IN FOCUS
LOUISVILLE AT MARSHALL
Saturday, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network
There is no bigger spotlight than the one illuminating Louisville QB Lamar Jackson. He has been the best player in college football through three games.
And No. 4 Louisville might be the best team.
The Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) are coming off the season’s most impressive win, a 63-20 thrashing of then-No. 2 Florida State, in a game that somehow wasn’t that close.
Jackson rolled up 362 total yards and accounted for five touchdowns, seemingly cementing himself as the Heisman Trophy Award candidate to beat. But Louisville is more than just Jackson. RB Brandon Radcliff rushed for 118 yards on 14 carries, and WR James Quick had seven catches for 122 yards.
Still, the entire offense centers around Jackson. The sophomore has accounted for 18 touchdowns (10 on the ground, eight through the air) and he doesn’t appear to have any weaknesses. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback, and it’s hard to imagine a team being able to sufficiently keep him bottled up.
The Louisville defense has been impressive in its own right. Florida State RB Dalvin Cook, a Heisman candidate himself, was held to 54 yards on 16 carries. Freshman QB Deondre Francois was a mess, completing seven of 18 passes for 101 yards. As a unit, the Louisville defense is 25th in the nation in yards allowed per game, which seems to provide more than enough resistance for an offense that can roll off 50 points on almost any opponent.
Speaking of an opponent scoring 50-plus points, Marshall (1-1, 0-0) got blasted by Akron 65-38 last week despite holding a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. The Thundering Herd are led by QB Chase Litton, who has thrown for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions through two games. The defense, though, has allowed 373 yards per game and gave up 524 against the Zips.
The competition is about to get much tougher. Saturday, noon, ABC
No. 14 Florida State (2-1, 0-1 ACC) is coming off perhaps the most humbling loss in its illustrious history, a 63-20 drubbing in Louisville. Things will get only somewhat easier, as in-state opponent South Florida (3-0, 1-0 American Athletic) has won 10 of its last 12 games dating to last season. The Bulls are built similarly to the Seminoles, with a dynamic dual-threat quarterback and star running back. QB Quinton Flowers has passed for seven scores and rushed for two. RB Marlon Mack has gotten off to a slow start this season, and he missed the season’s second game because of a concussion suffered in the opener. Still, Florida State’s rush defense has been uncharacteristically porous (177.7 yards allowed per game, 93rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision).
DUKE AT NOTRE DAME
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., NBC
The Fighting Irish have played themselves out of the College Football Playoff conversation after an early loss to Texas and last week’s home defeat to Michigan State. Notre Dame (1-2) was certainly sloppy in its loss to the Spartans, and the talent level on the Irish sideline is apparent. QB DeShone Kizer is a guy who could soon be quarterbacking an NFL team, and he’s surrounded by playmakers on offense. But the defense has allowed 439.3 yards per game, 102nd in FBS. The Blue Devils (1-2, 0-1 ACC) are in the midst of their worst start since 2011, and the offense has been hindered by 10 turnovers. This is an opportunity for the Irish to rebound. After Duke, there are winnable games against Syracuse and North Carolina State.
MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MASSACHUSETTS
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN3
Mississippi State (1-2, 1-1 Southeastern) opened with a home loss against South Alabama, followed with a win against South Carolina, then narrowly fell at then-No. 22 LSU last week.
UMass lost at Florida and to Boston College before beating Florida International 21-13. The Minutemen (1-2) got a boost from QB Andrew Ford, who threw three touchdown passes last week in his first start of the season. MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald rushed for 195 yards in the win against the Gamecocks, which is a school record for a quarterback. He was briefly replaced Saturday by backup Damian Williams, who scored a touchdown, but coach Dan Mullen said Fitzgerald would remain the starter. Still, should he stumble, Williams could see the field early against UMass.
VANDERBILT AT WESTERN KENTUCKY
Saturday, 4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Hilltoppers might not boast quite as explosive an offense as they have in years past, but WKU (2-1, 1-1 Conference USA ) is still tough to stop. Taywan Taylor and Nicholas Norris are two of the best receivers in the country, and freshman RB Quinton Baker went over 100 yards for the first time in his career last week against Miami (Ohio). Vanderbilt has had its struggles, most recently a 38-7 loss to Georgia Tech. The Commodores (1-2, 0-1 SEC) are paced by RB Ralph Webb, who is averaging a little more than 125 rushing yards per game, which ranked him 11th in the country. But Western Kentucky’s defense has been pretty good against the run, allowing just over 100 yards per game.
HOUSTON AT TEXAS STATE
Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPNU
The Cougars’ plan to crash the Playoff is on track, and there is little chance Texas State will do anything to derail it. No. 7 Houston (3-0, 1-0 AAC) opened with a win against Oklahoma and followed that with a blowout victory against Lamar and a 24-point win at Cincinnati. QB Greg Ward Jr. is operating with a banged up shoulder. The Cougars schedule is pretty light until November, and coach Tom Herman has already turned to backup Kyle Postma in a game. The Bobcats (1-1) are coming off a 42-3 thrashing at the hands of No. 18 Arkansas.