Oregon’s seven straight wins have the Ducks ranked No. 8 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2022 season, and they’ll be heavy favorites to make it eight against Colorado in a matchup of the top and bottom teams in the Pac-12 Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colo.

Oregon (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) might need the style points from a blowout win just to keep pace for a shot at a top-four spot in the CFP. But there is no overlooking the Buffaloes (1-7, 1-4) for the Ducks to get to the Pac-12 championship game, and perhaps even more success.

The Ducks are lighting up the scoreboard on offense. Since a 49-3 loss to now-CFP No. 3 Georgia to open the season, Oregon has not lost and has scored no fewer than 41 points in each of its seven straight wins.

Oregon has won 27 straight games when the Ducks scored 40 or more points. The Ducks have totaled 500 or more yards of offense in five straight games and have given up just one sack this season.

Quarterback Bo Nix leads the way on offense. He has three games with three rushing touchdowns, leads the conference in rushing touchdowns with 11 and has thrown 20 touchdown passes.

Oregon’s offense averages 525.8 yards per game to lead the Pac-12. Conversely, Colorado is last in the league in total offense at 295.3 yards per game.

Defensive back Christian Gonzalez, who was a top player for Colorado in his two seasons there before transferring to Oregon prior to this season, had eight tackles and blocked a field goal last weekend at Cal. Gonzalez will face his former team Saturday.

“We’re going to celebrate our wins, but as an offense and as a defense there’s things we’ve got to work on,” Gonzalez said, per Oregon’s athletics website. “We can finish out a game better as a defense. It’s just getting back to work, being humble and hungry.”

Colorado will face its third top-12 program of the season in Oregon, as TCU and UCLA have risen to Nos. 7 and 12, respectively. The Buffaloes still have at least two more current top-25 opponents on their schedule, Southern California and Utah.

In a 42-34 home loss to Arizona State last week, Colorado scored a season-high 34 points. Jordyn Tyson had an 88-yard punt return for a score and caught a 58-yard touchdown pass for the Buffaloes.

Deion Smith rushed for 111 yards, a career high.

Defensively, Colorado struggled in pass coverage against the Sun Devils and were often victimized by big plays. Arizona State had 15 plays in which it gained at least 10 rushing yards or at least 15 yards on a pass completion.

“Our offense goes and has a tremendous drive, the defense has to get a stop,” Colorado interim head coach Mike Sanford said via the team website. “Those are the things I believe we’re going to piece together throughout the course of these next four weeks.”

–Field Level Media

TCU will try to stay unbeaten Saturday afternoon when it hosts Texas Tech in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) are ranked No. 7 in the season’s first College Football Playoff poll — their highest national ranking since 2017 when they rose as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll.

Yet, becoming the first Big 12 team ever to beat four consecutive ranked opponents in the regular season didn’t help the Horned Frogs vault into the top four or even five, as some thought it might.

With three Southeastern Conference teams (Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama), two Big Ten teams (Ohio State, Michigan), and an Atlantic Coast Conference team (Clemson) ranked ahead of them, the Frogs will probably need some help to find their way into the College Football Playoff.

Unranked Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) is seeking its third win over a ranked opponent this season. The Red Raiders will also be looking to break a three-game losing streak in the Saddle Trophy rivalry series.

TCU has flourished under first-year coach Sonny Dykes, who took over after former longtime coach Gary Patterson resigned. Dykes is the first coach in Big 12 history to open 8-0 at a school.

“I mean that’s the thing about getting on a run, you just need to find ways to win and we’ve been able to do that and I’m proud of our guys for doing that,” Dykes said.

The Horned Frogs are averaging 44.2 points per game, ranking third in the nation, just behind Tennessee and Ohio State.

Starting quarterback Max Duggan, a Maxwell Award semifinalist, is fourth in the nation with a 182.54 pass efficiency rating, having thrown 22 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.

Last week, Duggan completed 16 of 28 passes for 341 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 41-31 victory over West Virginia.

“We’re grateful to be 8-0,” Duggan said after leading the Horned Frogs to their fourth road win. “You’re never going to take winning for granted. We know it’s hard to win in this league, especially on the road.”

Kendre Miller leads a physical ground attack for TCU, which as a team is averaging 5.81 yards a carry, seventh best in the country.

The Red Raiders are looking to put an ugly 45-17 loss to Baylor at home last week behind them. The score wasn’t the only thing that left Texas Tech sour. Their three quarterbacks combining for five interceptions also stung. Starter Behren Morton completed only 11 of 34 passes for 152 yards and was intercepted three times.

“One of his big strengths is how we can run our tempo,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “It fits him. He gets the ball out fast and he’s done that.”

Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in passing yards per game (338.0) and is third in touchdown passes (19). But the Red Raiders have thrown 15 interceptions — five more than any other team in the conference.

While the quarterback situation among Morton, Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith would appear to remain fluid, McGuire said this week that Morton would take the first team reps in practice.

–Field Level Media

When last season’s College Football Playoff rankings rolled out for the first time, Penn State was nowhere to be found.

But that’s not the case this year.

Penn State was ranked 15th by the CFP selection committee, and it will look to show that it’s worthy of that ranking when it meets Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

In order to do that, PSU is going to have to get back to its winning ways.

After winning five straight games to open the season, the Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) have lost two of their last three following a 44-31 setback against Ohio State last Saturday.

Penn State trailed just 16-14 after three quarters, but the Buckeyes broke out for 28 points in the fourth. Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford completed 32 of 47 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Receiver Parker Washington was also impressive, hauling in 11 receptions for 179 yards and a score.

Clifford has thrown for 1,816 yards and 16 TDs this season. However, the recent losses to conference opponents have made Penn State coach James Franklin consider mixing things up under center, and he could opt to start true freshman Drew Allar at quarterback against Indiana (3-5, 1-4).

“For us, we’re gonna look at who gives us the best chance to be 1-0 this week and go from there. And whoever that is based on this week’s practice and preparation, we’ll go with,” Franklin said. “That’s really kind of how it’s been all year long.”

Allar has only appeared in six games, throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 18-for-31 passing.

The Hoosiers certainly wouldn’t be opposed to facing a quarterback with less experience, though, as they’re in serious need of a spark after falling 24-17 at Rutgers on Oct. 22 to drop their fifth consecutive game.

Indiana captured an early 14-0 lead, but gave up 24 unanswered points before Charles Campbell kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the fourth to pull within seven. Connor Bazelak completed 24 of 42 passes for 210 yards and an interception while adding a rushing touchdown.

Leading receiver Cam Camper (46 receptions, 569 yards, two TDs) tore his ACL in the first half of the meeting with the Scarlet Knights and will miss the rest of the season, making matters worse for the Hoosiers.

If there is any positive heading into Saturday, it’s that Indiana should be well rested after regrouping during its bye week.

“The thing I focused on was rehab, reps and rest. You had guys in different categories,” Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said. “Some guys needed to rehab injuries. Some guys needed to just flat-out rest, didn’t practice them at all, some of our older guys that got a lot of snaps.

“A lot of guys got a lot of good reps. Did a younger guys scrimmage on Wednesday. Some live reps, had some fun with that. … A chance to be able to do some positive things.”

Penn State has dominated the all-time series, winning 23 of the 25 meetings between the teams. Indiana last won on Oct. 24, 2020, upsetting the then-No. 8 Nittany Lions in Bloomington.

–Field Level Media

Sporting the program’s best positioning in the College Football Playoff rankings in eight years, No. 12 UCLA heads to Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday for a Pac-12 Conference matchup against Arizona State.

Still, Bruins coach Chip Kelly knows how quickly a team’s fortunes can change.

“It’s nice that we’re recognized… but you’ve got to keep winning, because if you lose next week — and I know this from a rankings standpoint — you’re not (No. 12) anymore,” Kelly said. “The only way you can continue to move up is if you continue to win.”

The last time UCLA had a higher spot in the CFP ratings was on Nov. 25, 2014, in the first year of the current system. The Bruins have never been slotted higher in the opening rankings of a season, and before this week, they had not made the CFP ratings at all since 2015.

UCLA (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) is seeking a second consecutive victory after routing Stanford 38-13 last week. The blowout of the Cardinal came one Saturday after a 45-30 loss to Oregon marked the Bruins’ first setback of the season, a result that ended UCLA’s nine-game winning streak dating back to the 2021 campaign.

Stanford did not reach the end zone until well after the game was in hand, scoring with 4:11 remaining. A stout defensive effort (270 total yards allowed) complemented a dominant performance from the UCLA rushing attack, which posted 324 yards and five touchdowns. Zach Charbonnet was responsible for 198 rushing yards and three TDs, earning the Doak Walker Award National Running Back of the Week for his exploits.

The Bruins aim to continue that defensive intensity against an Arizona State offense that has run hot-and-cold through a tumultuous season.

The Sun Devils (3-5, 2-3) have scored 45 and 42 points in two of their last three contests — the team’s two wins under interim head coach Shaun Aguano. The other game in that span was a 15-14 loss at Stanford.

Aguano replaced Herm Edwards, who was fired on Sept. 18 following a 30-21 home loss to Eastern Michigan left the Sun Devils with a 1-2 mark.

Arizona State led by as many as 22 points last week before holding off a fourth-quarter Colorado rally to post a 42-34 road win.

Sun Devils sophomore Trenton Bourguet set a program record for a quarterback making his first career start, racking up 435 yards on 32-of-43 passing. He threw for three touchdowns and was intercepted once.

A consistent passing attack opened up rushing lanes for running back Xazavian Valladay, who produced 118 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

“The kids’ excitement of opening it up a little bit, getting the tight ends involved, hopefully it was working,” Aguano said of offensive tweaks, which included his taking over the play-calling.

Integrating tight ends into the passing game included heavy usage of Jalin Conyers, who caught all three of Bourguet’s touchdown passes. Conyers finished with 108 yards receiving on six grabs.

–Field Level Media

By his own account, Tulane coach Willie Fritz admitted he was perhaps the Green Wave’s biggest problem in their most recent game.

On the heels of a week off, Tulane — No. 19 in Tuesday’s first College Football Playoff Top 25 — will travel to Tulsa, Okla., to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in American Athletic Conference play Saturday.

Last time out, Fritz’s team led 35-0 after an incredible half of football against Memphis, and Fritz said he dialed it back a bit, which stunted the momentum created by quarterback Michael Pratt and an explosive offense.

“I kind of slowed us down a little bit in the second half,” Fritz said. “I wish I hadn’t. I wish I’d have picked a better play on that fourth-and-short when we were backed up. But I didn’t.”

Following the spectacular five-touchdown first half, Tulane held on to beat the Tigers 38-28. The Green Wave (7-1, 4-0) lead the conference, one game ahead of Cincinnati, UCF and Houston.

Fritz’s squad will host UCF on Nov. 12. Two weeks later it will travel to Cincinnati to close out the season against the Bearcats — controlling its own path to the league championship and a possible New Year’s Six berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Despite sitting ninth in the AAC standings, Tulsa (3-5, 1-3) is a team that cannot be taken lightly, even though the Golden Hurricane have lost momentum since quarterback Davis Brin — who was leading the nation in passing at the time — injured his ankle at then-No. 16 Ole Miss on Sept. 24.

Tulsa narrowly lost that game, 35-27, and Brin has not been at full health since then, although he has started every game. In last Saturday’s 45-34 loss to SMU, Brin injured his non-throwing shoulder after a hard hit on a 21-yard TD run in the third quarter.

“You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for the gutsiness of sacrificing your body out there and knowing you’re fixing to get hit but knowing we need points,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said.

Freshman Braylon Braxton came in to turn in a strong effort, completing 8 of 14 passes for 120 yards and two TDs.

Tulane, meanwhile, will be looking for another strong start, having outscored opponents 62-10 in the first quarter this season.

Pratt, a junior from Boca Raton, Fla., continues to be proficient in leading Fritz’s offense. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound passer has completed 131 of 194 throws (67.5 percent) for 1,718 yards with 12 TDs and three interceptions.

The Golden Hurricane have won 13 of the 18 meetings in the all-time series, including the last two by a TD in overtime. In the last matchup in Oklahoma, Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins returned an interception 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime.

–Field Level Media

North Carolina has been moving up in the polls and by the end of the weekend could clinch the Coastal Division title, securing a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in Charlotte in December.

That could come Saturday afternoon with a visit to Charlottesville, Va., where many potentially special seasons have been derailed for the Tar Heels through the years.

So if North Carolina (7-1, 4-0 ACC) — ranked 17th in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday — is deserving of some of its renewed status, there’s one good way to back it up.

“Go prove it,” Brown said. “We don’t need scenarios. We need to win. You don’t want to back into the conference championship, you want to be good enough to earn the run… We’ve gone from a team that nobody talked about to one that has got the target on their back.”

UNC heads the ACC’s Coastal Division by two games with four remaining. A victory Saturday would clinch a tie for the division crown, and losses by second-place teams Duke and Miami (both 2-2) would ensure the Tar Heels’ first division title since 2015.

Virginia (3-5, 1-4) is just trying to make some headway under first-year coach Tony Elliott.

The Cavaliers’ defense hasn’t allowed an opposing offense to score a touchdown for the last eight quarters. Last Saturday, they kept Miami out of the end zone, but still lost in overtime. In an epic defensive struggle, the teams each made two field goals in regulation, and two in overtime, and Miami won, 14-12, by scoring on a two-point overtime run.

“They’re getting better every week,” Brown said of the Cavaliers.

Elliott said his players aren’t in the mood to give up on the season, saying, “I think they’re invested in trying to build the foundation of the program.”

Quarterback Brennan Armstrong has been hobbled recently by an ankle injury, but Elliott said, “He’s full speed, full go. He’s a warrior.”

Virginia likely will be without injured leading rusher Perris Jones, so that would mean Mike Hollins and Xavier Brown could carry the load at running back. A good sign for the Cavaliers could be a healthier and deeper offensive line for this week.

North Carolina’s offense hasn’t been a problem as redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye has 29 touchdown passes, matching Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud for most in the nation. Three times he has thrown for five touchdowns in a game.

Maye is coming off season highs for completions (33), pass attempts (44) and yards (388) in a 42-28 comeback against Pitt.

UNC is battered to some degree. Linebacker Noah Taylor is out for the season after suffering an injury last week. Taylor led the Tar Heels in sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (6), and the timing is particularly difficult for him — he’s a transfer from Virginia and this would have been a homecoming of sorts.

Defensive lineman Desmond Evans and running back Caleb Hood are also out for the rest of the season.

“It’s the time of the year that these things happen,” defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said. “And we have prepared as the season has gone on depth-wise to be able — if the situations occur — to be able to not be in scramble mode. So we’ll have to move some pieces around.”

Carolina’s 59-39 victory at home last season ended a four-game losing streak to Virginia.

–Field Level Media

Liberty coach Hugh Freeze will be guarding against complacency while Arkansas coach Sam Pittman expects the “best game” all season from Freeze’s Flames when the two clash Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Ark.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll have them ready,” Pittman said of Freeze. “They’ve had a bye week after their best game all year. I expect a really close, tight game and, hopefully, we can make enough plays to win.”

Pittman’s Razorbacks (5-3) are coming off a 41-27 victory at Auburn that was the Hogs’ first win in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2012 and first win against the Tigers since 2015.

A win for Arkansas this weekend would make them bowl-eligible for just the second time in the last six seasons.

The Flames (7-1) had an open date after posting an impressive 41-14 victory over BYU on Oct. 22. Freeze welcomed the extra time to celebrate the win, which vaulted his team into the No. 23 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll but left it short of a spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, which were released Tuesday.

Freese called the AP ranking “pretty special,” and something worth celebrating, but also noted just how fickle the polls can be during the season.

“Arkansas is going to be favored this week and they should be,” Freeze said. “They’ve got better players and probably better coaches. So you can easily get knocked out of the Top 25.”

The Flames have won their last five games since an early 37-36 loss at Wake Forest despite playing an injury-induced game of “musical chairs” at quarterback. Utah transfer Charlie Brewer broke his hand after starting the opener, and Kaidon Salter got the next two starts before sidelined by a groin injury.

Johnathan Bennett has started four of the last five games, including last week when he enjoyed by far the best performance of his career. The junior threw for a career-high 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns in completing 24 of 29 passes.

Freeze said Salter remains doubtful. Brewer returned to practice this week, though Freeze said Bennett likely will start.

“I think they’re both really fine players,” Pittman said. “Both can throw the football. Both can command the offense.”

Pittman had both bad news and good news on the injury front for the unranked Razorbacks. He confirmed that Dominique Johnson, a six-game starter at running back in 2021 who has made only four appearances this year while going through rehab, tore the ACL of his previously injured knee during practice last week and will miss the rest of the season. He rushed for 575 yards last year.

But starting corner Malik Chavis returned to practice after not making last week’s trip to Auburn while recovering from a head injury. Pittman said Chavis will compete for playing time with converted wide receiver Quincey McAdoo at corner.

“The Hogs are going to be a handful for us,” Freeze said. “When you’re playing an SEC roster with a Group of 5 school, it’s tough. It’s hard. You can’t hardly make any mistakes if you want to have any chance to be in it.”

–Field Level Media

Ohio State continues its collision course with No. 5 Michigan on Nov. 26, but first the No. 2 Buckeyes must wade through three unranked teams, beginning Saturday at flailing Northwestern in Chicago, Ill.

The Wildcats (1-7, 1-4 Big Ten) are looking for their first win of the season on American soil. Northwestern opened the season with a 31-28 win against Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, but has lost seven in a row since.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said of the Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0). “When you pop on the tape and take a deeper dive, it’s a complete team. Coach (Ryan) Day and his staff have done a phenomenal job in recruiting. They’ve got depth everywhere and explosiveness in all three phases.”

Ohio State earned its spot in the first College Football Playoff ranking Tuesday after a 44-31 win at No. 15 Penn State which was expected to be the Buckeyes’ toughest challenge until hosting Michigan. Following Northwestern, the Buckeyes are home for a meeting with Indiana (3-5, 1-4) before playing at Maryland (6-2, 3-2).

Day said the focus is on his team’s improvement, not the opponent.

“We’ve always said it’s about us, so why does that change this week?” he said. “Last week going into Penn State, it was about us. It was about our preparation. You have to continue to do what you’re doing and get better every week. If you don’t, not only do you show weakness, but you set yourself up for problems down the road.

“(Fitzgerald) does an unbelievable job. I know they don’t have the record that they want to, but we’ve got to go play football, and we want to play at a high level. That’s the goal here, so it really shouldn’t matter who we’re playing against.”

Day takes the same approach to the rankings. Ohio State has reached the playoffs four times, winning the inaugural title for the 2014 season.

“Do I think we deserve to be in the top four? Absolutely,” he said. “Do I think it matters all that much right now? No. What matters is beating Northwestern.”

A player to watch for the Buckeyes is defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who against Penn State had six tackles, two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, a tipped ball that led to an interception and two picks, including one that he returned for a touchdown as part of a 28-point fourth quarter for the Buckeyes.

“Certainly, one of the most historic games in college football,” Day said. “I guess it’s not an exaggeration to say that given what he did.”

First-year Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, in his 35th year as a college coach, said the performance by Tuimoloau was the best he’s ever seen by a defensive end.

“Just dominating every phase of the game,” Knowles said. “Playing like a linebacker in terms of his ball skills.”

Fitzgerald doesn’t see any areas the Wildcats can exploit. The Buckeyes are second nationally in scoring (48.9 points per game) and 10th in scoring defense (16.9).

“On tape, no, I have not seen anything. But we haven’t cut the grass at Ryan Field since our last home game,” Fitzgerald joked. “So, it will be somewhere between two to four feet high. Maybe sprinkling system will come on at 7, again at 10.”

–Field Level Media

Oregon State was ranked in The Associated Press’ Top 25 this week for the first time since the end of the 2013 season.

In addition to their No. 24 spot in the AP poll, the Beavers landed No. 23 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season.

Still, when Oregon State next lines up to play – Friday night in Seattle – the Beavers (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) will be underdogs to unranked Washington (6-2, 3-2) in a Pacific-12 Conference contest.

Beavers coach Jonathan Smith downplayed his team’s midseason move into the Top 25.

“It’s a little bit like preseason rankings — midseason rankings we’re not into and paying a bunch of attention to,” Smith said. “I will say, though, I think it’s a recognition of the work these guys put in and progress we’re making. But we’re definitely into postseason rankings.”

The Beavers had not been ranked in the regular season since 2012 when they finished 20th.

Oregon State has won three consecutive games behind backup quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who has replaced the injured Chance Nolan (concussion). Smith said Nolan took part in practices this week but is unlikely to be ready for Friday’s game.

“Still limited, didn’t do the whole thing, so we’ll see how he kind of responds and works through the week,” Smith said.

The Beavers will be without starting left guard Marco Brewer, who suffered a season-ending injury in their last game, a 42-9 victory against visiting Colorado on Oct. 22.

Gulbranson completed 14 of 22 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in that game and freshman Damien Martinez carried 22 times for 178 yards and three TDs.

The Beavers spent part of their bye week preparing for Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is completing 68% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. Penix leads the nation in passing yards per game with 366.8.

“This guy can change his arm angle, he’s just accurate. Tight windows. He likes to throw it and he wants to throw it first,” said Smith, who was the Huskies’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2014-17 before returning to his alma mater. “Plenty of ability to extend (the play). A lot of quarterbacks have that, but this guy’s a great thrower of the football.”

The Huskies also had a bye last week after a 28-21 victory at California, their second in a row. Penix was 36-of-51 passing for 374 yards and two TDs in that game.

UW coach Kalen DeBoer, who was Penix’s offensive coordinator at Indiana before the two reunited this season when DeBoer was hired and Penis transferred in, said his quarterback’s importance goes beyond the statistics.

“We’re asking him to do a lot, and he’s lived up to that. He’s calm, cool and collected — I’ve said that all along. But he’s certainly leading the team in a big way, and not just the offense,” DeBoer said. “I think the whole offensive and defensive sides of the ball are certainly responding to him and what he brings.

“When he walks out of the tunnel each and every day onto the field, I think that there’s a lot of confidence in whatever he says. I think the whole team believes him.”

The Huskies have been hampered by injuries, especially in the secondary, but the bye week might have helped.

DeBoer said the projected starting cornerbacks and safeties coming into the season will all be healthy for the first time since the season opener.

“That gives you a lot of stability,” DeBoer said.

–Field Level Media

Syracuse and Pitt both find themselves trending in the wrong direction as the regular season heads into its final month.

The Orange — ranked 20th in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season — visit the Panthers on Saturday in a match-up of ACC foes hoping to avoid their third straight defeat.

Syracuse (6-2, 3-1 ACC) opened the season with six consecutive victories, including quality wins over Louisville, Purdue and North Carolina State. The Orange then led by 14 at undefeated Clemson before crumbling down the stretch in a 27-21 defeat.

Their problems were compounded last weekend in a 41-24 home loss to Notre Dame, when they allowed 246 rushing yards and lost quarterback Garrett Shrader to a second-quarter concussion.

Shrader’s status against Pitt is cloudy, as Orange coach Dino Babers would not say this week whether the senior quarterback would get the nod against the Panthers, or whether it would be Carlos Del Rio-Wilson making his first career start.

“All that stuff is in consideration behind the curtain, but I just can’t talk about that stuff in the press conference,” Babers said.

Standout running back Sean Tucker (758 yards, 7 TDs) has found the end zone five times in the past four games. He has, however, carried only 35 times the last three games and could be in for a heavier workload Saturday.

Syracuse wraps up its regular season with four ACC games, three of which take place on the road.

“Non-conference is over,” Babers said. “We were 3-1 in non-conference. We lost to Notre Dame. Now it’s all conference play. We’ve got one loss and we have to see how we’re going to finish this thing up.”

The Panthers (4-4, 1-3) also have four league games remaining, and they hope those contests go smoother than the last two games. After getting off to a 4-2 start, Pitt has dropped lopsided decisions to Louisville (24-10) and North Carolina (42-24).

They have been outscored 38-0 in the fourth quarter of those two games.

“The fourth quarter wasn’t good enough,” Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said seeing a 24-14 lead against UNC punctured by four unanswered touchdowns. “We turned the ball over again in the fourth quarter, which started the tumble. It seems like every week we’ve got one of those.”

On the bright side, Pitt receiver Jared Wayne had a career-high 161 receiving yards on seven catches against North Carolina. And Israel Abanikanda racked up 127 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

“They’ve got the best running back in the country,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said of Abanikanda, who has an ACC-best 1,086 rushing yards and a national-best 16 touchdowns through the first eight games.

On the other hand, Pitt’s defense will need to be better against Syracuse. The Panthers have given up at least 24 points to seven opponents (Western Michigan was the only exception) and UNC scored the most, with 42.

Pitt has won 17 of the last 20 matchups with Syracuse, including the past four in a row. The Panthers captured last season’s meeting 31-14 behind four TD passes from Kenny Pickett, who is now starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

–Field Level Media