Week Seven of the college football season is the second off week for the Miami Hurricanes. While the ‘Canes are “idle” the rest of the college football world is engaged in some major showdowns that could
determine the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff picture. All rankings are based on Bill Connelly’s SP+.
High Nooners
Ohio State at Illinois on FOX. SP+ has OSU as the 2nd best team in FBS while Illinois is 29th. OSU’s defense is 1st in SP+ under DC Matt Patricia. The Illinois defense 51st and will face Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith.
Alabama at Missouri on ABC. The Crimson Tide are 6th in FBS while the Tigers are 8th. Both kicking games are ranked low and games like this typically do come down to a kicker and/or the refs.
Pittsburgh at FSU on ESPN. Pitt is 30th overall and putting together one of their more balanced seasons, even with a QB change. The O and D are both in the 30’s. FSU is coming off of back-to-back losses. The ‘Noles are 27th in FBS and the season hinges on a game like this one at home vs. Pitt.
IMPACT ON MIAMI: FSU and Pitt are both 3-2, however Pitt has one loss in the ACC while FSU has two. Pitt could be an ACC Championship Game opponent for Miami.
3:30 Nap Ruiners
Indiana at Oregon on CBS. Oregon is the SP+’s top-rated squad overall. The Ducks beat Penn State on the road before the Nittany Lions collapsed vs. UCLA. The Hoosiers are the 3rd best team per SP+. Indiana is a ballsy squad under Curt Cignetti and could make for an upset squad in Autzen Stadium.
Oklahoma at Texas on ABC. Texas is currently 20th thanks to the flop of Arch Manning (or Steve Sarkisian not having a better option). The Longhorns defense is 2nd in SP+. Oklahoma is 4th in SP+ but QB John Mateer may have to sit after hand surgery.
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech on ACCN. The Hokies are 78th, yes, they’re THAT bad. The Yellow Jackets are 36th withe a 52nd ranked defense dragging them down a bit. GT is currently 5-0 and the most likely opponent for Miami in Charlotte.
NC State at Notre Dame on Peacock. The Fighting Irish are 9th overall and 3rd on offense. CJ Carr has found his stride and Chris Ash might not be totally a lost cause at DC. NC State is 56th and probably a loss away from the team falling apart on Dave Doeren.
IMPACT ON MIAMI: Indiana, Oregon, Oklahoma and a re-match with ND are all possible CFBPO opponents while Ga. Tech could meet the ‘Canes in Charlotte if both can run the ACC table, or even avoid more than one-loss in conference.
Dusky Roads
700 Florida at Texas A&M on ESPN. Are the 31st ranked Gators finally figuring it out or is Texas a joke? We’ll find out as the Gators travel to College Station to face the TAMU Aggies. TAMU is ranked 15th overall and a balanced 17th on offense and 17th on defense. Can Andy Staples breathe a sigh of relief over DJ Lagway or will the UF offense get smoked by Mike Elko’s defense?
730 UGA at Auburn on ABC. 10th ranked UGA will face 25th ranked Auburn in the primetime ABC game. UGA’s offense vs. Auburn’s defense will be the fun part to watch in this matchup.
730 Michigan at USC on NBC. The Wolverines are 14th in the country and are trying to get the offense rolling (31st) to pace with the defense (7th). USC is 13th overall with the top-rated offense but 49th rated defense. This is a match-up to find out what matters- offense or defense?
745 South Carolina at LSU on SECN. This could be a battle of 2003 with both offenses being subpar this season. LSU is 16th overall because of defense while SC (not USC) is 41st.
IMPACT ON MIAMI: These aren’t ACC games but clearly some major impact on the CFBPO picture and seeding in December. How many ACC teams get into the playoff could be determined based on some of the Big Ten and SEC match-ups during the evening slate of games.
