We Speak College Football
Dream Season Meets Desperation: No. 20 Northwestern Walks Into Autzen Against Reeling Oregon
One sideline is living the season nobody predicted. The other is trying to save one that has come apart. No. 20 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) visits Oregon (4-3, 2-2) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock at Autzen Stadium, in the strangest role reversal on the Week 9 schedule: the Wildcats, picked 14th in the preseason Big Ten media poll, are the ranked team with Playoff hopes, and the Ducks are home underdogs in the court of public opinion if not the betting line.
Northwestern’s formula travels. Quarterback Aidan Chiles accounted for five touchdowns last week against Rutgers, throwing for 219 yards and three scores while rushing for 83 yards and two more. Running back Caleb Komolafe leads a punishing ground game with 551 yards and five touchdowns at 6.3 yards per carry, and the offense, rejuvenated under Chip Kelly, has jumped more than 100 yards per game from last season. The Wildcats’ only loss is a six-point defeat at Indiana, and their defense allows just 16.6 points per game.
Oregon, a preseason national title favorite, has lost three games and its identity. Star quarterback Dante Moore is out injured, Dylan Raiola threw for 246 yards in last week’s 21-10 loss at Illinois, and the Ducks have managed just 14 points per game across their last three. The school fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer this week, leaving Dan Lanning to rebuild a game plan on the fly.
The matchup that decides it is Northwestern’s run game against a desperate Oregon front. If Komolafe and Chiles control the clock, Autzen’s noise fades and the Wildcats’ dream season gains its loudest win. If Oregon’s talent finally wakes up at home, this is where the slide stops.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Peacock. Venue: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
Halloween Under the Lights in Ames: No. 24 Oklahoma State’s Air Show Meets a Desperate Iowa State
Battle Line Under the Lights: No. 23 Missouri’s Streak Meets an Arkansas Team With Nothing to Lose
No. 19 SMU Takes the ACC Race on the Road to a Syracuse Team Fresh Off an Overtime Escape
Unbeaten No. 7 UCLA Closes Its Homestand Against a Nevada Defense Built to Bother People
No. 11 Texas Tries to Keep Its Surge Going as Wounded Mississippi State Visits Austin
The Nation’s Best Scoring Defense Hits the Road: 6-1 New Mexico Puts Its Mountain West Lead on the Line at San José State
Army’s Nation-Best Ground Game Meets Memphis’ 509-Yard Offense in an American Title Eliminator
On the Blue Turf, No. 20 Boise State’s Playoff Path Runs Through Texas State’s Track Team
We Speak College Football
Halloween Under the Lights in Ames: No. 24 Oklahoma State’s Air Show Meets a Desperate Iowa State
Iowa State gets its first night game of the season at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, and the opponent is the Big 12’s most entertaining surprise. No. 24 Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) visits the Cyclones (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1, with Halloween in Ames as the backdrop.
Almost nobody saw Oklahoma State coming. The Cowboys lost their opener to Tulsa, and first-year head coach Eric Morris — who brought quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins with him from North Texas — has gone 5-1 since, the only other loss a three-point game at Houston. Mestemaker has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country: 65.7 percent completions, 2,326 passing yards (second-most in the FBS), 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. Oklahoma State averages 40.0 points and 529.1 yards per game, and just hung 598 yards on Colorado in a 57-24 win that put the Cowboys back in the AP Top 25 after a one-week absence.
Iowa State’s week has been about a decision. After playing two quarterbacks in a 39-3 loss to Arizona, head coach Jimmy Rogers announced Tuesday that Jaylen Raynor will start. Raynor has started every game this season, going 93-of-158 for 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, with 145 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. The Cyclones need three more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and their path runs through home: their only loss in Ames came against Utah, and their last home game was a 45-42 shootout win over West Virginia.
History gives Iowa State a real argument. The Cyclones won the last two meetings, 20-13 in Stillwater last season and 34-27 in Ames in 2023, though Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 34-22-3. The deciding matchup is Mestemaker against an Iowa State defense allowing 24.1 points per game: if the Cyclones can slow the Cowboys’ tempo and make this a fourth-quarter game, the crowd and the moment give them a shot. If Oklahoma State gets to 40 again, the ranking survives and the Big 12 race keeps its wildest story.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 7:00 p.m. ET. TV: FS1. Venue: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa.
Battle Line Under the Lights: No. 23 Missouri’s Streak Meets an Arkansas Team With Nothing to LoseNo. 19 SMU Takes the ACC Race on the Road to a Syracuse Team Fresh Off an Overtime EscapeUnbeaten No. 7 UCLA Closes Its Homestand Against a Nevada Defense Built to Bother PeopleNo. 11 Texas Tries to Keep Its Surge Going as Wounded Mississippi State Visits AustinThe Nation’s Best Scoring Defense Hits the Road: 6-1 New Mexico Puts Its Mountain West Lead on the Line at San José StateArmy’s Nation-Best Ground Game Meets Memphis’ 509-Yard Offense in an American Title EliminatorOn the Blue Turf, No. 20 Boise State’s Playoff Path Runs Through Texas State’s Track Team
No. 5 Notre Dame Comes Off Its Bye to Face Navy — With No Room for Another Slip-
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