10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 13
Week 13 is a lull in the action-packed month of November. Between late-season nonconference cupcakes and lopsided matchups, it's a relatively quiet weekend.
Thanksgiving weekend should be another story, with the College Football Playoff final four coming closer to fruition.
Still, there are storylines to cover. From a rivalry in Los Angeles to some key Big Ten conference games, it's time to find out which games are the ones to watch.
The only criterion is that teams mentioned have to be in the latest CFP Top 25.
10. How Does Ole Miss' Defense Handle Arkansas' Running Game?
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Ole Miss' trip to Arkansas is becoming a sneaky, trendy upset pick of the weekend. The Razorbacks are coming off of their first SEC win in a decade* and are just a 3.5-point underdog at home.
(*Not really.)
Ole Miss' defense has been the cornerstone of this team's success. However, the numbers through November have been a little less stingy than normal. The Rebels gave up an average of 3.23 yards per carry through October and allowed only three rushing touchdowns. This month, they've already allowed three rushing touchdowns and given up 4.11 yards per rush.
Picking nits? Perhaps, but there's only one thing the Razorbacks do well offensively, and that's run the ball with Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams.
Scoring hasn't been an issue for Ole Miss lately, save for the 10-7 loss to LSU. However, its best offensive weapon, receiver Laquon Treadwell, is out for the year with a broken leg, and Arkansas' scoring defense is giving up only 22 points per game.
Ole Miss' nightmare scenario is that Arkansas can run the ball and keep the game low-scoring.
9. Can Louisville Quarterback Reggie Bonnafon Win a QB Duel Against Notre Dame?
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Louisville starting quarterback Will Gardner will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that will require surgery. That means it's the Reggie Bonnafon show from here on out.
Bonnafon, a freshman, has played well throughout various parts of the season. In both mop-up duty and in meaningful reps, Bonnafon has thrown for 662 yards, four touchdowns and a pick. He's also rushed for three touchdowns.
Bonnafon will travel to South Bend to take on a Notre Dame team coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Northwestern. Turnovers have plagued the Irish all year, but when quarterback Everett Golson is playing well, he can throw it with the best.
It'll be an interesting crossroads of a freshman quarterback working in a new coach's system and a veteran quarterback trying to play to his potential.
8. Will Ohio State Hold Tevin Coleman Under 100 Yards Rushing?
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Just how good was Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon's day last week? Indiana running back Tevin Coleman went for 307 yards against Rutgers and you probably barely heard a peep about it. Granted, it didn't help that the Hoosiers lost 45-23 to the Scarlet Knights.
In any case, Coleman is one of the best running backs in the country but doesn't get a lot of publicity for two reasons: He plays on a team with a losing record, and he's been overshadowed by Gordon and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah.
Ohio State shouldn't have an issue putting away Indiana, but it'll be interesting to see whether the Buckeyes can hold Coleman under 100 yards rushing. Only Penn State has done it so far (20 carries, 71 yards and zero touchdowns).
While the majority of the focus about Ohio State goes to the offense, and specifically quarterback J.T. Barrett, the Buckeyes defensive line remains a force. Beating Indiana won't send shock waves across the landscape, but keeping Coleman in check will be impressive.
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7. Will Arizona-Utah Continue the Trend of Close Finishes?
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Get this: Arizona and Utah have combined to play in 10 Pac-12 games that have been decided by a touchdown or less. In fact, three of the Utes' last four games have been decided by three points each.
The Pac-12 South is still wide open, though Utah-Arizona is basically an elimination game for the divisional title. If it comes down to the wire, it's hard to get a feel for which team has an edge. Both have won and lost close games.
Utah has allowed more than 30 points in a game just once this season: a 51-27 loss to Oregon. The Wildcats average 35.6 points per game. The higher the score goes, the more it feels like the Wildcats have an advantage.
6. Can Missouri Get One Step Closer to Winning the SEC East Again?
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Missouri could go from simply a geographical outlier to SEC East champion two years in a row. That's not going to happen without a win over Tennessee on Saturday, though. The Tigers must win their final two games against the Vols and Arkansas to claim the divisional title. One loss and Georgia, which has finished conference play, will own the tiebreaker.
Tennessee is currently a 3.5-point favorite, and there's a lot of optimism around Knoxville that this team can finish strong after two straight wins against South Carolina and Kentucky. Beside Missouri, only Vanderbilt is left on Tennessee's schedule.
Bleacher Report colleague Barrett Sallee wrote earlier this week that Tennessee coach Butch Jones is laying the groundwork for a potential breakout season in 2015. One of the units that should be dramatically better is the offensive line. Right now, though, Tennessee is one of the worst teams in the country, with 3.3 sacks allowed per game.
As it so happens, Missouri averages 3.2 sacks per game.
5. Will Kansas State Keep Big 12 Hopes Alive vs. West Virginia?
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Technically, Kansas State isn't out of the Big 12 title race yet. For all the chatter about TCU and Baylor in the playoff picture, the Wildcats are also sitting there with one conference loss.
K-State gets Baylor at the end of the year, so there's an opportunity to win at least a share of the conference crown. It's all a moot point, though, if the Wildcats can't beat West Virginia on the road Thursday night. The Mountaineers are a two-point favorite, according to OddsShark.com.
However, West Virginia is one of the worst teams in the country in turnover margin, while K-State barely turns it over at all. Furthermore, K-State is one of the least-penalized teams in the country. In short, Kansas State doesn't shoot itself in the foot, but West Virginia does.
The 'Eers were able to overcome mistakes against teams like Maryland and Texas Tech but have had a harder time doing so lately. Bill Snyder's team isn't exactly one that's going to let West Virginia off the hook, either.
4. What Role Will USC Cornerback Josh Shaw Play vs. UCLA?
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USC cornerback Josh Shaw has been reinstated to the team following a 10-game suspension for a bizarre, fabricated story about how he sustained two high ankle sprains in August. As you may remember, Shaw explained that he hurt himself jumping off a balcony trying to save his drowning nephew, a story that was picked up on USC's website.
Now that he's back, what role he'll play in the Trojans' game against UCLA remains to be seen.
"I've welcomed Josh Shaw back to the team," head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement. "I'm now in the process of evaluating how Josh can contribute to the team's success."
Shaw was elected a team captain before the season, a title that has since been removed. Will he start? Rotate in? How big of an impact will he have? These are all questions that remain to be answered.
3. Can Nebraska's Defense Stop David Cobb?
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It wasn't just Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon who had success against Nebraska's defense, though he certainly did most of the damage. The Badgers tallied 581 yards at 11 yards per carry against the Huskers defense. Quarterback Joel Stave attempted just 11 passes for 46 yards.
How bad was it? Nebraska entered that weekend ranked 19th against the run and finished it ranked 75th.
Next up for the Huskers: Minnesota running back David Cobb, who has 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. No big deal, right?
Both Minnesota and Nebraska are still alive for the Big Ten West crown. In a battle of running backs, the Huskers absolutely cannot get scorched again on the ground.
2. Can UCLA Stop USC's High-Powered Offense, Take Pac-12 South Lead?
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Last week, USC turned on the ol' XBox and set NCAA Football 14 to beginner mode in a 38-30 win over Cal. The final score was far closer than the game started. By the end of the first quarter, though, Trojans receiver Nelson Agholor had eight catches for 120 yards. He finished, by the way, with a career-high 16 receptions for 216 yards with two touchdowns.
Cal's pass defense is what some might call...ghastly, allowing 37 passing touchdowns this season. UCLA is better in that category, having allowed 17 touchdowns through the air and 6.3 yards per attempt.
Furthermore, the Bruins have one of the better defensive players in the Pac-12, linebacker Myles Jack. Jack and Co. are going to have their hands full with Agholor, receiver Juju Smith and running back Buck Allen. A win over USC, though, puts UCLA in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 South title.
1. How Soon Will Wisconsin Running Back Melvin Gordon Hit 2,000 Yards?
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Because, basically, that's the only storyline beyond the Big Ten West race. In fact, there's a case to be made that viewers are going to be far more interested in whether Gordon can rush for 500 yards against Iowa just for the sake of it.
Gordon rushed for 408 yards—in three quarters—against Nebraska a week ago and sits at 1,909 yards on the season. If Gordon gets those 91 yards in fewer than 28 carries, he will become the quickest player, no pun intended, to reach 2,000 yards in a season, according to ESPN's College GameDay Twitter account.
As Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten Network notes, it's not impossible that Gordon could come close to Barry Sanders' all-time rushing record of 2,628 yards.
For what it's worth, Iowa allows about four yards per rush. In any case, another big day for Gordon could inch him closer to becoming the Heisman front-runner, if he hasn't already become it.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
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