No. 19 Texas vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
The Red River Rivalry matches ranked teams for the first time since 2012. The winner could be considered the Big 12 favorite, though No. 9 West Virginia will probably have a say in that, too.
Despite Texas’ recent struggles, the Longhorns have been plenty competitive against the Sooners. Last year, Baker Mayfield and the Sooners needed a fourth quarter touchdown to regain the lead, and then held on to beat Texas 2924. The last four meetings have all been decided by one score.
Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray leads the No. 1 offense in the country, averaging 8.90 yards per play. The
Texas defense is second in the Big 12 in allowing 4.82 yards per play and has been especially good during a four-game winning streak.
A fairly clear pecking order has already developed among Heisman Trophy contenders
— or at least a top tier comprised for quarterbacks.
No. 1 Alabama’s
Tua Tagovailoa, No. 3 Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and No. 9 West Virginia’s Will Grier all face big underdogs this week. Murray is on that tier, too, and could surge forward by playing well in a big game.
Looking for someone off the radar who might be able to make a secondhalf push? North Carolina State senior Ryan Finley is averaging 328 yards passing and has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions. The No. 23 Wolfpack faces Boston College at home this weekend and that could set up a huge game in two weeks against No. 4 Clemson.
Alabama’s record against Arkansas since Nick Saban became coach. The Tide visits the Razorbacks.
Tackles for loss per game for No. 17 Miami, tops in the nation.
—Tackles for loss allowed per game by Florida, 123rd in the nation. The Seminoles visit the Hurricanes.
Number of games No. 12 UCF has won in a row, tops in the nation. Also the number of consecutive games in which the Knights have score at least 30 points. SMU visits UCF.
Notre Dame’s record on the road against ranked teams since 2013. The sixth-ranked Fighting Irish face No. 24 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
Passing attempts without an interception by LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. The fifth-ranked Tigers are at No. 22 Florida.