There are no trades in college football. Players can’t move from one roster to another midseason. Yet the latter part of September and the early part of October on the college football calendar have still somehow managed to revolve around player movement.
In this case, be it Matthew Sluka at UNLV or Bear Alexander at USC, the big headline the last week is players choosing to sit out midseason and redshirt. Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi told The Athletic on Thursday evening that he was stepping away from the team while rehabbing an injury. It’s a different situation — Mellusi is indeed banged-up and is likely going to pursue a medical redshirt — but it’s a similar concept.
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Big Ten Basketball Media Days is officially in the books, which means Indiana’s 2024-25 season is just around the corner. On Thursday afternoon at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson and guards Trey Galloway and Myles Rice took center stage as they previewed IU’s highly-anticipated campaign.
Woodson began the day by participating in a coaches panel alongside USC coach Eric Musselman and Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg. Then Galloway and Rice kicked off the individual breakout session portion of the day, meeting with the media for roughly 30 minutes. Woodson finished off the afternoon with his own individual Q&A.
The college football slate this weekend does not present much opportunity for upsets — at least on the surface. But that is typically when chaos ensues because the unexpected results are that much more shocking. Several top 25 teams could find themselves looking ahead to next weekend and fail to handle business in Week 6.
Some tricky road tests await unbeaten teams like Miami and Tennessee as the conference schedule intensifies. There are also ranked teams like Michigan and Ole Miss that cannot afford another loss if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive in early October. The Rebels need to bounce back after suffering an upset defeat a week ago, while the Wolverines must handle Washington in their first road game of the 2024 season.
As the Week 6 schedule progresses, keep an eye on games that will impact the College Football Playoff picture.
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UNLV is riding high after overcoming all the off-field drama involving its former starting quarterback Matthew Sluka. But Syracuse has its sights set on spoiling the Rebels’ potential run to the College Football Playoff on Friday night. The Orange are on the road for the first time this season and look to ride the arm of transfer quarterback Kyle McCord, who has thrown for at least 330 yards in all four starts with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. UNLV has a strong pass defense, but this is arguably the best offensive attack it has faced this season.
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Maybe SMU is better than most projected. The Mustangs’ offense is clicking now that it turned to Kevin Jennings as its full-time quarterback, averaging 54 points per game in his two starts. Now they face a Louisville defense that gave up 5.6 yards per play in the past two games, which included its loss at Notre Dame in Week 5. Will Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals respond? Or will SMU continue its impressive start as an ACC newcomer?
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There is a good chance Miami got its upset scare out of the way last week after avoiding its first defeat of the season with a controversial ending against Virginia Tech last Friday night. The Hurricanes and Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward take their offense on a cross-country road trip to face ACC newcomer California, which leads the league in fewest points allowed (14.0) against power conference opponents this season. This is the first time in 2024 that Miami has left the Sunshine State.
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Ole Miss could be in danger of suffering consecutive upset losses as it faces another SEC opponent with a formidable defensive front. The Rebels ran into a bad matchup against Kentucky a week ago as quarterback Jaxson Dart was sacked a season-high four times. South Carolina provides a similar problem for Ole Miss with its pass rush led by breakout stars Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart. A loss for the Rebels would be catastrophic for their College Football Playoff hopes.
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Missouri being an underdog in this road trip to Texas A&M is somewhat of a surprise, but maybe the Tigers are facing a bit of doubt after needing overtime to defeat Vanderbilt back in September. Missouri still has a strong defense — maybe even better than it was a year ago. It is still unclear who will start at quarterback for the Aggies with Conner Weigman expected back. However, the offense seemed to have more success with Marcel Reed in command.
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This matchup looked so much better in the preseason when many had it circled as a game that could potentially decide whether Clemson or Florida State would go to the ACC Championship Game. But, the Seminoles are among the most disappointing teams in the entire country. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ offense is in the midst of a resurgence with quarterback Cade Klubnik tapping into his full potential. There is just not a lot of reason to believe Florida State can pull off a stunning upset.
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Tennessee got an extra week to prepare for an Arkansas offense that is probably the best it has faced so far this season. The Volunteers’ defense ranks third-best nationally in success rate, while the Razorbacks rank 29th nationally in offensive success rate. It could be an interesting matchup as Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino tries to dial up some ways to beat Tennessee. But there is also too much for the Razorbacks to stop on the other side of the ball with quarterback Nico Iamaleava proving to be among the top in the SEC at that position.
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Yes, this is a rematch of the national championship game from last season, but Michigan and Washington are far from the teams they were a year ago. Coaching changes, roster overhauls and new contributors still make this an intriguing showdown in the expanded Big Ten. The Wolverines remain one-dimensional in their offensive approach, sticking to the run game in an attempt to wear down their opponent. The Huskies gave up an average of 5.5 yards per carry in a loss at Rutgers in Week 5. Another performance like that is not going to lead to a winning result for Washington.
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Ohio State is on a mission. The Buckeyes cruised through their Big Ten opener and have yet to face any sort of serious threat entering October. Meanwhile, the Iowa offense has made significant strides in 2024, led by standout running back Kaleb Johnson, who tops all power conference players with 171.25 rushing yards per game. But now the Hawkeyes go against an Ohio State defense that is allowing only 1.84 yards per carry — third-best in the FBS. It is unlikely Iowa pulls off the upset, but covering the nearly 20-point spread is best-case scenario.
Indiana vs. Northwestern (+13.5)
Indiana is rolling under new coach Curt Cignetti, but will this impressive start come to a crashing halt when the Hoosiers visit Northwestern? Weather elements could be a notable factor in Evanston, Ill., with strong wind gusts forecasted. The unique make-shift stadium on the banks of Lake Michigan is exposed and could make this a battle in the trenches. As bad as Northwestern has looked at times this season, its run defense is its strength. Keep an eye on this Big Ten showdown Saturday.
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