Hogs have chance to make statement
No. 8 Arkansas (4-0) at No. 2 Georgia (4-0)
Noon Saturday, ESPN
Arkansas is off to its best start since 2003 but the Razorbacks hope to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1998. This is the second of what could be four straight games against ranked opponents for the upset-minded Hogs, who already defeated then-No. 15 Texas and then-No. 7 Texas A&M. Georgia has the best defense in the country, allowing 185 yards and 5.8 points per game. The Bulldogs sit atop the SEC in interceptions with seven.
No. 7 Cincinnati (3-0) at No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0)
2:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC
Cincinnati has won 13 of its last 14 games, with the only loss coming against Georgia in the 2021 Peach Bowl. This is the biggest test on the Bearcats’ schedule and the one that could determine if Cincinnati can make a run at a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Marcus Freeman spent four seasons as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati before leaving to take charge of the Notre Dame defense. The Irish rank fourth in the country in takeaways (11), including an FBS-leading nine interceptions. Safety Kyle Hamilton leads Notre Dame with interceptions (3).
No. 12 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 1 Alabama (4-0)
3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
After dropping back-to-back games in 2014-15, Alabama has won five straight against the Ole Miss by an average of 33 points. But the last two meetings have been high-scoring affairs with the teams combining for 209 points and 2,419 yards. Rebels quarterback Matt Corral completed 21 of 28 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s 63-48 loss but his passer rating of 208.4 is the best by an opposing quarterback against an Alabama defense since South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia (208.92) in 2010.
No. 3 Oregon (4-0) at Stanford (2-2)
3:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC
Oregon is in the top three in the country for the first time since 2014 but the Ducks rank No. 101 in total defense, the worst among the top 10 teams in the latest rankings. But the unit has been opportunistic, leading the nation with 13 takeaways including nine interceptions. Since taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 2, Stanford’s Tanner McKee has passed for 745 yards and seven touchdowns. The Cardinal hope to beat a top 5 team for the first time since 2015.
No. 21 Baylor (4-0) at No. 19 Oklahoma St. (4-0)
7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2
Two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12 clash with conference championship implications on the line. It’s been a surprising start for a Baylor team picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll. The Bears lead the conference in offense (489.5 yards per game) and are second in defense (290.3 yards per game). Oklahoma State won its first three games by a total of 13 points but handed Kansas State a double-digit loss last week.
Other Top 25 games of note
Indiana (2-2) at No. 4 Penn State (4-0): Hoosiers snapped a six-game losing streak to the Nittany Lions in a wild overtime game last year.
No. 6 Oklahoma (4-0) at Kansas State (3-1): Wildcats have won two straight meetings and haven’t won three in a row in the series since a five-game streak from 1993-97.