No. 17 Miami vs. No. 18 Louisville highlights menu
Star Okla. State RB takes aim at Tulsa
The college football schedule is still looking light, with the Southeastern Conference a week away from starting and the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference still just warming up.
For the teams that are playing, it’s a chance to jump onto the main stage when otherwise they might have been relegated to side shows.
In the ACC, a matchup of talented quarterbacks could provide an early pecking order of potential contenders. And the American Athletic Conference gets its chance to grab some of that shine that went to the Sun Belt last week. Four AAC teams play power five opponents Saturday. BEST GAME: No. 17 Miami at No. 18 Louisville
The only game matching ranked teams on the schedule gets the prime-time treatment from ESPN.
The Hurricanes unleashed a powerful running game in the debut of Houston grad transfer D’Eriq King last week, going for 337 yards on the ground in a win over UAB.
Louisville’s Micale Cunningham flashed star potential after taking over last season for the Cardinals and then threw for 343 yards and three scores in an opening win over Western Kentucky.
Both teams have ACC title game aspirations. The winner gets to feel as if those are legitimate.
HEISMAN WATCH: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State. He led the nation in rushing last year, breaking 2,000 yards. He had an interesting offseason, calling out his head coach. Things seemed to have calmed down in Stillwater, Oklahoma, since.
The junior will face tougher tests than Tulsa, but here’s a chance for him to get off to good start and grab some attention before all those star quarterbacks threaten to push him into the background.
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
3: Wake Forest’s winning streak against North Carolina State. The Demon Deacons opened by getting thumped last week by Clemson. They try to turn it around against an ACC rival they have owned lately. Wake last won four straight against the Wolfpack in the 1950s.
7: The total margin in No. 14 UCF’s three losses last year. The Knights open with Georgia Tech on Saturday. UNDER THE RADAR: Interim Southern Mississippi coach Scotty Walden gets his first crack to impress the bosses when the Golden Eagles host Conference USA rival Louisiana Tech.
Walden, 30, replaced Jay Hopson, who parted ways with USM after an ugly opening loss to South Alabama.
Walden was a Division III head coach at East Texas Baptist before joining the Golden Eagles staff in 2017 as wide receivers coach. He is considered a creative, up-andcoming offensive coach.
IN PRIME POSITION: According to several reports Thursday, Deion Sanders is close to being hired as the head football coach at Jackson State.
School officials have issued denials that a decision has been made.