College Football Previews

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

Preseason goals have been adjusted for TCU and Texas Tech heading into Thursday night’s Big 12 Conference showdown in Lubbock. But that doesn’t mean there will be any less intensity when the rivals meet. The visiting Horned Frogs (4-4, 2-3) have found life more treacherous this season compared with 2022, when a stretch of strong play blended with good fortune to vault the team into the national championship game. For the Red Raiders (3-5, 2-3),

Baylor brings a five-game conference home losing streak into Saturday’s visit from new Big 12 Conference rival Houston, but the Bears appear primed to snap the skid. Coach Dave Aranda said Baylor (3-5, 2-3) is on the cusp of a breakthrough behind improvement on defense. “When you look at the tape,” Aranda said, “we’re so close on so many things. There was not a lot of confusion. There was hardly any in this last game.

The bubble has burst somewhat on Kentucky’s season, but the Wildcats have found an offensive weapon with bowl eligibility just a win away. Having dropped three straight games after a 5-0 start, coach Mark Stoops will take his squad to play Mississippi State on Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference matchup at Starkville, Miss. A victory by Kentucky (5-3, 2-3 SEC) would give the school the six wins necessary for a bowl game plus snap