Look, what’s a couple of thousand miles between friends?
That’s only four times longer by car than it takes to drive from Evanston to the forests and mountains of central Pennsylvania, where Penn State can be found. It’s only two and a half times the distance between Evanston and Piscataway, N.J., home to Rutgers.
A hop, skip and a jump, really.
But enough about the absurd, out-of-control expansion of the Big Ten’s so-called “footprint.” Northwestern (+10½) at Washington (6 p.m., FS1, 720-AM) is, at least in theory, just another college football game — and a chance for one of these 2-1 teams to put its footprints all over the other.
Wildcats coach David Braun was concerned about the length of travel to Seattle, with good reason. First-year Huskies coach Jedd Fisch rightly extolled the virtues of playing this game at Husky Stadium in Seattle, a prime college venue for its gorgeous views of Lake Washington, sure, but also the decibel levels that can blow an opponent’s hair back. It’s a level of noise that could really mess with an inexperienced quarterback such as the Wildcats’ Jack Lausch, who will make his second start.
What’s most important, though, is whether or not Braun’s team can win at the line of scrimmage against an almost completely remade Huskies squad. Forget about last season, when Washington made it to the national championship game. Everyone who was anyone for those Huskies has skedaddled, which largely explains why these Huskies are coming off a 24-19 upset loss at home against Washington State.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩. pic.twitter.com/3iAiWOA57N
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 15, 2024
Last week, the Huskies couldn’t score touchdowns in the red zone and were stopped cold on the game’s final play, an option pitch from the 1-yard line. They’ll dink and dunk like crazy — quarterback Will Rogers is connecting with wideout Giles Jackson eight times per game — but if they’re soft up front, the visitors from far, far away will stay in it.
“The environment is something that we need to prepare for and will prepare for,” Braun said, “but it can’t be an excuse or an explanation for us to not execute at a high level.”
Braun called Washington’s passing game a “scary operation,” but his defense will hold up well enough. It’s his offense I’m worried about. ’Cats fall 26-14.
OTHER WEEK 4 PICKS
All games are Saturday.
Buffalo (+13½) at No. 23 Northern Illinois (2:30 p.m., ESPN+): NIU has all the pub after winning at Notre Dame, but the MAC is strong this year. Bowling Green, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Ohio — the list of tough teams capable of winning the league is long. Then again, it probably doesn’t include Buffalo. Huskies coach Thomas Hammock says his players weren’t surprised they beat the Irish, but who’s buying that? Good thing a bye week aided them in refocusing. Huskies, 34-17.
No. 11 USC (-5½) at No. 18 Michigan (2:30 p.m., CBS 2). The Wolverines are hanging by a thread to the possibility of defending their national title. Defensively, they were lost in a 31-12 Week 2 loss to Texas. Offensively, it has been even more dire than that. USC isn’t Texas, but Caleb Williams’ former team opened eyes in its opening win against LSU, had an extra week to prepare for this one and has a big edge at QB with Miller Moss. Trojans, 24-17.
No. 12 Utah (+2½) at No. 14 Oklahoma State (3 p.m., FOX 32): The Utes expect QB Cam Rising to play, and having him out there could make all the difference. As first-ever Big 12 assignments go, though, this one is pretty rough. Who’s ready for overtime? Come on, you know you are. Cowboys kick a winner.
No. 6 Tennessee (-6½) at No. 15 Oklahoma (6:30 p.m., ABC 7): Tennessee coach Josh Heupel won a national title as a QB at Oklahoma and long dreamed of being head coach at his alma mater. He made it as far as offensive coordinator before then-boss Bob Stoops fired him. Payback? Vols, 38-24.
My favorite favorite: Iowa (-2½) at Minnesota (6:30 p.m., NBC 5): Iowa has won four straight Floyd of Rosedale games in Minneapolis and took home the trophy eight years in a row before losing last year’s game 12-10. A tip of the helmet to the Gophers for winning that mess of a game, which really was fit for a pig, but let’s be honest — though these programs do things a lot alike, the Hawkeyes usually do them a bit better. Hawks emerge from the muck 19-10 victors.
My favorite underdog: Miami (Ohio) (+28) at No. 17 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., NBC 5, 780-AM): The Redhawks are 0-2, with losses to Northwestern and Cincinnati, but their defense doesn’t give up much and their quarterback, Brett Gabbert, has been through a million rodeos. As for the Irish, outclass an SEC team (Texas A&M) on the road, lose to a MAC foe (Northern Illinois) at home, obliterate a Big Ten team (Purdue) on the road … lose to another MAC foe at home? No, no, but this spread is too big.
Last week: 7-0 straight-up, 3-4 against the spread.
Season: 13-7, 9-11.