The best weekend of the season, to date, is here. There are a large number of high-quality games across the nation, and Midwest teams will certainly be partaking in the fun, in what could be a massive statement weekend for a number of teams.

In State College, has a golden opportunity to show its offseason investment in talent retention and acquisition was worthwhile, hosting No. 6 Oregon in its annual White Out game. James Franklin's record against Top-10 foes has been much discussed. Can he, and QB Drew Allar, come of age and establish themselves as the team-to-beat in the Big Ten, or will Oregon formally launch its Big Ten title defense with a statement road win?

Out west, Oregon's former Pac-12 rival Washington hosts Ohio State with their own opportunity to make a statement. Will the Huskies extend a home winning streak that is now in its fourth straight season?

In a ranked matchup -- though one that is perhaps lacking the same juice, Illinois needs to scoop itself off the mat a week after betting demoralized by Indiana, with the high-flying USC offense coming to town. Will the Trojans improve to 5-0 for (unbelievably) the third time in four seasons under Lincoln Riley, or can the Illini rebound and remain in Big Ten title contention?

On the other end of the Indiana destruction from a week ago, the Hoosiers look to avoid a letdown at Kinnick Stadium against Iowa. Athan Kaliakmanis looks to exact further revenge on former team Minnesota (a year after piloting Rutgers to an upset of the Gophers), while UCLA and Northwestern face off in a game between perhaps the two worst teams in the Big Ten.

Down south, Notre Dame and Arkansas appear primed to score a million points in a game between two of the best passing offenses in the country, and two of the worst defenses in the country.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

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