Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway (58.5 completion percentage), who returned from an injury last week to engineer the upset of LSU, is a difference-maker. The dual-threat could keep Ole Miss on its heels. He’ll need to for the Gators to have any hope.
Prediction: Ole Miss 35-14.
4. No. 16 Colorado (8-2) at Kansas (4-6) | Saturday | 3:30 p.m. ET | Fox
Like Florida, Kansas is a conundrum, which makes this game interesting. The Jayhawks are playing their best ball of the season, having upset No. 17 Iowa State and No. 6 BYU in back-to-back games.
But Colorado, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter and QB Shadeur Sanders (27 TD passes), is rolling. Since losing to Kansas State on Oct. 28, the Buffs have won their past four games by an average of 19.2 points.
To pull off the upset, Kansas — a 2.5-point underdog as of Wednesday, per BetGM — must get a sterling effort from its defense. The Jayhawks “D” shut down BYU’s offense but struggled against Iowa State, allowing 461 yards.
Prediction: Colorado 38-28.
3. No. 14 BYU (9-1) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2) | Saturday | 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
The loser will see its Big 12 title hopes diminished, while the winner will still have a shot at the College Football Playoff. BYU, apparently suffering the lingering effects of a 22-21 win over Utah on Nov. 9, ran out of miracles in losing to Kansas 17-13 last week.
“It takes a lot to emotionally and physically bounce back from a game like that Utah game,” BYU OC Aaron Roderick told The Salt Lake City Tribune.
Meanwhile, Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt has nine TD passes and no interceptions in the past three games. BYU must find its offensive rhythm again. The Cougars scored 34-plus points in six straight games but have been held to 22 or less in the past two.
Prediction: Arizona State 27-24
2. No. 19 Army (9-0) at No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) | Saturday | 7 p.m. ET | NBC
Believe it or not, Army has a 16% chance of making the CFP. If it does, it will be one of the great underdog stories in sports.
On the stat sheets, the teams stack up evenly on both sides of the ball. As one might imagine, Army is a disciplined bunch — the Black Knights rank third in the nation in fewest penalties (38) and excel on third down (53.5%, second in the nation).
Army also runs the ball better than any team in the country (334.9 YPG). If it gets a lead, it could play keepaway from Notre Dame, which hasn’t lost to Army since 1958.
So there’s no way the Irish will lose this week, right? Remember this: Huge underdog Northern Illinois (6-5) beat Notre Dame on Sept. 7 in South Bend 16-14.
Prediction: Notre Dame 28-14
1. No. 5 Indiana (10-0) at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1) | Saturday | noon ET | Fox
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has pulled off an amazing turnaround at a program that went 9-27 the previous three seasons. Can Cignetti, who recently signed a new eight-year deal at the school, pull off a massive upset?
Oddsmakers say Ohio State will cruise.
Watch the matchup between the Ohio State defense and Indiana offensive line. Indiana has allowed only 11 sacks (15th in the nation), but Ohio State’s defense (10.3 PPG) is better than anything the Hoosiers have seen.
On the flip side, Indiana’s defense against the run is stifling (72.2 yards per game) and Ohio State may have a reshuffled front after losing center Seth McLaughlin to a season-ending injury.
Prediction: Ohio State 27-21