Two teams going in opposite directions, with multiple Cavaliers headed in the direction of the medical tent. The team's list of injuries is football-field long, which partly explains their average of 16 points scored over the last four games. Actually, the secondary has been the hardest hit. Wake, by contrast, is refreshed after a bye. The Deacons have yielded a microscopic eight ppg over the last three. They have won four in a row, whereas the Cavs are 0-3 away from home. It's no longer a reach for lil' Wake to make the ACC title match.

This is a lot of points to lay by a team with a seemingly dazed, confused offense. Indiana has managed 41 points in regulation in its three latest outings, which aligns with QB Josh Hoover's injury (or injuries). Coach Curt Cignetti has pledged to ride him for now. Minnesota painted a defensive gem last Saturday, holding Iowa to 10 points. The super-low total (40.5) suggests limited points, so the Gophers need only to reach paydirt a couple of times to secure a cover. The Hoosiers have covered only once in eight games as the public continues to judge them against their previous two seasons. The defense is killer; the offense scares no one.

Pitching a shutout is hard enough in the modern football era. Achieving two in a row is remarkable. Lousiana Tech's defense has been dominant, which will come in handy against high-scoring (until last week) South Alabama. The visitors' offense should remove some burden from their brothers on defense. In the Jaguars' last three wins -- not games, but wins -- they have been tagged for 36, 35 and 49 points. La Tech has failed to cover once all season.

Facing a triple option offense in high altitude can be daunting, but UConn has shown it can outscore anyone at its second-tier level. The Huskies have piled up 69 points in their two latest. Air Force appears forced into deploying a new QB with Liam Szarka done for the season and Evan Medders, effective as a fill-in, doubtful. It’s a big ask for a third-stringer running a quirky offense for the first time. May the Force be with him because he’ll need it. UConn handled the Falcons’ attack in 2025, holding it to 16 points in a 10-point decision, and its defense is nasty enough to contain the nation's No. 2 rushing attack.

The spread has shifted by as much as five points but the total has barely moved on the news that Kansas State will ride with third-string QB Dillon Duff. Because QB1 and QB2 are injured, the Wildcats hang their hat on a player who has yet to take a snap in college. Colorado has dealt with its own chaos behind center as original starter Julian Lewis, who lost the job, was suddenly hospitalized this week and is recovering. The Buffaloes average just 19.5 ppg while QB Isaac Wilson, though effective at times, has thrown more picks than TDs.

This is more about Old Dominion than Marshall. The Monarchs fess up to owning the worst offense in FBS, averaging 251 ypg. They likely are trotting out their third starting QB, Jaxon Potter, who was shaky enough last week in his debut that one wonders if they depth chart goes four deep. While Old D was getting shut out by Louisiana Tech, registering -12 rush yards in the process, Marshall was allowing just one TD in a win over South Alabama. The Herd is the word.

A bye week allowed Maryland to transition from recently fired coach Mike Locksley to an interim. Too bad the defense could not be swapped out as well. In Big Ten games, the Terrapins were battered for 54, 48, 45 and 37 points. Three of the four were blowouts. Both of their wins occurred against non-Power Four foes. The Illini have righted a listing ship with Ws over Michigan State and Illinois. Losing QB Katin Houser (broken hand) seemed ominous, but freshman Michael Clayton II came to the rescue against the Ducks in a calming first start.

Call us crazy for backing a team that has lost its three latest to the opponent by a combined 78 points. But it's Wisconsin's time. The Badgers have doled out just nine points per game in their last three. USC’s respected offense did not log a single gain of 20-plus yards against them. Hawkeyes RB Kamari Moulton, No. 2 in Big Ten rushing, has been scratched for the season, and neither of their two QBs has been able to lock down the job. The Badgers must scrap for scoring, too, yet its far healthier roster bodes well.

Behind the brilliance of QB Noah Fifita, the No. 13 passer in FBS, Arizona has reeled off five Ws in a row, the last three by an average of 28 points. Home or away, it doesn’t matter to the fourth-year starter, whose split stats are similar. Texas Tech, which was counting on gambling-troubled Brendan Sorsby at QB until he was ruled out, has been unfulfilled by replacement Will Hammond, and he apparently will split time with a colleague. Hammond has rolled ugly sevens — seven TD passes and interceptions — this season. The Red Raiders’ RBs might offer little relief against a defense yielding only 110 yards per game on the ground. Let’s go-ah with Noah.

Kent State travels west on a short week for a 10:30 p.m. (ET) kickoff. The Golden Flashes have been outscored by an astonishing 183-12 in four away games. Three opponents were vastly superior to Sac State, but the fourth was a 38-7 setback to Western Michigan. To be sure, the Hornets are a bottom dweller in the FBS hierarchy, yet no way Kent should be spotting double digits this far away from home -- and this late at night.

With James Madison's loss Thursday, Boise moves clearly to the front of the line for the Group of Six playoff berth. That should provide plenty of motivation coming off a bye and playing in a potentially sleepy atmosphere. Since a not-too-shabby loss at Oregon in Week 1, the Broncos have torn through five opponents, beating all but one by double digits. Wash State's offense did awaken last week but it still ranks ahead of only eight FBS members for yards per game. The Cougars picked on FCS team Duquesne for its sole victory.

We are not buying the letdown theory. Sure, Tennessee just ambushed Alabama, but the Volunteers have fared poorly of late in Columbia and should not take the Gamecocks lightly. While the hosts are fresh off a bye and have dynamic QB LaNorris Sellers, UT simply wields a superior roster. The Vols have yielded just 11 touchdowns in seven outings and pace the SEC in sacks. Unflashy on offense, they’ve survived using two young QBs in part because of DeSean Bishop, the nation’s lone RB with 800 run yards and 10 TDs. No flash is needed against a mid-level SEC rival.

Oklahoma's upset of then-No. 1 Texas seems like an aberration. After mowing down lowly UTEP in Week 1, the Sooners have scored 10, 14, 13 and 13 against teams not nicknamed Longhorns. The defense has more than carried its weight, but it likely must cope with Missy State's biggest threats back from injury. QB Kamario Taylor and RB Fluff Bothwell sat out last week's humbling goose-egg game against LSU, while Bothwell also was done against Alabama the week before following one carry. They would resuscitate the attack, leaving the Bulldogs' defense with less of a burden against the Sooners' unscary offense.

UCLA is faring well with a reserve QB. Michigan State will deploy one as well, but these are not created equal. Third-stringer Kayd Coffman, a freshman, has yet to throw a college pass. The Bruins' Ty Dieffenbach jumped in for his first start last week and game-managed a win over Wisconsin. The Bruins have covered in every game, mostly when they were overlooked by oddsmakers. That is no longer an issue, which accounts for the large spread. Given Michigan State's OK defense, the number might have been too steep -- until the Sparntas had to dig deep into their depth chart for a QB.

Should iffy QB Jacurri Brown (ankle) not play, Rice will miss more than a passer. Brown is Rice's leding rusher by a substantial margin. A bum ankle would compromise him in all aspects. Backup Gael Ochoa has an ugly stat set of 11 pass attempts and three sacks. FAU has bookend losses to Florida and Army, both of whom ran roughshod over the defense. The offense has been no concern, with a 37th rank in FBS. It need not go ballistic against Rice, which averages a paltry 17 ppg (130th in FBS) with an experienced QB that it might not have.