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Every weekend pressure builds, as a single loss carries significant weight when it comes to determining the best four teams in college football at the end of the year.
There are a number of high-profile matchups in Week 7 between conference rivals that will do much to help us see a clearer picture as we head into the second half of the season.
Starting with a Pac-12 rivalry on Thursday and running all the way through until Saturday night, the schedule is loaded with potential drama. We broke down the top 10 storylines heading into the big weekend for your enjoyment.
1. Which Pac-12 team will remain relevant when UCLA visits Stanford
UCLA (No. 18) was one of the few undefeated programs in the country until last weekend when Arizona State socked it to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Now, still smarting from that defeat, Jim Mora takes his team into a hostile environment against a program that has had his number.
The No. 15-ranked Cardinal have a seven-game winning streak going against UCLA, and the last meeting between these two teams in December of 2014 saw Stanford play spoiler to its rival’s chances of claiming the Pac-12 South title. The Bruins are battered and bruised on defense, having lost yet another key defender in Mossi Johnson, who is out for the year with a knee injury suffered in practice.
Stanford’s punishing rushing attack should win the day at home against UCLA’s depleted defense, and freshman quarterback Josh Rosen might be the Bruins’ only chance to win the game, thus avoiding a two-game skid.
This game is being broadcast in prime time on Thursday night on ESPN starting at 10:30 p.m. ET.
2. A couple of underrated Friday night games that matter
A couple of smaller schools that have creeped into the top 25 are on the road Friday night.
No. 24-ranked Houston, led by junior dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr., is visiting Tulane. The Green Wave isn’t exactly a powerhouse on either side of the ball, which bodes well for the top team in the AAC. Fans watching on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET should expect to see a heavy dose of offense being administered by the undefeated Cougars. Ward has combined for 1,856 total yards this year and has scored 19 total touchdowns.
As a comparison, Tulane’s entire offense has only managed 14 scores this year. Therefore it will be shocking if the Green Wave manages to keep up with Houston, but road games are always unpredictable.
Starting at the same time, over on CBSSN, is the contest featuring No. 23-ranked Boise State on the road facing Utah State. The Broncos started the season at No. 23 in the rankings, but a loss to BYU in Week 2 knocked them out of the rankings. Four consecutive blowout wins have gotten them back to square one, but it’s imperative to keep the positive momentum going in Week 7 or they could lose it altogether.
3. Can West Virginia somehow pull off a monumental upset against Baylor?
The Mountaineers have absolutely shot themselves in the foot the past two weeks in consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, turning the ball over nine times in those two contests. When playing sound football, West Virginia is a threat to any team in the nation, however.
With No. 2-ranked Baylor on the schedule in Week 7, there is absolutely zero room for careless mistakes. The Mountaineers, on their best day, are a long shot to upset the Bears. That said, if perhaps the last couple of weeks got all the crud out of their system and they can somehow compile a perfect performance, then things could get interesting.
Baylor hasn’t been challenged once this year. The closest any team got was Texas Tech, which saw its high-powered offense get blow away by Seth Russell and Co. with a final score of 63-35. It’s going to take nothing less than perfection by West Virginia’s defense to stymie this offense, which has averaged 64 points per game so far in 2015.
This Big-12 contest will be nationally televised at noon Saturday on FOX.
4. Will Iowa’s terrific run continue on the road against Northwestern?
One of the teams that has been making big waves without a ton of national fanfare this season is Iowa (No. 17). The Hawkeyes are undefeated so far, and they knocked off No. 19-ranked Wisconsin two weekends ago, which isn’t a small feat.
Standing in the way of further progress up the rankings this weekend is Northwestern (No. 20), which was annihilated by Michigan in a shutout loss, 38-0. Perhaps it isn’t surprising, therefore, that the visiting Hawkeyes are the slim favorites to win this game (-2.5 per ESPN’s PickCenter).
While the Wildcats are still licking their wounds, it’s actually Iowa that enters the contest with significant injury concerns. Top pass-rusher Drew Ott won’t play again in 2015 after tearing his ACL, and the Hawkeyes are banged up all over. They’ve been overcoming adversity all season long, however, and nobody’s going to let up an inch as the going gets tough.
This should be a physical game, as both teams have gotten this far behind a stout defense. The action will get cranked up starting at noon ET either on ABC or ESPN2 depending on where you are in the nation.
5. Texas A&M’s chance to shine as Alabama comes into town
This is a huge SEC West tilt that has significant ramifications, and both teams have something to prove.
Alabama (No. 10) wants the nation to forget about the loss to Ole Miss. Another hard-fought road win to match what the Georgia blowout a couple weekends ago against another top team would go a long way towards achieving that goal.
Texas A&M has yet to face what could be called a national powerhouse. Sure, the big wins against Arizona State and Mississippi State showed something, but the Aggies won’t know who they truly are until they are tested against the best.
The ‘Bama defense has been coming on strong of late, allowing just 24 points the past three games. The lowest score posted this year by the Aggies is 28 points, earned against Arkansas in Week 5.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen has been sharp this year, and he must stay sharp to give Texas A&M a chance to pull out the first huge win of the season. Otherwise, you can bet the Crimson Tide will take advantage of any mistakes he might make. They have forced 12 turnovers already this year and usually make teams pay with points off turnovers.
This SEC rivalry kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
6. Which team will bounce back when Oklahoma visits Kansas State?
Kansas State has been so close to taking down a couple of big-time programs the past two weekends, losing to Oklahoma State and TCU by a combined total of nine points. The Wildcats have shown remarkable resilience this year, along with a flexible roster that can play big on both sides of the ball.
They’ll be hosting a potentially shell-shocked Oklahoma (No. 19) squad that was stunned in Week 6 by the Texas Longhorns. Nobody saw it coming, but Charlie Strong rallied his battered program to victory, and the Sooners were caught completely by surprise.
“All in all, they kicked us and won the football game,” Bob Stoops said, via ESPN.com. “There’s not much else to say about it.”
The game could go pretty much any direction. Both teams can put up points in bunches, and both have shut down opposing offenses at times. The battle will come down to execution and desire.
There’s approximately zero chance Stoops allows his Sooners to get caught with their pants down again. Oklahoma won’t be outworked — not again. But perhaps the damage has already been done as far as any shot at a playoff appearance is concerned.
This Big 12 showdown is being televised nationally at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
7. Harbaugh’s big moment as the Spartans come into The Big House
Based on the way things have been going momentum-wise, there is a chance the No. 7-ranked Spartans could get run out of The Big House on Saturday afternoon. Since losing its opener on the road to Utah, Michigan (No. 12) has won its last five games by a combined score of 160-14 and has won by way of shutout the past three weekends.
Needless to say, the Harbaugh effect is going strong.
It’s a level of dominance we haven’t seen anywhere else in the nation this year, and it’s not like Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have been going up against cupcakes every weekend. Michigan absolutely manhandled both BYU and Northwestern — both of which still are top national programs in their own right.
Michigan State has maintained a high ranking this year by staying undefeated, but the Spartans haven’t been winning impressively. Every game seems to be grind-it-out affair, and it seems like the program seems due for a loss.
Momentum is fickle, though. All it takes is one event to turn the tide of a game, and sometimes, a season. Also, Spartans quarterback Connor Cook has been in many big games and knows how to win.
This rivalry is old and deep, and anything can happen once the whistle blows to start the game. ESPN has this contest nationally, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
8. Can Florida derail the Leonard Fournette Heisman train?
There is more going on here than just “what’s next?” for Fournette. Both teams are undefeated, and Florida impressively knocked off Ole Miss the week after the Rebels shocked ‘Bama. There is a lot of good football between these two programs.
Unfortunately for Florida, the offense could experience a bit of a setback. Quarterback Will Grier was suspended for an entire year after testing positive for PEDs this week. That said, backup Treon Harris isn’t exactly a wide-eyed freshman who doesn’t have a clue. He has played already this year and should be able to contribute at a high level.
Back to Fournette, though, because not only is he the best player in the nation, but he’s also the driving force behind LSU’s powerhouse offense. The Tigers have understandably relied on him for most of the season to pummel opposing defenses into submission. Through five games, the Heisman favorite already has 1,022 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
If any defense were built to give Fournette trouble, however, it’s Florida’s. The Gators are No. 12 in the nation, allowing just 99.2 yards per game, 3.1 yards per rush and just three total rushing touchdowns. If the Gators can corral the dynamic Tigers running back, then maybe they might have a chance to pull off the upset on the road.
This SEC battle is being televised nationally on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
9. USC tries to overcome tumult on the road against Notre Dame
The Steve Sarkisian story is sad. USC first placed him on temporary leave before firing him the next day when troubling reports of him showing up drunk to team meetings and games came out after he failed to show up to practice on Sunday.
Sarkisian is reportedly getting help, which is commendable.
The show must go on at USC, however, and interim head coach Shawn Elliott has his hands full. The Trojans have lost two home games already this year, and now they hit the road to face the dangerous Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
“We just have to keep fighting on,” running back Adoree’ Jackson said, via the Los Angeles Times. “I mean, that’s our motto. That’s what we’ve got to do.”
It will surely help if senior quarterback Cody Kessler can bounce back from his worst outing of the season. Washington was all over him last week and he threw two interceptions.
The Irish will attempt to keep Kessler and Co. off the field as much as possible by utilizing running back C.J. Prosise, who has the ability to take games over.
These two teams have long been rivals, and it’s always interesting when they come together. Fans can watch this contest nationally on NBC starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
10. Can Penn State knock off the champs?
Penn State has been awfully tough since losing Temple in the opening weekend of the season. With that in mind, by no means is the upcoming contest against No. 1-ranked Ohio State a gimme for the national champs.
The Nittany Lions feature the No. 11-ranked defense in the nation and only allow 14.3 points per game. Pass-rusher Carl Nassib is leading the nation with 10 sacks and is a real threat to get to quarterback Cardale Jones on a regular basis Saturday night when the two Big Ten teams clash at Ohio Stadium.
The Buckeyes — on paper — should be much more imposing than they are these days. They have had a cupcake schedule since Week 1 when they looked sharp handling Virginia Tech. Since that point, not only have they not played any ranked teams, but the teams they have played have given them trouble at times.
Players on Maryland’s sideline last weekend were not impressed at all by the top-ranked team. They reportedly were calling the Ohio State players “spoiled, entitled and not No. 1.” The final scores look pretty decent when you run down the schedule, but there can be no doubt Ohio State has been less than dominant this year.
If the Buckeyes don’t show up as sharp as they were in Week 1, then there is no doubt Penn State could pull off an upset. All it takes is a turnover or two for an underdog to gain traction, and Nassib is more than capable of creating a few of those all by himself.
This Big Ten clash is getting the prime time treatment. Fans can view the game nationally starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.