As the college football season nears the halfway mark, the contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the pretenders. The top teams are done with the easy portion of their schedules and the big-time matchups will come week-in and week-out. Heisman candidates will go head to head, and inevitably, some Top 10 teams will face defeat. Here are this week’s biggest games across the nation.
No. 2 Auburn at No. 3 (tied)Mississippi St.
Two of the best teams in the best division in the best conference in college football face off in a game that should severely cripple the loser’s playoff chances. Both teams are undefeated, each with a pair of big wins over Top 20 teams.
Auburn’s offense wears down opponents with a Top 25 rushing attack and a passing game that’s best described as good enough. The team averages 42 points a game despite ranking outside the top 75 in passing yards and having a quarterback, senior Nick Marshall, with only a 56.2 completion percentage for the season.
Defensively, both Auburn and Mississippi State have Top 20 defenses that rank in the Top 10 in stopping the run. The Bulldogs are quite a bit worse against the pass.
Similarly, MSU’s rushing offense ranks in the Top 25, although junior quarterback Dak Prescott is emerging as a darkhorse Heisman candidate. He’s one of the top rushing quarterbacks in the nation, and has over 1,200 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to boot.
Auburn has to find a way to slow him down if they want to avoid the upset.
No. 12 Oregon at No. 18 UCLA
Both Oregon and UCLA are coming off upset losses to unranked opponents that have put their respective playoff hopes in doubt. Each team’s quarterback is still in the Heisman race, though.
It’s impossible to talk about Oregon without mentioning their prolific offense that ranks among the best in the nation in a number of categories.
Redshirt junior quarterback Marcus Mariota is one of the most dynamic athletes in college football, and he truly is a master of their spread offense. Defensively, the Ducks are mediocre at best, but up until last week, the team has been able to overwhelm opponents with a barrage of scoring.
UCLA too has been carried by redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley. He has completed over 72 percent of his passes for over 1,300 yards in some nearly flawless performances.
Like Oregon, the Bruins’ defense is serviceable but not great. Their first three wins all came by margins of eight or less, and Hundley could only do so much as they allowed Utah 30 points in a comeback win. Their defense will have to step up its game to give their offense a chance to outscore the Ducks.
No. 3 (tied) Ole Miss at No. 14 Texas A&M
The other Top 15 SEC matchup of the weekend features the nation’s second highest scoring offense, Texas A&M, against a defense that allows the second fewest points in the nation, Ole Miss.
The Aggies’ sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill is among the top five quarterbacks in the nation in passing yards and touchdowns, making him the biggest reason why the team averages over 47 points per game. Much like a number of other top teams, though, their defense is not up to par.
They did only allow a combined 19 points in three games against Lamar, Rice, and SMU, but when they played more difficult opponents, they allowed nearly 35 points a game, including 48 last week in their loss to Mississippi State.
Ole Miss, on the other hand, allows opponents only 10.2 points per game, while scoring an average of 35.8. Specifically, their pass defense ranks in the Top 10, while their run stopping isn’t too far behind.
The Rebels also rely on their star quarterback, senior Bo Wallace, to carry the team. He has over 1,500 passing yards at a nearly 69 percent completion rate. This game could turn into more of a shootout than Mississippi is used to, and it is hard to give either team the edge.
No. 9 TCU at No. 5 Baylor
TCU is once again quietly having a solid season. They proved they were the real deal last week, upsetting then-No. 4 Oklahoma, and now they have the chance to really cement themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12 against Baylor.
The Horned Frogs don’t have quite the firepower that the Bears do, but their junior quarterback Trevone Boykin has been tough for opponents to slow down. In addition to his 1,100-plus yards, he is also the team’s leading rusher, averaging over five yards per carry.
Their defense has also been great. They rank in the Top 25 in almost every key stat, and they’re in the Top 10 in quite a few.
Baylor’s offense will be unlike anything TCU has faced. They average an FBS-best 51 points per game with an equally impressive 400 passing yards per game. The Bears haven’t faced a ranked opponent yet, but it’s tough to see even TCU’s defense keeping their offense down.
USC at No. 10 Arizona
USC’s season certainly isn’t going the way they hoped it would. The Trojans suffered their second loss of the season last week on a last-second touchdown scored by Arizona State. This week, they head to Arizona to take on the team that knocked off No. 2 Oregon last week.
Arizona’s two freshmen, quarterback Anu Solomon and running back Nick Wilson are taking the country by storm, while their defense has been just good enough for them to win. Since their first game, their average margin of victory has been just over five points per game, but they found a way to remain 5-0.
USC redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler hasn’t had the same level of support. His performances have been great, but his teams can’t seem to find a way to put it all together. They need to figure it out quickly if they want to salvage what’s left of their season.
