Well, I wrote last week about not many games looking that spectacular on paper but that the window was open for an upset or two, if we were lucky. Lady Luck must’ve been reading because we were treated
to plenty of upsets to enjoy. #7 Penn State, #9 Texas, and #14 Iowa State were all toppled before nightfall. After being ranked #1 and #2 in the preseason AP poll, Texas and Penn State are both 0-2 against P4 competition and the teams are mirror images of each other. High preseason rankings and national championship aspirations? Check. Losses against other highly ranked championship contenders? Check. Inexplicable losses to inferior teams? Check.
If you’re generous you could forgive the Longhorns’ loss to Florida as the Gators were ranked earlier this season, but Penn State dropping one to UCLA is a sin it’s hard to see the CFP committee overlooking. The Bruins have been a punching bag all season but after giving them their first win of the season it’s the Nittany Lions who are taking the blows. As Iowa fans we know as well as anyone how tricky a trip to the west coast can be and after emptying the tank against Oregon last week, Penn State just couldn’t bounce back enough to survive the trip.
Both the Nittany Lions and Longhorns fell out of the top 25 but Iowa State was more fortunate. Having one less loss than the other two was the Cyclones’ saving grace, thought they did drop down to #22. Their loss came at a rough time as Iowa State enters the toughest stretch of the season, traveling to Boulder this week and hosting #18 BYU and #21 Arizona State the next two weeks afterwards. If the Cyclones want to keep their Big XII title hopes alive – not to mention the CFP – their fate may be decided over the next few games.
Who’s ripe for an upset this week? 47 straight days of football begin now. Schedule graphics courtesy of ProjectionSports.
Thursday, October 9
Friday, October 10
Saturday, October 11
Saturday starts with a pair of ranked matches that I would expect to not be as close as you’d hope they’d be: #1 Ohio State @ #17 Illinois and #8 Alabama @ #14 Missouri. I could wind up being way off base, but I think the Illini are in for trouble against the Buckeyes and staring down their second loss of the season. Missouri will probably give Alabama a closer shave but I’m still taking the Tide. Would love to be wrong in both predictions though.
UCLA can try to build on their huge win when they travel to Michigan State, it’s a pretty good and winnable follow up game for the Bruins. Cincinnati will also try to build on their upset when they host UCF. Both of these games, while not having the star power of those above, should still provide some entertaining football.
In the afternoon we’ll get a few more big impact games along with a huge rivalry. #7 Indiana travels to #3 Oregon and both of those teams are looking really impressive. Both teams are coming off their bye weeks so they’ll be rested with plenty of prep time for this one. It’ll be a very fun game in Eugene at 2:30.
The other big draw is the Red River Rivalry on ABC with #6 Oklahoma and Texas. Despite their fall, I’m not fully counting out the Longhorns, especially in a heated rivalry like this one. There’s still no guarantee that Sooner QB John Mateer will be able to play after undergoing hand surgery three weeks ago. If he can’t go that’ll be a big blow to Oklahoma and one that a Texas team hungry for redemption would love to take advantage of.
I touched briefly on #22 Iowa State @ Colorado, so I’ll be keeping my eyes on that one, but there’s also TCU @ Kansas State, Nebraska @ Maryland, and NC State @ #16 Notre Dame drawing my attention as well. A good afternoon all around.
Finally in the evening we’ve got Albert the Bull on the line with Iowa @ Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes have lived rent free in the Badgers’ heads since that 42-10 trouncing in Iowa City last year and who knows if or for how long Mark Gronowski will be able to play. We’ll see if all that attention paid to this game actually pays off for Wisconsin or if the Hawks make it three straight.
Be sure to tune in to #15 Michigan at USC if you want to remember what Rose Bowls used to be like. The Wolverines and Trojans haven’t met since the Granddaddy in 2006 and it’ll be Michigan’s first trip to the Coliseum in 68 years. If you’re a fan of games with lots of history behind the teams, this is #1 on your list for Saturday.
Sprinkled amid my headliners are half a dozen conference games that could provide some great outcomes. In the Big XII we’ve got Kansas at #9 Texas Tech, #18 BYU at Arizona, and #21 Arizona State at Utah, and out of the SEC come #10 Georgia at Auburn and South Carolina at #11 LSU. Somehow, somewhere we’re getting more upset.
We’re at the halfway mark of the season. What games are you looking forward to this weekend?
