COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
BEST GAME
No. 3Georgia at No. 2Alabama: It’s the only matchup of Top 25 teams and was supposed to be the second straight game Nick Saban faced off against a former assistant, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart. The Crimson Tide have won five straight against Georgia and will be meeting the Bulldogs in the regular season for the first time since 2015.
Georgia presents a much bigger physical challenge than the Tide faced last week at Mississippi. The Bulldogs’ run defense is best in the nation. Opponents are averaging 1.49yards per carry and have scored no rushing touchdowns. The Bulldogs, however, haven’t seen a back like Najee Harris, who went for a career-high 206yards and five TDs against Ole Miss.
The last two Georgia-Alabama games were classics. In 2018,
Jalen Hurts took over for an injured Tua Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter and led the Tide to a 35-28win in the SEC title game. Eleven months earlier, Tagovailoa had replaced an ineffective Hurts and brought back the Tide from a 13-0deficit to beat the Bulldogs 26-23in overtime in the national title game.
HEISMAN WATCH
Ian Book became Notre Dame’s first quarterback to pile up 2,500 yards passing, 500yards rushing and 30touchdown passes in a season, and he’s been steady through three games against overmatched competition. The third-year starter’s status as a second-tier Heisman candidate could change quickly if the Irish keep winning and he has a big outing against Clemson on Nov. 7. NUMBERS TO KNOW
1: Career fumbles by Alabama’s Harris, whose streak of 466touches without losing the ball ended against Mississippi last week.
8: Fumble recoveries by Central Florida in three games, matching its 13-game total in 2019.
9: Notre Dame’s win streak, the longest among Power Five teams.
21: Sacks allowed by Syracuse through four games.
51: Consecutive Big 12road losses by Kansas since it won at Iowa State in 2008. The Jayhawks visit West Virginia.
60-3: SMU’s first-quarter scoring margin during its 4-0start.
73: Clemson wins since 2015, most in the nation and four more than Alabama.
UNDER THE RADAR Kentucky at No. 18Tennessee:
The border rivals are meeting for the 116th time, and Kentucky will be going for its first win in Knoxville since 1984. The Wildcats’ defense should be plenty confident after holding Mississippi State coach Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense without a TD last week. Kentucky’s offense needs to get out of neutral, especially the passing game. The Volunteers used a late goal-line stand to beat the Wildcats 17-13last year.
HOT SEAT
Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill is 5-12since he was Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2018.
His Blue Raiders broke through with their first win last week after an 0-4start, scoring in the last minute to beat Florida International. They’re a touchdown favorite at home against a North Texas team that can put up — and give up — a lot of points. Stockstill hasn’t won a conference title since 2006, and it doesn’t appear the next one is coming any time soon. In these tough financial times for athletic departments, Stockstill might be able to survive another bad season if only because his contract buyout is north of $6million.