College Football Previews

North Carolina State and Virginia Tech will meet Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game with plenty at stake in Blacksburg, Va. For starters, the Wolfpack (7-3, 4-2) and Hokies (5-5, 4-2) sit tied for third in the conference with North Carolina. Dave Doeren’s North Carolina State squad has won three straight games since losing 24-3 at then-No. 17 Duke on Oct. 14. However, winning has not been part of the team’s recent trips to

The Old Brass Spittoon might be the only thing Michigan State and Indiana are playing for when they meet Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. Both teams enter the game with 3-7 records overall and 1-6 marks in the Big Ten East, and bowl eligibility is all but gone for each squad. There is only hope of a 5-7 finish, which could potentially be enough for a Power 5 team to be chosen for a bowl game.

Back in September, a primetime matchup between Colorado and Washington State would have been off the charts. The Buffaloes, under first-year coach Deion Sanders, won their first three games of the season and were ranked 18th in the Top 25. The Cougars opened with four straight victories and reached No. 13. Those good times are long gone and Friday night in Pullman, Wash., the Buffaloes and Cougars meet to see who can escape the Pacific-12

Boston College brings the baggage of its first loss in six games to Pitt on Thursday night, but the Panthers are unpacking much bigger problems. The Eagles (6-4, 3-3 ACC) had a five-game winning streak snapped last week when Virginia Tech scored 35 straight points en route to a 48-22 victory. BC was outgained 600-262 (including 363-124 on the ground) in suffering its first defeat since Sept. 23. “We didn’t play like we have for

Two teams mired toward the bottom of the SEC West standings will meet when Auburn hits the road Saturday to take on Arkansas at Fayetteville, Ark. Auburn (5-4, 2-4 SEC) is fifth in the conference’s West standings behind Texas A&M, but the Tigers are one win away from bowl eligibility after knocking off Vanderbilt 31-15 last week. Arkansas (3-6, 1-5) is tied with Mississippi State for last in the division, but the Razorbacks enter this

UCLA is bowl eligible, although any chance to make the Pac-12 Conference title game is most likely gone as a result of an anemic offense. The Bruins (6-3, 3-3) get a chance to regroup after a loss to Arizona last Saturday, and play host to Arizona State (2-7, 1-5) Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA fell behind 14-0 in the first half against Arizona last Saturday despite its elite defense and

After a heartbreaking loss, Minnesota once again will try to become bowl eligible when it visits Purdue on Saturday afternoon in a Big Ten Conference matchup in West Lafayette, Ind. Minnesota (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) is coming off a 27-26 defeat at home to Illinois last week. The Golden Gophers led in the final minutes before Illinois’ backup quarterback John Paddock entered the game in the final drive and completed all three of his passes,

An opportunity to move on from heartbreak arrives Saturday for both No. 25 Kansas State and visiting Baylor, when the Big 12 teams meet at Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State showed its quality at No. 7 Texas last week but absorbed the sting of a 33-30 overtime defeat. Baylor also went to overtime last week, falling 25-24 to host Houston. Kansas State (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) fell out of the Associated Press poll but remained in

With three games to play, West Virginia and Oklahoma are on the edge of the race for a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. Even so, the teams are in much different places entering a matchup Saturday in Norman, Okla. West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) has built some momentum in recent weeks, winning back-to-back games. “I think we’re starting to hit our stride,” Mountaineers coach Neal Brown said. “I think the story of