No. 20 Michigan will head to Nebraska this weekend without coach Sherrone Moore, who is serving out the remainder of a two-game suspension this season for his part in the program’s sign-stealing scandal.
While Moore prepares to watch from the couch, Nebraska is thriving in coach Matt Rhule’s third season.
After sneaking past Cincinnati in the opener, the Cornhuskers have topped Akron and Houston Christian by a combined 120 points. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola has completed 72 of 94 attempts for 829 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception. His backup, freshman TJ Lateef, has hit on 11 of 12 throws for 254 yards. The offense is rolling under coordinator Dana Holgorsen.
A win would move the Cornhuskers into the US LBM Coaches Poll and make them a genuine College Football Playoff contender.
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For the Wolverines, a loss on Saturday could essentially end the quest for the playoff, given an earlier loss to No. 12 Oklahoma, the season finale against No. 1 Ohio State and the tough games in between, including a trip to Southern California and a home game against Washington.
Moore’s absence looms over this matchup. A setback in Lincoln would drop Michigan to 2-2 for the second time in a non-COVID season since 2009. A win with interim coach Biff Poggi at the controls would be better, of course, but could still stoke criticism of Moore’s game-day management.
He’s not the only one under scrutiny. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was awful against the Sooners, though he rebounded with a strong performance in the win against Central Michigan. Nebraska will devote resources to stopping the run and look to force Underwood to win the game; whether he can do so in a tough environment is an extreme unknown at this early stage of his development.
This spotlight cast on the Wolverines puts them front and center in this week’s look at the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure:
Team: No. 21 Notre Dame
Notre Dame remains in the Coaches Poll after opening the year with losses to No. 6 Miami and No. 10 Texas A&M by a combined four points.
The last 0-2 team to earn a national ranking was 1988 Michigan, which dropped close games to the Fighting Irish and the Hurricanes and then went 9-0-1 the rest of the way. It’ll take a similarly unblemished run to get the Irish back into the playoff after reaching last year’s championship game.
That starts against Purdue, which was competitive in last week’s against Southern California and is clearly on firmer footing under new coach Barry Odom. But the Boilermakers are still vastly outmatched against one of the most talented teams in the Bowl Subdivision.
Notre Dame has to get back on track with a lopsided win. Anything less could drop the Irish out of the Top 25 and damage the team’s confidence heading into a key stretch against Arkansas, Boise State, North Carolina State and USC.
Game: No. 8 Illinois at No. 17 Indiana
The winner in this contrast of styles will have a huge advantage in the playoff race. For Illinois, the Hoosiers join an October home game against the Buckeyes as the two most important games on this year’s schedule. You can make the case that Saturday is even more vital for Indiana, which also has road trips to No. 2 Penn State and No. 5 Oregon; the Hoosiers have to win at least one of these three games, if not two of three.
Crucially, this head-to-head result will give the winner an enormous advantage with the selection committee should these two teams be in contention for an at-large playoff bid.
The Hoosiers remain somewhat of an enigma after beating Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State. Illinois’ credibility was boasted by a 45-19 win at Duke. Look for the Illini to hammer away on the ground against an Indiana run defense that gave up 218 yards on 9.5 yards per carry against Old Dominion, though the Hoosiers rebounded to allow just 128 yards in their past two games.
Coach: Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Taking the must-win season opener at Baylor dramatically improved Auburn’s postseason hopes after falling short of bowl eligibility last season. After beating Ball State and South Alabama, the Tigers are 3-0 for just the second time in the past six seasons, giving Freeze just a little more room to breathe after a tumultuous offseason. There are still some warning signs amid the unbeaten start, though,
The running game has been very good: Auburn is averaging 242 yards per game on 5.8 yards per carry. Oklahoma quarterback transfer Jackson Arnold has protected the football while averaging 7.3 yards per throw with 192 yards and four scores on the ground. But the Tigers’ special teams have been subpar and the defense has struggled, giving up 419 passing yards to Baylor and allowing several explosive gains in Saturday’s win against South Alabama.
The defense will be tested by John Mateer and the Sooners. This is a key matchup and a potential tipping point for the Freeze era given what’s ahead: Auburn will take on four ranked teams in a row in the Sooners, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 3 Georgia and No. 23 Missouri. A win on Saturday will change the complexion of the season and go a long way toward getting Freeze back in Auburn’s good graces.
Quarterback: Devon Dampier, Utah
No. 18 Utah’s offensive reboot this offseason included a new quarterback, Dampier, and new coordinator, Jason Beck, both from New Mexico. In that way, the Utes mirrored what No. 23 Vanderbilt did before last season, when the Commodores brought in quarterback Diego Pavia and multiple offensive coaches from New Mexico State. Oklahoma did the same heading into this year with Mateer and former Washington State coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
The changes have turned the Utes back into a national contender. Utah ranks 15th nationally in yards per game and fourth in rushing yards, with Dampier accounting for 628 passing yards, 198 yards on the ground and eight scores.
But UCLA and Wyoming are much easier tests than No. 16 Texas Tech, which has cruised past Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State and Oregon State. The Red Raiders have the largest point differential (139 points) in the country.