Here are the games of note starting tonite heading into Saturday.Will the Wolverines be wearing a barrel or can the Huskies find a spot at the Big Boy Table? Let's just hope there is more madness like last week
Louisville 4-1 @ Miami 5-0 7pm,TonightLouisville Cardinals and second-ranked Miami have had their share of shootouts over the years. Both teams can still score, but the Friday matchup in Miami Gardens, Fla., also will feature the Atlantic Coast Conference's top two defenses. 'Canes won a 52-45 victory last season in Louisville. Entering Friday, the Cardinals (4-1, 1-1 ACC) are scoring 36 points a game, one more than the Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0). Louisville has a banged-up offensive backfield. As a result, a ground game considered a strength for the Cardinals entering the season has been limited to 107 yards on 61 carries through two conference games. The backs now face a Miami defense that has held opponents to 87.4 yards a game, the 14th fewest nationally, and 2.8 yards per carry, tied for 12th best.
No.25Nebraska,5-1 @ Minnesota,4-2, 8 pm TonightCornhuskers will try to keep its first national ranking of the season from being a one-week outlier when it visits Minnesota Golden Gophers for a Big Ten clash Friday night in Minneapolis. Appeared at No. 25 after winning in dramatic fashion last week at Maryland - just the third time in seven years that Nebraska has appeared in the poll. "We haven't won road games in back-to-back weeks since 2006, which is mind-boggling," said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule. Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola ranks second in the Big Ten in touchdown passes with 16. He threw four last week -- including the game-winner to Dane Key with 1:08 left -- but also had three interceptions.
Saturday's GamesWashington at Michigan -- noonThe Wolverines' 31-13 loss last week at Southern California dropped them to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, which means they'll probably have to win their last six regular-season games to have a shot at qualifying for the College Football Playoff. Step One in that task comes Saturday when Washington Huskies (5-1, 2-1) visits Ann Arbor, Mich., for a conference clash. The Wolverines defense will get a stiff test from Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. In a 38-19-win last Friday against Rutgers, Williams set a school record with 538 total yards of offense as he threw for 402 yards and rushed for another 136. The Huskies won last year's meeting with Michigan 27-17
No. 10 LSU @ No. 17 Vanderbilt NoonLSU Tigers has one of the least productive offenses in the SEC, while Vanderbilt Commodores has one of the most productive.Contrasting styles will collide when the No. 10 Tigers and the No. 17 Commodores meet Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn.Both Vandy and LSU come into this SEC battle with 5-1 records. Vanderbilt is favored against LSU for the first time since 1948 The Commodores' last game was their 30-14 loss at Alabama, while the Tigers are coming off a 20-10 win over South Carolina
No. 5 Ole Miss @ No. 9 Georgia 3:30The 5-1 Bulldogs are coming off a feisty win over Auburn at The Plains, where they defeated the Tigers 20-10. Can Mississippi march into Athens and upset the Dawgs on Saturday afternoon? Rebels dominated the Bulldogs for a 28-10 victory, last season That was Ole Miss' first win against Georgia since 1996. That 1995-96 timespan was also the last time that the Rebels triumphed over the Bulldogs in back-to-back seasons
No. 11 Tennessee @ No. 6 Alabama 7:30 p.m."Third Saturday in October" has undergone a resurrection in recent years as Tennessee has made the series more competitive under coach Josh Heupel. Alabama climbed up the rankings to No. 6 from No. 8 after barely escaping Missouri 27-24. However, the Tide have one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football in Heisman contender Ty Simpson. The Volunteers also boast a talented athlete at quarterback. Joey Aguilar has passed for 1,680 yards on the season and has 14 touchdowns through the air. Vols travel to T-Town for the 108th meeting all-time between the 2
No. 20 USC @ No. 13 Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.USC protected its home turf by easily handling the Wolverines 31-13 in Week 7. Can the Trojans go into South Bend and upset the Irish in Week 8? Since dropping the first two games of the season, Notre Dame's electric offense has found a rhythm. So, SC's defense could have a tough road ahead on Saturday. Trojans had to rely on walk-on King Miller as their primary running back for most of the game due to a litany of injuries, they still rushed for 224 yards against Michigan's traditionally stout defense. It will be interesting to see how USC matches up against a Notre Dame team that has taken a step back defensively.
No. 23 Utah @ No. 15 BYU 8 p.m.At 5-1, is it too early to say that this Utah team is looking like the Utes of yesteryear? If that is the case, they get to prove it when they take their show on the road to BYU this weekend. One of the most entertaining -- and underrated -- rivalries in college football. This year should be no different. It's hard to overstate how important this game is for each team, even without considering the fact that they do not like each other. The Cougars are 6-0, but their résumé so far is void of a signature win. On the other hand, Utah's best win so far was its 42-10 victory over Arizona State. Whoever comes out victorious takes a significant advantage in the race for the Big 12 Championship Game, and perhaps even beyond.
