COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Best game
No. 2 Clemson at No. 14 Boston College, 6 p.m., ABC
Key matchup: The interior of Clemson’s fierce defensive line goes against Boston College’s guards and center. Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins are both possible first-round NFL draft picks. They lead the toughest run defense in the country, allowing 2.24 yards per carry, and a strong pass rush. Boston College has three seniors in the middle of its offensive line in center Jon Baker and guards Sam Schmal and Chris Lindstrom, who is one of the best in the country at his position.
Facts and figures: Clemson has won seven consecutive meetings … The teams play for the O’RourkeMcFadden Trophy, which features a replica leather helmet like those used by Charlie O’Rourke of Boston College and Banks McFadden of Clemson, when the teams played each other in the 1940 Cotton Bowl. … The MVP of the game also gets a black leather helmet … Clemson comes into the game on a tear: The Tigers have scored a school-record number of points in a three-game span (177), four-game span (240), five-game span (267), six-game span (316) and seven-game span (354).
Pac-12 game of the week
No. 9 Washington State at Colorado, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Key matchup: Cougars QB Gardner Minshew versus Colorado’s patchwork secondary. Minshew is the nation’s leading passer. The senior has thrown for 3,517 yards and 27 TDs and is completing nearly 71 percent of his passes, only seven of which have been picked off. He averages 52 throws a game and Colorado could be without SS Evan Worthington, who missed last week’s game with a concussion he sustained against Oregon State on Oct. 27.
Facts and figures: The Buffs’ four consecutive losses include two one-score setbacks . ... Colorado sophomore CB/KR Ronnie Blackmon had a 59-yard punt return at Arizona last week . ... Shenault had 60 catches for 780 yards and six touchdowns when he got hurt, plus 87 yards rushing and five TDs on just 15 carries . ... The Buffs have two other injured WRs: Jay MacIntyre (concussion) and K.D. Nixon (hip), both of whom left last week’s game at Arizona . ... The Cougars won the matchup 28-0 last year in Pullman.
Heisman watch
Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa has a huge lead for this year's Heisman Trophy, but a pair of Big 12 quarterbacks can make a November run. Oklahoma's Kyler Murray (3,263 total yards, 38 combined touchdowns) and West Virginia's Will Grier (2,618 passing yards, 28 touchdowns) each rank in among the top five quarterbacks in touchdown passes. A Big 12 quarterback has finished in the top five in six of the last seven seasons, a stretch book-ended by winners Baker Mayfield (2017) and Robert Griffin III (2011). Big 12 quarterbacks produce numbers — that hasn't changed. Now, either Murray or Grier needs to win out — and they'll go head-to-head on Nov. 24 and perhaps again in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 1. Murray has the bigger spotlight this week in Bedlam against Oklahoma State. For what it's worth, Mayfield, a three-time finalist, never lost that game. Grier, coming off last week's dramatic win against Texas, leads the Mountaineers heading into a matchup against TCU.