College Football Previews

The addition of Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback made No. 12 Oregon State a trendy pick to contend for the Pac-12 Conference title this season. And while the Beavers are still in the hunt with three weeks remaining, the offense’s focus has shifted as the year’s progressed. Uiagalelei’s big right arm is still an important part of the game plan, but Oregon State has made more use of a power running game behind Damien

Sixth-ranked Oregon will try to move one game closer to reaching its fourth Pac-12 championship game in five seasons when it welcomes visiting Southern California to Eugene, Ore., on Saturday. The Ducks (8-1, 5-1) held firm at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, tops among all one-loss teams. They roll into Saturday’s matchup winners of three straight, all by at least 14 points, after last week’s 63-19 blowout of Cal. Quarterback

It was supposed to have been a showdown between the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Southern California’s Caleb Williams, and this year’s favorite, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Until Dillon Johnson stole the show. Johnson rushed for 256 yards — the same number that Penix threw for — and four touchdowns as the Huskies won 52-42 last week in Los Angeles. That will give No. 18 Utah (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) one more thing to worry about when

Alabama remains in the national championship picture but badly needs to post a road win against Kentucky on Saturday in Lexington. That’s the perfect opponent for the No. 8 Crimson Tide, who have beaten the Wildcats in all seven meetings this century and stand 38-2-1 all-time against their fellow Southeastern Conference squad. Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC) enters its latest matchup with Kentucky (6-3, 3-3) on a roll with seven straight victories since a September loss

No. 7 Texas faces another stern test in its pursuit of a conference championship and keeping its College Football Playoff chances alive when it squares off against upset-minded TCU on Saturday in a key Big 12 Conference dustup in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s the final scheduled meeting between the longtime rivals, as Texas (8-1, 5-1) will move to the Southeastern Conference in 2024. The Horned Frogs (4-5, 2-4), who played in the CFP championship game

One win would change everything. That’s the opportunity facing the Miami Hurricanes, who travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to visit the fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. Miami’s disappointing season — including a stunning last-second loss to Georgia Tech that would’ve been a victory had the Hurricanes simply taken a knee with time winding down — can be salvaged in a sense with a triumph over the school’s biggest rival. However, the Seminoles (9-0, 7-0 Atlantic

South Carolina looks to continue its domination over Vanderbilt on Saturday when the Southeastern Conference teams meet in Columbia, S.C. The visiting Commodores (2-8, 0-6 SEC) hope to stop two losing streaks: the 14-game drought against the Gamecocks (3-6, 1-5) in their annual rivalry, and this season’s current eight-game skid, the latest of which came last Saturday in a 31-15 loss to Auburn. South Carolina snapped a four-game skid with a 38-28 home win over

Two reeling teams with fading bowl hopes square off Saturday when Cal hosts Washington State in Berkeley in the last home game of the season for the Golden Bears. After starting 4-0 and ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll, Washington State (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12) has lost five consecutive games following last week’s 10-7 defeat to Stanford at Pullman, Wash. Cal (3-6, 1-5) suffered its fourth straight loss — all against ranked teams

Iowa knows a thing or two about peaking at the right time. The Hawkeyes have won 15 of their past 16 games in the month of November and will look to improve on that impressive record Saturday when they face Rutgers in Big Ten Conference action in Iowa City, Iowa. After falling 12-10 to Minnesota in its final game of October, Iowa (7-2, 4-2) flipped a switch with the arrival of the new month to