Washington State at No. 4 Ole Miss 45-10 – Ole Miss wins (Cameron Larkin)
The Ole Miss Rebels and the Washington State Cougars square off in Oxford at 11:45 a.m. Saturday in a matchup where both teams are coming off of a bye week. The last time each of these teams took the field, the Rebels grinded out a 24-19 win over then-No. 4 LSU, and the Cougars comfortably beat Colorado State 20-3.
The story of the year for Ole Miss has been former Division II standout quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has put up over 300 passing yards in each of his three starts.
The combination of Chambliss, a pass-catching core that has five players with over 100 yards receiving and a running back room spearheaded by Kewan Lacy could provide problems for a Washington State team that has only played one other Power 4 program this season — a 59-24 loss to Washington.
There seems to be two versions to this Cougar team, specifically on the defensive end. In each of its two losses, Washington State has given up 59 points, while only going up an average of about nine points in its three wins.
This game has one-sided onslaught written all over it. That is, if Ole Miss shows up how it has all season. Rebel fans remember all too fondly what happened last time their team played a morning game after a bye week — a 24-17 playoff-hope-ending loss to the Florida Gators.
That is the past, though. Ole Miss, head coach Lane Kiffin and Chambliss roll to a comfortable victory.
No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri: 38-27 — Alabama wins (Wilson Engeriser)
The Crimson Tide face off against the Missouri Tigers this weekend in an SEC showdown that has major conference and postseason implications. Alabama enters the game hot off of two straight ranked victories against Georgia and Vanderbilt, while 5-0 Missouri benefited from a lighter schedule. The only Power Four opponents the Tigers have played were unranked Kansas and South Carolina.
Missouri has one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. Led by former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula and breakout sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, the Tigers have the seventh highest scoring offense in the nation. Despite their bye week, Hardy is still second in the nation for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Alabama has been slowly creeping back into the Top 10 following their opening loss against FSU. Quarterback Ty Simpson has improved at an impressive rate and proven himself to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation.
Alabama also welcomed back their starting running back Jam Miller from injury two weeks ago. He started a bit slow against Georgia with 46 yards, but shook off the rust quickly, when he had 22 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt.
Both teams have incredible offensive firepower; however, Alabama has looked dominant and their plethora of playmakers with Simpson, Miller and top wide receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard form an offensive core that is hard to beat.
However, Missouri may be able to match that with their own stars. Missouri is one of the top third down teams in the nation on both sides of the ball. Their offense converts over 61% of their tries, good for first in the nation, while their defense ranks third nationally, only allowing less than 22% conversion rate to opposing offenses.
With both of these powerful offensive teams, this game will have to come down to whichever defense steps up. Missouri’s defense has been good but they are yet to face as complete an offense as Alabama. With that in mind, Alabama should continue the fire that has been raging within them since the FSU loss and take care of Missouri to continue their revenge tour.
No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon: 30-21 – Indiana wins (Jimmy Petruzzi)
The No. 7 Hoosiers head to Eugene, Ore., to take on the No. 3 Ducks in big ten conference play. With playoff implications at stake and Pat McAfee and College GameDay in town, this is a big game on both ends.
Indiana enters this game after a bye week but still hot as ever. The three games played before their bye week, they went and took down Old Dominion in a dominating two score win, then headed to Champaign to face the then No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini winning 63-10. Heading into a noisy Iowa City, they defeated the Hawkeyes 20-15.
The Hoosiers the past three weeks are averaging 472.7 total yards of offense despite playing two very good defenses in the big ten. Neither Iowa or Illinois allowed more than 250 yards of total offense until they played Indiana.
A huge factor in this game will be up front in the trenches and the run game. Indiana averages 267.8 rushing yards per game, while Oregon only allows 238.2 total yards per game (7th in FBS). The Ducks defensive line is No. 5 in passing yards allowed and No. 10 in total yards allowed. While the Hoosier offensive line ranks No. 19 in the national overall.
Both defensives have been dominant. Hoosier overall defensive FBS rank is No. 5. They only allow 221.4 yards of offense per game. The Ducks offense has been interesting this year to say the least. They took forever to heat up against Penn State and even when they did, the Ducks did not look dominant.
Averaging just over 240 yards of total offense per game Oregon is going to have to win the battle up front. The Ducks offensive line ranks No. 17 in the Nation and they are going to have to be better than that to take down Indiana’s defensive line. The Hoosier line is holding offenses to only 70.8 rush yards per game with an average of 7.2 tackles per loss (No. 1 in FBS).
Oregon snuck by Penn State who now has a loss to UCLA while Indiana destroyed Illinois, at Illinois by 53. Curt Cignetti will out coach Dan Lanning in his building and topple the Ducks.
In this game, Indiana will prove they can compete in the Big Ten and prove to America they are a playoff contender. For Oregon when they lose, it shows the nation they are on fraud watch.
No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas: 24-13 – Oklahoma wins (Tanner Shapiro)
With Oklahoma’s star quarterback John Mateer questionable for the historic Red River Rivalry, doubts have emerged about whether backup Michael Hawkins Jr. can hold his own against a Texas defense anchored by standout lineman Colin Simmons.
On the other side, Arch Manning has endured early-season struggles, which includes an interception in Texas’s stunning loss to unranked Florida last week.
Historically, the Red River Rivalry has been a high-scoring shootout — the teams combined for 64 points in 2023. However, with Manning’s recent inconsistency and Mateer’s uncertain health, Oklahoma may lean more heavily on running back Tory Blaylock to carry the load on the ground. Expect a lower-scoring matchup this year, with Oklahoma pulling out a 24–13 victory over Texas in this now SEC rivalry.
