Ohio State’s playing with a new quarterback, and coach Ryan Day didn’t exactly give Devin Brown a ringing endorsement. Brown likely will face Missouri without his two best receivers. An opportunistic Missouri defense isn’t what Ohio State needs to see right now, which means an upset could be building.
The Tigers have scored like nobody’s business, with 34 being the lowest total they’ve scored since mid-October. But the Tigers also cannot stop anyone, giving up at least 21 points in 10 straight games. The Tigers will definitely score, making this a potential battle of who has the ball last. Given that Iowa State can get the occasional stop, that favors the Cyclones.
This would have been a fun matchup if both teams came in at full strength. Unfortunately, Oregon State is a shadow of itself and Notre Dame’s not a heck of a lot better.
Is it time to buy on Clemson? Dabo Swinney’s made this case for the past month, as the Tigers have ripped off four wins and covered in all of them since his speech. Swinney’s stubborn refusal to use the transfer portal seemed to be an albatross at Clemson, but he’s now looking a lot better after salvaging the season.
What Jedd Fisch has done in two years has been nothing short of incredible, as Arizona’s gone from 1-11 to a shot at 11 wins. The Wildcats’ rise runs straight into Oklahoma’s future. The Sooners get a good look at what they’ll have next year in the SEC with new quarterback Jackson Arnold, who takes over for the opting-out Dillon Gabriel.
The Scarlet Knights have rarely been good, but they’ve at least been competitive. And they’re now at the point where they reasonably believe they can beat a team like Miami.
And the Hurricanes might be ripe for that, given how they finished the season.
The script couldn’t be more perfect for SMU as it prepares to enter life in the ACC. The Mustangs get to end the most successful season they’ve had in four decades with a winnable game against a future conference opponent — and one that really doesn’t have much motivation to be here.
The Mountaineers were expected to be lucky to win four games. They won eight, and it should have been nine if not for a last-second screw-up at Houston. But it’s been a tale of two seasons for North Carolina, which looked excellent up until Week 8 with a 6-0 start. And then the old Carolina success allergy reared its head
It’s hard to find a more disrespected team than Tulane. The Green Wave put together a great season, going 11-2. They played for the American Athletic Conference championship, and their only losses have been to Mississippi and SMU. And they come in as a 10.5-point underdog to Virginia Tech after getting decimated in the transfer portal.