Will history repeat itself for the Irish in their BC matchup?
With COVID-19 wiping out eight college football games this weekend, including those involving four of the top five teams, marqueematchups are hard to come by.
There are no games betweenTop 25 teams, andmost of the ranked teams that are playing are predicted to win comfortably, according to the Las Vegas odds.
Perhaps that means we’re headed for an unpredictableweekend. Here’s what towatch inWeek 11: Irish redemption? (No. 2 NotreDameatBoston College, Saturday, 3:30p.m., ABC): Fans of college football history might recall “The Game of the Century” on Nov. 13, 1993, between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won, 31-24, and moved within striking distance of playing for another national title under coach LouHoltz.
Those hopes came to an abrupt end. Notre Dame lost, 41-39, to Boston College the following week, knocking the Irish toNo. 4 in The Associated Press poll and out of title contention. Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles claimed the crown with an 18-16 win over No. 2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. So, after defeating the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since that 1993 seasonwith an overtime victory over Clemson last Saturday, who doesNDplay next? Boston College. BigTen anxiety (PennState at Nebraska, Saturday, noon, Fox Sports 1): Even the most pessimistic fans couldn’t have anticipated these teams meeting with winless records. TheCornhuskers are0-2 with losses toOhioStateandNorthwestern, whilePenn State sits 0-3 after losing for just the fourth time to Maryland. There isn’tmuchfor coaches Scott Frost and James Franklin to be happy about.
It all comes to a head this weekend, with the loser forced to reckon with uncomfortable questions about their future.
Badgersback (No. 13 Wisconsin at Michigan, Saturday 7:30p.m., ABC):
It’s been threeweeks sinceWisconsin beat Illinois in its season opener, as the Badgers dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak that reportedly infected 30 members of the program and forced two games to be canceled. The excitement of quarterback Graham Mertz’s stellar debut fell by the wayside asWisconsin struggled to get back on the field.
The status ofMertz is still murky, potentially forcing backups Chase Wolf or Danny Vanden Boom into action. For Michigan, rumors swirl about coach Jim Harbaugh’s future inAnnArbor, withsomespeculating that he could be headed back to the NFL. If the Wolverines fall to 1-3, the noise around Harbaugh’s status will only growlouder.
Pac-12 playoff intrigue: In case you forgot, the Pac-12 began play lastweekend, withUSC and Oregon flexing their muscles as potential playoff contenders. This week will put those teams to the test, with theNo. 20 Trojans playing at Arizona (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Fox) and theNo. 11 Ducks taking onWashington State (Saturday, 7 p.m., Fox).
Both teams’ playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of their quarterbacks. USC’sKedon Slovis shrugged off a slowstart to throwfor 381 yards and two touchdowns in a wild comeback win over Arizona State, while Tyler Shough impressed in his Oregon debut with 312 total yards (227 passing, 85 rushing) and two touchdowns in a comfortable win over Stanford.
Miami on alert (No. 9Miami atVirginiaTech, Saturday, noon, ESPN): TheHurricanes have respondedwell to their loss to Clemson, winning three straight. TheHokies are coming off a devastating loss to Liberty in which they appeared to win on a blocked field-goal attempt returned for a touchdown, only for it to be called back because of a timeout.
Indiana incharge(No. 10Indiana at Michigan State, Saturday, noon, ABC): TheHoosiers have their highest ranking since 1969, and are on track for a historic season. If Indiana can get past the Spartans, that sets up a huge matchup withNo. 3Ohio State next weekend with the Big Ten East title on the line. Franks isback (Arkansas atNo. 6Florida, Saturday, 7p.m., ESPN): Quarterback Feleipe Franks was a prized recruit for Florida and led the Gators to a 10-3 season in 2018 with 31 total touchdowns. After breaking his leg early in the 2019 season, he transferred to Arkansas, where he has helped lift a struggling program to a 3-3 start. NowFranks gets a chance at redemption against his former team.
Pac-12 after dark (OregonState atWashington, Saturday, 11p.m., FS1): This is the first chance to get a look atWashington under new coach Jimmy Lake, the longtime defensive coordinator whowas promoted to the top job after the retirement of Chris Petersen. ForOregon State, a 38-28 loss toWashington State lastweekend should not be discouraging after a 5-7 season in 2019 under Jonathan Smith.