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NCAA Football News and Notes: Big Conference Matchups

As we enter week 8 of the NCAA football regular season, teams continue to jockey for position as they compete for who will make the final four competing for the national championship. With each of the top seven teams (Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Penn State) all being 6-0, every win is imperative at this point. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the interesting matchups this week.

No. 16 Michigan (5-1) at No. 7 Penn State (6-0)

Thus far, Michigan has been a wave of inconsistency, but it still has the ability to upset the Nittany Lions on the road if they aren’t careful. Shea Patterson leads the way under center and has thrown for 1,246 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. On the ground, the Wolverines rely on Zach Charbonnet, who has rushed for 376 yards and five touchdowns.

For Penn State, Sean Clifford has led the way with 1,560 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. His leading receiver has been KJ Hamler, who has 26 receptions for 455 yards and five touchdowns.

No. 3 Clemson (6-0) at Louisville (4-2)

After having dropped a couple of spots in the rankings since the regular season began, the Clemson Tigers are trying to show that they are deserving of a top spot. Trevor Lawrence has struggled a bit more than he did last year but still has 1,301 yards passing with 11 touchdowns. He does have six interceptions, though, thus far. Travis Etienne has led the way on the ground for the Tigers to the tune of 589 yards and five touchdowns.

For the Cardinals, at 4-2, they are second in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and would love to get a giant upset against Clemson. Malik Cunningham leads them under center and has 820 yards and seven touchdowns to this point.

No. 12 Oregon (5-1) at No. 25 Washington (5-2)

One of the more interesting matchups of the weekend could be between Oregon and Washington. The Ducks are led by Justin Herbert, who has 1,602 yards passing with a whopping 17 touchdowns versus just one interception.

Jacob Eason has had a similarly productive season for Washington throwing for 1,692 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Salvon Ahmed has also had a really nice start for Washington, rushing for 522 yards and six touchdowns.

Oregon Leading Receiver Out For Year

Jacob Breeland, Oregon’s tight end and leading receiver, will be out for the rest of the season, according to Ducks coach Mario Cristobal. Breeland suffered the injury last week in the first quarter when he made a 22-yard catch. While specific details of the injury haven’t been released, he returned to the sideline of the game against Colorado with a brace on his left knee.

This is an unfortunate injury for multiple reasons. First, you never like to see a kid get injured, especially one that could affect his career. It is very possible that Breeland’s NFL draft status could be affected by the injury. Breeland is seen as one of the better tight ends this year, so it will be interesting to see how severe the injury is and how it will affect him in the draft.

Additionally, for a team that has been hit with the injury bug this year, Oregon now loses its leading receiver. This year, the senior tight end has 26 catches for 405 yards and six touchdowns for the Ducks. For Oregon now, it is next man up as they are forced to move on without Breeland on the field.

Big Ten Teams To Open 2021 Overseas

The Aer Lingus series will be hosting the Big Ten in 2021. The Aer Lingus series, which features matchups hosted in Ireland, has already seen Georgia Tech and Boston College square off in 2016 (Georgia Tech won by a field goal). The next game in the series will be in 2020, when Navy and Notre Dame matchup, and now the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Nebraska Cornhuskers will be setting their sites on Dublin in 2021.

This will be the first time that Illinois has played a football game outside of the states and will be the second time for Nebraska (they played in Tokyo back in 1992). Regardless, as the NCAA continues to try to expand interest outside of the United States, it will be an incredible opportunity for the NCAA, the schools, and the athletes to play in Ireland.

Could Meyer Go To West Coast Team?

There are a lot of “what ifs,” but there is growing speculation that Urban Meyer could be a fit at USC if they ultimately let head coach Clay Helton go. Right now, USC is trying to fill its athletic director position, but after starting the season 3-3, there is belief that one of the first acts of the new AD would be to let Helton go.

There has also been speculation that USC should hire Jeremy Foley, the former Florida athletic director. It would not only bring a big and credible name to the athletic director position but may also lead to a reunion between Foley and Meyer, who he hired at Florida in 2004.

Obviously, hiring Foley is not a done deal, and luring Meyer back is a crapshoot, but when you have a program as historic as USC, it is always fun to speculate about what could happen.

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