No. 17 Boise State at UNLV – Noah @ru1z2026
Friday, Oct. 25 — Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, Nevada
9:30 p.m. on CBS
Commanding arguably the best running back campaign since Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman season, junior running back Ashton Jeanty has been an unstoppable force on the ground with 17 rushing scores and 1,248 rushing yards. Jeanty’s Michael Myers-esque stance in the backfield has opponents full of Halloween fright from his ability to slash through defenses — a 9.9 yards per carry average is as scary good as you can get.
UNLV can only hope to contain a superstar in Jeanty, and perhaps senior tackle-leading linebacker Jackson Woodard will aid in stuffing the run. If he is unable to step up to the task, the Rebels have talent in the backfield in senior defensive backs Johnathan Baldwin and Jalon Catalon, who combine for six interceptions on the season and possess elite run-stopping capability if the run game breaks into the next level.
Both teams sit atop the Mountain West Conference, having only one loss each. No Boise State challenger thus far has shown any real ability to stop leading FBS rusher Jeanty — if he finds his groove yet again — certain doom may be on the horizon for the Rebels and their hold on the MWC lead. Time to see if the Bronco RB is able to sit out his third second half of the season.
Prediction: Boise State 35, UNLV 14
No. 12 Notre Dame vs No. 24 Navy- Ian @Texiancurtis
Saturday, Oct. 26 — MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, New Jersey
11:00 a.m. on ABC
A hundred years and just over one week after Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen first rode against that blue, gray October sky against Army at the Polo Grounds in New York City, the No. 12 Fighting Irish are back in the Big Apple facing another top-tier service academy in No. 24 Navy.
This edition of the annual showdown makes the move to MetLife Stadium in what happens to be the best year for service academy football since World War II with both Army and Navy being undefeated and ranked in the AP Top 25.
The biggest reason the Midshipmen find themselves undefeated and in the hunt for an American Athletic Conference championship is junior quarterback Blake Horvath. Navy’s signal-caller has run the triple option offense to perfection, ranking third in the AAC in rushing yards and touchdowns — while adding a surprisingly high 888 passing yards to go along with the ground game that has the Midshipmen at fourth in the nation in rushing offense.
But Navy’s toughest test yet comes against the vaunted Notre Dame defense, a unit that ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense and tenth in the nation in total defense. The original Four Horsemen of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden may be long gone, but famine, pestilence, destruction and death will ride again — this time, it’ll be on defense.
Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Navy 13
No. 20 Illinois at No.1 Oregon – Roman Arteaga @itsRoman_20
Saturday, Oct. 26 — Autzen Stadium — Eugene, Oregon
2:30 p.m. central on CBS
In the pair’s last meeting dating back 29 years ago, Oregon took the win over Illinois in a tight battle, 34-31.
Both teams are led by their upperclassmen quarterbacks as Oregon is led by senior Dillon Gabriel and Illinois is led by junior Luke Altmyer.
Oregon is coming off a 35-0 shutout win against Purdue. After this game, they earned the No. 1 ranking in the country. In the win over the Boilermakers, Gabriel threw for 290 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Junior wide receiver and former A&M player Evan Stewart added 96 yards on just four receptions to help lead Oregon to a stomping victory over Purdue.
Illinois is coming off a convincing 21-7 victory over Michigan. Most of their offense in the game was on the ground as sophomore RB Aidan Laughery, junior RB Josh McCray and Altmyer combined for 36 carries and 152 yards. Altmyer also added 80 passing yards and a touchdown to help lead Illinois to the victory.
As the new No. 1 team in the nation, Autzen Stadium will host a hostile environment for Illinois and both teams will be sure to bring firepower on offense and defense.
All in all, I am taking the Oregon Ducks in this one.
Prediction: Oregon 28, Illinois 17
Florida State at No. 6 Miami- Shalina @shalina__s
Saturday, Oct. 26— Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida
6 p.m. on ESPN
The 2024 Florida State Seminoles are a shell of their former selves. Freshman QB Brock Glenn —once the face of FSU’s resurgence — has been under constant pressure, making mistakes and missing open opportunities. Even with the help of freshman QB Luke Kromenhoek, Both QBs lost against the Duke Blue Devils last week and Florida has not performed to the program’s standards.
The Seminoles are averaging less than 16 points a game and less than 70 yards on the ground. The offensive line failed to protect Kromenhoek, leading to a breakdown in both the passing and rushing attacks. During the game against Duke, the Blue Devils defense sacked the Florida State QBs six times.
The Miami Hurricanes, on the other hand, come into this matchup with renewed energy. Offensively, senior QB Cam Ward has found his stride, particularly in the passing game. Florida State’s defense — which has been gashed by explosive plays this season — will have its hands full containing the Hurricanes’ dynamic receiving corps.
As much as Florida State fans would love to see their team bounce back and pull off a rivalry win, it’s hard to imagine this FSU squad finding a way to overcome their issues in time for Saturday’s matchup. Miami’s defense will likely control the game from the start, creating turnovers and giving their offense plenty of chances to capitalize. Ward and the Hurricanes’ offense should have no problem moving the ball, especially if FSU’s defensive struggles continue.
With Miami playing more consistently on both sides of the ball and Florida State floundering in all phases of the game, the Hurricanes should come out on top in this year’s rivalry matchup.
Prediction: Miami 31, Florida State 14
