Are Ohio State And Indiana On A Collision Course For December 6th?

Ohio State, ranked No. 1, continued its march toward the College Football Playoff with a 34–16 win over No. 17 Illinois in Champaign. Despite being outgained in total yardage, the Buckeyes capitalized on three Illini turnovers, converting each into touchdowns. Their defense bent but never broke, and quarterback Julian Sayin had an efficient, if not gaudy, day running the offense.

Meanwhile, No. 7 Indiana stunned No. 2 Oregon 30–20 in Eugene, handing the Ducks their first Big Ten loss since joining the conference. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers with 215 passing yards and a touchdown, while the defense sealed the win with two fourth-quarter interceptions. Head coach Curt Cignetti’s squad is now poised for its highest ranking in decades, and with no regular-season matchup against Ohio State, a Big Ten Championship showdown between the two is increasingly likely.

Let’s Get Physical

In Los Angeles, USC made a statement by defeating No. 15 Michigan 31–13. Jayden Maiava threw for 265 yards and King Miller added 158 rushing yards, overwhelming a Wolverines team led by freshman phenom Bryce Underwood. Michigan’s offense showed flashes, including a 69-yard touchdown to Andrew Marsh, but couldn’t close the gap late.

“Been To The Edge…”

Nebraska edged Maryland 34–31 in a back-and-forth contest at SECU Stadium, while Minnesota held off Purdue 27–20 at home. Adding insult to injury for Maryland and Purdue is how both teams held the lead in their respective games, but were unable to maintain them.

Washington = The Rodney Dangerfield Of College Football

Washington defeated Rutgers 38–19 on Friday night, with a strong second-half surge. Just as Washington did versus Maryland on October 4th, the Huskies spotted the Scarlet Knights the early lead, before taking the lead in the second half. With Washington going on the road to face Michigan on October 18th, the Huskies will need to avoid a sluggish start. Despite a 5-1 record, Washington remains unranked.

Something Is A ‘Bruin’

Any thoughts that the UCLA win over Penn State on October 4th was a blip on the college football radar screen were quickly answered as the Bruins went to East Lansing and dominated Michigan State, 38-13. UCLA is now 2-4 on the season, and 2-1 in conference play. Michigan State sits at 3-3 on the season, and is 0-3 in Big Ten play.

Penn State Pulls The Plug

After the shocking loss at UCLA, the conventional wisdom was that Penn State would regroup at home versus Northwestern. The Wildcats had other ideas, and pulled off a shocking 22-21 win at Penn State. Penn State was a three touchdown favorite.

Penn State, despite the hefty buyout figure, decided that the James Franklin era had run its course, and relieved the coach of his duties on October 12th. Rumors and speculation will now run rampant on who the next Nittany Lions head coach will be for the remainder of the season.

Badgers Are Looking Bleak

Iowa went into Camp Randall Stadium and had no problem handling Wisconsin, shutting the Badgers out to a score of 37-0. Luke Fickell seemed shellshocked after the loss, and has to regroup for a visit from Ohio State on October 18th. Iowa is now 4-2 on the year, and 2-1 in The Big Ten. Wisconsin sits at 2-4, with an 0-3 record within The Big Ten. Wisconsin, Purdue, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Penn State are all seeking their first Big Ten win this season.

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What a terrific Saturday full of close games – of course, if you are a fan of a team that wound up on the losing end of the ledger, your thoughts are probably entirely different. Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, Rutgers, and USC all have a bye week to regroup and get ready for their next games on October 11th; Indiana will actually be traveling to Oregon for the first time since the 2004 season (Indiana 30, Oregon 24). With both Indiana and Oregon 2-0 in Big Ten play, one of those teams will be knocked from the perch of the unbeaten. Rutgers now has 2 Big Ten losses this season (3-2 overall), while USC fell to 2-1 within the conference (4-1 overall).

For Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, and UCLA, it is right back to work. Northwestern will host UL Monroe in a non-conference game, while Penn State will travel to UCLA for the first time since 1968 (Penn State 21, UCLA 6). It will bear watching to see how James Franklin, Drew Allar, and the Nittany Lions respond after such an intense battle against Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks. UCLA rallied on the road at Northwestern, but came up short as time ran out for the Bruins as they were driving against the Wildcats.

Illinois travels to Purdue, as the Boilermakers had a bye week to prepare for the Fighting Illini. It was an impressive bounce back win for Bret Bielema’s team, after being routed at Indiana the previous week.

For Minnesota, they will travel to Ohio State for a night game against the Buckeyes; Minnesota will look to end a losing streak versus Ohio State that dates back to the John Cooper era, when the Golden Gophers last defeated the Buckeyes 29-17 during the 2000 season. Speaking of the Buckeyes…

Snapping The Streak: Ohio State went on the road at Washington for the first time since the 2007 season and defeated the Huskies, 24-6. Washington led Ohio State 3-0 in the first quarter, marking the first time this season the Buckeyes trailed in a game. Ohio State’s win snapped an impressive 22 home game winning streak by Washington that dated back to the 2021 season.

Ohio State’s defense had themselves a day, with 6 sacks and 9 tackles for loss against a dangerous Washington offense. Washington will make their first trip ever to Maryland, with the only other time the Huskies and Terrapins have played was in the 1982 Aloha Bowl (Washington 21, Maryland 20).

The post Week Five 2025 Observations Of The Big Ten appeared first on Saturday Glory.

With nearly 6 months before the game on November 1st, the highly anticipated match up between Penn State and Ohio State was ratcheted up after the publication of a story by Heather Dinich of ESPN.com on May 6th. Dinich’s story gave college football fans, most notably Ohio State and Penn State fans, insight into the reasons why Jim Knowles left his position as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator to join Jim Franklin’s staff at Penn State for this upcoming season.

In the article, Knowles explained to Dinich his reasoning for leaving Ohio State, despite the Buckeyes’ recent national championship success. Essentially, Knowles wanted a contract extension/adjustment prior to Ohio State’s national championship game versus Notre Dame, and when the adjustment did not happen, Knowles felt that it was in his best interests to look elsewhere.

In the article, Jim Knowles stated, “I did not want to put anyone, including myself, in a position to have to deal with it immediately following the national championship game…And that’s the way it happened…Season’s over, everything coming to a head again quickly…Ohio State hasn’t come forward with a deal, and it’s like, OK, if I’m going to act on this or at least explore it, I have got to make the call.“.

Adding to the awkwardness of the situation was how this all played out in the backdrop of a national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium, minus Jim Knowles. Negotiations with Knowles were ongoing, and Knowles was asked not to attend the celebration. In the article, Knowles stated, “I was asked not to go to the parade, and I respect that…I’m not trying to be a secretive guy. Here’s this offer, there were a couple others that were every bit as much money, and then there was Ohio State’s offer, which was still great money, but not as much, so then you have to sit with it.”.

Both Penn State and Ohio State have moved on, with Knowles taking over as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, while Ohio State head coach Ryan Day elected to hire Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator, while also promoting Tim Walton to co-defensive coordinator. Needless to say, the backstory and drama surrounding the departure of Jim Knowles from Ohio State to a rival Big Ten program in Penn State has only fueled the anticipation for one of college football’s biggest games of the 2025 season.

The post Penn State At Ohio State Has More Intrigue After Jim Knowles’ ESPN Story appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Alabama announced Wednesday that head coach Nick Saban is retiring.

“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban stated in a release. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”

According to Chris Low of ESPN, Saban is retiring immediately. He informed the Crimson Tide team today, according to Low. 

READ: Denzel Burke, Donovan Jackson among returners to Ohio State in 2024

Saban won six national championships Alabama since taking over prior to the 2007 season. Across his 17 years with the Crimson Tide, Saban won nine Southeastern Conference championships. 

Saban and Alabama most recently competed in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Rose Bowl against eventual-champion No. 1 Michigan. It marked Alabama’s eighth CFP appearance under Saban. 

READ: Jacksonville State hires Rhode Island’s Brandon Napoleon as safeties coach 

“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne stated in a release. “Throughout his career as a head coach, his teams have won seven national championships, 11 conference championships and 312 games, and he’s developed an NCAA-record 49 NFL first-round draft picks and, most importantly, hundreds of college graduates. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”

Saban has been named coach of the year nine times in his career. He’s earned a 35-12 record against top-10 teams since 2008, and he owns an 87.7% winning mark at Alabama. 

Saban won the CFP National Championship in 2015, 2017 and 2020. He has seven total national championships, tied with legend Paul “Bear” Bryant for most in history. 

READ: No. 1 Michigan ‘couldn’t be in a better spot’ after winning College Football Playoff National Championship 

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, among the candidates to succeed Saban include Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Penn State’s James Franklin, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, among others. 

The post Alabama’s Nick Saban announces plan to retire appeared first on Saturday Glory.

No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Washington and Liberty are all 10-0 this season.  

PODCAST: Week 11 Recap: Are things getting any clearer?

The Flames have won each of their past three games by double figures. Quarterback Kaidon Salter has 2,184 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 11 to Week 12. 

Ross Bjork, Texas A&M 

Texas A&M made the decision to fire head coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, announcing the change in leadership. 

Athletics director Ross Bjork spoke about the process and reasons behind the decision in a press conference. As the Aggies are 6-4 and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play, Bjork said the program has been “stuck in neutral.” 

“In my analysis I determined at this point, and for lots of reasons, our program is stuck in neutral,” Bjork said. “We should be relevant on the national scene. Something is not clicking, something is not working and therefore, something had to give in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential. As leaders every decision we make, or every decision we don’t make, has consequences. Consistency in how the program operates on a daily basis impacts the confidence level of every single person in the program and thus influences performance. Based on my experience, the best programs have confidence. The program has an established identity. The program maximizes the talent. The leadership is fully integrated in the university, the athletics program and its culture. I did not feel like we were meeting those standards of excellence and leadership.” 

James Franklin, Penn State 

James Franklin and Penn State suffered a 24-15 loss to the Wolverines, and it effectively dropped the Nittany Lions in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to No. 12. 

Franklin hasn’t performed well in top-10 matchups. He’s 3-18 in those games, and he’s 12-26 in ranked matchups during his 10-year tenure as head coach. 

READ: Stat Pack: Week 11

The Nittany Lions tried a pair of two-point conversions at Michigan, one in the second quarter and another in the fourth. Quarterback Drew Allar failed both pass attempts, keeping it a 14-9 game with less than a minute to go in the first half and maintaining a 24-15 deficit with less than two minutes left in the game. 

“We felt like points were going to be hard to come by,” Franklin said. “We were down by four. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to get it back to a field goal game. Again, those were all the numbers we work through from an analytic standpoint as a staff. Everybody was comfortable with that it was the right thing to do. Obviously, we didn’t pick it up.” 

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss 

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss suffered a top-10 defeat themselves at the hands of Georgia, dropping the game 52-17. 

The Rebels were in the game 14-14 early in the second quarter, but then gave up four touchdowns and a field goal as the Bulldogs ballooned the score to 45-14. They were held to just three points in the second half. 

Ole Miss’ record is 8-2 and good enough to be tied for second place in the SEC West Division at 5-2, right there with LSU. 

But that’s not where Kiffin and the Rebels want to be. They want to be on the other side of the top-10 bouts and coming out victorious, but they have to figure out how. 

“That’s a good question. I mean, we got to recruit at a higher level,” Kiffin said. “And I’m not blaming people, we got to coach better. But, you know, at some point whatever those stats are — we’ve signed one five-star, they’ve signed 24 or something. Those kind of do show up at some point. So we’d have to recruit it at a better level, do a better job on recruiting.” 

The post Quotables: Week 11  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

According to Jon Sauber of Centre Daily, Yurcich was let go on Sunday. He will not coach the remainder of the season. 

PODCAST: November crowns champions and who will step up in week 11?

Penn State head coach James Franklin announced the change in a statement, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. 

“We thank Mike for his contributions over the last three years but feel it is in our program’s best interest to make a change at this time,” Franklin stated. 

READ: Louisville climbs to No. 9, Oregon State to No. 10 in latest AP Poll

The Nittany Lions lost 24-15 to No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. They’re second in the Big Ten Conference in scoring offense averaging 37.7 points per game and fifth in total offense averaging 378.4 yards per game. 

Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and tight ends coach Ty Howle will serve as co-offensive coordinators, according to Rittenberg.

The post Report: Penn State fires OC Yurcich  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Allar will return to his home state of Ohio to play the No. 3 Buckeyes in a top-10 showdown with No. 7 Penn State, and it’s a challenge he said he looks forward to.

“I don’t know how many ticket request I have. I delivered that to my parents,” Allar said. “I don’t worry about the tickets because I got to be focused on the game. I can’t be more focused on anything extra other than that, but I mean, it’s just a great opportunity to go back home. Obviously, we’re going to be facing a top team in the country on both sides of the ball and it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

PODCAST: The Shane Beamer Story Isn’t That Serious

An Ohio quarterback playing for Penn State and a Pennsylvania native playing for Ohio State will be the premier matchup of Week 8 when the Nittany Lions travel to face the Buckeyes.

Allar will represent Medina, Ohio, while playing for the Nittany Lions and Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord will represent St. Joseph’s Prep High School based in Pennsylvania.

Allar said “going out and executing our jobs” and “being sound in our assignments” will be key to playing in a raucous environment at Ohio Stadium, a place where he and his friends spent plenty of time growing up.

“I did grow up going to Ohio State games like a lot of a lot of us did in Ohio,” Allar said. “They got a great fan base, a great atmosphere. It’s going to be a very challenging atmosphere. They’re a very passionate fan base. But I think it’s nothing we’re not prepared for. We practice in very loud environments all the time.”

Penn State enters the game Saturday atop the Big Ten Conference and NCAA in a number of categories, notably on the defensive side of the ball.

The Nittany Lions own the top total defense in the country allowing 193.7 yards per game — almost 40 yards fewer than the next closest team.

Offensively, Penn State has the top scoring offense in the Big Ten behind an average of 44.3 points per game.

“I think we’re playing really good complementary football, offense, defense and special teams,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “I think that’s been really important for us.”

READ: Report: Michigan being investigated into alleged sign stealing

When Penn State and Ohio State matched up a year ago in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions had a loss and ranked No. 13 while the Buckeyes were unbeaten, the No. 2 team in the country and playing on the road.

The Nittany Lions drew within 30-24 with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and they seemed to be within striking distance of a home upset.

But Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau had other plans, as he recorded two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

“I think last year’s experience was a learning tool for our entire team, for all of our coordinators and all of our coaches,” Franklin said. “I think we played really well for three quarters and didn’t finish. I think that’s a combination of a lot of things. But yeah, there are opportunities to grow and get better as long as you approach them that way.”

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 8

This year, Penn State and Ohio State will have new starting quarterbacks in Allar and McCord. Both have started all six games this season.

Both Allar and McCord are in the top-three in the Big Ten in completion percentage, and both have at least 11 touchdown passes. McCord leads the conference with 275.2 passing yards per game while Allar is seventh at 209 yards per game.

Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 242 pounds, Allar said the biggest area he’d like to improve is consistency in his footwork.

“I think I still have a lot of room to grow in all areas of playing quarterback,” Allar said. “I feel like the times I have missed throws that I shouldn’t be missing is because of footwork that I just, staying a little bit calmer in the pocket and not burning clean pockets, and I’ve been focusing on that the past two or three weeks, so I feel like it’s paying off so far, but just got to keep hammering that down to make sure it doesn’t cost us in the game.”

The quarterback competitions took place in the preseason for the two respective programs, and McCord won the job over redshirt freshman Devin Brown.

Franklin said he sees similarities between how Ohio State handles its quarterback room with Penn State. Plus, there is familiarity between Franklin, McCord and the Nittany Lions.

“They do a really good job of I think they’re approaching it a little bit like we’ve approached it with Drew with a first-year starting quarterback. And he’s doing what he needs to do for them to be successful offensively and win games,” Franklin said “We recruited him. We know a lot about him. We had a ton of respect for him out of high school and continue to, and think he’s going to be a challenge for us on Saturday as well.”

READ: Big Board: Week 8

Penn State will meet Ohio State in a top-10 battle for the fourth time in the past seven seasons and for the first time since 2019.

The Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day have lost only to Michigan in conference play since Day took the helm prior to the 2019 season, but this could be the most stout Penn State program yet.

“We’re trying to find a way to get a win this week against a really good team, against a program that we got a tremendous respect for, coaching staff we got a ton of respect for, the talent that they have,” Franklin said. “But we approach it the same every single week. Everybody on the outside is talking. We’re approaching it the way we do every single week. This is a really important game. Why? Because of how we’ve handled the previous six.”

The post Allar, No. 7 Penn State ‘playing really good complementary football’ ahead of top-10 game at No. 3 Ohio State appeared first on Saturday Glory.

There are four ranked matchups scheduled for Saturday when Week 8 commences, and it will be headlined by another top-10 matchup this time taking place in the Big Ten Conference. 

PODCAST: The Shane Beamer Story Isn’t That Serious

Among the other contests on tap for Week 8 includes eight ranked teams playing on the road, including No. 2 Michigan traveling to Michigan State. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 22 Air Force at Navy 

Air Force entered the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time this season, checking in at No. 22 which is its highest ranking since the 2019 season. 

A battle between service academies will take place on Saturday, as the Falcons travel to face Navy in a series that dates back to 1960. Both teams enter on winning streaks since the Midshipmen have won their last two games and the Falcons have won 11. 

Air Force will be without its starting quarterback as Zac Larrier deals with injury, and head coach Troy Calhoun projects Larrier will be out “a while.” 

Navy averages 20.3 points per game on 335 yards of total offense. The Midshipmen shut out Charlotte 14-0 in Week 7. 

Calhoun said aside from the in-game competition, he looks forward to the march-ons of the service academies and pregame traditions. 

“It’s always a big deal,” Calhoun said. “We came in the other day from pregame and you look all the way up that tunnel and you see all those cadets. It just moves you beyond football too, and again, just you have future service members that have made a commitment to do everything they can to make our country a better place, and I think that’s awesome. And I keep thinking at some point, I’d like to go watch one of these games also to see the flybys but hopefully that’s a ways out.” 

No. 17 Duke at No. 4 Florida State 

This Atlantic Coast Conference matchup should be a fun one. 

The Blue Devils fell just short of an upset win over Notre Dame earlier in the season, dropping the game 21-14 and seeing quarterback Riley Leonard deal with ankle injury. 

READ: Big Board: Week 8

Florida State, meanwhile, is out to its first 6-0 start since the 2015 season. The Seminoles are led by fifth-year quarterback Jordan Travis who is tied for second in the ACC with 13 passing touchdowns and fourth with a 154.1 passing efficiency rating. 

Duke’s defense will present a challenge to the Seminoles, as the Blue Devils lead the ACC in total defense allowing 164.7 yards per game. It’s a tough enough team that stands out to Florida State head coach Mike Norvell. 

“You watch film and you see really good players,” Norvell said. “They’ve done everything they needed to do. They were one play away in that Notre Dame game that you just, I mean, you kind of felt for them for how it all played out but I mean this is a very, very talented team and it’s one that you don’t need to give a motivational speech to any of our guys because they know the challenge that’s ahead and it’s going to take our best game and I’m looking forward to continuing the week of preparation.” 

No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State 

This week’s top-10 bout will take place in Columbus, Ohio. 

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are plenty familiar with one another, and Ohio State has won nine of the past 10 matchups. 

This time around, the stakes are high and the competition will be up to the level of a top-10 game. Both teams enter near the top of the Big Ten in total offense and defense. 

Penn State is No. 1 in total defense allowing 193.7 yards per game. That provides a dramatic challenge to the Buckeyes offense which tops the Big Ten at 443 yards per game. 

READ: Quotables: Week 7

The battle will remain in the trenches as both teams offer dynamic run offenses, with the Nittany Lions atop the conference behind an average of 203.3 rushing yards per game to Ohio State’s 135, and the Buckeyes could be without running back TreVeyon Henderson due to injury. 

A contest between two undefeated programs will take place at Ohio Stadium, and Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said he hopes to see the fans in the stands early. 

“I know I talked to Gene (Smith), about this, and one of the biggest things that he mentioned to me was getting everybody in the stadium early,” Day said. “We want to do that. We’ve done that in the past just to set the tone. But this is one of those games that we’ve got to really create a hostile environment for Penn State, in particular their offense. When we’re really loud in the stadium, anytime that their offense has the ball, it makes it very difficult to operate the communication, the snap count, all of those things and so the louder we can be, it doesn’t matter whether it’s third down, red zone, short yardage, if they’re operating and they’re on the field, the louder we can be, the more hostile that we can be, advantage Buckeyes.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 8  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

That’s the subject of today’s The Daily Huddle.

We broke our coaches down into three groups:
-Coaches who have fallen on hard times
-Coaches who can change the narrative
-Coaches who can prove their worth

Find out who got put in what category by watching today’s show here:

The post These 8 Coaches Can Change How They’re Viewed This Weekend appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Week 1 is set to kick off Thursday night, featuring a ranked matchup between Florida and No. 14 Utah in Salt Lake City. Ranked teams are already off to a 2-0 start this season. 

There are also head coaching debuts that will take center stage among the biggest talking points of this week. Luke Fickell will take over at Wisconsin, Matt Rhule will do so at Nebraska and Deion Sanders will take the reins at Colorado, to name a few. 

Each of the top-4 teams are set to play Saturday against unranked competition. This week the focus remains on a top-10 matchup between No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Florida State — a rematch of last season’s opener in which the Seminoles took victory. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

Miami (OH) at Miami 

The battle to determine where “the real” Miami is set for center stage Friday. 

Miami (OH) quarterback Brett Gabbert, the younger brother of former No. 10 overall pick Blaine Gabbert, took his stance on where he believes the real Miami is. 

“Oxford, Ohio,” Brett Gabbert said. “I think we’ll show them Sept. 1.” 

The two programs have met only one time prior, according to Sports Reference, and the Hurricanes took the win in 1987. 

Gabbert appeared in four games a season ago and threw for 816 yards. His performance came a year removed from a season in which he tossed a career-high 2,648 yards and 26 touchdowns. 

Miami (OH) must improve offensively in order to keep the pace with Miami. The Redhawks averaged 305.6 yards per game last season and allowed an average of 371.6 yards per outing defensively. 

Miami ranked No. 97 in scoring offense and No. 67 in scoring defense a season ago. The Hurricanes return their starting quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke and the supporting cast around him, shaping up for a battle between two programs to settle naming bragging rights. 

Colorado at No. 17 TCU 

This game is full of possibilities when it comes to looking at the matchup between the Buffaloes and Horned Frogs. 

No. 17 TCU is entering the game after advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship last season. It became the first program from the Big 12 Conference to advance to the CFP title game. 

Across the field will be Colorado and new head coach Deion Sanders. 

Sanders is coming off back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and compiled a 27-6 record over three seasons at Jackson State of the Football Championship Subdivision level. 

He takes over a Colorado program with 87 newcomers and nine returning scholarship players. Sanders’ son Shedeur Sanders is set to take over duties at quarterback after throwing for 6,983 yards and 70 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in two seasons at Jackson State. 

Sanders said TCU has “great coaching” and “will be fundamentally sound” when the two teams take the field Saturday at noon on FOX. He said he’s proud of the strides his Colorado team has made, and he’s gearing up to guide them as they put it on the football field this week. 

“Practice-wise, man, these guys have been getting after it and I’m proud of them,” Sanders said. “They’ve been working their butts off, and they’ve kind of challenged one another to do so as such. Morning message (Tuesday) really wasn’t me talking at them. It was them telling me what they need to do to be dominant in this game, and everything they said we wrote on the board and we said, ‘OK, now go out there and practice and do it. Don’t wait until Saturday to do it. Do it now.’ So I’m happy with our young man, I really am.” 

Even with the number of new players that Colorado will have on its roster, Sanders said he and the Buffaloes are embracing all that comes with it. 

“They came here because they wanted it,” Sanders said. “They came here because they wanted the light. They wanted the smoke. They wanted the attention. They wanted the focus. They wanted the love, but also you got to understand there’s an opposite of that as well that you got to be willing to accept when you want and desire those things. These kids are ready. We’ve prepared them not just athletically; we’ve prepared them mentally for things and challenges that’s going to happen in life as well.” 

West Virginia at No. 7 Penn State 

The two programs in neighboring states will meet for the first time since 1992 in an interesting Week 1 matchup between Power 5 programs. 

The Nittany Lions enter the game under head coach James Franklin who is in his 10^th year in his position. They went 11-2 last season and had a bounce-back year after going 7-6 in 2021. 

Franklin isn’t ready to name a starting quarterback just yet, but it appears Drew Allar will lead the Nittany Lions under center in his second season. 

Allar showed he has potential to be a threat in the air and on the ground last season. After splitting some duties and sitting behind veteran Sean Clifford, Allar went 35-for-60 and threw for 344 yards and four scores, all the while running for 52 yards on 18 carries. 

Franklin said Penn State’s coaching staff has “charted everything” during the preseason and compared the data to past quarterbacks such as Clifford and Trace McSorley. Franklin said Allar had “a good camp” and has given the coaching staff confidence entering the season-opener Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. 

“He’s been really, really good,” Franklin said. “His decision-making has been good. His completion percentage has been really good. And then the other thing that’s really cool is having all this data then you’re able to go back and compare to historical data.” 

No. 21 North Carolina at South Carolina 

The Battle of the Carolinas and the Duke’s Mayo Classic is set to take place during a Week 1 matchup among No. 21 North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Both teams last met in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl during the 2021 season when the Gamecocks prevailed 38-21. Both teams return their head coaches from that matchup in North Carolina’s Mack Brown and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer. 

The contest will get underway in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring ESPN’s College GameDay and possible Heisman Trophy contenders Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler. 

“Now it’s time to kick it off,” Brown said. “I’m very, very proud of our program that we’re a top-20 program in preseason understanding that postseason is what matters, not preseason. But at least people think we have a chance to be good. We’re on ABC primetime, and our opening game on Saturday night against a really good opponent and we’ve got College GameDay for the third time in the history of our program so a lot of positive things to kick off the season.” 

No. 5 LSU at No. 8 Florida State 

The first Top 10 matchup of the season is a big one during Week 1, and it has the feel as if it seems like a College Football Playoff game. 

A matchup between potential Heisman Trophy candidate quarterbacks in LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Florida State’s Jordan Travis is in line to be one of the leading headlines from this game. 

The Seminoles prevailed narrowly 24-23 a season ago, and head coach Mike Norvell and Florida State aim to repeat their success from last season. 

“We’re excited for the opportunity that’s ahead and the chance to go out with our first game and work to go put the best version of ourselves out on that field next Sunday night,” Norvell said. “We talk a lot about the identity of a team, and I see one that, like I said, has a great work ethic, really care about each other. They pushed and competed throughout, and we still need every rep and every minute leading up to kickoff to continue to get better.” 

The Tigers will enter their second season under the system that is guided by Brian Kelly. Kelly’s LSU team in 2022 went 10-4 and averaged 34.5 points per game which ranked No. 24 among qualifying programs. 

The two teams will meet under the lights Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, and one top-10 team is bound to suffer its first loss in the first full week of the season. 

“Look, I could talk for quite a long time about our football team and the development of our team,” Kelly said. “I think you look at some of the things that are really important, and that is where we’ve improved from last year it’s just overall. We’re a smarter football team. We understand the systems. We understand the process. We understand the things necessary to become more consistent and everything that we do to be a championship football team.” 

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