HOUSTON – As the 2024 college football season enters its stretch run, the coming weekend features 18 games featuring coaches recently named to the American Heart Association Paul “Bear” Bryant Watch List. Of those 18 games, four feature games in which both teams are coached by watch list selections.
Clemson, Iowa State, Arizona State, Army, Tennessee, and Georgia are idle this week.
Last Week’s Results (WATCH LIST TEAMS IN BOLD)
No. 2 Oregon 35, Purdue 0
No. 13 BYU 38, Oklahoma State 35
No. 5 Georgia 30, No. 1 Texas 15
No. 6 Miami 52, Louisville 45
No. 11 Tennessee 24, No. 7 Alabama 17
No. 8 LSU 34, Arkansas 10
No. 9 Iowa State 38, UCF 35
No. 10 Clemson 48, Virginia 31
No. 12 Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13
No. 14 Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 24
No. 16 Indiana 56, Nebraska 7
No. 17 Kansas State 45, West Virginia 18
No. 21 SMU 40, Stanford 10
No. 22 Illinois 21, Michigan 7
No. 23 Army 45, East Carolina 28
No. 25 Navy 51, Charlotte 17
Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14
Baylor 59, Texas Tech 35
Vanderbilt 24, Ball State 14
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
Liberty (5-0, 3-0 CUSA) at Kennesaw State (2-4, 1-2 CUSA) [CBSSN]
Coach Jamey Chadwell has led the Flames to a 5-0 mark to start the 2024 campaign. Liberty was idle last week but won an overtime thriller 31-24 over FIU in its last contest. In Wednesday’s midweek contest, Liberty hits the road for a date with Kennesaw State putting its 17-game winning streak in regular-season games on the line. That streak is the longest active streak in FBS, and Chadwell – 18-1 in his second season at Liberty – saw his lone loss at the helm of the Flames program come to No. 8 Oregon in last season’s Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24
Syracuse (5-1, 2-1 ACC) at No. 19 Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0 ACC) [ESPN]
For the first time since Dan Marino’s senior season in Pittsburgh, the Panthers are 6-0 to start the season. Head coach Pat Narduzzi’s squad looks to move to 7-0 in a primetime matchup against an up-and-coming Syracuse team whose lone loss was a two-point setback to Stanford. After sitting idle last week, redshirt freshman Eli Holstein will lead the high-powered Panthers offense into action averaging 327.7 yards per game in total offense – ranking sixth nationally – and 283.3 yards per game passing, ranking 13th nationally. The Panthers’ 40.8 points per game clip is the highest for the program since 2021, when Pitt averaged a school-record 41.4 points en route to capturing an ACC crown. Pitt holds an all-time 43-33-3 advantage in the series with Syracuse.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25
No. 17 Boise State (5-1, 2-0 MW) at UNLV (6-1, 2-0 MW) [CBSSN]
Head coach Spencer Danielson has the Broncos 5-1 in his first full season at the helm of the Boise State program, and the Broncos’ Ashton Jeanty has continued to fuel the nightmares of opposing defenses. Jeanty has carried the ball 126 times for 1,245 yards and 17 touchdowns – averaging 207 yards and 2.8 touchdowns per game. His eye-popping statistics for the season aside – averaging nearly ten yards a carry and scoring a touchdown on nearly 14 percent of his touches – signal caller Maddux Madsen ranks 29th nationally in pass efficiency at 152.8, completing 102 of 160 passes for 1,273 yards and 12 scores against just two interceptions. The Broncos have a 9-3 all-time advantage in the series, and bring a seven-game win streak into Saturday’s tilt in Las Vegas.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26
Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) at No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) [FOX]
Ohio State is coming off its second bye weekend of the season and looks to rebound from its one-point loss at then-No. 2 Oregon on Oct. 12. Saturday’s meeting is the 62nd all-time meeting between the two tradition-rich programs, with the Buckeyes capturing seven consecutive wins. Head coach Ryan Day is 3-0 all-time against Nebraska and 61-9 in his seventh season at Ohio State. The coaches in this matchup are no strangers to one another – Day and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule coached together on the 2006 Temple Owls staff with Day coaching wideouts and Rhule coaching the defensive line – that familiarity will be tested Saturday as the high-octane Buckeyes offense have put up 400 yards of total offense on 59 separate occasions during Day’s tenure – including 36 with 500 or more yards.
No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) at No. 24 Navy (6-0) [ABC/ESPN+]
Dueling win streaks will go on the line this weekend as head coach Marcus Freeman has led Notre Dame to five consecutive wins, and Brian Newberry has Navy off to a 6-0 start this season. Saturday marks the 97th meeting in the all-time series between the two schools – a series that has been played every season from 1927 to 2019 until the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted what was the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football. The Fighting Irish hold an all-time 82-13-1 advantage in the series and have won six consecutive, with Navy’s last win coming in 2016. The Fighting Irish held a 43-game win streak between 1963 and 2006, the longest win streak between two annual opponents in college history. Saturday’s matchup marks the first time since 2019 that both teams enter the game ranked in the AP Top 25.
Washington (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at No. 13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) [BTN]
The Hoosiers and head coach Curt Cignetti play host to last year’s national runner-up, the Washington Huskies. The first coach in program history to start his Indiana career at 7-0, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to just the 7-0 start in program history – with the last time coming in 1967. Saturday’s game is the fourth in the all-time series, with Indiana holding a 2-1 advantage – and a 2-0 advantage in Bloomington. Cignetti boasts the fourth-highest winning percentage among active FBS coaches at .839, on the strength of a 126-35 record.
No. 20 Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 1 Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) [CBS/Paramount+]
Oregon moves into the No. 1 position entering this weekend’s pivotal matchup in Eugene. Coach Dan Lanning seeks to lead Oregon to its third ranked win of the season, while also moving the Ducks to 8-0 for the first time since 2013. The Ducks hold a 2-1 series advantage, with Illinois’ lone win coming in 1970 in the two programs’ first meeting. Meanwhile, coach Bret Bielema has his Illinois squad at 6-1 with three top-25 wins for the third time in program history and the first time since 1990. Illinois and Tennessee are the only teams in the nation with three AP Top 25 wins this season.
No. 11 BYU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) at UCF (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) [ESPN]
The Cougars are 7-0 under head coach Kalani Sitake for the second time, and the fifth time in program history. With a win, BYU will move to 8-0 for just the fourth time in program history. Saturday’s meeting, the fourth all-time between the two schools, is the first meeting between the two programs as members of the Big 12 Conference. BYU is now bowl eligible for the seventh time under Sitake, and for the 18th time in 20 years.
No. 21 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 15 Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) [ABC/ESPN+]
The Crimson Tide and Missouri will meet for just the eighth time when the two teams lock up this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Alabama holds a 5-2 series advantage, with the Crimson Tide winning five straight. Kalen DeBoer is facing off against Mizzou for the first time in his coaching career, while Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz is 0-1 against Alabama. Alabama has dropped two of its last three, but DeBoer has a career 13-3 mark against ranked opposition. His 13 wins against ranked teams are the second most by an FBS coach since 2021.
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) at TCU (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) [FOX]
The Red Raiders return to action after a 59-35 setback at home to Baylor. Coach Joey McGuire looks to capture the Saddle Trophy for the second straight year in the 67th all-time meeting between the two programs. Texas Tech holds a 33-30-3 advantage in the series, which dates back to the 1970 season. Running back Tahj Brooks is just 144 yards shy of eclipsing the 4,000 yard mark for his career and is 363 yards shy of Byran Hanspard’s all-time school record.
No. 5 Texas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1 SEC) [SEC Network]
Coach Steve Sarkisian leads his fifth-ranked Longhorns into a matchup with Clark Lea and the 25th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday in a game where the Longhorns look to bounce back after a tough 30-15 loss at the hands of Georgia last weekend. The game is the 13th all-time meeting between the programs but the first since the 1928 season, with Vanderbilt holding an all-time 8-3-1 advantage in the series. The Commodores are 4-1 this year in games against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes, with Vandy’s lone loss coming in double overtime at Missouri. Vanderbilt’s No. 25 ranking marks the first time since the conclusion of the 2013 season that the Commodores have been ranked.
Louisiana-Monroe (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) [ESPN+]
Coach Bryant Vincent and the ULM Warhawks put their undefeated Sun Belt Conference mark on the line against the South Alabama Jaguars this Saturday in Mobile. Vincent has engineered one of the most exciting turnarounds in college football this season, leading the Warhawks to a 5-1 mark. ULM was idle last week, and its lone loss of the season came at the hands of then-top-ranked Texas in the third game of the season. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 5-5, with USA winning two straight. With a win, ULM will clinch bowl eligibility for the first time in six seasons and move to 6-1 for the first time since 1983.
Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC) at No. 6 Miami (7-0, 3-0 ACC) [ESPN]
Third year head coach Mario Cristobal leads his undefeated Hurricanes into an ACC matchup with longtime rival Florida State, coached by 2023 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Mike Norvell. Saturday’s meeting is the 69th meeting all-time between the two programs in a series dating back to the 1951 season. While Miami holds a 35-33 advantage in the series, Florida State has had the upper hand in recent years, winning 10 of the last 14 including each of the last three. The two teams’ fortunes have been wildly different this season, as the Seminoles have been unable to recreate last year’s results; Miami, however, has matched last year’s win total and is one of ten remaining undefeated FBS teams.
No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) [NBC/Peacock]
Coach James Franklin and his third-ranked Nittany Lions head to Madison for a matchup against a Wisconsin team that is receiving votes in national polling this week. Penn State and Wisconsin square off for the 21st time in program history, with the Nittany Lions holding an 11-9 all-time advantage in the series with five consecutive wins. Penn State is off to a 6-0 start for the second straight season and is currently the lone FBS program with 6-0 starts in each of the last two seasons (Liberty can move to 6-0 with a win on Wednesday).
No. 8 LSU (6-1, 3-0 SEC) at No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0 SEC) [ABC/ESPN+]
The two remaining teams undefeated in SEC play collide as Brian Kelly leads LSU into College Station for a matchup against Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies. LSU is coming off a 34-10 win over Arkansas, while Texas A&M earned a 34-24 win over Mississippi State last week. LSU holds a 36-23-3 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1899. The home team has won the last seven meetings, with Texas A&M winning three straight at Kyle Field.
Kansas (2-5, 1-3 Big 12) at No. 16 Kansas State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) [ESPN2]
Coming off a big 45-18 win at West Virginia, coach Chris Klieman leads his Wildcats into this weekend’s Dillons Sunflower Showdown against in-state rival Kansas. While KU holds a 64-52-5 advantage in the all-time series, Kansas State has won 15 consecutive meetings dating back to the 2009 season – the longest streak in the history of the series – and 28 of the last 33 dating back to 1991. This year marks the 114th consecutive year of the Sunflower Showdown dating back to 1911, making it the third-longest uninterrupted series in FBS history. K-State has been dominant of late in the series, with an average margin of victory of just under 25 points over the last 15 years, hitting the 45-point mark in seven of those games. K-State has won each of the last seven meetings in Manhattan and 15 of the last 16.
No. 22 SMU (6-1, 3-0 ACC) at Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) [ACC Network]
SMU goes for its ninth consecutive road win this Saturday, as coach Rhett Lashlee leads his Mustangs into Durham. SMU’s road win streak is tied for the longest active streak in all of FBS. The game marks just the third meeting in the all-time series, and the first since 1956, with Duke winning the prior two meetings. This season, the Mustangs’ defense has been stifling – gaining 17 turnovers (tied for third nationally) and scoring four defensive touchdowns. SMU’s offensive fortunes have been bolstered by kicker Collin Rogers, whose big leg has created a field position advantage for SMU. His 14 field goals this year are tied for sixth nationally, and his six field goals of 50 yards or more lead the nation. SMU’s continued success gives it bragging rights over its Texas brethren in FBS – the Mustangs’ 49 wins in the last six years are the most of any Texas FBS team.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
- TOUGH STRETCH FOR THE ILLINI – Illinois’ tilt with Oregon is another tough matchup for the Fighting Illini, who will play five ranked opponents in a seven-game stretch. Those five ranked opponents tie the program record for most ranked opponents played during a regular season – the last time coming in 1995.
- DOUBLE FIGURES – Three tams with coaches on the watch list this year – Army, Indiana, and Navy – have won every game this season by double figures.
- RED ZONE PERFECTION – Navy is a perfect 23-of-23 in the red zone this year with 22 of those scores resulting in touchdowns. The first 20 red zone trips for the Midshipmen resulted in touchdowns. In all, five teams in FBS are perfect in the red zone attempts, and unsurprisingly, three are coached by watch list coaches – Ohio State is a perfect 26-of-26 in their six games with 24 touchdowns and two field goals; while Louisiana Monroe is 14 of 14, with eight touchdowns and six field goals.
- WHEN WINNING ISN’T A NEW THING – Seven of the top ten active FBS head coaches by winning percentage are members of the Bear Bryant Watch List. (1. Ryan Day, .866; 2. Dan Lanning, .853; 3. Kirby Smart, .851; Curt Cignetti, .839; T5. Dabo Swinney, .800; T5. Spencer Danielson, .800; 8. Kalen DeBoer, .789)
- SEC SUPREMACY – While both LSU and Texas A&M are undefeated in SEC play, the two teams share only one common league opponent – the Arkansas Razorbacks. LSU downed Arkansas 34-10 in Fayetteville last week, while Texas A&M topped Arkansas 21-17 at the Southwest Classic in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 28.
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