College Football Previews

The oddsmakers say No. 13 Ole Miss is a 6 1/2-point favorite Saturday night at Auburn for their Southeastern Conference matchup. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is wary. “I think we’ve, as a program, won once there in 20 years,” he said. “New challenge to go try win on the road there. This year, like a lot of years, they’re a different team at home.” The numbers back Kiffin up. The Tigers (3-3, 0-3) are 2-1

Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel acknowledges it’ll be unusual going against UCF on Saturday when his No. 6 Sooners host the Knights in Big 12 Conference play in Norman, Okla. “I think now I’m just kind of settling into (the fact) college football is what it is,” said Gabriel, who played his first three seasons for UCF from 2019-21. “Once you think one thing, it’ll turn into a whole ‘nother.” Gabriel is one of the biggest

Perhaps the last team that slumping Miami wants to see this week is Clemson. That’s because the Hurricanes have lost four straight games to the Tigers by a combined score of 178-30. Like it or not, Clemson (4-2, 2-2) will visit Miami (4-2, 0-2) on Saturday night for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle. While Clemson has won two straight games since losing to Florida State in overtime, Miami is reeling. The Hurricanes lost in the

Stanford tries to build off the largest comeback victory in program history when it hosts No. 25 UCLA in a Pac-12 Conference game Saturday night. The Cardinal (2-4, 1-3) rallied from a 29-0 deficit to stun Colorado 46-43 in double overtime last Friday in Boulder, Colo. The victory ended a seven-game conference losing streak for Stanford and instilled a level of confidence that first-year coach Troy Taylor has been hoping to see. “We’re going to

Alabama may not be the power program it usually is, but the No. 11 Crimson Tide still have plenty to play for this season. Alabama (6-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) takes aim at its sixth consecutive victory when it battles No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Crimson Tide lead the SEC West by a half-game over No. 19 LSU (4-1 SEC). A victory over the Volunteers (5-1, 2-1) would assure Alabama of

The Michigan State football program appears to be in disarray, yet the Spartans can salvage their season by defeating their heated rival in East Lansing on Saturday night. The Spartans have lost their past four games heading into their annual showdown with No. 2 Michigan. The skid includes a fourth-quarter collapse against Rutgers last week in which Michigan State squandered an 18-point lead. The Spartans haven’t won a game since head coach Mel Tucker was

Oklahoma State and West Virginia have found success in a different way this season. The programs historically have relied on their offenses, but the Cowboys and Mountaineers are in the bottom half of the Big 12 in points per game in 2023. Despite their offensive inconsistency, both teams are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play thanks to improved defenses. Points might be at more of a premium than usual when the programs meet Saturday

Pitt made a quarterback change and it worked out, at least for the short term. Wake Forest might go down that path. The teams meet Saturday at Winston-Salem, N.C., looking for upticks as they begin the second half of their schedules. Pitt (2-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has tried something new, and that could be a winning formula after a dismal opening month of the season. “We talk about playing together and staying together,” Panthers

Nebraska and Northwestern are both hoping to pick up where they left off before a bye week when they meet in a Big Ten Conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) pulled out a 20-7 win at Illinois before taking last weekend off, while Northwestern (3-3, 1-2) edged FCS school Howard 23-20 on Oct. 7 in its latest contest. The Cornhuskers will continue to start Heinrich Haarberg at quarterback. He