The second full weekend of college football in 2017 has big-time matchups, even more than in Week 1. The games played this upcoming weekend are the games which separate pretenders from contenders. They involve elite teams intent on making the kinds of statement wins which will help them win a close argument or competition for the College Football Playoff in December. Some of the games played this Saturday will be discussed as turning points or decisive moments three months from now. This is why they occupy the TV spotlight.
Oklahoma at Ohio State, Saturday at 7:40 Eastern, ABC
Betting Odds: Ohio State -7.5
The Sooners and Buckeyes played last year, and Ohio State ran all over the Sooners on the road. Now the Buckeyes get the return game in the home-and-home series in Columbus at Ohio Stadium. It will be a challenge for Oklahoma to win on the road and avenge last year’s loss, but the Sooners do have a puncher’s chance. They have quarterback Baker Mayfield back to make another run at the playoff and the Heisman Trophy. He completed 19 of 20 passes last week and offers the strong possibility that he will be highly efficient throughout the season. If he can be highly efficient against Ohio State, Oklahoma has a great chance to pull the upset and get the inside track to the playoff.
Georgia at Notre Dame, Saturday at 7:45 Eastern, NBC
Betting Odds: Notre Dame -4
The Bulldogs are viewed as national championship contenders. They get to prove that they are worthy of the label when they visit Notre Dame for a night game. That is not an easy assignment. A plot twist for this game is that Georgia starting quarterback Jacob Eason has been injured, paving the way for backup Jake Fromm to be the starter in this game. Fromm performed capably in the opener, but a home game against Appalachian State is very different from a road game at Notre Dame. Fromm, like Georgia, should be severely tested.
Notre Dame hired new coordinators to shake up its coaching staff. Chip Long replaced Mike Sanford, Jr. on offense, while Mike Elko replaced Brian VanGorder on defense (not including interim switches head coach Brian Kelly made during the 2016 season). The Irish crashed and burned last year, falling to a 4-8 record. There is great pressure on Notre Dame to rebound this season, and Georgia gives the team a challenging game to prove that the Irish are back in business.
Stanford at USC, Saturday at 8:45 Eastern, FOX
Betting Odds: USC -6
The biggest conference game of the week is a cross-division game in the Pac-12, with North contender Stanford going up against South Division favorite USC. This could be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game, but USC is the team with national title hopes. Stanford is not given the same primacy, but the Cardinal could certainly win the Pac-12, which would be a successful season for them. USC struggled against Western Michigan, but the Trojans might have been looking ahead to Stanford. We will see if that was an alarm bell or just a mirage.
Auburn at Clemson, Saturday at 7 Eastern, ESPN
Betting Odds: Clemson -6
The defending national champions host an SEC West contender in another massive ballgame. Auburn has Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham at quarterback, trying to find an elite level of offense which can catapult Gus Malzahn’s team to an SEC championship. Clemson has a new quarterback, Kelly Bryant, who will try to replace the legendary Deshaun Watson and keep the train rolling for the ACC champions. Clemson is expecting to win, but an Auburn upset could power the SEC West school to a huge season.
This game has taken on additional significance for Clemson following the injury to Florida State Seminoles’ quarterback DeAndre Francois. The Seminoles were the No. 3 team in the country and were supposed to be the squad to beat in the ACC. At the same time, Clemson was supposed to be rebuilding. However, the Tigers now enter the week at No. 3 and a win in this spot would solidify the fact that this not only won’t be a rebuilding season but that they’ve reloaded and are ready to contend.
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