Unbeaten Irish to host Cardinal after dominant win against Miami
No. 15 Texas vs. No. 13 Oklahoma (Dallas), Noon, ABC
The Red Rivalry will be renewed for the 107th time at the Texas State Fair in Dallas on Saturday, as the Longhorns look to rebound from last week’s home loss against West Virginia. Oklahoma recovered from its loss against Kansas State at home two weeks ago by blowing out Texas Tech last week in Lubbock, 41-20. With each team already having one loss in Big 12 play, the game between the two bitter rivals is critical for both teams. Oklahoma is led by quarterback Landry Jones, who played extremely well in the win against the Red Raiders after one of the worst games of his career against KSU. Running back Damien Williams is also dangerous for the Sooners, averaging nearly 8 yards a carry. Like its in-state rival Baylor, Texas scored enough points to beat West Virginia but didn’t show up on defense, losing 48-45. Sophomore quarterback David Ash has been very efficient, completing nearly 80 percent of passes so far this year for 11 touchdowns and only one interception. Former Longhorns standout wide receiver Jordan Shipley’s brother Jaxon leads the team in receiving touchdowns and receptions. Texas leads 59-42-5 in the series, which dates back to 1900.
No. 17 Stanford @ No. 7 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC
The hype gets bigger in South Bend each week. Notre Dame keeps winning, and the Irish kept their unbeaten season going last weekend, blowing out Miami 41-3 in Chicago, moving to No. 7 in this week’s AP poll. The three-headed rushing attack of Theo Riddick, George Atkinson III and Cierre Wood keeps getting it done, as the trio have combined for almost 750 yards and eight touchdowns. The stifling Irish defense averages 7.8 points allowed per game, which is second in the nation. Stanford enters the game 5-1, with its sole loss being a 17-13 upset in Seattle against Washington. It survived a barn burner last week at home against Arizona, squeaking out a 54-48 overtime victory. If the Cardinal are to come into Notre Dame Stadium and beat the surging Irish, they’ll need a big effort from star running back Stepfan Taylor, who has rushed for more than 550 yards and five touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Josh Nunes has made life after Andrew Luck a little easier for the Cardinal, throwing for almost 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season and completing around 54 percent of passes.
No. 5 West Virginia @ Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN
The Heisman buzz has gotten louder for Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith. He had another huge performance in last week’s 48-45 shootout win over Texas in Austin to keep the Mountaineers undefeated. The senior’s stat line on the season now includes nearly 2,000 yards, 24 touchdowns and more than 80 percent of passes completed, with no interceptions. Texas Tech has the offense to score on the Mountaineers’ porous defense, which is 104th in the nation in points allowed, but it remains to be seen how the Red Raiders’ defense will be able to contain Smith and the West Virginia aerial attack, which is second in the country at 407 yards per game. Mountaineers receivers Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin have combined for 21 touchdowns and nearly 1,400 yards of receiving. The Red Raiders’ unbeaten season was ended by Oklahoma this week, as they lost at home 41-20. Senior Seth Doege has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, and while his numbers may pale in comparison to a superstar like Smith, his Raider offense has the potential to put up points on a WVU defense that has been bailed out by its potent offense so far this season.
No. 11 Southern California @ Washington, 7 p.m., Fox
After surviving a scare in at Utah this weekend, Southern Cal travels to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies, who are trying to rebound after becoming the latest victims of the offensive juggernaut that is Oregon, losing 52-21 last week in Eugene. Though the season began with national title hopes, the Trojans have underachieved so far. Southern Cal will look to get back to elite form in the next three weeks before hosting a showdown with Oregon in the L.A. Coliseum on Nov. 3. Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley has played well recently, throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Utah last week. Penn State transfer Silas Redd has become an asset for USC as its leading rusher. The Huskies have been wounded by a tough schedule, suffering losses this season to No. 3 LSU and No. 2 Oregon. They did, however, beat then–No. 8 Stanford at home two weeks ago. The offense, quarterbacked by junior Keith Price, has struggled to score, averaging just fewer than 23 points per game, which ranks 97th in the nation.
Boston College @ No. 12 Florida State, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
The Seminoles had their national title aspirations dashed last weekend in Raleigh, losing to unranked North Carolina State in one of the biggest upsets of the college football season so far, 17-16. The remedy may very well be a home game against reeling Boston College, which is 1-5 with its sole victory coming against Maine in Week 2. The Eagles lost last week to previously winless Army at West Point 34-31, allowing the Cadets to snap an eight-game losing streak. Seminoles quarterback E.J. Manuel will look to rebound after being held in check for the first time all season in last weekend’s loss. The stout FSU defense has only allowed 12 points per game, seventh in the country. Running backs Chris Thompson and James Wilder Jr. have combined for 11 touchdowns and more than 865 yards rushing. The Boston offense, which has really struggled running the football, is ranked 16th in the country in passing yards, quarterbacked by capable passer junior Chase Rettig. Junior wideout Alex Amidon has 38 receptions and four touchdowns this season.