5 college football games to watch: Indiana, Wisconsin push to stay perfect
Indiana pushes to extend its hot start before a crucial Big Ten showdown next week with Ohio State. The Hoosiers' contest against Michigan State is one of five college football games to watch this weekend:
No. 9 Miami at Virginia Tech
Saturday, Noon; ESPN
The Buzz: Miami (6-1, 5-1 ACC) finds itself on the outside looking in on the race for a spot in the ACC Championship Game with Notre Dame and Clemson holding the top two spots in the conference. The Hurricanes have won three consecutive games with quarterback D’Eriq King accounting for 1,139 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns during that stretch. Virginia Tech (4-3, 4-2 ACC) has been through a roller coaster season, with all three of its losses coming by a combined 21 points.
No. 10 Indiana at Michigan State
Saturday, Noon; ABC
The Buzz: Indiana (3-0, 3-0 Big Ten) continues its hot start, with the Hoosiers pushing to go 4-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. The Hoosiers are hoping to avoid a letdown before facing No. 3 Ohio State next week. Indiana faces a Michigan State team (1-2, 1-2 Big Ten) that was blown out 49-7 by winless Iowa last week. IU quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is coming off a career-best 342 passing yards against Michigan. He faces a Spartans defense that has allowed one passing play of 30-plus yards this season.
No. 11 Oregon at Washington State
Saturday, 7 p.m.; FOX
The Buzz: Oregon (1-0, 1-0 Pac-12) snapped a four-game losing streak to Washington State (1-0, 1-0 Pac-12) last year, surviving a 37-35 matchup in Eugene. The young Ducks feature a new offensive coordinator (Joe Moorhead), a new starting quarterback (Tyler Shough) and a new offensive line, but they still managed 496 yards during their season-opening win over Stanford last week. Cougars receiver Travell Harris, meanwhile, was one of four receivers in the league to finish last week with 100-plus yards after accounting for 107 yards and two touchdowns during a win over Oregon State.
Arkansas at No. 6 Florida
Saturday, 7 p.m.; ESPN
The Buzz: Florida (4-1, 4-1 SEC) is coming off its biggest win of the season, a 44-28 triumph over rival Georgia. The Gators snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has the fourth-best quarterback rating (92.9) in the nation, passing for 1,815 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. Arkansas (3-3, 3-3 SEC) quarterback Feleipe Franks spent three seasons at Florida leading the Gators to a win in a New Year’s Six Access Bowl before suffering an injury in 2019 that led to Trask taking over the starting job.
No. 13 Wisconsin at Michigan
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; ABC
The Buzz: Wisconsin (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten) hits the field for the first time since the season opener on Oct. 23 as a cluster of COVID-19 positive tests forced the team to shut down all activities. Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz completed 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns in the win over Illinois, but he has been quarantined after a positive COVID-19 test. Michigan (1-2, 1-2 Big Ten) has dropped two consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since 2017 and the Wolverines are looking to avoid a 1-3 start for the first time since 1967.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com.
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