CFB Thread: Gut check Saturday with multiple high-end ranked matchups

There are multiple high-profile games on the docket Saturday featuring some of the best in the nation competing for their respective spots in the hierarchy of conference standings. Some of the classic matchups we’ve seen in recent years are geared up to compete this Saturday.

Twenty-third-ranked Illinois needs to get up off the mat after getting smashed by Indiana a week ago and host No. 21 USC who has yet to be tested to date. The Illini will be down a bunch of secondary players who went down with injury against a Trojans team with skill talent at their disposal. This is the definition of a gut check for Illinois.

The No. 4 ranked team in the land continues to be LSU despite some struggles and painful play as an offensive unit. They’ll travel to No. 13 Ole Miss for a game spread projected within a field goal. Trinidad Chambliss, the Rebels’ backup quarterback, has been tremendous in two games as a Division II transfer. His arm and legs are dangerous, but they’ll be facing a different beast against LSU’s defense.

Primetime introduces us to No. 3 Penn State’s tradition of their “white out” game as they play host to No. 6 Oregon for what’s sure to be an incredible environment in Happy Valley. There will be plenty of talent on the field. Neither one of these teams have been truly tested through multiple weeks.

Georgia and Alabama have been in some classics in recent years whether it be regular or postseason play. The two teams feel a bit different this year as they are both wealthy with offensive skill talent and some warts on the defensive side of the ball. Alabama is 17th ranked after an opening loss against Florida State. Georgia had a narrow win over Tennessee, in which the defense gave up plenty of big plays and yards over the course of the contest. This time, the game happens between the hedges in Athens.

Let’s talk about a few prospect matchups you need to know for Saturday’s action.

Washington RB Jonah Coleman vs. Ohio State LBs Arvell Reese & Sonny Styles

You can make an argument that Ohio State has the two best linebackers in the entire country on their squad with Reese and Styles. Both players were viewed as good prospects entering the year, but Reese has played out of his mind with an incredible season opener against Texas setting the tone for his season. Both he and Styles (a former safety) are set to be very high draft selections in the coming NFL Draft.

Jonah Coleman is one of the more underrated prospects at the running back position in America. He’s likely positioned himself into day two of the NFL Draft and playing well against this second level will certainly go a long way for his stock. He runs with a great track and contact balance rivals any back in college football currently.

Penn State RBs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton vs. Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher

The Nittany Lions have two of the longest tenured running back duos in the country with Kaytron “Fatman” Allen and Nick Singleton. They’ve not had their foot on the pedal much to start the season, but they’ll certainly need one (if not both) of these players to ball out on Saturday night.

Despite being a 13th round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher has continued his football career. Boettcher was a football walk-on, but he’s playing like one of the better linebackers in the country and currently leads the team in tackles. Boettcher is a heck of an athlete and will have a chance to continue elevating his stock as the rare linebacker who is also a baseball prospect. However, to this point, Boettcher seems to be willing to see football through to the end despite his draft status in the MLB.

Jekyll or Hyde for Alabama S Bray Hubbard vs. Georgia pass catchers (WR Zachariah Branch; TE Lawson Luckie; TE Oscar Delp)

One of the more viral and damning clips of Week 1 in Alabama’s shocking loss to Florida State included tackling issues and an apparent lack of effort from Alabama safety Bray Hubbard that included jogging to stop a ball carrier. Hubbard bounced back against Wisconsin with a pair of interceptions and looked fantastic on the back end for the Tide. Which Hubbard are we going to get on Saturday?

Georgia is back on track in the pass-catcher department after missing Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers a year ago. They pack some explosion in USC transfer Zachariah Branch along with a monster tight end room that includes Luckie and Delp as the primary guys who are both draft eligible.

Game of the Week

No. 6 Oregon @ No. 3 Penn State
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
ABC

Both quarterbacks in this matchup are coming into this contest with plenty that needs to be proven, but Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has perhaps the most on the line of any player in terms of draft stock in this game. Moore looked rough as a freshman at UCLA and darted to Oregon after the season to sit behind veteran Dillon Gabriel before taking the reins this year. the Ducks did not go get a quarterback in the portal again and decided to roll with Moore. He’s looked very good through a few games and has a true chance at QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft class if he keeps things going.

TE Kenyon Sadiq is a complete stud and TE1 in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Sadiq has been awesome to start the year and a focal point of Oregon’s passing attack. He might be a top 10 pick come April. True freshman Dakorien Moore is a complete stud. He won’t be draft eligible for a while, but the talent is evident. Noah Whittington has outpaced Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes which has been a bit of a surprise early in the year. Hughes was a high-profile transfer add for the Ducks this past offseason. Hughes has plenty of contact balance. We’ll see if they look to get him going in this one.

Offensive tackle Isaiah World is a very talented player for Oregon. He’s a Nevada transfer still trying to hone in on his talent with fundamentals and technique. It’ll be a good check-in opportunity to see where World is in his development/refinement. Iapani Laloulu is a very good center for the Ducks that consistently moves bodies in the middle. Emmanuel Pregnon is a draftable left guard for the Ducks as well.

Once again, the Nittany Lions are loaded with talent on defense. They are led by edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton on the edge. Zane Durant is a name to know in the middle of the defensive line. Georgia transfer A.J. Harris has been locking up his side of the field this season and safety Zakee Wheatley is a twitched-up athlete with quality ball skills. We will see if other names show themselves for the Nittany Lions after this game is completed.

Another quarterback with plenty at stake in this game is Penn State signal caller Drew Allar who elected to come back to school to elevate his draft stock even further despite a great ending to his 2024 campaign. It’s been an unspectacular start for Allar and the offense, but it’s difficult to tell just how much the team is showing with three easy wins to begin the year. The backs are the heartbeat of the offense and have been for several years. Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena is a potential difference making receiver Penn State has lacked at times in recent years. Left tackle Drew Shelton and left guard Olaivavega Ioane are both talented offensive linemen on the left side for Penn State.

Oregon has a few studs to know on defense. That starts with EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei. The former five-star has continued his ascending play with three sacks in four games of action. The aforementioned Bryce Boettcher is an important COG to the defense as is linebacker sidekick Teitum Tuioti. Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman is a player with a very fast trigger from his safety spot. He’s a willing tackler who will gamble at times, but the highs are very high.

Penn State has had a challenging stigma of not being able to win the big one. Well, this is quite the game to put your name on if you can take down a national title contender on your home turf in a primetime moment.