Good morning, Ducks faithful Last Saturday went so well, that the gods have allowed us yet another Saturday loaded with football! Now, much like last weekend, there are a handful of teams that play some less-than-stellar competition, but I really like today, and here's why: there is a Michigan-Oregon connection today that makes my soul dance. Obviously, the attention today is going to be on the Ducks and the Spartans, but the Beavers and Wolverines should be rather interesting, as well, and there are two other games with ranked teams battling. As always, keep the conversation flowing in the comments section and GO DUCKS!
8:30am
South Florida @ (11) Florida State (ESPN)
FSU has won 13 straight games at home against unranked, out-of-conference competition. This doesn't sound impression.
12:30
(9) Notre Dame @ Virginia (ABC)
How good are the fighting Irish? They dismantled a Texas team that was laughable, offensively. And now they play Virginia, who loses credibility each passing week. Notre Dame will likely win in a route, and the masses will heap praise on them, and yet, they haven't really been tested.
Stephen F. Austin @ (3) TCU (FS1)
Last week, TCU scored under 30 points for the first time since 2013. Don't expect a repeat of that today, as Trevone Boykin plays a surgeon against a weak SFA team.
Fresno State @ (17) Ole Miss (ESPN2)
Ole Miss put up gawdy numbers in a 76-3 game last week against, again, a much lesser team. Fresno State put up a 34-13 victory against Abilene Christian. This one may be a little more competitive than it looks at face value, but the outcome is predictable.
(10) Georgia @ Vanderbilt (CBS)
Will Vanderbilt be able to stop Nick Chubb? Probably not, but you can still watch to find out!
3:00
(19) Oklahoma @ (23) Tennessee (ESPN)
Ranked teams? Undefeated teams (okay, they're both 1-0, but still)? That's what we need more of! OKlahoma has a new offensive coordinator in Lincoln Riley, and they're looking to tighten up their "air raid" offense.
4:00
Ball State @ (16) Texas A&M (ESPNU)
The Aggies have opened up the season by beating a Top-15 ranked team twice in a row, tearing apart South Carolina last year and taking care of Arizona State last week, walking away with a 38-17 win. The Cardinals have never beaten an SEC team.
(22) Arizona @ Nevada (CBSSN)
Without Scooby Wright III, who is out for 2-3 weeks after having torn cartilage repaired, a lot of the "it" factor is taken out of this game. Last team these two teams went at it, in 2014, Nevada was surprisingly competitive.
(21) Missouri @ Arkansas State (ESPN3)
The Tigers are going for a school-record road win streak.
4:30
Lamar @ (4) Baylor (FSN)
Baylor shredded SMU 56-21 last week and once again proved that they are an offensive juggernaut.
Against FCS team Lamar, the Bears should be able to really shot off.
5:00
(Or 8:00 in Michigan, where this wonderful game will be played)
YOUR (7) OREGON DUCKS @ (5) Michigan State (ABC) - Obviously, this game will be well-covered by our fine ATQ staff. But fun fact; in their last 30 games, Sparty has only lost three times, and yes, one of those three games was to our Ducks. We'll need to see more magic from Royce Freeman and Vernon Adams, and you can expect the Ducks and Spartans to both up their defensive intensity after disappointing outings in their first respective games.
Idaho @ (8) USC (P12)
Last week, USC beat a Sun Belt team by 49 points. This week, they play another Sun Belt team that should be even less competitive. Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler threw for four touchdowns last week and passed for 236 yards.
(14) LSU @ (26) Mississippi State (ESPN)
One of three games today in which both teams are ranked; we didn't get to see much of the Tigers last week because their opening game against McNeese State was cancelled within 5 minutes because of lightning. Keep an eye on Tigers' quarterback Brandon Harris. Mississippi State is the 10th SEC team ranked, setting a record for a single conference. Ho, hum.
7:15
(20) Boise State @ BYU (ESPN2)
Boise State wasn't particularly impressive last week in their game against former head coach Chris Petersen and Washington, but they walked out with a 16-13 win against a then-ranked opponent. BYU had a much more impressive and exciting game as a Hail Mary play won them their game against our ol buddy Mike Riley and Nebraska.
7:30
(13) UCLA @ UNLV (CBSSN)
The hype train stops in Las Vegas, as UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen wooed college football fans last week in their win over Virginia and already has a "Chosen Rosen" nickname. These two schools have never played each other.