As the regular season continues to head down its final stretch, the landscape of college football remains in relative disarray. With Ole Miss’ loss to LSU, only three unbeaten teams are left, and numerous conference races are still completely up for grabs.
No. 10 TCU at No. 20 West Virginia
The Mountaineers and Horned Frogs will square off in a game featuring two top contenders in the race for the Big 12 title. Just like everybody predicted at the beginning of the year, right?
West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen has gone from being on the hot seat at the start of the season to being the frontrunner to be named Big 12 Coach of the Year. The Mountaineers, led by quarterback Clint Trickett, boast a lethal aerial attack, ranking ninth in the FBS with an average of 346.3 passing yards per game.
Meanwhile, TCU’s offense is flourishing under new co-offensive coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham. The Horned Frogs rank sixth in the country with 360.1 passing yards per game and first in scoring at 50.4 points per game, including setting a school-record with 82 points last week against Texas Tech.
Both teams are absolutely rolling into their meeting in Morgantown, which means we should be in for a thrilling offensive shootout as they battle to stay near the top of the conference standings.
No. 4 Auburn at No. 7 Ole Miss
The SEC West remains heads and shoulders above everyone else in college football, and Ole Miss and Auburn will meet Saturday night in yet another game with major implications in the race for the division title.
The Rebels return home after an agonizing loss on the road to the LSU Tigers, in which they won the turnover battle 4-1. Head coach Hugh Freeze also made the controversial decision to try one more pass play with nine seconds remaining in the game, rather than try to kick a potential game-tying, 47-yard field goal then and there.
The result: a Bo Wallace interception sealed the Rebels’ fate and gave LSU renewed hope of contending for the SEC West title.
Meanwhile, Auburn survived a major scare last weekend from Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Tigers were gridlocked with South Carolina throughout much of the game, but finally took the lead for good on a touchdown run by quarterback Nick Marshall with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss and Auburn are both still alive in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff, so this weekend’s matchup is a pivotal one for both teams.
No. 14 Arizona at No. 25 UCLA
The Pac-12 South remains as wide open as any divisional race in all of college football, and the Wildcats and Bruins will jockey for position in the division Saturday night under the lights at the Rose Bowl.
Arizona is off to a stellar 6-1 start, including an impressive road upset of the Oregon Ducks.
The Wildcats continue to improve in head coach Rich Rodriguez’s third season, and quarterback Anu Solomon has been solid throughout his freshman campaign. On the season, Solomon has completed 63.3 percent of his passes and thrown for 2,430 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Bruins, on the other hand, have failed to meet the lofty expectations set for them prior to the start of the year. Quarterback Brett Hundley, at one time considered to be a possible Heisman candidate, has been plagued by inconsistency, injuries and poor play from his offensive line.
Despite the team’s struggles, UCLA still has a chance to finish atop the Pac-12 South standings and earn a spot in the conference championship game. However, a loss at home to the Wildcats would pretty much dash those dreams.
No. 18 Utah at No. 15 Arizona State
While the Arizona-UCLA matchup is certainly intriguing, the game between Utah and Arizona State could have even greater implications on the race for the Pac-12 South.
The Utes and Sun Devils both are coming off of down-to-the-wire victories over USC and Washington, respectively.
Arizona State currently is on top of the division standings with a record of 4-1 after going on the road and defeating the Huskies on the road last Saturday night. It was the Sun Devils’ third consecutive win since being routed by UCLA in late September.
Meanwhile, the Utes scored another huge victory in a thriller against the Trojans. Travis Wilson found Kaelin Clay on a one-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining to lead Utah to the win. The Utes’ schedule doesn’t get any easier the rest of the way, with games against Oregon, Stanford and Arizona remaining, so a road win over the Sun Devils would be huge for Kyle Whittingham’s team as they continue their pursuit for an improbable division title.
