Oct 10, 2024, 07:20 AM ET

Week 7 is here as we look toward some exciting conference matchups this weekend that you won’t want to miss.

The Red River Rivalry game is Saturday as No. 1

Hawkins will become the first Oklahoma true freshman quarterback to start against the Longhorns in the 120-game lore of this bitter rivalry, in the same Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex where he once tormented opposing high school defenses and learned to throw under the tutelage of Kyler Murray‘s father.

“It means a lot just going to a big stage,” Hawkins said last week. “It’s my first time playing in this stadium and against this team, too. So this is a big moment for me.”

Murmurs of Hawkins’ immediate promise and maturity flowed out of the Sooners’ spring and fall camps earlier this year. But ESPN’s No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the 2024 class only took center stage after Brent Venables pulled Jackson Arnold before halftime against Tennessee last month, benching the former five-star passer just five games after handing him the reins. Hawkins’s composure showed when he steadied Oklahoma in an eventual 25-15 loss to the Volunteers. A week later, when Hawkins made his first career start at Auburn, his poise overflowed during an 11-point, fourth-quarter comeback, which Hawkins flourished by careening into the end zone on a pivotal, late-game 2-point conversion.

“He’s a guy to bet on just from a maturity, process-driven, consistency [standpoint],” Venables said of Hawkins this week. “How he handles tough moments … he’s got a lot of really good qualities that maybe sometimes a younger player doesn’t have.”

Those qualities quickly became clear to Jordan. From that initial training session, Hawkins joined 940 Elite, and soon, he was a commanding presence within the 7-on-7 program that has produced players such as Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech freshman All-American linebacker Ben Roberts, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and a handful of Hawkins’ Oklahoma teammates, including defenders Peyton Bowen and Eli Bowen and tight end Davon Mitchell.

At Frisco Emerson High School, where Hawkins transferred for his senior season after three years at Allen High School, head coach Kendall Miller saw Hawkins’ traits, too. Beyond the physical tools that powered Hawkins’ 4,211 all-purpose yards and 55 touchdowns in 2023, Miller saw something special in the maturity of the quarterback who led Emerson to the 5A state semifinal in his lone season at the school.

“He had the same demeanor in the semifinal as he did in Game 1,” Miller said. “I think he’s just got something inside of him. If I could just find what he has, I’d go get some of it and give it to a lot of other guys.”

Before he became Oklahoma’s freshman quarterback, Hawkins’ poise was a driving force of his game. When he steps onto one of college football’s biggest stages Saturday, it may be his greatest asset. — Eli Lederman

Get to know your new conference enemy

These two programs are not totally unfamiliar with each other. In 2017, James Franklin and Penn State held a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl Game. USC then scored 17 points, including a game-winning field goal in the final seconds to win one of the most thrilling versions of the bowl game in recent years.

Now, seven years later, the No. 4 Nittany Lions are headed back to the West Coast to face the Trojans again, this time as a conference opponent.

The Trojans are 1-0 (beat Wisconsin) in home games against Big Ten opponents and 0-2 on the road (lost to Michigan and Minnesota).

The Nittany Lions have one of the best defenses and USC’s offense has looked overpowered in the trenches when facing tougher opponents, which has, in turn, asked a lot of its improved but not flawless defense. This is not exactly the kind of get right game that the Trojans needed after a brutal loss in Minnesota. But it also may be the kind of trap game that Franklin’s team needs to avoid on its quest for a playoff spot.

As Lincoln Riley explained recently, Big Ten games have had fewer possessions and are slower paced than what he and the Trojans are accustomed. Franklin and Penn State, perhaps more than most teams, thrive in such games.

Riley has argued that the Trojans are two plays away from being 5-0. On one hand, that’s not necessarily wrong. On the other, they have allowed themselves to lose two games because of two plays. Whether it’s the slower-paced games with fewer plays, the physicality or simply the travel, USC has struggled to perform. It dropped being ranked No. 11 to unranked after its most recent loss.

This week, the task won’t be any easier. The Trojans will need a win to keep any slim playoff or conference hopes alive. — Paolo Uggetti

Quotes of the week

“[They’re] not a measuring stick for myself or for this program. Their success doesn’t have anything to do with ours. And their lack of success doesn’t have anything to do with ours. So we’re focused on us — the things that we can control. We compete on the field once a season, and it’s a big game, always is.” — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, on whether his job is more difficult when Texas is riding high.

“I’m buddies with him. He’s a good guy. … Man, he’s a good player. He can sling it. Ball comes out of his hand well. … He’s a dude, for sure. I’m excited to go against him in this big matchup.” — Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, on facing former Big 12 rival and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. The two previously faced each other when Howard was at Kansas State and Gabriel at Oklahoma.

“One of the things I think we have to discuss is increasing the size of the runway here and the size of the airport for a lot of reasons, for the university, for the community, for businesses, and for the athletic department. You’re talking about adding another two hours on top of your flight. … That’s pretty much a whole day.” — James Franklin, on Penn State having to drive to Harrisburg to be able to fly across the country to Los Angeles and face new Big Ten member USC.