Rule number one of college football, no one is safe. In this game, teams can’t afford to take days off, and this week is no different. The nonconference schedule is drawing to a close. Will the Big Ten salvage its reputation? Will the SEC continue its streak of cruel and unusual punishment? Read on to find out. To the football!
No. 5 Auburn at No. 20 Kansas State
On Thursday night, Auburn travels to Manhattan, Kansas, the Little Apple, to take on the Wildcats of Kansas State. Gus Malzahn’s Tigers have looked to not skip a beat this season following their impressive run to the title game last year. Auburn is in the top five for points per game with 52, and are seventh in the country in rushing yards with 330 per game.
Auburn’s attack is led by senior quarterback Nick Marshall. K-State will have to keep an eye on him if they hope to get stops, but the Tigers’ true standout this season has been senior running back Cameron Artis-Payne who already has four touchdowns on the year.
The night crowd in Manhattan will hope to push on the Wildcats’ high-powered offense. Head coach Bill Snyder’s team has been scoring at will on the ground this season. Sophomore running back Charles Jones has found the end zone four times this season. That’s the same number for senior quarterback Jake Waters.
This will be the first test of the year for Auburn, one of the luckiest teams from last season. Let’s see how much fairy dust the Tigers have left.
No. 22 Clemson at No. 1 Florida State
Yes, I know, it was a bloodbath last season but two ranked teams are getting together in Tallahassee. Clemson is still coming off their tough loss to Georgia in Week 1, where the Tigers were formally introduced to Todd Gurley.
There have been a lot of skeptics of Florida State following their narrow victory over Oklahoma State in Week 1. Both teams are coming off bye weeks and have had ample time to prepare for each other.
Florida State is coming into this match up behind Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston. The whole offense runs through him. Not only is he the heart and soul of the team, he’s also the legs and arm of the offense. In two games this season, Winston has thrown for 626 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown against Oklahoma State.
Clemson is coming off a complete shelling of an FCS opponent, South Carolina State. The Tigers won that game 73-7, but take all of the Clemson offensive stats with a grain of salt. Clemson played a tremendous first half against Georgia before it all unravelled. The Tigers will be hoping to avoid the same fate in Tallahassee.
Florida at No. 3 Alabama
The SEC season is in full swing and now it’s time for the big bullies down south to line up and eat each other.
Florida is a bit of a conundrum this season. Last year the Gators had one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory and the heat has been turned up on head coach Will Muschamp. Last week the Gators snuck out a win at home against a talented Kentucky team in triple overtime. Now they travel to Tuscaloosa.
Alabama comes into this game coming off two big wins over Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss. Those two wins should be enough to get new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin eased in before SEC play, but the picnic is over and it’s time for football.
The Crimson Tide have also seemed to have figured out their quarterback situation and now feature senior Blake Sims. However, Florida will be busy dealing with the monsters T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry.
Virginia at No. 21 BYU
The Virginia Cavaliers are one of the more interesting teams this year. They came into the season as an overlooked, middle of the road ACC team with no real shot at being a contender. In Week 1, they gave a shaky UCLA team all they could handle, but were stung hard by the turnover bug and lost by eight.
In Week 3, they played host to a ranked Louisville team, corrected their mistakes, and eked out a 23-21 victory. Now they’re off to Utah to take on Taysom Hill and the Cougars.
BYU is one of the most talked about teams in the country following their 41-7 embarassment of Texas. Last week they held off a strong effort from Houston. They’re held together by senior quarterback Taysom Hill who leads the team in rushing and passing. He has 689 passing yards for four touchdowns as well as 356 rushing yards for six touchdowns.
The Cougars are looking for an undefeated season and certainly can’t take Virginia lightly.
Miami at No. 24 Nebraska
The last hope for the Big Ten before all nonconference hope is lost. The Huskers will host the Miami Hurricanes in a night clash in Lincoln. The Hurricanes fell flat in Week 1 against a strong Louisville team on the road. They’ve since bounced back against weak FCS opponents.
Nebraska is now two weeks removed from their McNeese State scare, and they’re coming off a brutal 55-19 beatdown of Fresno State.
The Memorial Stadium crowd will be deafening. Look for Heisman hopeful Ameer Abdullah to continue to carry the Huskers. He has 396 rushing yards this year, as well as 105 receiving.
