Saturday Is Full Of College Football Clashes For Fans To Enjoy

If you’re a football fan, this Saturday features three Top 25 matchups that could be quite entertaining, and one of them comes from the Big Ten. 

#9 Illinois vs #19 Indiana 

At 6:30 on NBC Saturday night, two teams that hope to challenge for a Big Ten title will go head-to-head in Bloomington Indiana, and both are unbeaten as the Hoosiers (3-0) will play host to the Fightin’ Illini (3-0).  

Not only are these two of the better teams in the Big Ten, but they’re also two of the top scoring offenses in the country. Indiana is currently 7th in NCAA stats in scoring at 52 points per game, while Illinois is 15th in America at 45 points per contest.  

Both teams have also been stingy on defense, allowing just over 7 points per contest. Illinois is 5th while Indiana is 6th in scoring.  

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But to be honest, this will be the first true test for both of these teams as Indiana has played three much lesser teams while two of the three opponents for Illinois have been at a serious disadvantage. 

There are a couple of areas that could be difference makers for one of these teams, keep an eye on: 

• Third Down Conversions- Who can keep the chains moving the best has an edge 

• Red Zone Offense- When they get close, they need to get points, particularly touchdowns 

• Tackles For Loss- Indiana leads the country in this category, but they’ll be facing even competition, can they continue this trend. Getting the offense off schedule and facing larger yardage situations should be an advantage for the defense. 

• Field Position- Shorter fields should mean more scoring opportunities and put more pressure on the opposing defense. 

#11 Oklahoma vs #21 Auburn 

Both teams play in the SEC and like the match-up above, both teams are 3-0. Oklahoma already has a Top 25 win earlier in the season when they beat Michigan in a game that is described as not as close as the 24-13 final score. The Sooners have the edge in having faced a legit Top 25 opponent from the Big Ten. 

Oklahoma is averaging 472 yards per game while allowing 181. Auburn’s clip has been just over 415 yards per game and allowing 287. The Tigers are a little more balanced between the run and pass game on offense, while Oklahoma, who is 19th in the country in passing. Will Auburn be able to force the Sooners passing game to come crashing down? We’ll see at 2:30 Saturday on ABC.  

#17 Texas Tech at #16 Utah 

These two unbeaten teams from the Big 12 kick off the day at 11am on Fox.  

Texas Tech (3-0) scores the most points of anyone in the country, at 58 points per game, but like so many other teams, they’ve not played similar competition yet. That will change at Utah (3-0), which is a tough place to play, and the Utes are a team that is chasing more respect.  

The Utes already have a win against a Big Ten team, albeit a bad Big Ten Team, in UCLA who fired their coach last Sunday. Utah’s offense is 14th in the country scoring better than 45 points per game.  

Both defenses have been tough, Utah allows just over 8 points while Texas Tech is giving up just under 12.  

This one could be a wild one, especially if the offenses really at that good.  

Some other games that could be worth watching are: 

#13 Mississippi (3-0) hosting Tulane (3-0)- Tulane isn’t a surprise team to anyone anymore. Tulane has beaten two power conference teams in Duke from the ACC and Northwestern from the Big Ten. Ole Miss has beaten two lower tier SEC teams in Kentucky and Arkansas. This one is at 2:30 on ESPN. 

#21 Michigan (2-1) at Nebraska (3-0)- The Cornhuskers are unbeaten, while Michigan’s only loss is at Oklahoma. This is a total respect game for Nebraska, who could land in the Top 25 with a win at home. Michigan is still without Head Coach Sherrone Moore who is suspended due to the sign stealing case from a couple of years ago. Catch this one at 2:30 on CBS.  

#24 Notre Dame (0-2) is home to Purdue (2-1)- It’s hard to imagine that a 0-2 team is ranked like Notre Dame is, with losses to Miami and Texas A&M (two really good teams). The voters believe in the talent of the National Runner-Ups. Their playoff chances are slim now, going 0-3 dooms those. The Boilermakers have two wins over much lesser opponents, and they lost in Big Ten play last week to USC. An important game for both teams at 2:30 on NBC.  

#4 Miami (3-0) hosting Florida (1-2)- The Gators are almost assuredly playing for Coach Billy Napier’s job. The Gators played well at times in their second straight loss last week at LSU but still have some weak spots that teams have been able to expose. Miami at 3-0 made a bit of a statement last week by dismantling South Florida, who beat Florida on their home field two weeks ago. Mix in bragging rights for the State of Florida and being one step closer to being the State Champ, finding this game on ABC at 6:30 Saturday night will likely not be a bad decision.