Weekly Syllabus: Northwestern in the spotlight, ranked Big 12, SEC showdowns and more

The college sports calendar is heating up.

As the college football season enters its closing stretch, the college basketball regular season is gearing up with the first action set for next Monday. 

Below, we break down a surprising Big Ten College Football Playoff contender, ranked Big 12 and SEC showdowns and which stars are already in midseason form after weekend men's basketball exhibitions.

Northwestern Wildcats' CFP statement

Associated Press No. 20 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) is justifying its $870 million stadium so far, winning its first three games at the new Ryan Field by a combined score of 121-41. With a road win on Saturday, the Wildcats would move a step closer to opening their fancy, state-of-the-art stadium for business in the first round of the CFP.

Northwestern travels to Oregon (4-3, 2-2 in Big Ten) looking for a marquee victory. The Ducks, ranked No. 3 in the preseason, have been among the year's biggest disappointments, but wins over USC (6-2, 3-2 in Big Ten) and Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 in Big Ten) since losing quarterback Dante Moore (concussion) make them a dangerous spoiler.

No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders, No. 22 Arizona Wildcats battle to keep at-large CFP chances alive

In one of the weekend's two games featuring ranked opponents, one of Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) or Arizona (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) will keep its hopes of receiving a CFP at-large berth alive.

The Red Raiders are coming off a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati (5-2, 2-2 in Big 12), while the Wildcats have won five in a row after a Week 2 loss to No. 8 BYU (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) by an average of 23.8 points per game. 

Unless there's absolute chaos over the next month, the chances of a Big 12 program with two regular-season losses getting into the 12-team are slim, raising the stakes of Saturday's matchup.

No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs look to bounce back against No. 17 Florida Gators

For the 24th time and first since 2020, Florida (5-2, 3-2 in SEC) and Georgia (6-1, 4-1 in SEC) meet as ranked opponents. 

The two had very different bye weeks after the Bulldogs fell at home to Auburn (4-3, 2-3 in SEC) on a walk-off field goal and the Gators upset No. 11 Texas (5-2, 2-2 in SEC), both 27-24 finals, in their most recent games.

Florida is playing coy with its quarterback situation entering the high-stakes SEC showdown after sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. started against Texas. Junior Aaron Philo served as the starter during the team's 4-2 start, and head coach Jon Sumrall shared that "Both guys are available" on Monday. (h/t ESPN)

"Florida-Georgia is different," Sumrall added, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "But what helps you win the game's not different.

"Protecting the football, lean on the people around you and just go play clean," he continued. "You don't have to be a superhero."

With the Bulldogs likely to prioritize stopping running back Jadan Baugh ("He has been incredible," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said during a Monday news conference), Florida's quarterbacks may want to pack a cape just in case.

South Carolina Gamecocks ranked No. 1 entering women's college basketball season

For the fifth time since the 2020-21 season, South Carolina is ranked No. 1 in the AP women's basketball preseason poll. But in past seasons, that hasn't been exactly a great thing for the Gamecocks, who only won one national championship in the four previous instances.

With returning stars including guard Tessa Jonson and forwards Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts, who missed all of 2025-26 with a torn ACL, South Carolina has a championship-caliber base, and head coach Dawn Staley's squad should be extra motivated after back-to-back humbling title game defeats. The Gamecocks will have to earn it on the court, but the pieces are undoubtedly there for them to end the season where they began.

Stars shine in men's CBB preseason tune-ups

Several top programs continued to gear up for the start of the 2026-27 season next week with recent exhibitions.

No. 3 Illinois lost at home to Baylor, 95-91, but fans got a promising glimpse of five-star freshman guard Quentin Coleman, who led the Fighting Illini with 20 points and seven rebounds.

In another profile exhibition, No. 12 Arkansas defeated No. 15 Gonzaga, 76-72, on Saturday, and 2025-26 SEC All-Defense forward Billy Richmond had a team-high 17 points for the Razorbacks. Five-star freshman small forward JJ Andrews nearly had a double-double off the bench, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

No. 2 Duke and No. 17 Kansas also met over the weekend, and Blue Devils transfer guard John Blackwell shined in a 90-84 win, scoring 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Center Patrick Ngongba led Duke with 28 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 9-of-12.

Kansas guard Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class, led the Jayhawks with 27 points while adding eight rebounds and seven assists.

With the regular season days away, some of the projected brightest stars in 2026-27 appear ready for action.