Three And Out, Week 10: A Massive Big Ten Showdown, A Test For Georgia

The first weekend of November features the biggest weekend of the year in the Big Ten, a massive rivalry in the SEC and the final weekend before the College Football Playoff selection committee begins their meetings in suburban Dallas.

Simply put, this is where the rubber meets the road.

Let’s preview Week 10 in the updated edition of Three and Out.

James Franklin can’t win big games

That’s not an exaggeration. He simply can’t. Well, outside of the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game, of course. Franklin is 1-9 against Ohio State during his tenure with the Nittany Lions, and mind-blowing 4-16 when you add Michigan into the mix despite the Wolverines’ struggling at times over the last 10 years.

That has to change … and has to change right now.

MADISON, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 26: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

The third-ranked and undefeated Nittany Lions will host the fourth-ranked and one-loss Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon in the biggest game of Franklin’s career and a game that will set the landscape for the rest of the Big Ten season. Sure, the status of Nittany Lions’ quarterback Drew Allar is up-in-the-air, but backup Beau Pribula was 11-for-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown in last week’s game vs. Wisconsin that was way too close at halftime.

I don’t care that there are injury concerns. It doesn’t matter. Great coaches fight through it. If Franklin can’t, that will speak volumes about his ceiling at Penn State.

Is Georgia really a monster?

It’s been two weeks since Georgia dominated Texas in Austin in one of the biggest games of the year. But, did the Bulldogs really dominate the Longhorns? Eh, kinda.

Sure, the defensive front did. Poor Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning were under fire more than Joe Biden after calling half the country "garbage." However, the dirty little secret about Georgia is that quarterback Carson Beck has turned into a pick machine. All eight of his interceptions this season have come over the last four games, including three in the 30-15 win over Texas. In that game, he averaged just 4.3 yards per attempt and completed just 56.1% of his passes.

TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 28: Georgia Bulldogs defensive linemen Nazir Stackhouse (78) looks on prior to the college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide on September 28. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Does that have to change this week in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against Florida? Maybe. The Gators have had a week off to build off of their 48-20 win over Kentucky. DJ Lagway is the unquestioned starter at quarterback for Billy Napier’s Gators, and a couple of big plays could put Beck into a few sticky situations.

Can we chill out with the College Football Playoff?

Look, the national championship is important. I get it. Sports have to have champions, and the race to determine which team that is will always be one of the top reasons to love not just college sports, but all sports.

It’s not the be all, end all though.

I was on the field last week when Kennesaw State won its first ever FBS game - an upset over previously-undefeated Liberty. The feeling inside Fifth Third Stadium was pure, unadulterated joy. The Owls aren’t going to the CFP. They may never go to the CFP. But the feeling on that field was what college football is all about.

It’s a celebration. It’s unifying. It’s enjoying the moment for the moment itself, not what it could be moving forward.

So, let’s not obsess over the CFP rankings when they are released next Tuesday. It’s only part of the puzzle. The national title is not why I fell in love with the sport, and is only part of what it’s all about. Enjoy every moment for the moment itself. We can worry about the national title late