UCLA, Oregon Headline Day of Ranked College Football Matchups

Touchdowns? On Thursday Night Football? What a treat!

We finally got an offensive explosion in a Thursday-night NFL game, with the Cardinals putting up 42 points en route to a win over the Saints to kick off Week 7. That headlined one of the busiest sports days of the year, and the action doesn’t slow down all weekend long.

Today, we’ve got a critical Game 3 in the NLCS, two high-profile NBA showdowns in the season’s first week and much more.

MUST WATCH:

College football: No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon

For much of the country, the last time they watched No. 10 Oregon play, they get drummed, 49–3, by current No. 1 Georgia. Since then, the Ducks and first-year head coach Dan Lanning have found a groove, especially on offense. Quarterback Bo Nix is operating quickly and explosively.

But you could say the same thing about UCLA signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The fifth-year starter is running coach Chip Kelly’s offense to perfection along with star running back Zach Charbonnet and receiver Jake Bobo.

This game could be a race to 40 (or more) as both teams have put at least that many points in five of their six games so far. Buckle up.

3:30 p.m. ET, Fox, watch on fuboTV

READ MORE:

• UCLA’s Rise With Chip Kelly Has Been an Exercise in Methodical Patience (Pat Forde)
• College Football Picks: ACC, Pac-12 Showdowns Lead Week 8 (SI Staff)
• Behind the Scenes, and Closed Doors, That Led to College Football Playoff Expansion (Ross Dellenger)

LINEUP:

• College football: No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson | Clemson is squarely back in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth after a relatively down 10-win campaign in 2021. But Syracuse has been one of the country’s biggest surprises and is off to a 6–0 start. Noon ET, ESPN, watch on fuboTV

• Manchester United at Chelsea | Even following its best performance of the season, Manchester United has to again confront its Cristiano Ronaldo problem. Chelsea, meanwhile, has been cruising under new manager Graham Potter. 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC, watch on fuboTV

• College football: No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State | There aren’t many quarterbacks playing better than Quinn Ewers has while healthy this season. Both these teams will put up points in Stillwater but the health of Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders will be something to keep an eye on. 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, watch on fuboTV

• Houston Astros at New York Yankees | Gerrit Cole will have to step up to keep the Yankees from falling behind 3–0 in the ALCS. 5 p.m. ET, MLB Network, watch on fuboTV

• College football: No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama | It’ll be interesting to see how Alabama responds to the dramatic loss it had last week at Tennessee. 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, watch on fuboTV

• San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies | The Padres will rely on starter Mike Clevinger to set the tone tonight as they look to avoid falling behind 3–1. 7:45 p.m. ET, Fox, watch on fuboTV

• College football: No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU | The winner of this ranked matchup will take over possession of first place in the Big 12. 8 p.m. ET, FS1, watch on fuboTV

HIDDEN GEM:

College football: No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU

No, it’s not a ranked matchup, but LSU responded well to it’s 40–13 home loss to Tennessee with a win on the road over Florida last week. Now they get another chance to take down a top ten team in Baton Rouge with undefeated No. 7 Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin’s squad is about to embark on one of the toughest end-of-season stretches in the nation: at LSU, at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama, at Arkansas and vs. Mississippi State.

3:30 p.m. ET, CBS, watch on fuboTV

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