Louisville Runs FSU Off the Field, and Now It's SoCal's Turn: Unbeaten UCLA Hits Autzen, USC Walks Into the White Out

College football Friday nights are supposed to be the appetizer. Louisville turned it into a full meal.

Friday: Isaac Brown said "nah"

Florida State led Louisville 14-0 and looked like it was cruising. Then it all fell apart.

Early in the second quarter, FSU skipped a short field goal that could've made it 17-0, per the AP, and Louisville DB Kaleb Beasley stopped receiver Jasen Lopez at the 3 on fourth-and-goal. On the very next snap, running back Isaac Brown went 97 yards. 247Sports reports it's the longest play from scrimmage in Louisville history.

From there, it was a horror movie for the Noles. Louisville scored 35 unanswered points and won 44-20.

Brown finished with a career-high 235 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. That's 13.8 yards a pop. He also ripped off a 71-yard kickoff return to open the second half and capped his night with a 68-yard TD run. The Cardinals ran for 397 yards as a team, per the AP, and did it with leading rusher Keyjuan Brown sidelined.

Our take (opinion): FSU fans have seen this movie before, and the AP's own takeaway politely called it "head scratching." When you leave three points on the field, the other team scores seven on the next play, and you never recover, that's a coaching conversation. Expect plenty of those this week in Tallahassee. FSU (3-3) visits No. 4 Miami next. Good luck.

Now, the main event for us out West.

Saturday, 12:30 p.m. PT (CBS): No. 21 UCLA at No. 13 Oregon

Read that again: UCLA is 4-0 and ranked. Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins (2-0 Big Ten) are in the AP poll for the first time since 2023, per UCLA Athletics.

How? They run the ball through your soul.

• 281.5 rushing yards per game and 44.8 points per game, per UCLA Athletics.
• An FBS-best 6.95 yards per carry.
• Wayne Knight has 445 yards and nine touchdowns on 49 carries, per The Oregonian.
• Last time out, they hammered Maryland 54-3 on the road.

Now the bad news. UCLA hasn't won at Autzen Stadium since 2004 and has never beaten a ranked Oregon team on the road, per the school's own notes. Oregon has won five straight in the series.

The twist: Oregon starter Dante Moore, a former Bruin, is out. Backup Dylan Raiola starts after going 19-of-25 for 289 yards and two TDs in Oregon's 41-27 win at USC, per The Oregonian. And Oregon's defense leads the FBS in third-down stops, allowing just over 21% conversions.

A UCLA win would make Chesney the first coach in program history to start 5-0.

Our take (opinion): UCLA's schedule has been soft, and the run game hasn't seen a defense like this. But Oregon is starting its backup quarterback, and a ground-and-pound team that shortens the game is exactly the kind of opponent that keeps an underdog alive. Keep it close into the fourth and Bruins fans get to have a very fun Saturday night.

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. PT (NBC/Peacock): No. 19 USC at Penn State

USC (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) heads to Happy Valley for the annual White Out, one of the loudest environments in the sport. Lincoln Riley admitted to SI he has never been inside Beaver Stadium. Welcome!

The Trojans are coming off a 25-21 home win over Washington in which Jayden Maiava threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, per Penn State's game notes. Their only loss came against Oregon.

Penn State (3-2) is wobbling, having blown a 17-point lead against Wisconsin and lost 34-13 at Northwestern, per The Daily Collegian. Riley is 4-2 all-time against Penn State coach Matt Campbell from their Big 12 days, per SI.

Revenge angle: Penn State rallied from 20-6 down to beat USC 33-30 in overtime at the Coliseum in 2024.

Our take (opinion): this one's a coin flip with a lot of noise on top of it. If King Miller and the run game find room against a leaky Penn State front, USC steals one. If Maiava turns it over in that crowd, it's a long flight home.

Also on the Saturday menu

No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama (4:30 p.m. PT, ABC) is the national headliner. No. 1 Texas vs. Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry kicks at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC, per ESPN's scoreboard.

Snacks: stocked. Couch: claimed. Let's go.