College Football Previews

Indiana might not embrace the common ground with a neighboring Big Ten rival ahead of a Saturday afternoon date at Illinois in a Big Ten crossover game. But the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5) and Fighting Illini (4-5, 2-4) can’t ignore it exists. Neither team performed to the level it had hoped and through nine games is grasping at faint hope for a postseason. But there is optimism thanks to upset wins by both programs last week.

Though BYU and West Virginia have the same overall records, they come into their Saturday Big 12 matchup at Morgantown, W.Va., following entirely different experiences last weekend. In their first-ever visit to the state of West Virginia, the Cougars (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) hope to bounce back after a 35-6 road loss to then-No. 7 Texas. The Mountaineers (5-3, 3-2) will look to keep momentum gained last week in a 41-28 win at UCF after

Arizona is looking for its third consecutive victory over a ranked team but will have to solve No. 19 UCLA’s chaos-creating defense when the teams meet Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) will be trying to make a claim of their own for the Top 25 if they knock off the Bruins (6-2, 3-2), who are 10th nationally in total defense (277.5 yards allowed per game), third in sacks (3.88 per

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