks. On defense, the host BYU Cougars have to contend with Utah QB Devon Dampier who leads the team in passing and rushing and has thrown just 2 INTs all year……#11 Tennessee (5-1) at #6 Alabama (5-1) 7:30 ABC: Tennessee is the 4^th-straight ranked team Alabama has faced and to keep the winning streak going they will have to play great defense against the nation’s #1 scoring offense. While Tennessee has only played 1 ranked opponent all year they did score 41 in that loss to Georgia. Tennessee has the better run/pass balance on offense between these two teams. Alabama’s Ty Simpson and that talented corps of WRs pose a big test for the Vols. The Vols pass rush is one of the best in the country and the best pass defense has always been pass rush. They're gonna need it…….

#5 Ole Miss (6-0) at #9 Georgia (5-1) 3:30 ABC: The Ole Miss offense went surprisingly stagnant against a Washington State defense that had been allowing a lot of points. Don’t expect them to be sleep-walking when they head to Athens. UGA has been a slow-starting team at times this year. But teams that are more physical play the long game, make adjustments and wear down their opponents. If Ole Miss uses its tempo offense to get going with all their weapons don’t look for Georgia Coach Kirby Smart to be calling timeout or clapping or a mixture of the two.

5^th Down: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: There are a few teams that feel that maybe they should be ranked. Is there an SEC rankings bias? Certainly some of the teams on this list feel that way…….Pitt (4-2) at Syracuse (3-3) 7:30 The ACC Network: Pitt went to Tallahassee and knocked of Florida State. New Pitt QB Mason Heintschel has done an excellent job breathing new life into the Panthers’ offense. This marks just his third start but he seems to have the confidence of everyone at Pitt……Washington (5-1) at Michigan (4-2) 12:00 FOX: The Huskies remain one of the best teams no one is talking about. The Huskies present the same kinds of problems for the Michigan defense that both Oklahoma and USC did; both resulting in UM losses. Mobile UW QB Demond Williams passed for 400 yards and ran for 100+ more. He has electric speed. Versatile running back Jonah Coleman is a threat running and in the passing game. And the Huskies have two real matchup problems at WR. Michigan’s run game will look to get established early to get control of the tempo of the game from the outset. And QB Bryce Underwood will need to have a mistake-free game……Purdue (2-4) at Northwestern (4-2) 3:00 Big Ten Network: Northwestern has losses to Tulane and Oregon. Last week they went into Penn State and controlled the clock, the line of scrimmage and the outcome.

Penn State Corner: Penn State (3-3) at Iowa (4-2) 7:00 Peacock: First one must enjoy the stylings of Iowa RT #67 Gennings Dunker who sports a mullet and moustache that is legendary. Iowa is another team that may feel slighted by the rankings. They took Indiana to the wire before losing by 7. Last week they won 37-0 at Wisconsin, the Badgers' worst home loss since a 48-7 loss to Penn State in 2008. Iowa’s offense has found their run game again helped by QB Mark Gronowski who has won 53 games as a starter (49 at South Dakota State). But he has been slowed by a leg injury. Penn State fired Head Coach James Franklin last Sunday and lost QB Drew Allar for the year. Brand new starter Ethan Grunkemeyer makes his debut at night against a really good defense. The road ahead for this new QB is a daunting one, starting with a chess match with Iowa Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker. Since 2009 his defenses have been constantly among the national leaders. Below is a look at his stats and the road ahead for the new Penn State QB.