As Colorado gamers shuffled to their buses outdoor Autzen Stadium nearest a dispiriting 42-6 loss to Oregon on Saturday, they carried standard-issue workforce backpacks with some instead explicit branding. The phrases, proper subsequent to the college brand, learn: “I believe.”

HOW TO WATCH ‘BIG NOON KICKOFF’ THIS SATURDAY

• 10 a.m.-Midday ET: “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame display on FOX
• Midday ET: USC at Colorado on FOX and the FOX Sports activities app

It’s the similar mantra that used to be shouted at journalists nearest Colorado’s season-opening disappointed win at TCU. It has additionally come to constitute the entire Deion Sanders Colorado experiment in a single singular query.

Do you imagine?

For aimless lovers who had been drawn in through the fame of Professor High, it’s an inquiry that now brings extra skepticism. How may it no longer nearest Saturday?

“People around the country will say, ‘This is what they needed to humble themselves,'” Sanders mentioned nearest his worst loss as a faculty tutor. “We wasn’t arrogant or whatever. We’re confident people. If our confidence offends your insecurity, that’s a problem with you, it’s not us. We expect to do well. We expect to play well. We expect to win every game.”

The backpack lettering isn’t just a few easy advertising, it’s an angle that Sanders has persistently preached from the very starting. It has seeped into the entirety the Buffs do and is now one thing he’s going to reemphasize forward of his greatest problem — and alternative — as a head tutor, with Percent-12 favourite USC and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams coming to the city for a seismic “Big Noon Kickoff” showdown. 

Earlier wins over the Horned Frogs and previous rival Nebraska definitely became heads. Sanders’ late-game control to stock an time beyond regulation victory in opposition to Colorado Atmosphere opened sights even additional.

However Professor High’s largest training task may finally end up enjoying out at observe and in assembly rooms this presen, as his Buffs aim to recuperate from a dispiriting loss and in addition center of attention on a Trojans workforce that might run them proper out of the construction in the event that they’re no longer able to play games.

“It’s not something that was needed. That’s like saying you get in car wreck or something and saying, ‘Oh, you needed that.’ You didn’t need that. That’s just stupid,” Sanders mentioned of the loss to Oregon. “It’s just something that happened. They got the best of us today. That’s just it.”

Sanders no longer simplest has, as he put it, “a gold jacket in the back,” however could be the most efficient defensive again ever. However even he allowed the occasional key catch for a primary unwell, or perhaps a landing — that’s merely the character of the location. High’s greatness rested no longer simply on his bodily items, but in addition his psychological one: the power to advance directly to the subsequent play games.

Later getting beat, Sanders used to be ready to both go back the bias or form a fat play games. He’d can help you understand it, too, through having the closing snigger.

Now Sanders has to deliver the similar strategy to the workforce he coaches. Each and every defensive again understands he needs to be a goldfish: fail to remember the failure, advance directly to the subsequent play games. The Buffs should fail to remember the drubbing within the Pacific Northwest and advance directly to the subsequent contest.

This isn’t a presen to be residing at the occasion. Now not with a USC squad that includes the highest-scoring offense within the nation, to not point out a protection ranked 0.33 in sacks and primary in tackles for loss. 

That is on no account the occasion to oppose believing.

Colorado let one slip in opposition to Oregon, however that doesn’t need to ruthless it bursts the Buffs’ bubble. In lieu, it permits for the query to be requested another time.

Do you imagine?

First and 10

1. In case you had been left incredulous over the finishing of Ohio Atmosphere’s dramatic 17-14 win over Notre Dame, you weren’t unloved.

What briefly become obvious quickly nearest the Buckeyes punched it in to cap off a noteceable game-winning power, used to be why it wound up being really easy for them to attain. In an incidence that displays poorly on Marcus Freeman and his training team of workers, the Irish had simplest 10 gamers at the grassland for the overall two performs.

It’s something to lose, it’s some other when the sort of easy (and simply correctable) mistake compounds it.

“Yeah, it’s on us,” Freeman advised journalists. “We’ve got to be better.”

The article is, the ones phrases are simply no longer excellent plethora. It’s no longer excellent plethora for a Pop Warner tutor, a lot much less a Notre Dame head tutor who used to be at the verge of a program-defining win.

Freeman two times had the chance to rectify the condition, however he didn’t. He mentioned in a while that he advised a fourth defensive lineman to stick off since the workforce “couldn’t afford a penalty” and didn’t have any timeouts to usefulness. In what international does that form sense? You couldn’t have enough money a half-yard penalty to all set your protection as it should be for a do-or-die ultimate play games? The Buckeyes wound up scoring over the spot the place the lacking lineman would had been.

It’s no longer a nice-looking image.

Throughout 19 video games as head tutor, Freeman’s Irish have now blown a 21-point govern in a bowl contest, misplaced to Marshall at house, been tripped up (once more, at house) through a rival who had misplaced 11 instantly video games to FBS pageant, and now didn’t have 11 males at the grassland on the finish of a important top-10 matchup. 

The ones are relating to plethora effects to observer on their very own, however much more of a pink flag when covered up in combination sequentially (and no longer even citing this offseason’s meandering OC seek). Is it hyperbolic to assume that Saturday’s end-of-game gaffe will have formally began the clock on his tenure? Certainly not.

Now not at a playground like Notre Dame, particularly for the reason that a unused athletic director is ready within the wings and the alternatives to knock off groups just like the Buckeyes are fleeting at perfect for even probably the most established of methods.

2. If it weren’t for the Irish blowing the finishing, we would possibly all be drilling unwell much more on how fiery Ohio Atmosphere tutor Ryan Era used to be in a while. Despite the fact that the feelings of the occasion undoubtedly amped up the generally even-keeled Buckeyes tutor a couple of notches, it used to be nonetheless nice-looking jarring to look him going nearest Lou Holtz a number of instances on Saturday night time.

Coaches and gamers like to latch directly to any form of detrimental complaint, and Era definitely adopted that very same playbook nearest Holtz made a number of feedback closing presen alluding to OSU’s perceived shortage of physicality stemming, partly, from contemporary losses to Michigan.

Era has each proper to name it out. He’s paid handsomely not to simply tutor his gamers to win however to stay up for them, too. In beating Notre Dame in that way, he sponsored it up between the traces to additional his level.

However let’s no longer child ourselves that the sort of narrative goes to advance away simply because Chip Trayanum were given around the objective order with one moment left. That is going to stay one thing that hovers over the Buckeyes until they get to the Fat Space on the finish of the future and journey away with a victory. For the reason that Era is a nonetheless noteceable 49-6 at OSU, there’s no longer a batch to nitpick. But this speaking level arising so prominently on Saturday night time signifies it’s touched a nerve for lots of round Columbus past the top tutor.

3. Later Lane Kiffin needled nice-looking a lot everyone within the Alabama program within the lead-up to a shuttle to Tuscaloosa, specifically his impaired boss Nick Saban, Ole Leave out allowed probably the most suspect Flow squad in no less than a decade draw back in the second one half of for an swiftly at ease 24-10 win. Up to the competition wound up being a second-half masterclass from Saban through doubling unwell on a feisty protection and driving Jalen Milroe’s skill to pick out up yards together with his legs, the overall rating additionally mirrored poorly at the Rebels’ head tutor for squandering the chance that used to be obviously there for the taking. 

Ole Leave out appeared unprepared for the occasion. It might had been something had the entire pre-game chatter added a component of intrigue, however it felt in large part like an extra quantity of force that Kiffin’s gamers obviously began to really feel on every occasion there used to be a detrimental play games. Up to you may have favored them to play games isolated and within the occasion, the Kiffin’s antics seemed to have the other impact.

Kiffin is smarter than he loves to be portrayed and has carried out some excellent issues since arriving in Oxford — a playground that’s usually tricky to win at with a lot consistency. Given some fact serum, the Rebels head tutor would most likely admit now that he performed issues the improper means for this one — even though he’s not likely to oppose anytime quickly. 

4. After we glance again months or years from now, Clemson kicker Jonathan Weitz spoiling his storybook finishing through lacking a 29-yard kick overdue within the fourth quarter on Saturday — sending the Tigers to an eventual time beyond regulation loss in opposition to Florida Atmosphere — would possibly perfect be considered as a blessing cover for this system. Possibly we’ll replicate on that occasion as the only the place Dabo Swinney in spite of everything discovered that the situation quo across the program used to be not operating — neither is it applicable nearest the Tigers dropped to 0-2 in convention play games for the primary generation since 2010.

For a alike decade, Swinney rightfully earned a playground proper in the back of Saban on each checklist score the most efficient coaches. He made a number of sly hires (Chad Morris, Brent Venables), created an enviable and distinctive tradition, recruited top-tier gamers, and used to be a novel drive in having amusing moment raising a yesteryear program into person who received the ACC and made the CFP with placing regularity. 

This is not the case at negligible ol’ Clemson, which has been on a downward trajectory effectively prior to 2023 rolled round. Despite the fact that reasonable quarterback play games has been a number one center of attention for lots of, that’s no longer the foundation reason nearest various seasons of subpar offensive order play games and a evident omission of explosive playmakers at the roster.

As alternative coaches took to the converting circumstance in faculty soccer to proper a few of their problems, Swinney has rather doubled unwell. In lieu of the usage of laborer departures as some way to deliver in unutilized concepts, Dabo become insular and promoted younger and green staffers into larger roles that they obviously haven’t been ready to maintain. Even bringing in Garrett Riley as offensive coordinator has been undercut through no longer giving him complete reins to run issues as he did closing future at TCU, one thing that has been spontaneously obvious in observing a mish-mashed manner within the pink zone and the overall shortage of rhythm.

On peak of that, there’s an uninspiring strategy to transfers. Life nice-looking a lot everyone has strategically old the portal in diverse tactics to restock their roster and house vulnerable spots, Clemson has hardly even dipped its ft into such waters. For the reason that staffing reboots in 2010 and 2011 went hand-in-hand with adjustments in how this system introduced in coveted gamers, the entire strategy to recruitment and construction of gamers in recent times has been downright irritating to people who savored the go to the top, however now in finding the Tigers reinventing what it manner to be ‘Clemsoning.’

5. When it comes to blood-pumping pleasure for neutrals, Utah’s 14-7 win over UCLA most likely ranked closing some of the 3 important ranked-vs.-ranked matchups within the Percent-12 over the weekend. The overall rating mentioned enough in that admire.

But if you happen to watched the competition in any respect, it is advisable to tug enjoyment of an absolute masterclass from Kyle Whittingham and his protection. Broke freshman quarterback Dante Moore threw a pick-six at the first play games and issues slightly progressed from there, with the majority of the workforce’s yardage no longer coming till overdue within the fourth quarter after they in spite of everything came upon some ahead journey. The Utes notched seven sacks to advance along side a fumble and appeared to have a solution for the entirety that Chip Kelly drew up.

It used to be a victory that might perfect be described as a crockpotting. Taking part in prior to the usually noisy Rice-Eccles family, Utah all set the sound from the soar, threw the Bruins again on each order, and simply waited issues out methodically till the top — a slow-cooked however delectable outcome for a facet this is now 6th nationally in issues allowed. Simply as notable, the Utes added a 3rd win over a Energy 5 opponent to their résumé, all of that have come regardless of some irritating offensive play games of their very own with out foundation quarterback Cam Emerging.

Will have to the veteran signal-caller go back subsequent presen, nearest it’s conceivable that is probably the most well-rounded of the entire Percent-12 contenders in what’s promising to be an absolute slugfest unwell the stretch out West.

6. Talking of convention contenders, you’ll be able to have your decide of truly any of the 4 groups within the peak 10 in the case of being the favourite, however there appears to be a rising (and possibly correct) narrative shape Washington presently. The Huskies did to Cal what they’ve carried out all season to their combatants: ruthlessly assault downfield and run up the rating prior to halftime.

In spite of sitting out the nearest phases of each contest thus far in 2023, QB Michael Penix Jr. leads the rustic in with regards to each division and does so through a reliable margin, too. He’s thrown for 226 yards greater than second-placed Shedeur Sanders, has yet another landing go than Caleb Williams, and averages 57 extra yards consistent with contest than his next-closest competitor. Now not strangely, his vaunted receiving corps has performed a fat position, too, with a noteceable 3 gamers all averaging triple digits in yards consistent with contest moment every scoring no less than 3 times, too. 

In opposition to the Bears on Saturday night time, the show used to be much more notable bearing in mind that Washington had scored two times (on a Rome Odunze punt go back, plus a defensive pick-six) prior to the proficient quarterback even took a snap as they wound up tying the college document for issues in a half of.

The agenda and caliber of opponent alternatives up fairly just a little in 3 weeks, however if you happen to’re on the lookout for probably the most amusing workforce to look at in faculty soccer, the simple resolution presently is to track into what’s going down on Montlake. 

7. Feelings had been operating top going into Oregon Atmosphere’s shuttle to Washington Atmosphere given the entire realignment communicate shape the 2 colleges, however it used to be great to look lovers play games into the assembly at Martin Stadium, with ratings of ‘Percent-2 Championship’ indicators assembled with enough of creativity. The self-deprecating humor apart, each the Cougars and the Beavers staged a fit significance of the name billing, too, and appeared to permit lovers from all sides some much-needed diversion, permitting them to concentrate on Cam Ward’s heroics (404 yards, 4 TDs).

The 38-35 win additionally is a great reminder that for the entire speak about one of the crucial convention’s alternative contenders, the Cougs are at all times a hard out given the best way they try for each court. They must no longer be overpassed in terms of attending to Vegas unwell the street. Jake Dickert no longer simplest has his crew enjoying impressed, however they get the additional benefit of lacking each Utah and USC at the agenda. That’s balanced out some through having to advance to Oregon and Washington, however in a division-less Percent-12 the place the ones tiebreakers come into play games, it’s no longer unfathomable this crew helps to keep enjoying adore it does and has a shot to finish a memorable run in 2023 regardless of the questions shape the college’s year.

8. The virtually macabre fascination with Iowa’s quest to strike the 325-point mark and conserve offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz round will have strike some other tools following the workforce’s uninspiring aim moment getting close out at Penn Atmosphere, 31-0. Despite the fact that it’s at all times moving to be tricky to play games in Glad Valley all through the notorious ‘White Out’ contest, the ineptitude of the Hawkeyes offense used to be actually noteceable to neutrals with out a stake in this system.

Like, how does one workforce run sixty–4 performs greater than some other? How can PSU just about publish extra issues (31) than Iowa had offensive performs (33), or the closing reasonable only one first unwell consistent with quarter?

The Hawkeyes have the body of workers to be higher than this. Cade McNamara has confirmed he’s greater than succesful as a Fat Ten quarterback, and others like tailback Leshon Williams had been ready to advance the ball simply nice. But all of the unit appeared totally discombobulated in opposition to the Nittany Lions even moment seeking to shoot ordinary performs.

Possibly the occasion merely become excess in opposition to a Penn Atmosphere aspect that could be the most efficient within the Fat Ten presently, however the best way issues have performed out thus far govern to extra questions than solutions for an offense that now sits 107th in scoring, 131st in final touch proportion and 124th in third-down conversions.

9. School basketball is simply across the nook, however for lots of colleges that tilt allegiance to the juiceless courtroom, this soccer season is all of a sudden changing into one thing you simply can tug your sights off of. Duke is undefeated and webhosting possibly the most important contest of Age 5, North Carolina has a reliable declare to be FSU’s greatest warning within the ACC, Louisville is rolling underneath Jeff Brohm presently, Maryland has received each contest through double-digits, and Syracuse sits undefeated with a top-10 scoring offense and protection. In the meantime, Kansas is not just probably the most bad workforce within the Fat 12 nearest the Pink River duopoly, however 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the primary generation since 1914-15.

Possibly probably the most impressive program to not soar at the pigskin bandwagon on the occasion is the only which could also be house to the reigning NCAA males’s basketball nationwide champion, UConn. The Huskies had been a pleasing amaze in Jim Mora Jr.’s first future, however lately sit down winless.

10. It’s been a coarse begin to convention play games for the Fat 12’s 4 unused colleges. Later Houston fell to TCU 34-17 of their convention opener closing presen, BYU (to Kansas, 38-27) UCF (44-31 to Kansas Atmosphere) and Cincinnati (20-6 to Oklahoma) took losses of their convention openers on Saturday as effectively.

Play games of the Weekend

Double-Snatch from Age 1

Saturday Superlatives

Perfect Participant: Ashton Jeanty, Boise Atmosphere

Staff of the Age: Northwestern

Professor of the Age: Jake Dickert, Washington Atmosphere

Scorching Seat of the Age: P.J. Fleck, Minnesota

Heisman 5: 1. Caleb Williams (USC), 2. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), 3. Cam Ward (Washington Atmosphere), 4. Travis Hunter (Colorado), 5. Bo Nix (Oregon)

Tweet of the Age

Tremendous 16

My poll going into Age 5 within the FWAA/NFF Tremendous 16 ballot:

1. Florida Atmosphere
2. Texas
3. Washington
4. Penn Atmosphere
5. Michigan
6. Georgia
7. Ohio Atmosphere
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. Duke
11. Miami
12. Alabama
13. Notre Dame
14. LSU
15. Utah
16. Washington Atmosphere

Simply ignored the snip: North Carolina 

Perfect of the residue: Oklahoma, Kansas, Oregon Atmosphere, Fresno Atmosphere, Kansas Atmosphere, Colorado, Syracuse, UCLA

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Pre-Snap Reads

Utah at Oregon Atmosphere (Friday, 9 p.m. ET on FS1)

In spite of the Beavers struggling their first setback, Corvallis has been a graveyard to highly-ranked groups in recent times, and OSU is a tricky out this season. Cam Emerging’s doable go back may form this attention-grabbing, however the preliminary idea is that an disappointed might be brewing. Oregon Atmosphere +2.5

USC at Colorado (Midday ET on FOX)

Given the climate of the Trojans protection, the Buffs must have the ability to advance the ball a batch higher than they did in Eugene. The weakness is that Caleb Williams has a good higher solid of talent place gamers and must be up for the fat degree on Fat Midday. USC -14.5

Kansas at Texas (3:30 p.m. ET)

The Jayhawks’ closing two journeys to Austin have produced some memorable, top–scoring affairs that experience come all the way down to the top. This one may play games out a lot the similar means given the offenses concerned and the Longhorns doubtlessly taking a look forward to a undeniable day in Dallas. Kansas +17

Notre Dame at Duke (7:30 p.m. ET)

The intestine–punch nature of that loss to Ohio Atmosphere would possibly finish up refocusing the Irish on what’s all of sudden a important contest for all sides to stay seeking {hardware}. This figures to be a similar, low–scoring affair that comes proper all the way down to the top both means. Notre Dame -6.5

Bryan Fischer is a faculty soccer essayist for FOX Sports activities. He has been masking faculty athletics for almost twenty years at retailers comparable to NBC Sports activities, CBS Sports activities, Yahoo! Sports activities and NFL.com amongst others. Observe him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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