{"id":897351,"date":"2026-10-28T09:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T09:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/897351\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T09:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T09:06:26","slug":"forde-yard-dash-this-weekend-could-reshape-the-big-ten-and-big-12-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/897351\/","title":{"rendered":"Forde-Yard Dash: This Weekend Could Reshape the Big Ten and Big 12 Races"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where LaNorris Sellers never skips leg day<\/a>. First Quarter: Does Anyone Want to Be National Champion?<\/a> Second Quarter: Dash Domino Theory, 2026 Version.<\/a> Third Quarter: Feast or Famine for First-Year Coaches.<\/a><\/p>\n

Fourth Quarter: Clarity Is Coming in the Big Ten and Big 12<\/p>\n

This is not an A-list weekend of games, but it will serve a purpose by clearing up the pecking order in a couple of power conferences. In the Big Ten, eight of the 12 teams with two or fewer league losses play each other, which figures to eliminate some from contention for the title game and elevate others. In the Big 12, two games loom large after last weekend\u2019s upheaval. A Dash breakdown:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohio State at USC (40)League standings: Buckeyes are second at 4\u20130, Trojans are seventh at 3\u20132.\u00a0Key overarching question: Who plays quarterback for Ohio State, and how well?\u00a0Line: Ohio State by 7.\u00a0Dash pick: Ohio State 24, USC 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catching the Buckeyes with a new QB<\/a> making his first college start is yet another lucky break for this USC team, which hasn\u2019t been good enough to take advantage of other lucky breaks this season<\/a>. Ohio State figures it out and keeps pushing toward a third straight playoff bid.<\/p>\n

Minnesota at Indiana (41)League standings: Hoosiers are third at 4\u20131, Gophers are tied for fourth at 3\u20131.\u00a0Key overarching question: Can Indiana QB Josh Hoover get his confidence and accuracy back against a capable Minnesota defense?\u00a0Line: Indiana by 19.5.\u00a0Dash pick: Indiana 21, Minnesota 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aside from miserable Rutgers, every Hoosiers Big Ten game has been decided by seven points or fewer\u2014which makes the line on this game very strange. Expect Indiana to run the ball at least 40 times, trying to shift the burden off Hoover. If Minnesota can stop the Hoosiers\u2019 running game, this becomes much more interesting.<\/p>\n

Northwestern at Oregon (42)League standings: Wildcats are tied for fourth at 3\u20131, Ducks are tied for eighth at 2\u20132.\u00a0Key overarching question: Is this a definitive point in declaring one team a massive overachiever and one a massive underachiever?\u00a0Line: Oregon by 3.5.\u00a0Dash pick: Northwestern 27, Oregon 24.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer doesn\u2019t fix everything for Oregon\u2014it certainly doesn\u2019t address a defense that was trucked for 225 rushing yards by Illinois on Saturday. Chip Kelly will run the ball in his old stomping grounds until the Ducks make him do otherwise, and that may take all day.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin at Iowa (43)League standings: Badgers are tied for fourth at 3\u20131, Hawkeyes are tied for eighth at 2\u20132.\u00a0Key overarching question: Can Luke Fickell finally get one over on Kirk Ferentz?\u00a0Line: Iowa by 3.5.\u00a0Dash pick: Iowa 17, Wisconsin 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Badgers\u2019 victory over USC on Saturday featured a grand total of zero scrimmage plays 20 yards or longer, by either team. This could be a similarly low-wattage offensive affair, but the Hawkeyes might have a little more big-play oomph. Fickell is 0\u20133 against Ferentz since coming to Wisconsin, and it hasn\u2019t been pretty\u2014combined margin of defeat is 78 points.<\/p>\n

\"Wisconsin<\/p>\n

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell has a renaissance season but needs to turn around a dismal record against Iowa. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Utah at Cincinnati (44)League standings: Utes are in first place at 4\u20130, Bearcats are tied for seventh at 2\u20132.\u00a0Key overarching question: After blasting Texas Tech from the unbeaten ranks<\/a>, can Bearcat lightning strike twice in successive weeks?\u00a0Line: Utah by 6.5.\u00a0Dash pick: Utah 30, Cincinnati 23.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott Satterfield is a dangerous underdog and his Bearcats were very good against the Red Raiders.\u00a0 But they also benefited from an outbreak of self-sabotage by the visiting team. If the Utes keep it buttoned up, they should prevail.<\/p>\n

Arizona at Texas Tech (45)League standings: Both teams are part of a four-way tie for second at 3\u20131.\u00a0Key overarching question: Was that a blip or the beginning of a slide by Texas Tech last week?\u00a0Line: Texas Tech by 3.\u00a0Dash pick: Arizona 27, Texas Tech 26.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wildcats are a hot team, on a five-game winning streak with the last three victories all coming by 21 or more points. The Red Raiders got their wake-up call last week<\/a>, but they looked shook leaving Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

Two Rivalry Games That Aren\u2019t the SameGeorgia vs. Florida in Atlanta (46)<\/p>\n

Yes, in Atlanta, for the first time in series history. The World\u2019s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been played in six different locations since 1904, if you want to count a disputed game in Macon, Ga., in 1904. The other locales: Athens, Ga., five times; Savannah twice; Gainesville, Fla., twice; Tampa once \u2026 and Jacksonville 92 times. The Dash prefers that historic location, but tradition is increasingly disposable. (Next year\u2019s game will be in Tampa before reverting back to Jax.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake: The Bulldogs are trying to rid themselves of whatever caused them to lose at home to Auburn (most notably errors by quarterback Gunner Stockton). The Gators are trying to maintain the level of performance they displayed in upsetting Texas in Austin. Line: Georgia by 11.5. Dash pick: Georgia 31, Florida 17. Two weeks with Kirby Smart breathing fire at his team should lead to maximum intensity from the Dawgs.<\/p>\n

Clemson at Florida State (47)<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s game could be called the As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap Bowl. After leading a revolt against the ACC, both teams are afterthoughts in the league race for the second straight season. The onetime marquee matchup now pits teams with combined ACC records of 9\u201315 over the past two seasons. (The Seminoles, incredibly, have the worst league mark since the expansion to 17 teams at 4\u201316. That was enough to earn then a theoretical relegation from The Dash two weeks ago.<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake: Almost nothing, other than two coaches trying to rally dwindling public support. Line: Florida State by 6. Dash pick: Florida State 27, Clemson 20. Not enough to convince the Big Ten to extend an invitation.<\/p>\n

Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week\u00a0Bret Bielema (48), Illinois<\/p>\n

He lost starting quarterback Katin Houser to a broken hand during the game against Michigan State on Oct. 10 and has gone undefeated since then behind freshman QB Michael Clayton II. The Illini defeated the Spartans in overtime and then took down Oregon, improving to 4\u20133. It hasn\u2019t been a great season, but Bielema and his team are not folding the tents.<\/p>\n

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work\u00a0Bill Belichick (49), North Carolina<\/p>\n

At 4\u20132 and with just one league loss, the Tar Heels were hosting last-place Syracuse with a chance to improve positioning in the ACC race Saturday. They took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. Then they collapsed defensively, giving up 175 yards and two touchdowns as the game went into overtime. The Orange had the ball second, scored and smartly went for two and the win. After a few baby steps forward this season, a big step back for Carolina in Belichick\u2019s second season.<\/p>\n

Point After\u00a0<\/p>\n

When hungry and thirsty in Greater Cincinnati, The Dash recommends the reliable Smoke Justis (50) across the river in Covington, Ky. Get the wings and a pint of Cincinnati-brewed Rhinegeist Truth and thank The Dash later.<\/p>\n

PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated\u2019s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s college YouTube channel<\/a> or on SI TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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