Games to watch this weekend
Another weekend and another pack of games that will have a huge impact on the BCS national title race. Saturday might be the biggest day of the season for the PAC-12 as UCLA plays at Oregon and Stanford at Oregon State. Texas Tech will look to keep itself at the top of the BIG 12 standings, while Ohio State hopes to avoid being upset by Penn State.
A win for the Red Raiders guarantees they will still be in at least a tie for first place with Baylor and Texas heading into a huge game at Oklahoma State on Nov. 2.
As for South Carolina, Steve Spurrier’s crew will be playing the role of underdog/spoiler. Winning at Missouri will be a tall order with quarterback Connor Shaw (knee) expected to miss Saturday’s action. Dylan Thompson will start at quarterback instead. Thompson saw significant action in the Gamecocks 28-25 win over UCF on September 28, throwing for 261 yards and an INT. He’ll need to be much better if South Carolina is to upset Missouri.
Hundley (1,661 yds, 13 TDs, 6 INTs) proved he was the real deal after throwing for 294 yards and 3 TDs in a comeback win over Nebraska on September 14. But he can’t afford any senseless turnovers. Despite his solid play, he can be erratic throwing the ball at times. That became evident during the Bruins’ 24-10 loss at Stanford last week. The sophomore completed 24 of 39 passes for just 192 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. That won’t get it done against Oregon. He could be at a disadvantage on Saturday RB Jordan James, who has missed two straight games, can’t go. The same for left tackle Simon Goines, who left last Saturday’s game because of a bad knee.
