Wolverines facing a big test
No. 7 PSU to host No. 16 Michigan
Michigan came into the season a trendy pick to win the Big Ten East. It’s not even November and the No. 16 Wolverines must beat No. 7 Penn State as a road underdog on Saturday night to keep control of their destiny.
That 35-14 loss at Wisconsin last month dropped fifthyear coach Jim Harbaugh to 1-6 on the road against ranked opponents.
This is Penn State’s annual “Whiteout” game, and the Nittany Lions are looking to build on their hard-earned win at Iowa last week and avenge last year’s lopsided loss at Michigan.
There are two other Top 25 matchups, both in the Pac 12. No. 12 Oregon visits No. 25 Washington, and No. 13 Utah plays at No. 17 Arizona State.
Game of the Week
Michigan (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) at Penn State (6-0, 3-0)
The Wolverines’ new offense has yet to impress against a quality opponent. Here’s an opportunity against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Nittany Lions have allowed 19 points in three Big Ten games.
Penn State is in the middle of a challenging stretch. After playing Michigan at home, trips to Michigan State and Minnesota are next.
Numbers Game
7: Total points by which Pittsburgh has won its last three games.
8: Texas wide receivers who have scored touchdowns.
16: Consecutive games Oklahoma has scored at least 30 points, the longest streak in the nation.
22: Consecutive games Mississippi State has recorded a takeaway, the longest active streak in the nation.
Under the Radar
No. 18 Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (4-2, 1-2): The Bears’ sack-happy defense goes against the highest-ranked offense it’s seen. Oklahoma State is coming off an open date.
Temple (5-1, 2-0 American) at No. 19 SMU (6-0, 2-0): SMU is 6-0 for the first time since 1982, but only one of those wins was against a team that has a winning record. The Owls have beaten two ranked opponents.
Louisiana-Monroe (3-3, 2-0 Sun Belt) at No. 24 Appalachian State (5-0, 2-0): The Mountaineers have their highest ranking since joining the FBS ranks in 2014. Two of the Warhawks’ three losses are against Power Five teams.
Hot Seat Watch
Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars enter their home game against Boise State having lost three straight since the overtime home win over Southern California. That leaves Sitake 22-23 in four seasons, 13-19 since he went 9-4 in 2016.
Road losses to Toledo and South Florida in consecutive weeks — games in which the Cougars were favored — have left the fan base squirming.
State schools
With 0-7 New Mexico State idle this week, the focus on the DII schools is the Chile Bowl game in Silver City on Saturday at 6 p.m. when Eastern New Mexico (4-2, 2-2 Lone Star) faces Western New Mexico (1-5, 1-2) in Silver City.
The Hounds ride a 14-game winning streak across the state and received a vote in the NCAA Division II coaches poll despite a 49-10 loss to No. 4 Tarleton State. ENMU still ranks atop Division II football with an average of 378.5 rushing yards per game. Senior Paul Terry continued rushed for 100 yards on 24 carries against the Texans.
Western New Mexico has shown signs of improvement in head coach Frank Tristan’s second year in charge.
The Mustangs rank atop the Lone Star Conference with an average of 288.0 passing yards per game behind junior quarterback CJ Fowler, who leads the Lone Star with 1,702 yards passing.
Also, 0-5 New Mexico Highlands (0-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play also) hosts Black Hills State (2-4, 2-4) at 1 p.m. in Las Vegas.
ProView Sports is airing on Comcast Channel 26 both Division II games Saturday.
Friday night
No. 4 OHIO STATE 52, NORTHWESTERN 3: In Evanston, Ill., Justin Fields threw for four touchdowns and J.K. Dobbins rushed for 121 yards as Ohio State pounded Northwestern.
The Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) did exactly as expected and blew the game open early, jumping to a 31-3 halftime lead.
Fields completed 18 of 23 passes for 194 yards. The sophomore transfer from Georgia matched his career high for TDs through the air. He has 22 passing and 30 overall on the season.
Dobbins scored from the 5 in the second quarter after breaking off a 67-yard run.
The loss was the fourth in a row for Northwestern (1-5, 0-4)
FRESNO STATE 56 UNLV 27: In Fresno, Calif., the host Bulldogs (3-3, 1-1 MWC) broke open a close game by scoring four straight TDs over the final 19 minutes to subdue UNLV (2-5, 0-3).
The Rebels were foiled by two lost fumbles and three interceptions.