College Football Previews

Surprising West Virginia will put its four-game winning streak on the line and will look to remain unbeaten in Big 12 play when it visits struggling Houston on Thursday night. It will be the initial meeting between the schools, as well as the first between Mountaineers coach Neal Brown and the Cougars (2-3, 0-2) and the first for Houston coach Dana Holgorsen against West Virginia (4-1, 2-0). Holgorsen left West Virginia in 2018 after eight

Ohio State wants its third trip to the state of Indiana this season to be as successful as the first two when the No. 3 Buckeyes visit West Lafayette to play upset-minded Purdue on Saturday. In a quirk of the schedule for the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), the matchup against the Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2) means they will have played as many games in their neighboring state as in Columbus so far this season. Ohio

The quarterback topic is running hot when it comes to Saturday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference game between visiting North Carolina State and No. 17 Duke in Durham, N.C. The Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1) have broken in a new starter, while the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0) are hoping for a clean bill of health for their QB1. Duke has been off since a devastating Sept. 30 loss to Notre Dame, with Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard hurt

Minutes after Louisville finished a 33-20 upset of then-No. 10 Notre Dame last weekend, first-year Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm sounded a warning. “Once you win a game like that, the bar goes from here up to here,” he said. “Every week in college football, if you don’t come ready to play, you are not going to win.” Complacency might pose a bigger danger for the 14th-ranked Cardinals than host Pitt for Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference

Although Notre Dame has played seven consecutive weeks, coach Marcus Freeman insists his team isn’t tired. It’s starting to look that way, though, as the 21st-ranked Fighting Irish have dropped two of their last three games heading into Saturday’s marquee meeting with No. 10 Southern California in South Bend, Ind. But for Freeman, the tumultuous schedule is no excuse, and a meeting with another ranked opponent presents a perfect opportunity to get back on track.

Wake Forest and Virginia Tech have piled up problems over the past few weeks that need addressing. But both teams also are trying to emphasize positive developments. Building on those will be among the goals for both the Demon Deacons and Hokies when they meet on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Wake Forest (3-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) is facing a two-game skid, but seeing the defense come through in big situations has been encouraging. “In