College football storylines, Week 11: Will history repeat itself for Notre Dame vs. Boston College?
With COVID-19 wiping out eight college football games this weekend, including those involving four of the top five teams, marquee matchups are hard to come by.
There are no games between Top 25 teams, and most of the ranked teams that are playing are predicted to win comfortably, according to the Las Vegas odds.
Perhaps that means we’re headed for an unpredictable weekend. Here’s what to watch in Week 11:
Irish redemption? (No. 2 Notre Dame at Boston College, Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC)
Fans of college football history might recall “The Game of the Century” on Nov. 13, 1993, between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won, 31-24, and moved within striking distance of playing for another national title under coach Lou Holtz.
Those hopes came to an abrupt end. Notre Dame lost, 41-39, to Boston College the following week, knocking the Irish to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll and out of title contention. Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles claimed the crown with an 18-16 win over No. 2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
So, after defeating the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since that 1993 season with an overtime victory over Clemson last Saturday, who does Notre Dame play next? Boston College.
These Eagles aren’t quite as good as the 1993 team, which finished 9-3 and 13th in the final AP poll. But under first-year coach Jeff Hafley, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator, they’ve shown improvement, going 5-3 with close losses to North Carolina and Clemson. They held a 28-10 lead over the then-No. 1 Tigers, only to see it slip away in the second half.
Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec, a Notre Dame transfer, has been outstanding, throwing 15 touchdown passes to just four interceptions and averaging 7.5 yards per attempt. The defense, using the aggressive man-to-man coverage Hafley rode to success with the Buckeyes, has struggled at times, but can certainly make life difficult for Irish quarterback Ian Book and his receivers.
This is one of the best Notre Dame teams in years, and with a clear path to the College Football Playoff in front of it, there’s no doubt it will take Boston College seriously. But getting past the Eagles this weekend will be that much sweeter for those hoping history doesn’t repeat itself.
Big Ten anxiety (Penn State at Nebraska, Saturday, noon, Fox Sports 1)
Even the most pessimistic fans couldn’t have anticipated these teams meeting with winless records. The Cornhuskers are 0-2 with losses to Ohio State and Northwestern, while Penn State sits 0-3 after losing for just the fourth time to Maryland. There isn’t much for coaches Scott Frost and James Franklin to be happy about.
For Penn State, this has been a season to forget. The Nittany Lions are without star linebacker Micah Parsons, who opted out to prepare for the NFL draft, and starting running back Journey Brown, who announced earlier this week that he will retire from football because of a heart condition. Backup running back Noah Cain suffered a season-ending injury on the opening drive. Quarterback Sean Clifford has regressed under first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. Franklin has talked about struggling to deal with being away from his family.
After being outspoken about returning to play this fall amid the pandemic and even threatening to play teams outside the Big Ten, Nebraska has failed to bring the same intensity on the field. The defense ranks 56th in the country in efficiency, and there might be a quarterback controversy brewing as Luke McCaffrey takes more snaps away from Adrian Martinez. Given his standing at Nebraska, Frost will probably be safe for a while, but he’s gone 9-17 since taking over in 2018. A loss to a reeling Penn State team will only increase the level of frustration among Huskers fans.
It all comes to a head this weekend, with the loser forced to reckon with uncomfortable questions about their future.
Badgers back (No. 13 Wisconsin at Michigan, Saturday 7:30 p.m., ABC)
It’s been three weeks since Wisconsin beat Illinois in its season opener, as the Badgers dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak that reportedly infected 30 members of the program and forced two games to be canceled. The excitement of quarterback Graham Mertz’s stellar debut fell by the wayside as Wisconsin struggled to get back on the field.
The status of Mertz, who was one of the first players to test positive, is still murky, potentially forcing backups Chase Wolf or Danny Vanden Boom into action. It’s almost impossible to predict how Wisconsin will play considering the loss of practice time and how many players might be forced to sit out.
For Michigan, this is an opportunity to rebound from a disappointing two-game losing streak to Michigan State and Indiana. Rumors swirl about coach Jim Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor, with some speculating that he could be headed back to the NFL. If the Wolverines fall to 1-3, the noise around Harbaugh’s status will only grow louder.
If Mertz does play, this will be an exciting matchup of young quarterbacks, with Joe Milton showing flashes of potential for Michigan. The only thing to expect is the unexpected.
Pac-12 playoff intrigue
In case you forgot, the Pac-12 began play last weekend, with USC and Oregon flexing their muscles as potential playoff contenders.
This week will put those teams to the test, with the No. 20 Trojans playing at Arizona (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., FOX) and the No. 11 Ducks taking on Washington State (Saturday, 7 p.m., Fox).
Both teams' playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of their quarterbacks. USC’s Kedon Slovis shrugged off a slow start to throw for 381 yards and two touchdowns in a wild comeback win over Arizona State, while Tyler Shough impressed in his Oregon debut with 312 total yards (227 passing, 85 rushing) and two touchdowns in a comfortable win over Stanford.
How the playoff committee decides its four teams will be fascinating, considering all the COVID-19 postponements and player absences to sort through at the end of the season. Some teams, like those in the Pac-12, might only play six games and a conference title game, while others, like undefeated BYU, might play 10 or more. What would the committee do if Oregon and BYU both finish undefeated, with the Ducks at 7-0 and BYU at 10-0? What if the Pac-12 champion is 6-1 with a close loss to a good team?
At least for now, the Pac-12 deserves to be in the playoff conversation. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Other things to watch
Coastal dominance (No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Troy, Saturday, noon, ESPN2): Few teams have come close to beating the Chanticleers this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re unstoppable. The Trojans are 4-3 with tight losses to Georgia State and Georgia Southern, and their defense ranks among the nation’s top 50 in efficiency, ahead of Kentucky, Arkansas and Michigan State. It could be a tricky test for the Chants, who might be looking ahead to a big game against Appalachian State.
Miami on alert (No. 9 Miami at Virginia Tech, Saturday, noon, ESPN): The Hurricanes have responded well to their loss to Clemson, winning three straight. The Hokies are coming off a devastating loss to Liberty in which they appeared to win on a blocked field-goal attempt returned for a touchdown, only for it to be called back because of a timeout. Curiously, Virginia Tech is a slight favorite. According to ESPN, in the two games last season in which a three-loss team was a home favorite over a team with zero or one loss, the home team won. The Canes could be in trouble.
Indiana in charge (No. 10 Indiana at Michigan State, Saturday, noon, ABC): The Hoosiers have their highest ranking since 1969, and are on track for a historic season. If Indiana can get past the Spartans, that sets up a huge matchup with No. 3 Ohio State next weekend with the Big Ten East title on the line. Coach Tom Allen and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. are doing special things.
Franks is back (Arkansas at No. 6 Florida, Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN): Quarterback Feleipe Franks was a prized recruit for Florida and led the Gators to a 10-3 season in 2018 with 31 total touchdowns. After breaking his leg early in the 2019 season, he transferred to Arkansas, where he has helped lift a struggling program to a 3-3 start. Now Franks gets a chance at redemption against his former team and his replacement, Kyle Trask. Though Arkansas will be without coach Sam Pittman, who tested positive for COVID-19, the Hogs have a puncher’s chance of knocking out the Gators.
Pac-12 after dark (Oregon State at Washington, Saturday, 11 p.m., FS1): This is the first chance to get a look at Washington under new coach Jimmy Lake, the longtime defensive coordinator who was promoted to the top job after the retirement of Chris Petersen. The Huskies have yet to announce their starting quarterback, but whoever it is needs to fill the big shoes of Jacob Eason, now with the Indianapolis Colts. For Oregon State, a 38-28 loss to Washington State last weekend should not be discouraging after a 5-7 season in 2019 under Jonathan Smith. The Beavers are building back toward respectability in the Pac-12 North.
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