UNDATED (AP) — The Boilermakers may want to erase last week’s nightmarish memories from last week’s 66-7 loss to then No. 18 Notre Dame — the most lopsided loss in school history. With three of the next four on the road and potential top-25 matchups with No. 23 Nebraska and No. 24 Illinois looming, Purdue needs the win. Oregon State is coming off a loss at home to Oregon 49-14. The rivalry match had less consequence this season after Oregon’s departure to the Big Ten.
UNDATED (AP) — Virginia Tech, coming off a 37-17 victory over Old Dominion last Saturday, is looking to snap an 11-game losing streak against Power Four nonconference opponents and Notre Dame. Rutgers is coming off a bye week and enters the game after beating Howard and Akron by a combined score of 93-24. Rutgers has won nine consecutive nonconference games and beat Virginia Tech 35-16 last season. Rutgers has rushed for 614 yards this season — the most for a Scarlet Knights team through two games since 1973. It faces a Virginia Tech defense that has allowed 190.3 yards rushing per game. Tech’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland had four sacks in his last game.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — First-year UCLA coach DeShaun Foster can only envy the problems LSU coach Brian Kelly has right now. Kelly was on the defensive this week while discussing sloppy play that the 16th-ranked Tigers barely overcame in a 36-33 victory at South Carolina. But the Tigers have the luxury of working on their shortcomings after winning their Southeastern Conference opener. The Bruins are trying to rebound from a humbling Big Ten debut. They lost 42-13 to Indiana in Rose Bowl Stadium last week. Now UCLA visits famously raucous Death Valley for the Bruins’ first game in Louisiana. Foster says he wants the Bruins to embrace the challenge and enjoy an atmosphere that he says doesn’t exist in the NFL.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — No. 3 Ohio State got an early bye after outscoring Akron and Western Michigan 108-6 in the first two weeks. The Buckeyes return to action Saturday for a final tune-up game, this time against Marshall of the Sun Belt Conference. The Buckeyes are heavy favorites in their final nonconference game before they embark on a nine-game Big Ten slate. Ohio State should have all the wrinkles ironed out after walloping Akron and Western Michigan, and then facing the Thundering Herd on Saturday before 100,000 fans in the Horseshoe.
UNDATED (AP) — Boston College will face Michigan State on Saturday night on Saturday night in the 11th annual Red Bandanna Game. The game honors former BC lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who died while leading people to safety in the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks. The Eagles are 4-5 in the special event. With a victory, BC hopes to return to The Associated Press Top 25. Michigan State needs a victory to remain unbeaten heading into its matchup with No. 3 Ohio State.
UNDATED (AP) — Welcome to the Big Ten, Washington. The Huskies play their first conference game as a member of the Big Ten against the Northwestern looking to rebound from last week’s stinging loss to rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies opened the season under new coach Jedd Fisch with a pair of convincing wins, but a late fourth-and-goal call in the loss to the Cougars already cast a cloud over the new coach. Northwestern rebounded from a sluggish start to thump FCS Eastern Illinois 31-7 last week but lost to Duke in its only game against a Power Four school so far.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan coach Sherrone Moore might have made a rookie mistake. When Moore was asked at his weekly news conference if Alex Orji would start for the 18th-ranked Wolverines, the first-year coach said the junior quarterback would take the first snap Saturday against No. 11 Southern California. Instead of forcing the Trojans to prepare for both of the Wolverines’ one-dimensional signal callers, Moore let everyone know on Monday that Orji was getting shot after Davis Warren won the job and struggled with the opportunity. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Orji has thrown just seven passes in 12 games over three years.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa visits Minnesota in the Big Ten opener as the Hawkeyes aim to regain the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. The Gophers won 12-10 in Iowa City last year to take the bronze pig back. Their victory was preserved when Hawkeyes punt returner Cooper DeJean’s go-ahead touchdown was controversially negated by an invalid fair-catch signal with 1:21 remaining. That was Minnesota’s first win at Iowa since 1999. The Gophers haven’t beaten the Hawkeyes at home since 2014. Iowa beat Troy last week after a loss to rival Iowa State. Minnesota is coming off consecutive shutouts of Rhode Island and Nevada.
