Things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 11 Utah (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) at No. 18 UCLA (5-0, 2-0)
Oklahoma State is in prime position in the Big 12 race.
The Cowboys opened the conference schedule with a 36-25 road win over Baylor, the media's preseason Big 12 favorite.
Nebraska (2-3, 1-1 Big Ten) at Rutgers (3-2, 0-2), Friday, 7 p.m. EDT (FS1)
Line: Nebraska by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
NO. 17 TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) at No. 19 Kansas (5-0, 2-0), Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (FS1)
Line: TCU by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 4 Michigan (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at Indiana (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
Line: Michigan by 22½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Texas (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) vs Oklahoma (3-2, 0-2) in Dallas, Saturday, noon ET (ABC)
Line: Texas by 7 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Florida State (4-1, 2-1 ACC) at No. 14 North Carolina State (4-1, 0-1), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Line: N.C. State by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The same template has been used to build Iowa State and Kansas State, and both have earned reputations for rising up and challenging the Big 12 football hierarchy.
Two years after the Cyclones (3-2, 0-2) reached the conference championship game for the first time, 20th-ranked K-State (4-1, 2-0) is looking to make a run of its own.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh remembers it all so vividly.
The last time his team visited Indiana, its 24-game winning streak ended with a dismal 17-point loss. Even before that, though, the Hoosiers had given the Wolverines headaches.
Some things to watch in Week 6 of the Big 12 season:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas. An unexpected matchup of undefeated teams on the second Saturday in October when the Big 12 is usually focused on the Red River rivalry.
No. 9 Mississippi (5-0, 1-0 SEC) at Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Line: Ole Miss by 18 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
A look at Week 6 in the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 8 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 25 LSU (4-1, 2-0)
No. 20 Kansas State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Iowa State (3-2, 0-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Line: Kansas State by 2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 5 Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) at Boston College (2-3, 1-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Line: Clemson by 20.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 21 Washington (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) at Arizona State (1-4, 0-2), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Line: Washington by 13 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 12 Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) at Arizona (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, 9 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Line: Oregon by 12 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The ninth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels might not be in the mood to talk about the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Some things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 6:
GAME OF THE WEEK
Florida State (4-1, 2-1 ACC) at No. 14 North Carolina State (4-1, 0-1)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — John Rhys Plumlee threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the second half to Ryan O’Keefe, and UCF scored 31 unanswered points to beat SMU 41-19 on Wednesday night in a game postponed because of tropical weather.
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson defensive backs Malcolm Greene and Fred Davis II are being sued by a U.S. postal worker whose car Davis collided with last year.
The suit was filed Wednesday in Pickens County Common Pleas Court, a form of civil court.
Natrone Means first arrived at North Carolina to play for Mack Brown as a promising running back, then went on to an NFL career that included a touchdown-scoring appearance in the Super Bowl.
More than three decades later, he's again working to help Brown’s Tar Heels, though now in the kind of supporting role expanding across the Atlantic Coast Conference and the sport.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Quarterback Drew Pyne has given Notre Dame's offense exactly what it needed.
Hope amid change.
He is 2-0 since replacing the injured Tyler Buchner, has the Fighting Irish back at .500, is leading a major midseason turnaround and seems to be winning over coach Marcus Freeman.
Seeing top-ranked Alabama firmly among the national leaders defensively isn’t shocking considering its steady influx of top talent and grooming under Nick Saban.
The pleasant surprise is having some of the Crimson Tide’s West Division brethren representing the Southeastern Conference as well.
So, about that game of the year ...
The much-anticipated matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama, after an offseason feud between the team's championship-winning coaches, is not nearly as interesting as expected.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Recent meetings between Texas and Oklahoma have been shootouts.
Both teams have scored at least 40 points in four of the past six regular-season meetings, with Oklahoma breaking 50 in victories the past two years.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been answering questions about his play and UCLA's turnaround in the same fashion as he deals with opposing defenders.
By hurdling over them.
The fifth-year senior quarterback and the Bruins both made huge statements about respect with a 40-32 victory Friday over No.
Adrian Martinez, Dillon Gabriel, Quinn Ewers and JT Daniels understandably topped the preseason lists of players transferring to Big 12 schools. They're quarterbacks, after all.
While Kansas State's Martinez might be the conference's most celebrated transfer after the first month of the season, it's been lesser-known transfers who have been big difference-makers for the surprise teams at the top of the Big 12 standings.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M’s offense has sputtered all season, remaining stagnant despite a quarterback change.
As the Aggies prepare to visit top-ranked Alabama on Saturday, coach Jimbo Fisher is adamant that they can turn things around if every player simply makes a commitment to doing things right on every play.
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — DJ Uiagalelei looked so confident and smooth that crisp fall afternoon in 2020 in his first college start against Boston College.
Nearly two years later, with the fifth-ranked Tigers (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) heading to play the Eagles (2-3, 1-2) again on Saturday, Uiagalelei is just as poised — although these days he's armed with the experience of coming through difficult times on the field.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson is in concussion protocol and will miss next week's home game with Baylor after he was injured in a loss to Texas, coach Neal Brown said Tuesday.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The long-suffering football fans at Kansas mostly thought it flattering when Nebraska fired Scott Frost and rumors began that the Huskers would be interested in hiring the Jayhawks' Lance Leipold as their next coach.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was able to visit his brother, Tua, last weekend after the Terrapins' game against Michigan State, he said Tuesday in his first comments to reporters since Tua left the Miami Dolphins' game against Cincinnati last Thursday with a frightening head injury.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Scott Satterfield says quarterback Malik Cunningham’s status is being evaluated daily for concussion-like symptoms after he was injured Saturday’s loss at Boston College.
The Big Ten West is a mess. It's also mesmerizing.
Wisconsin and Nebraska already have fired their head coaches. Minnesota took up the mantle as West favorite, only to be upset at home. Illinois, picked sixth, is one of the hottest teams in the nation after outscoring two nonconference opponents and Wisconsin by a combined 89-13.
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said starting defensive tackle Bryan Bresee won't play at Boston College on Saturday night.
Swinney said Tuesday that Bresee was continuing to recover from a kidney infection diagnosed last week and would be out for the fifth-ranked Tigers (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Jim Leonhard would have preferred much different circumstances, but the former Wisconsin safety and NFL veteran has been given the opportunity to lead his alma mater’s football program.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young's sprained throwing shoulder has usurped the offseason coaching spat as the big story heading into the top-ranked Crimson Tide's grudge match against Texas A&M.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday that Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman had surgery to speed up recovery from an injury.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two rivals, two quarterback injury conundrums.
Texas and Oklahoma are preparing for this weekend's annual matchup in Dallas with big questions at the most important position on the field.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn edge rusher Eku Leota could miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury, coach Bryan Harsin said Monday.
Leota will have surgery on Tuesday for the injury sustained early in last weekend's loss to LSU, Harsin said.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Back-to-back unimpressive wins over Kent State and Missouri did more than knock Georgia from the top spot in the AP Top 25.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU starting quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to be back this week against No. 8 Tennessee as he recovers from a knee injury that forced him out of last Saturday's victory at Auburn, Tigers coach Brian Kelly said Monday.
This was reset week for Associated Press college football poll voters.
A season-high 10 teams that entered the weekend ranked in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions bank lost. That included five ranked teams losing to unranked opponents.
Cincinnati wasn't even the American Athletic Conference leader in sacks before Saturday. With one big night against Tulsa, the Bearcats begin this week at the top of the national chart.
Cincinnati tied a conference record with 11 sacks against the Golden Hurricane, matching the most in a Bowl Subdivision game in three seasons.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado fired football coach Karl Dorrell after an 0-5 start in which the Buffaloes have been blown out by more than 20 points in each game.
The school announced the decision Sunday, a day after a 43-20 loss at Arizona.