Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the U.S. Senate advanced the figurative ball and literal bill down the field with passage of the Protect College Sports Act, sending it to the House of Representatives where it may languish for a while. First Quarter: The Day the Big Ten Turned Upside Down. Second Quarter: September Superlatives. Third Quarter: Airtight, Foolproof, Indisputable October Predictions.
Fourth Quarter: Goal Assessment Time
The Dash takes a look at seven key games this weekend and outlines the goals both large and small for each team, plus a pick:
Alabama–Mississippi State (31)
- Where: Starkville, Miss.
- When: Saturday at noon ET
- Line: Alabama by six
Big goals: The No. 16 Bulldogs are trying to start 5–0 for the first time since 2014; notch their biggest win since the Dan Mullen era; beat the No. 7 Crimson Tide for the first time since ’07; and elevate breakout star quarterback Kamario Taylor in the Heisman Trophy race.
Modest goals: Kalen DeBoer is trying to start 5–0 for the first time at Alabama, where such things used to be taken for granted; establishing Keelon Russell as a Heisman candidate in his own right; the home school cementing its reputation as the most annoying place in America to visit. Clanga!
Dash pick: Alabama 41, Mississippi State 34. The Tide have started the season with four straight games scoring 45 or more points, something they haven’t done since 2018. They won’t hit that number this time, but they will stay undefeated heading into a home game against Georgia on Oct. 10.
Ohio State–Iowa (32)
- Where: Iowa City
- When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Line: Ohio State by 14
Big goals: For the No. 5 Buckeyes, it’s avoiding an early near-knockout from College Football Playoff contention and keeping Jeremiah Smith at the forefront of the Heisman race. For the No. 14 Hawkeyes, it’s taking a giant leap toward their first playoff berth and a major, late-career validation for Kirk Ferentz.
Modest goals: Iowa is seeking to continue its traditional proclivity for tormenting highly ranked visitors. (Iowa twice covered the spread as a home underdog last season in narrow losses to No. 11 Indiana and No. 6 Oregon. Last time it didn’t cover at home against a ranked opponent was Michigan in 2022. Perhaps not coincidentally, Connor Stalions was given a game ball after that one by Jim Harbaugh.)
Dash pick: Ohio State 24, Iowa 12. The Hawkeyes will not be able to cover Smith, but they’ll find ways to hang around. Let’s call it a special teams touchdown, a field goal and a safety for Iowa to get to 12.
Pittsburgh–Virginia Tech (33)
- Where: Blacksburg, Va.
- When: Friday at 7 p.m. ET
- Line: Virginia Tech by 3.5
Big goals: Both are trying to stay undefeated and at the forefront of the pack chasing Miami in the ACC, while also cracking the Top 25. The Hokies are trying to start 5–0 for the first time since 2005, a shocking statistic. They also want to reestablish Lane Stadium as an intimidating venue, something it hasn’t been for a long time.
Modest goals: Both schools are trying to make Penn State fans miserable, for different reasons. Pitt would also like to drum up more attention for quarterback Mason Heintschel, whose 13 touchdown passes have come entirely against Miami (Ohio) and Bucknell. Tech would like to drum up more attention for quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, whose 136 passes without an interception are second most in the nation.
Dash pick: Pitt 17, Virginia Tech 16. This might come down to who can hold up better on the offensive line and perform better in special teams. Classic ACC coin flip.
Florida-Missouri (34)
- Where: Columbia, Mo.
- When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Line: Florida by 4.5
Big goals: The No. 8 Gators want to keep themselves right in the mix for everything: playoff bid, SEC race, Jadan Baugh as a Heisman contender. The No. 25 Tigers want to stay on the fringe of all the above except having a Heisman candidate.
Modest goals: Mizzou is trying to beat Florida for the third straight time at Faurot Field, having accomplished the last two in dramatic fashion—going for two and the win in 2021 and on a field goal with five seconds left in ’23.
Dash pick: Florida 35, Missouri 28. The Gators’ running game has no chill and has proven that it travels, racking up 243 yards at Auburn two weeks ago. The only question is whether they can avoid a hangover after the huge win over Mississippi last week.
Penn State–Northwestern (35)
- Where: Evanston, Ill.
- When: Friday at 8 p.m. ET
- Line: Penn State by 2.5
Big goals: Both are trying to avoid a second league loss, and all that comes with it. Northwestern is also debuting its new stadium, hoping to show the Big Ten that it can produce actual snake-pit qualities at home for the first time in school history.
Modest goals: Transfer quarterbacks Rocco Becht (Penn State) and Aidan Chiles (Northwestern) are trying to further advance their career reboots.
Dash pick: Northwestern 27, Penn State 24. If Chiles can play the way he did in the second half at Indiana last Friday, when everything he did worked, the Nittany Lions are in trouble.
Washington-USC (36)
- Where: Los Angeles
- When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Line: USC by 9.5
Big goals: For both, avoiding a second straight loss that further outrages their already disgruntled fans.
Modest goals: Lincoln Riley could use a good performance from Gary Patterson’s defense. So could Gary Patterson. Jedd Fisch could use a good performance from quarterback Demond Williams Jr. So could Demond Williams Jr.
Dash pick: USC 38, Washington 31. Trojans need it, since they could be underdogs in their next four games.
Cincinnati-Arizona (37)
- Where: Tucson
- When: Saturday at 11 p.m. ET
- Line: Arizona by 7
Big goals: The Bearcats are trying to remain among the ranks of the surprise unbeatens by winning west of Texas for the first time since 2018. The Wildcats are trying to stay in the Big 12 race.
Modest goals: Two coaches more tolerated than loved by their fan bases would like to booth their approval ratings. Big opportunity in Arizona’s ongoing quest to make the nation appreciate quarterback Noah Fifita.
Dash pick: Arizona 31, Cincinnati 30. This feels like a wild shootout waiting to happen and ending at roughly 2:30 a.m. Cincinnati time.
Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week
Jake Dickert (38), Wake Forest
Has anyone not named Curt Cignetti maximized his roster better in the last 13 months than Dickert? He took the Demon Deacons to nine wins last season, including road upsets of Virginia Tech and Virginia, then added another road skin to the wall Saturday with an upset of heavy favorite Louisville. Wake Forest took a quarterback who underwhelmed at North Carolina last year in Gio Lopez and has turned him into a highly capable ACC starter.
Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work
Kyle Whittingham (39), Michigan
Forget, for a moment, the ongoing offensive travails of Whittingham’s Wolverines. The winning touchdown surrendered to Iowa on Saturday was enabled by a questionable defensive alignment. With just one snap left and the ball on the 16-yard line, Michigan lined up conventionally, defending more of the field than it needed to.
At the snap, the Wolverines rush three linemen with a linebacker spying Iowa QB Hank Brown. It seemed highly unlikely that Brown could, or would, attempt to scramble for the end zone after dropping back to the 25, which made the spy useless. The other seven defenders were arrayed with two in tight coverage at the line of scrimmage, two playing eight yards off and two deep safeties at the goal line. The result was a fairly routine pitch-and-catch to a single-covered Iowa receiver—a pinpoint throw and clutch catch were required, but it was hardly an impossible play.
Given time and score, this seemed like an apt time for what Urban Meyer has referred to as a “goal line seven” alignment, arraying everyone but the pass rushers along the goal line in a “picket fence” to defend the width of the goal line and to force a more difficult throw into a more crowded window. There was no threat of anything short of the end zone, so why waste personnel defending it?
Point After
When hungry and thirsty in the football mecca of Bloomington, Ind., The Dash recommends hitting the headquarters of Upland Brewing Co. (40) You can get a Hoosier Gameday Lager if you want to support the home team, but there are better options. Try a pint of Dragonfly IPA and some wings and thank The Dash later.
