College Football

Ohio State vs. Penn State kicks off a Big Ten cage match that includes Michigan

Updated Oct. 16, 2023 10:02 a.m. ET

The college football season ebbs and flows in terms of the flavor of the moment.

One week, it's the Pac-12's moment in the spotlight — as it was during Week 7 thanks to a thrilling Washington victory over Oregon, continued questions about USC, and an impressive win over UCLA by Oregon State.

Other times, like during Week 1, it's the ACC that gets everybody discussing big non-conference wins like Florida State's over LSU. Attention was just on the Big 12 after an exhilarating Red River contrasted sharply with some disappointing outings from the middle of the pack in the middle of the country. Sometimes those pesky independents have all the eyeballs on them, both good (Notre Dame trouncing the Trojans) and bad (being unable to count to 11 at the goal line).

Now, however, it's time for the Big Ten's time in the sun.

Sure, there have already been some notable highlights of the first seven weeks in the Midwest, but all those special moments (and some not so special) have merely been an appetizer for the main course: it's time for the heavyweight Big Ten East round-robin to commence between the three top 10 teams in the division.

First up on Big Noon Saturday this weekend is a particularly intriguing meeting of Penn State and Ohio State in Columbus (coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Both teams are ranked in the top seven of the polls, and yet there remain real questions about just what each side's ceiling really is. Even Buckeyes fans — the rational ones at least — don't believe this to be the third-best team in the country right now, with issues along the offensive line, a still unproven quarterback, and a host of injuries to key skill-position players.

Likewise, the soft opening schedule has obscured just what the Nittany Lions are capable of. The shutout of Iowa was more notable for scoring 31 on the Hawkeyes defense, but otherwise it's been empty calories in State College — including a bye and a romp over UMass in the past two weeks. Drew Allar has looked good in spurts, yet hasn't needed to be relied upon in a big road game yet, and the defense occasionally will take a series and sleepwalk for a few plays before standing up in the red zone.

The Horseshoe offers the opportunity to change the narrative, not just around coach James Franklin, but about the entire program as well. This has been widely billed as the best roster PSU has had in the past decade (or more) and those lofty standards will mean far less if it doesn't result in actual hardware being attainable at the end of the year. The conference itself and the sport at large are about to undergo radical transformation come 2024, so that feeling of now or never feels more amped up than ever for the visitors in this one.

After madness in Week 7, RJ Young reacts to the AP Top 25

There's equal pressure on Ryan Day's team as well, but in a far different fashion, as the typically sky-high expectations around town are trying to mesh with a work in progress on the field. The defense has been stellar in limiting big plays, and it gives the Big Ten East the top three scoring defenses in FBS — Michigan at 6.71 points per game, Penn State at 8.0 PPG, Ohio State at 9.67 PPG. The front seven, led by linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, has been as feisty as it is sound, while the backend looks stocked with top-100 draft picks.

The question is if the past few weeks of notable improvement on offense for the scarlet and gray can be enough in a matchup like this. Figuring out how to block a Penn State defensive front that is averaging 4.5 sacks (best in the country) per game — and has contributed to the second-best turnover margin — will be top of mind for OSU coaches as much as it will be about finding ways to get Marvin Harrison Jr. open or what the tailback rotation will be.

Though it feels a bit of an oxymoron to say it, the game is neither a death knell for the loser's title hopes nor a clear pathway to Indianapolis for the winner. That's simply the nature of the division at the moment, with second-ranked Michigan looming large for both Penn State (in Happy Valley on Nov. 11) and Ohio State (The Game providing a fitting conclusion to the regular season in the Big House).

The Wolverines looked fantastic for three quarters against Indiana and lead the country in scoring defense, are fourth in third-down conversions allowed, and have a top-10 scoring offense to go with it. Blake Corum looks completely healthy and in the form he showcased a year ago, while his quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, should probably be garnering more Heisman Trophy buzz as the second-most-efficient passer in FBS.

It's not just that Jim Harbaugh's crew looks improved (against an admittedly weak slate), but that there is a real chance that the bubbling discussion about this being the best team in the country will be proved true over the coming weeks. With all due respect to the upcoming trips to East Lansing and College Park (and a home game against Purdue), the folks in Ann Arbor understand completely that success or failure this season will be judged by those two weekends in November.

Both will be heavyweight battles that highlight the closing final six weeks of Big Noon Saturday games. Both will be what amount to be Playoff quarterfinals.

So yes, the Big Ten — and specifically the Big Ten East — is about to take center stage as college football hits the midway mark.

HOW TO WATCH ‘BIG NOON KICKOFF' THIS SATURDAY

First and 10

1. How wild was this past weekend in college football?

— On Tuesday, we had Coastal Carolina netting its first-ever win over Appalachian State as time expired.

— On Wednesday, UTEP celebrated an upset at FIU by partying in front of the Panthers' Lamborghini they brought onto the field.

— West Virginia thought it had won at Houston late before the Cougars pulled off a miraculous Hail Mary to help save Dana Holgorsen's job against his old team.

— On Friday, Tulane pulled away against Memphis in the second half, followed by Fresno State scoring late to beat Utah State and, of course, Stanford's incredible double-OT comeback against Colorado.

— A wild Saturday that featured one of the best games of the year on Montlake concluded by having Colorado State storm back from 20 down in the final six minutes to beat Boise State for the first time ever on a Hail Mary touchdown as time expired, plus a 31-year-old English kicker making a long-distance extra point.

Perfect, no notes, Week 7.

2. There will be a lot of discussion about Dan Lanning's aggressiveness during Oregon's loss to Washington, but the only really questionable decision he made was the one before halftime when he bypassed the short field goal in an attempt to score a touchdown on fourth down. That was the one that didn't make sense at the moment and proved costly down the road in what was ultimately a three-point loss.

3. In the past two decades, USC fans have suffered through seven years of Clay Helton, an ill-advised hiring and firing of Steve Sarkisian, plus the infamous tarmac exit of Lane Kiffin to kick off the post-Pete Carroll days in earnest.

Can USC still make CFP after being dominated by Notre Dame?

Yet, after just 21 games across two seasons and a 17-4 overall record, it feels like the Trojans are as frustrated as ever with head coach Lincoln Riley. Part of that is expectations, part of that is stubbornness on their head coach's behalf, but mostly it's about a roster severely underperforming and a generational quarterback getting too tired to keep carrying them every single series.

On the flip side of that game in South Bend, few head coaches needed a convincing victory more than Marcus Freeman did.

4. After Michigan's predictable destruction of Indiana on Big Noon Saturday, tight end Colston Loveland told FOX Sports' Michael Cohen, "We want to be the bully." The Wolverines are that and then some, with a defense that sure looks like the best in the country right now.

5. The ACC appears to be on a collision course for Florida State vs. North Carolina in the conference championship game but … it might be time to talk about the Heels as a true CFP contender, too. The defense has improved, and the Heels got a gamebreaker in Tez Walker back on offense. Drake Maye looks even better than a year ago, too.

6. Matt Campbell's coaching performance at Iowa State might go under the radar, but it's been one of his best yet in Ames after his Cyclones beat Cincinnati 30-10 to move to 4-3. After losing so much to the NFL Draft, followed by a wild offseason that impacted the roster on the eve of fall camp, it's impressive to see them playing much improved and potentially in line to make a bowl.

7. It's been a rough welcome for the Big 12 newcomers, which are 2-10 in league play with one of the wins coming against the other, and many of the losses being lopsided in nature.

8. Beyond division favorites Alabama and Georgia, the SEC is a host of flawed teams and a bunch of meh. Any discussion about potentially getting two teams into the CFP needs to be dismissed with prejudice.

9. How incredible is this Iowa side that has taken control of the Big Ten West after beating Wisconsin? Well, Missouri's punter has as many touchdown passes to a receiver as the Hawkeyes have in their past 19 quarters. Kirk Ferentz's team has had five games since 2017 in which the over/under was set at 35 points or fewer — the most in FBS — and are 5-0 in such games.

Iowa vs. Wisconsin highlights

10. The Group of Five favorite is … ? It sure looks like the Selection Committee will be picking among Tulane (should they win the AAC), Air Force or Fresno State (as potential MWC champs) at the moment.

Saturday Superlatives

Best Player: Elic Ayomanor, Stanford

Team of the Week: Colorado State

Coach of the Week: Troy Taylor

Hot Seat of the Week: Dan Lanning

Heisman Five: 1. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), 2. Drake Maye (UNC), 3. Caleb Williams (USC) 4. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), 5. J.J. McCarthy (Michigan)

Tweet of the Week

Play of the Week

Super 16

My ballot going into Week 8 in the FWAA/NFF Super 16 Poll:

Washington
Michigan
Florida State
Georgia
Penn State
Oklahoma
Texas
Oregon
North Carolina
Alabama
Oregon State
Ohio State
Duke
Ole Miss
Tulane
Missouri

Just missed the cut: USC

Best of the rest: Utah, Tennessee, LSU, Notre Dame, Air Force, Iowa, James Madison, Fresno State

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Pre-Snap Reads

Penn State at Ohio State (Saturday, Noon ET on FOX)

Is this Drew Allar's (and James Franklin's) time to shine? Or will it be more about the Buckeyes continuing to show how tough they are? It feels like the lower-ranked side is the better team coming in, but that may not matter in this Big Ten battle. Penn State +6

Texas at Houston (4 p.m. ET on FOX)

Dana Holgorsen may have saved his job with that Hail Mary win over West Virginia, but he can really cool his hot seat by delivering a win against the in-state rival. The Cougars won't get it in the end but could be feisty for a half. Houston +20

Duke at Florida State (7:30 p.m. ET)

Will Riley Leonard return for this one? That's a big question mark for the Blue Devils, who probably don't have the athletes to hang with the Noles for four quarters but should still be a little pesky. FSU -13

Utah at USC (8 p.m. ET on FOX)

It's hard for Kyle Whittingham to draw upon a more perfect blueprint than the one Notre Dame just gave him, which involved plenty of the bullying that the Utes did to the Trojans last season. However, when Utah has to go on the road with a backup QB, a quarterback for a running back, and a safety at tailback, something says the cardinal and gold are in for a bounceback. USC -4

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.