❚ Games to watch,
What to watch in Week 9 of the college football season:
No. 13 Wisconsin at No. 4 Ohio State
Saturday, noon ET, Fox Danny Sheridan’s line: Ohio State by 141⁄2
This had all the makings of the blockbuster of the week, a top-10 showdown that figured to be a preview of the Big Ten championship game. It might yet be the latter, but Wisconsin’s fourth-quarter meltdown at lowly Illinois has cast serious doubt on the Badgers’ ability to hang with a complete team like Ohio State. The Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) for their part have not faced anything resembling a close call during their 7-0 start.
The defense for Wisconsin (6-1, 3-1) entered the Illinois game with four shutouts on the season. But the unit was asked to compensate for the offense’s red-zone inefficiency and critical miscues by RB Jonathan Taylor and QB Jack Coan. Meanwhile, Ohio State QB Justin Fields has been operating a well-oiled machine. He has accounted for 30 TDs himself and has been getting plenty of help from RB J.K. Dobbins.
Prediction: College football’s capacity to surprise is demonstrated on a weekly basis. But this certainly looks like a mismatch.
Ohio State, 38-7
No. 10 Auburn at No. 3 LSU
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Danny Sheridan’s line: LSU by 11
The all-Tiger clash in the SEC West is the game of the week as far as the Playoff race is concerned. With perennial power Alabama still ahead for both teams, this is all but a must-win proposition. That’s especially true for Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC), which already has a “1” in the loss column courtesy of Florida and must also face Georgia.
Joe Burrow, the quarterback for LSU (7-0, 3-0), already owns the school record for TDs in a season. But the Auburn defensive line is capable of putting pressure on him, so this could be a test of his rapid decision making. The visiting Tigers of the Plains got the tuneup they needed at Arkansas last week, but they’d still prefer to avoid getting into a shootout with the less-seasoned freshman Bo Nix at quarterback.
Prediction: This will likely be close at first as Burrow figures out the Auburn defense. But eventually the Bayou Bengals will build a two-score lead and pull away.
LSU, 27-17
No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Danny Sheridan’s line:
Penn State by 51⁄2
The Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) staved off Michigan to cement their position as the principal challenger to Ohio State in the rugged Big Ten East. The Spartans (4-3, 2-2) can only spoil at this point, but they’re rested following an open date and can be a tough out in East Lansing thanks to their solid defense.
The bad news for Michigan State, however, is their most recent outing two weeks ago was a whitewash at the hands of Wisconsin. The Spartans fans must hope QB Brian Lewerke and the offensive brain trust made good use of the extra preparation time. Penn State QB Sean Clifford and WR KJ Hamler will look to continue the superb chemistry they showed in the
Michigan victory.
Prediction: The Spartans will do their best to ugly this one up, but in the end their lack of firepower will again be their undoing. The Nittany Lions will only need a big play or two to take charge.
Penn State, 31-10
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Michigan
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC Danny Sheridan’s line: Michigan by 21⁄2
The Fighting Irish (5-1) will need a few breaks to climb back into Playoff consideration. But they’ll also have to make some of their own, starting with this opportunity against a ranked Big Ten opponent on the road. The Wolverines (5-2) are now playing for a sunny postseason destination, but they’d probably be all right with derailing a longtime rival along the way.
Michigan was able to take a few positive developments from last week’s disappointing trip to Happy Valley. QB Shea Patterson was able to do some damage in the passing game and make things interesting after the Wolverines fell behind 21-0.
But the rested Notre Dame secondary rarely beats itself. The same can be said of Fighting Irish QB Ian Book, whose offensive unit has given the ball away just four times this season.
Prediction: The Big House will be revved up and ready, and so will the Wolverines. But once things settle down, the Fighting Irish will do enough of the little things right.
Notre Dame, 23-20
Washington State at No. 11 Oregon
Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET,
ESPN
Danny Sheridan’s line: Oregon by 131⁄2
With a hard-won victory in Seattle in hand, the Ducks (8-1, 4-0 Pac-12) have a clear path to the Pac-12 North title. A couple of potential obstacles remain, however, starting with this home date with the explosive Cougars.
The Cougars (4-3, 1-3) snapped a three-game skid last week with a dominant 41-10 triumph against Colorado as QB Anthony Gordon increased his season total of TD tosses to 29. His attack is hard to stop when he doesn’t throw the ball to the wrong team, but the Ducks have swiped 12 passes and should have chances for more. Oregon QB Justin Herbert, meanwhile, has 21 scoring passes with just one pick.
Prediction: WSU is hard to put away thanks to its high-octane aerial attack. The Ducks might surrender a few more points than usual, but they should put up more in this potential #Pac12AfterDark special.
Oregon, 41-28