We Speak College Football
No. 2 Ohio State Heads to the Coliseum Without Its Quarterback as USC Plays Spoiler
Ohio State’s first trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2008 was always going to be a spectacle. The quarterback news made it a survival test. No. 2 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) faces USC (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and the Buckeyes are expected to do it without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who injured his throwing arm in the win at Indiana and faces an indefinite absence, according to multiple reports.
That changes everything about this matchup. Ohio State’s offense has averaged 39.3 points per game, but the Buckeyes now turn to their backup plan under center, with young options including Tavien St. Clair having had the bye week to prepare. The good news for Ryan Day: the defense has become the most dependable unit on the roster, allowing just 13.4 points per game, and receiver Jeremiah Smith remains the most dangerous offensive player in the country, the kind of talent who can tilt coverage and open everything else up.
USC has the firepower to make a backup quarterback pay for a slow start. Quarterback Jayden Maiava and Lincoln Riley’s offense can score in bunches at home, but the Trojans come in wounded themselves after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin knocked them out of the Top 25. Protection problems and a stalled running game against the Badgers play directly into Ohio State’s defensive strengths.
The matchup that decides it is USC’s offensive line against the Buckeye front. If Maiava gets time, the Trojans can turn this into a shootout a backup quarterback may not be able to answer. If Ohio State shortens the game, leans on its defense and run game, and keeps its new quarterback out of must-throw situations, the Buckeyes leave Los Angeles still unbeaten in the Big Ten. USC, which leads the all-time series 13-10-1, is playing for its season’s signature win.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBC. Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
On 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
No Margin Left: No. 8 BYU Tries to Bounce Back Against Arizona State in Provo
No. 6 Utah Puts the Nation’s Longest Win Streak on the Line at Giant-Killer Cincinnati
No. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech: The Loser Falls Out of the Big 12 Race in Lubbock
Dream Season Meets Desperation: No. 20 Northwestern Walks Into Autzen Against Reeling Oregon
Surprise of the ACC: No. 14 Wake Forest Hosts Virginia With a Title-Game Path in Sight
No. 12 Ole Miss Must Beat Auburn Without Its Star Running Back to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
We Speak College Football
On the Blue Turf, No. 20 Boise State’s Playoff Path Runs Through Texas State’s Track Team
Boise State is the only team outside the power conferences sitting in the AP Top 25, and the Broncos know exactly what that means: win out, and the College Football Playoff door stays open. The next test comes under the lights on the Blue Turf, where No. 20 Boise State hosts Texas State on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET on The CW at Albertsons Stadium.
The Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Pac-12) have won six straight since a 34-27 loss at Oregon in the season opener, and last week’s 31-10 win at Washington State showed their finishing kick — three fourth-quarter touchdowns after the game tightened late. Running back Dylan Riley, the national leader with 963 rushing yards, was quiet for three quarters in Pullman before breaking touchdown runs of 33 and 72 yards in the fourth, finishing with 128 yards on 13 carries for his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Quarterback Maddux Madsen has thrown for 1,445 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Texas State (4-3, 2-1) is not built to play a quiet game. The Bobcats rank 18th in the nation in scoring at 37.1 points per game, have won four of their last five, and have hung 66 points on Colorado State and 63 on Incarnate Word this season. Quarterback Brad Jackson has thrown for 1,606 yards and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions and added 382 yards and five scores as a runner — production that had Boise State coach Spencer Danielson raving this week. “That quarterback is big-time,” Danielson said. “He can make every throw. If everything is covered and he takes off, hold your stinkin’ breath, because he is explosive.” Jackson’s backfield mate, Torrance Burgess Jr., has 889 rushing yards of his own, among the top marks in the nation.
The matchup that decides it is tempo against physicality. Texas State, making its first visit to the Blue Turf, just beat Utah State while holding the Aggies to 17 points — the kind of defensive outing it will need again. Boise State allows 20.6 points per game and will try to lean on Riley and its offensive line to shorten the night. If the Bobcats turn it into a shootout, the Pac-12 race flips. If the Broncos control it, their playoff path stays exactly where they want it: in their own hands.
No. 5 Notre Dame Comes Off Its Bye to Face Navy — With No Room for Another SlipNo Margin Left: No. 8 BYU Tries to Bounce Back Against Arizona State in ProvoNo. 6 Utah Puts the Nation’s Longest Win Streak on the Line at Giant-Killer CincinnatiNo. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech: The Loser Falls Out of the Big 12 Race in LubbockDream Season Meets Desperation: No. 20 Northwestern Walks Into Autzen Against Reeling OregonSurprise of the ACC: No. 14 Wake Forest Hosts Virginia With a Title-Game Path in SightNo. 12 Ole Miss Must Beat Auburn Without Its Star Running Back to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
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