College Football Previews

If No. 16 Oregon State is still thinking of what might have been last week at Arizona, there’s a good reason. The Beavers’ 27-24 loss was punctuated by a failed fake field goal on the final play of the first half as well as settling for a field goal on an earlier possession after getting inside the Wildcats’ 20-yard line. Oregon State has to move forward, though, starting with a matchup against Colorado on Saturday

The winner of the Alabama-LSU game has gone on to play in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in 10 of the past 12 seasons. The No. 8 Crimson Tide (7-1, 5-0 SEC) and the No. 14 Tigers (6-2, 4-1) meet again Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The winner won’t clinch the SEC West title, but it will greatly strengthen its chances. “This has developed into a rivalry game because they’re always ranked, we’re always ranked,

There is a logjam at the top of the Big 12 standings, with five teams tied for first and two others just a game behind. Six of those seven teams will have head-to-head battles this weekend, including No. 21 Kansas traveling to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State on Saturday evening. The Jayhawks (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) jumped back into the rankings after knocking off previously unbeaten Oklahoma on Saturday, their first win over the

Oregon is in the thick of the national championship picture as the calendar turns to November. The Ducks are No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the campaign. They conclude the regular season with three of four games at home, beginning with a Pac-12 contest against Cal on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. Oregon sits behind No. 5 Washington of the Pac-12 due to its 36-33 loss to the Huskies in Seattle on

A year after reaching a coveted bowl spot, Tulane is poised to do it again. The Green Wave last season earned a Cotton Bowl berth and an eventual win against Southern California as the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the nation. They began this year’s College Football Playoff rankings as the top-ranked G5 team again, settling in at No. 24 in the initial ratings revealed Tuesday night. Tulane will put that ranking on the

No. 13 Louisville and visiting Virginia Tech have plenty at stake during their pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference clash on Saturday. With the Cardinals (7-1, 4-1 ACC) and Hokies (4-4, 3-1) each having just one conference loss, the winner of Saturday’s contest will have the inside track toward advancing to the conference title game on Dec. 2 in Charlotte. Just don’t mention that to Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry. “Yeah, we don’t think about that. I’d

Every college football season since 1910 has featured an Oklahoma-Oklahoma State matchup. Saturday’s showdown between the ninth-ranked Sooners and the 22nd-ranked Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla., though, will be the last Bedlam matchup in the foreseeable future. The series will not continue, at least for now, after Oklahoma makes the jump from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference next season. While there’s plenty to be said about the series’ history, this year’s edition is plenty

No. 25 Air Force will try to continue its best start since 1985 when the Falcons oppose Army on Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs. Air Force (8-0) has won its first eight games for the first time since 1985, when it began the season 10-0. Falcons fullback Emmanuel Michel said the perfect record doesn’t mean anything if Air Force can’t beat Army for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy on Saturday. “We’ve got to get the CIC and

In the past two weeks, Virginia and Georgia Tech have pulled off upsets of North Carolina, giving both Atlantic Coast Conference victors a needed spark. Now it’s time for the conquerors of the Tar Heels to meet as Georgia Tech (4-4, 3-2) travels to Charlottesville to face Virginia (2-6, 1-3). The Cavaliers were the first to upend North Carolina, toppling the then-undefeated and 10th-ranked Tar Heels 31-27 in Chapel Hill on Oct. 21. Then last