Get ready, boys and girls — we have great college football matchups on not one, but two days this week.
No. 5 University of Southern California vs. No. 16 Washington State
USC has lived up to its expectation this year, as it has started out 4-0. The Trojans did have a scare though, as they beat the Texas Longhorns 27-24 in two overtimes just two weeks ago.
Sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold will be key if USC wants to walk away with a victory. Darnold has thrown for 1,225 yards to go along with nine touchdown passes. He will have to be smart though, as Darnold has already thrown seven interceptions on the young season.
Washington State is also 4-0 on the year, and its offense is proving that it is hard to stop. The Cougars are averaging just about 44 points per game so far.
The leader behind the Cougars’ explosive offense is senior quarterback Luke Falk. Falk is completing just shy of 77 percent of his passes this year. He has also proven to find the end zone many times, as he has thrown 14 scores to just one interception.
The Pac-12 matchup will kick off Friday at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
No. 24 Mississippi State vs. No. 13 Auburn
Mississippi State was off to a tremendous start to the year. The team is now 3-1 with a win over No. 12 LSU and a blowout last week at No. 11 Georgia 31-3.
Junior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald will be a factor if the Bulldogs come out with the win. Fitzgerald has thrown for seven touchdowns this year but has done a lot of damage on the ground. He has ran for 287 yards and a team-high five touchdowns.
Auburn is very close to being 4-0 this year, but couldn’t get the job done at then No. 3 Clemson in week two, falling to the Tigers 14-6.
Junior running back Kerryon Johnson has been a beast for the Tiger rushing attack this year. He only has 184 rushing yards this year, but has over half of the team’s rushing touchdowns with six.
The Bulldogs and Tigers can be seen on ESPN Saturday at 5 p.m.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech
The defending national champions are on a roll this year with a 4-0 start. The Tigers have two wins over ranked teams in No. 13 Auburn and at No. 14 Louisville.
As a passer, junior quarterback Kelly Bryant has been so-so, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. As a rusher, Bryant is electric. He is second on the team with 268 yards, but leads the Tigers with seven rushing touchdowns.
Clemson isn’t the only 4-0 team, as the Hokies are also off to a perfect start. Virginia Tech was tested in week one, but came away with a 31-24 win over the University of West Virginia.
Freshman quarterback Josh Jackson has performed about as well as anyone could hope so far this season. Jackson has thrown for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has only thrown one interception and has added 144 yards and a score on the ground.
Clemson and Virginia Tech will kick off Saturday at 7 p.m. on ABC.
