Well, it's finally here. The biggest game in Autzen Stadium history between the No. 3 Oregon Ducks and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will kick off at 4:30 PM on Saturday after a series of theatrics including ESPN's College Gameday.
While every Duck fan will be waiting in anticipation for Oregon's biggest game of the season, there are still some great games across the Big Ten schedule. Let's take a look at the three games that Oregon fans should have an eye on besides the Ducks and Buckeyes.
1. Iowa (3-2, 1-1) vs. Washington (4-2, 2-1) - 9 AM on Fox
As always, it's important to keep tabs on the Ducks' biggest rivals. The Huskies won their national championship rematch with Michigan last week as the Wolverines once again struggled to move the ball on offense. Washington outgained Michigan by nearly 150 yards — largely thanks to a 315-113 advantage through the air. It was a necessary win for the Huskies, who suffered early-season losses to Washington State and Rutgers, but it may not be as big of a win as beating the No. 10 team in the country would seem. Regardless, Washington will be out to prove this week that its win over Michigan was not a fluke and that it's a team to be taken seriously in the Big Ten. Standing in their way will be the Iowa Hawkeyes, who played a competitive first half against Ohio State last week before being outscored 28-7 after the break. It's a similar story for the Hawkeyes again this year, as their defense ranks 25th in the country in both yards and points allowed per game while their offense ranks outside the top 85 in both categories. Those offensive marks are largely buoyed by the nation's 12th-best rushing offense. They rank 127th among the 134 FBS teams with just 140 passing yards per game. As I mentioned last week, Washington has a strong run defense, and despite allowing 174 yards to the Wolverines, actually held them below their season average of 191.3 yards per game.
2. USC (3-2, 1-2) vs. No. 4 Penn State (5-0, 2-0) - 12:30 PM on CBS
If not for Oregon's clash with Ohio State, this would be the Big Ten game of the week. The Trojans are now unranked after their upset last week at the hands of Minnesota but are still one of the Big Ten's most talented teams — despite what their pair of conference losses may say. USC still has one of the best non-conference wins in the country, its Week 1 victory over No. 13 LSU, and in my opinion, came out of its loss to Michigan looking like the better team. USC has dramatically improved its defense this season under new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. Last year under Alex Grinch, the Trojans ranked 119th and 121st in yards and points allowed per game, respectively, but have seen those jump up to 34th and 28th. That's a dramatic turnaround for what was one of the worst defenses in the country. Penn State has made the climb from their preseason ranking of No. 8 all the way to the No. 4 team in the country, not really because of their own doing, but more due to the losses of teams like Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. The Nittany Lions have played about to the level expected of them, blowing out the likes of Kent State 56-0, but also surviving some close games against Bowling Green and Illinois. They once again have one of the nation's best defenses, ranking among the top 10 teams nationally in points per game, yards per game, and yards per play. Drew Allar — 247Sports' No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 high school class — looks to have taken a leap in his second year as a starter, dramatically increasing his yards per attempt, completion percentage, and big-time throw rate while still protecting the football with only two turnover-worthy plays on the season. The battle between Allar and the Trojans' Miller Moss will be a good one, and it will be interesting to see how Penn State holds up on its first West Coast trip after four consecutive home games. Oregon doesn't play either team this year, but a Trojans win would be massive for the Ducks' Big Ten championship hopes.
3. No. 23 Illinois (4-1, 1-1) vs. Purdue (1-4, 0-2) - 12:30 PM on FS1
I don't actually expect this one to be a good game as Purdue has arguably been the worst Power Four team this year, but with these two teams set to follow Ohio State on Oregon's schedule, this will give Duck fans a chance to preview some future opponents. Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini have been one of the surprise stories in college football this year, with their only loss coming in a 21-7 defeat on the road at Penn State. After this weekend, Illinois is the highest-ranked team left on Oregon's schedule and will be much more of a test for the Ducks than expected before the season. Purdue has been essentially the opposite story, winless except for a week one victory over Indiana State while being outscored 184-44 by FBS opponents. On Monday, The Athletic's Chris Vannini ranked the Boilermakers 103rd in his weekly ranking of the 134 FBS teams, the lowest among Power Four programs. Purdue, although seemingly not a team the Ducks should be worried about, has a recent history of knocking off top-ranked opponents — No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, and No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State in 2021. Illinois will likely win this game handily, but it will give Oregon fans a good opportunity to get a look ahead at the Ducks' next two opponents.
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