Preview Roundups
October 21, 2017
Tulsa at Connecticut 12:00 PM ET
Connecticut won a road game for the first time in nearly two years when it traveled to Philadelphia and upset Temple in an American Athletic Conference game last week. The Huskies will try to make it two wins in a row Saturday when they host Tulsa, which pulled off a stunner of its own last week against Houston.
Idaho at Missouri 12:00 PM ET
Missouri hopes to snap its five-game losing streak when it gets a break from the SEC grind to host Idaho on Saturday. The Tigers are winless against FBS opponents this season, while the Vandals have recorded only one victory versus an FBS foe – a double-overtime triumph at South Alabama.
Iowa State at Texas Tech 12:00 PM ET
Texas Tech certainly hasn't forgotten what happened the last time it saw Iowa State jerseys and seeks a much different result when it hosts the Cyclones on Saturday in Big 12 play. Iowa State manhandled Texas Tech 66-10 in a stunning beatdown last season, which represented the most points scored by the Cyclones since a 69-0 victory over Colorado State in 1980.
Oklahoma State at Texas 12:00 PM ET
Eleventh-ranked Oklahoma State was a trendy pick to make the four-team College Football Playoff before getting upset by Big 12 leader TCU (44-31) on Sept. 23. The Cowboys, in a five-team logjam for second place in the conference, will now find out if they are contenders or pretenders during a brutal three-game stretch that begins Saturday at Texas.
Iowa at Northwestern 12:00 PM ET
Northwestern looks to build on its first Big Ten win when it hosts Iowa on Saturday. The Wildcats kicked off conference play with losses to No. 5 Wisconsin (33-24) and second-ranked Penn State (31-7) before rebounding with a 37-21 road victory against Maryland, and they hope to notch back-to-back wins for the first time this season by knocking off the Hawkeyes for the second time in as many years.
Purdue at Rutgers 12:00 PM ET
Two improving teams with bowl aspirations must put this one in the win column to reach their goal when Purdue visits Rutgers for Big Ten matchup on Saturday afternoon. Purdue attempts to even its league record after playing No. 5 Wisconsin tough in a 17-9 loss last week and starts a stretch of four straight games against teams at .500 or worse while the Scarlet Knights are coming off an important victory at Illinois.
Maryland at Wisconsin 12:00 PM ET
Top 10 teams seem to fall every weekend, but No. 5 Wisconsin just keeps rolling along on its way to the Big Ten championship game. The Badgers will try to stay undefeated and knock off another conference opponent when they host Maryland on Saturday.
Louisville at Florida State 12:00 PM ET
Louisville announced its presence as a national championship contender in 2016 by annihilating then-No. 2 Florida State, but both teams find themselves struggling just to stay relevant in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference just over 13 months later. A pair of recent powers hovering around the .500 mark hope to improve their recent fortunes Saturday when the Cardinals visit the Seminoles.
Temple at Army 12:00 PM ET
With three losses in its last four games, Temple aims to stop the bleeding Saturday in its road date against Army. The Owls have won 10 games in each of the last two seasons but likely will struggle to make another bowl game if they don't start pulling some upsets.
Pittsburgh at Duke 12:20 PM ET
Teams in search of a much-needed win and better quarterback play meet Saturday when Pittsburgh meets Duke in an ACC Coastal Division matchup. The Panthers have dropped five of six since an opening-week victory over FCS foe Youngstown State, while the Blue Devils have dropped three straight conference games after opening the season with four wins by a combined 101 points.
Boston College at Virginia 12:30 PM ET
Virginia aims for its first five-game winning streak in 10 years when it hosts Boston College and surging running back A.J. Dillon in an ACC clash Saturday afternoon. Dillon erupted for 272 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a surprise 45-42 win at Louisville last week, posting the third-highest single-game total in program history and the most ever for a freshman.
Tennessee at Alabama 3:30 PM ET
Top-ranked Alabama is rolling toward a spot in the College Football Playoff as it looks to defeat visiting Tennessee for the 11th straight time on Saturday. Alabama is outscoring opponents by an average of 32.6 points per game while dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Arizona State at Utah 3:30 PM ET
Fresh off its first win over a top-five ranked
team in 21 years, Arizona State hits the road Saturday to face Utah. Late last
Saturday night, the Sun Devils found the end zone on their opening possession
against No. 4 Washington, and the defense took it from there in a stunning 13-7
victory over the visiting Huskies.
Indiana at Michigan State 3:30 PM ET
No. 19 Michigan State returns home Saturday looking to build on a pair of big road wins when it faces an Indiana squad still looking for its first victory in Big Ten play. The Spartans have won three straight, including triumphs at Michigan and Minnesota the last two weeks, while the Hoosiers are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Wolverines and face their fourth straight nationally ranked conference foe.
Illinois at Minnesota 3:30 PM ET
Minnesota and Illinois boast two of the youngest rosters in FBS, but while the former has given its fan base reason for hope by playing its Big Ten rivals close so far, the latter has not. The Golden Gophers attempt to end a three-game losing streak and give first-year coach P.J. Fleck his first conference win Saturday when they host the Fighting Illini in a battle of the only two winless teams during West Division action.
Syracuse at Miami 3:30 PM ET
If Miami (Fla.) had any thoughts of looking past Syracuse, those surely disappeared last weekend. The seventh-ranked Hurricanes hope to avoid the upset at the hands of the visiting Orange when the ACC foes square off Saturday.
North Carolina at Virginia Tech 3:30 PM ET
Teams heading in opposite directions meet Saturday when North Carolina visits No. 14 Virginia Tech during homecoming weekend. The Hokies are 5-1 with their lone loss against defending champion Clemson and coming off a bye week after dropping Boston College 23-10 on Oct. 7, while the Tar Heels are trying to avoid a fifth consecutive loss in one season for the first time since 2006.
Central Florida at Navy 3:30 PM ET
Central Florida's nationally-ranked defense will be put to the test on Saturday when the No. 20 Knights make their first ever visit to Navy to face the Midshipmen in an American Athletic Conference contest. Add in the fact that it's homecoming for Navy and UCF will face its biggest challenge of the season in order to keep its perfect record intact.
Southern Methodist at Cincinnati 4:00 PM ET
Cincinnati will try to snap a four-game losing streak when its hosts SMU in an American Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon. First-year coach Luke Fickell said he has seen improvements and positives even if the results aren't on the scoreboard.
Kentucky at Mississippi State 4:00 PM ET
Kentucky has struggled against a variety of non-Power 5 teams this season, but the bottom line is the Wildcats are 5-1 and squarely in the SEC East race heading into Saturday’s road game against Mississippi State. The Wildcats aim to reach 6-1 for the second time in 40 years, and head coach Mark Stoops is not apologizing for his team surviving against the likes of Missouri, Eastern Michigan and Eastern Kentucky, three teams with a combined record of 4-14.
Oklahoma at Kansas State 4:00 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Oklahoma is one of five teams in a 2-1 logjam for second place in the Big 12 Conference behind TCU. The Sooners, who still have their sights set on a Big 12 title and garnering one of the four College Football Playoff spots, can ill afford another slip-up when they travel to Kansas State on Saturday.
Oregon at UCLA 4:00 PM ET
UCLA will try to beat Oregon for the first time since 2007 when the Bruins host the Ducks at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Oregon has won six in a row against UCLA, its most recent victory coming in 2014 when eventual Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 42-30 win in Pasadena.
Brigham Young at East Carolina 7:00 PM ET
BYU's offense is sick - and a trip to East Carolina could prove to be the cure. The Cougars carry a six-game losing skid into Saturday's date with the Pirates, an intriguing meeting between one of the country's worst offenses and Division I's most porous defense.
South Florida at Tulane 7:00 PM ET
No. 13 South Florida has had the luxury of learning while piling up mostly easy victories this season and looks to establish the best start in school history when it visits Tulane on Saturday night for an American Athletic Conference battle. The Bulls can top the 2007 team that began the season 6-0 with a victory after knocking off Cincinnati 33-3 last week to win their school-record 11th straight contest.
Louisiana State at Mississippi 7:15 PM ET
No. 25 LSU could be accused of playing to the level of its competition, given its two straight wins over ranked opponents following a stunning home loss to Troy. What that translates to on Saturday might depend on which Ole Miss team shows up to host the Tigers.
Auburn at Arkansas 7:30 PM ET
Auburn kicked off a challenging six-week stretch on a sour note last week - and with things about to get a whole lot more difficult, the No. 21 Tigers can ill afford another letdown Saturday at Arkansas. A 27-23 setback at LSU put Auburn a game back of top-ranked Alabama in the SEC West, and a bounceback effort against the Razorbacks is the only shot the Tigers have of not falling out of contention altogether.
Michigan at Penn State 7:30 PM ET
No. 2 Penn State begins the most difficult portion of its schedule Saturday night when it hosts a Michigan team looking to prove it belongs among the Big Ten elites. The 15th-ranked Wolverines are enduring a sluggish stretch that includes a home loss to Michigan State and an overtime win against East Division doormat Indiana, and they hope to hang around against a dominant Nittany Lions crew that's coming off a bye week.
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM ET
Georgia Tech is two one-point losses away from being undefeated on the season, but the Yellow Jackets enter Saturday’s home contest with Wake Forest with no time to wonder what could have been. The Yellow Jackets face a Wake Forest team that threw a scare into Clemson before having its bye last week, and Georgia Tech’s remaining schedule features matchups with the No. 8-ranked Tigers, No. 14 Virginia Tech, Virginia and No. 3 Georgia.
Southern California at Notre Dame 7:30 PM ET
One of the highest-profile rivalries in college football will continue with its 91st edition Saturday when No. 16 Notre Dame hosts No. 10 USC. The Trojans won eight in a row in the series from 2002 to 2009, but haven't won two straight against the Fighting Irish since, something they can accomplish this year.
Kansas at Texas Christian 8:00 PM ET
TCU is the lone undefeated team remaining in the Big 12 and jumped all the way to No. 4 in the country following an impressive win at Kansas State last week. The Horned Frogs will try to avoid a letdown when they host Kansas on Saturday night.
West Virginia at Baylor 8:00 PM ET
Situated in between a stirring comeback win over Texas Tech and an Oct. 28 home showdown against No. 11 Oklahoma State is a classic trap game for West Virginia. The 23rd-ranked Mountaineers visit winless Baylor on Saturday night, and West Virginia – well at least coach Dana Holgorsen – seemingly is well aware of the potential pratfall that awaits in Waco.&n
Arizona at California 8:00 PM ET
After pulling a stunning upset of
Washington State last week, California faces another challenging matchup
Saturday against visiting Arizona and emerging star Khalil Tate. The sophomore
quarterback led the Wildcats to a 47-30 win over UCLA last Saturday in his
first start of the season while Cal forced seven turnovers and recorded nine sacks
in a 37-3 win over the Cougars.
Colorado at Washington State 10:45 PM ET
One week after California derailed its hopes of an undefeated season, No. 18 Washington State looks to bounce back Saturday against visiting Colorado. The Cougars committed seven turnovers and were held without a touchdown for the first time since 2012 in the loss to the Bears, who recorded nine sacks and rolled to a stunning 38-3 victory.