FOX brings Big Noon Kickoff to UCF vs. Colorado; USF hits road for Tulane

FLORIDA — Quarterbacks will take center stage Saturday afternoon in Orlando, and the Fox Big Noon Kickoff will be at UCF to get festivities started Saturday.

The Colorado at UCF matchup features some interesting highlights, including a meeting of the two transfer signal-callers.

The Buffs come in at 3-1 with a 1-0 start in conference play, led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Coach Deion Sanders’ son ignites the Colorado offense and is second in the Big 12 in passing with a 67.9% completion rate and 11 touchdowns.

The Knights are led by their own new quarterback, KJ Jefferson, an Arkansas transfer. Jefferson has led the Knights to a 3-0 mark while throwing for 563 yards and five touchdowns after a shaky Week 1 win.

The Knights and Buffaloes have never met on the gridiron.

UCF coach Gus Malzahn recruited Sanders out of high school, when Malzahn was at Auburn.

“You’ve got to put pressure on him. There’s no doubt,” Malzahn said. “You can just tell he’s a veteran guy. You can tell he stays calm. You can tell he’s a smart guy, too.”

Other state squads also are playing important league games.

Seventh-ranked Miami is venturing into Atlantic Coast Conference play, hosting Virginia Tech on Friday.

FSU, which at 1-3 finally picked up its first win of the season last week against Cal, plays at ACC newcomer SMU, which is 3-1 with victories against Nevada and TCU and its only loss coming against BYU.

USF (2-2) seeks to rebound from its 50-15 spanking against Miami by traveling to take on a tough American Athletic Conference opponent, Tulane, team in New Orleans.

Florida is off.

Here’s a look at this week’s games:

Friday

Virginia Tech (2-2) at No. 7 Miami (4-0), 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Can anyone slow down the red-hot Miami Hurricanes offense, led by quarterback Cam Ward, a transfer out of Washington? The Canes have scored 209 points in four contests this season. The Miami defense has allowed just 41 points so far, giving up three touchdowns with a shutout mixed in.

That may not bode well for a Virginia Tech team that has already suffered tough losses this season to the likes of Vanderbilt and Rutgers.

Saturday

USF (2-2) at Tulane (2-2), Noon, ESPNU

The Bulls once again find themselves in bounce-back mode after a second loss to a top-10 ranked team. But the Green Wave won’t exactly be a pushover for USF. After defeating Tulane in 2017, USF has dropped three consecutive meetings, by an average of 23 points. The Bulls will have to get its offense on track and score some points to keep up with the Green Wave’s 35 point-per-game-plus offensive attack.

Colorado (3-1) at UCF (3-0), 3:30 p.m., FOX

The Buffaloes are coming off a 38-31 overtime thriller last week against Baylor, a team that rallied for an improbable comeback against the Knights last season. The game could give an indication on how much UCF has improved for Big 12 play in its second season. Colorado tailback Dallan Hayden is expected to return from injury Saturday, and safety Shilo Sanders hasn’t been ruled out despite having surgery on his arm just over two weeks ago. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is averaging 335 passing yards per game. For UCF, running back RJ Harvey is leading the offense after three games, averaging 149.3 rushing yards per game and scoring eight touchdowns. The outcome could come down to which team manages the distractions of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff coming to town and Hurricane Helene, which stirred up some nasty weather in the days leading up to the game. It’s a blackout game for the UCF faithful.

FSU (1-3) at SMU (3-1), 8 p.m., ACC Network

Florida State fans are hoping last week’s 14-9 win against Cal gives the ‘Noles some much-needed confidence. The offense still seems sluggish and mostly out of sync, but quarterback DJ Uiagalelei looked sharper on some deep balls in the win. But every bit of offense may be needed to counter the Mustangs, who have already posted 59- and 66-point games this season. The Seminoles need a win this week because their upcoming schedule includes No. 17 Clemson, at No. 7 Miami and at No. 16 Notre Dame over the next six weeks.

Florida is off

While the Knights are in action, the Gators have an entire week off to get the Swamp stirred up as they try to avenge their 29-17 loss to the Knights in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.