The calendar has flipped to October, which means we are entering the heart of the college football season.
When looking at this weekend’s slate of games, there are several big-time matchups set to take place on Saturday, including the game I’ll be on the call for: Maryland at No. 4 Ohio State (here’s everything to know). This is a showdown between a pair of undefeated teams in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are 8-0 all time against the Terrapins, but this is a good Maryland team that is one of only two schools in the FBS to be 5-0 while winning each game by 18-plus points.
Also on the schedule is the much-anticipated Red River Showdown, which pits undefeated teams No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas against each other. This marks the first time the Sooners and Longhorns will meet as undefeated opponents since 2011.
We’ve also got two important SEC tilts as No. 1 Georgia hosts No. 20 Kentucky in another matchup of undefeated teams, while No. 11 Alabama travels to College Station to battle Texas A&M.
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Here’s a look at what to expect in four of the biggest games on Saturday.
No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 3 Texas Longhorns (12 p.m. ET in Dallas, Texas)
As I’ve stated on my podcast a lot recently, I’m a firm believer in Texas. I think the Longhorns are more balanced, better at the line of scrimmage and can finish games with their run game along with their pass rush. Those are big traits.
This is a better Texas team than it was a year ago, in which it defeated Oklahoma, 49-0. If you’re a Sooners fan, you can’t tell me that having Dillon Gabriel this time around is a 49-point difference. That can’t be the only thing. Oklahoma needs to play substantially better than it did a year ago.
Obviously, we believe that Oklahoma can do that. The Sooners have played really good football, yet they’re somehow one of the more under-the-radar teams in the country. In the preseason, I pointed to Oklahoma as the team outside the top 10 that could most likely make a run because it lost a bunch of close games last season and made impactful additions defensively though the transfer portal. That has come to fruition for Oklahoma through the first five games of the season.
Oklahoma has great wide receivers on the outside, and so does Texas. There are many great skill-position players in this game, with Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Ja’Tavion Sanders on the Texas side, while I’m really high on Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Jalil Farooq for Oklahoma.
Can Oklahoma upset Texas in the Red River Shootout?
Texas running back Jonathon Brooks is putting together one of the more impressive seasons out there. He ran for 200 yards against Kansas last week. He has three straight 100-yard games, too. This is what makes Texas real: It’s not only about the passing game, but they can also get it done at the line of scrimmage.
The Longhorns can dominate on the line of scrimmage defensively, too. They came up with two big sacks in the fourth quarter against Alabama, both of them coming on just four-man rushes.
Inevitably, an emotional game like this comes down to turnovers and special teams. Oklahoma leads all Power 5 schools with 10 interceptions this season. It’s also in the top five in scoring defense.
Texas fans should feel confident about this one after how last year’s game went and how things have gone for the Longhorns to start this season. But this Oklahoma defense can play. I think it’s going to make life difficult for Texas’ offense. When you look at the way the Sooners’ defense is built, Brent Venables likes to call the defense late and see the playcall from the other side to get a perfect play in.
Linebacker Dasan McCullough is the key to this Venables defense. Oklahoma wants to be stout everywhere, but I don’t think it’s quite there at the defensive line yet, though it’s deeper than it was a year ago. Oklahoma wants to have good cover corners, though I don’t think it’s quite there, either. That is probably the weakness of Oklahoma’s defense. The Sooners need to have hybrid-style, fast players at safety and linebacker. McCullough plays that position Isaiah Simmons once did for Venables back when he was the defensive coordinator for Clemson.
If I were making a pick, I’d say Texas is going to win this game. But laying 6.5 points with the Longhorns is a lot.
Maryland Terrapins vs. No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
This Maryland team is very good, particularly on offense. The Terps played Ohio State tough, trailing by six with the ball and under a minute left in last year’s game. However, I’m not sure how good the Terrapins are at the line of scrimmage, and they’ve typically struggled in Columbus in the past.
Ohio State was off last week, meaning this is Kyle McCord’s first time back on the field since that incredible game-winning drive to defeat Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago. I’m interested to see where his confidence is and where this team’s confidence is going to go after that win. As showcased in September, it’s really tough to win on the road, which makes that win all the more impressive for Ohio State.
McCord showed out in that game, in which Marvin Harrison Jr. suffered an ankle injury. But he’s a full-go for Saturday, and that’s great news for everyone.
When I re-watched the Ohio State-Notre Dame game though, I noticed that the Buckeyes’ run game wasn’t great. Tre’Veyon Henderson’s 61-yard touchdown run hid the issues they had in the run game that night. If you removed the run, they had 26 carries for 2.5 yards per carry. That has to get better. They still only have 11 carries of at least 10 yards this season, which is the fifth-fewest in college football.
Will Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terrapins upset No. 4 Ohio State?
Ohio State has been very good defensively, though. That was a clear weakness for the Buckeyes a year ago, giving up too many big plays late in the season against Michigan and Georgia. They gave up eight total plays that went for at least 40 yards over those two matchups. They have yet to give up a 40-yard play this season, which pairs well with having the No. 2 scoring defense in the country.
While Ohio State seems to have fixed its vulnerability to give up big plays, Maryland is a stiff test for that. Taulia Tagavailoa is the leading passer in the Big Ten, throwing for roughly 300 yards per game and 13 touchdowns. So, the Buckeyes will be tested in a different way this week than they were two weeks ago.
Ryan Day recently spoke with me about how the new clock rules have led to limited possessions, which in turn has made him feel like Ohio State’s opponents have tried to limit the Buckeyes’ possessions even further. So, Ohio State has to maximize its offensive possessions.
To summarize, these are the three biggest things I’m watching for in this game: McCord’s confidence, Ohio State’s run game and if Ohio State’s defense can limit Maryland’s ability to make explosive plays.
No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (7 p.m. ET)
This game has a giant impact on what this season is going to be. Georgia is a 14.5-point favorite in this game, but it should be noted that the Bulldogs are 0-4-1 against the spread so far this season. They have played two Power 5 teams so far – South Carolina and Auburn – and have trailed in the second half in both of those games.
Georgia’s schedule is pretty weak. The Bulldogs have some ranked teams on their schedule, but not a single one of them is inside the top 15 of the AP Top 25 Poll. That is why Georgia fans should be rooting for Alabama the rest of the way, because that could be a much-needed résumé builder that you might need in the SEC Championship Game.
As it relates to this matchup, I’m interested to see if the Dawgs are going to snap out of this funk and become what we expected them to be. Right now, they rank 62nd in the country in offensive yards per carry and they are 67th in the country in defensive yards per carry. That’s not Georgia. That’s not the team we are used to seeing.
Joel Klatt explains why he’s concerned for the Georgia Bulldogs
This is a team that is going to be in close games for the rest of the season, unless they change and become more dominant. They will have to make huge plays on the offensive side, or else they are going to get beat. If they get beat with their lack of strength of schedule, then they better watch out due to what’s happening in the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. They gave up over 200 yards rushing to Auburn, which is the first time they’ve done that since 2018. Well, guess what Kentucky can do? They run the football.
Kentucky relies heavily on running back Ray Davis, who had 280 yards and three touchdowns against Florida. He can run the rock. The Wildcats can also defend against the run. Kentucky has yet to allow 100 rushing yards in a game this season. This team has an experienced QB in Devin Leary, who is a transfer from NC State and has started over 30 games in this career.
This is going to be a tough game for Georgia. Now, the Bulldogs are the better team, and they should win, but right where Kentucky is strong is where Georgia has struggled. This could be a closer game than a lot of people think.
No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Texas A&M Aggies (3:30 p.m. ET)
Alabama is traveling to Kyle Field and is only 2.5-point favorites in this game. Texas A&M has played Alabama close in back-to-back years, and I don’t think this is going to be any different.
I love Alabama’s defense, and I know that the Crimson Tide can run the ball, but this team does not have a high ceiling. If they get stuck having to drop back and pass, they’re going to get beat.
Will the SEC powerhouses be toppled?
This is a Texas A&M team that is improving. Max Johnson, its starting QB, has started 18 games in his career. Alabama only threw it 13 times last week against Mississippi State and ran it 43 times. It doesn’t have a ton of pass-catching weapons, with one guy in double-digit catches, Isaiah Bond, and nobody that has 200-plus yards receiving.
There is a world where both Kentucky and Texas A&M win this weekend in the SEC. If that does happen, this conference could be up against it when it comes to a playoff contender.
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