College football on TV: UCLA at Oregon among Saturday’s top games

Break out the chips and cold drinks, but let Chris Dufresne handle the remote. The Times’ national college football writer handicaps what’s worth watching, and skipping, on Saturday’s menu of games:

MORNING

No. 18 Louisville (6-1) at South Florida (2-4)

9 a.m., ESPN2

We’ll find out if Louisville’s moping period is over since last week’s home loss to Central Florida. Louisville probably wasn’t going to win the national title anyway, so it needs to get on with the business of winning the American Athletic Conference and earning an automatic Bowl Championship Series bid. South Florida opened the season with four straight losses but has bounced back to defeat Cincinnati and Connecticut.

Northwestern (4-3) at Iowa (4-3)

9 a.m. BTN

Northwestern was 10 minutes from beating Ohio State and improving to 5-0 when the wheels came off its BCS bus. The Wildcats have dropped three straight, are beat up physically, and risk losing another with remaining games against Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State.

9 a.m.: Wake Forest at Miami, ESPNU; Nebraska at Minnesota, ESPN; Houston at Rutgers, ESPN News; Oklahoma State at Iowa State, FS West; Vanderbilt at Texas A&M;, KDOC.

10 a.m.: Pittsburgh at Navy, CBSSN.

AFTERNOON

Tennessee (4-3) at No. 1 Alabama (7-0)

12:30 p.m., Channel 2

You won’t believe how improved Tennessee will become since getting wiped out at Oregon. Southeastern Conference television spin masters Verne and Gary will turn what should be an easy win for Alabama into an epic hard-fought battle. Really, Alabama should trounce Tennessee with a defense that already has two shutouts. Take away the 49-42 score in the Texas A&M; win and Alabama has outscored six other opponents, 170-26.

No. 9 Clemson (6-1) at Maryland (5-2)

12:30 p.m., ESPN

This should be a (crab) cake walk for Clemson if Coach Dabo Swinney was right when he said his team was just as good as Florida State despite last week’s 51-14 loss. Here’s a good test case. Florida State defeated Maryland, 63-0, so shouldn’t Clemson inflict similar damage?

No. 10 Texas Tech (7-0) at No. 17 Oklahoma (6-1)

12:30 p.m., Channel 11

Texas Tech was 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation in 2008 when it paid a visit to the Sooners in Norman. Oklahoma won that game, 65-21, and will be looking again to play the role of season-wrecking ball.

No. 20 South Carolina (5-2) at No. 5 Missouri (7-0)

4 p.m., ESPN2

This amazing story just in: Missouri needs home wins against South Carolina and Tennessee the next two weeks to clinch the SEC East Division title. South Carolina is looking to stay in the race and rebound from last week’s shocking loss to Tennessee. The Gamecocks will be without starting quarterback Connor Shaw (sprained knee) but backup Dylan Thompson is a seasoned player with plenty of frontline experience.

No. 12 UCLA (5-1) at No. 2 Oregon (7-0)

4 p.m., ESPN

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota gets his Heisman moment with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town, one week after Florida State’s Jameis Winston made his case against Clemson. Mariota has thrown 265 consecutive passes without an interception and welcomes the return of speedy all-purpose back De’Anthony Thomas, who has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle.

12:30 p.m.: North Carolina State at Florida State, Channel 7; Duke at Virginia Tech, ESPNU; Michigan State at Illinois, ESPN2; Boston College at North Carolina, FS West.

12:45 p.m.: West Virginia at Kansas State, FS1.

1 p.m.: Utah at USC, Pac-12.

2 p.m.: Notre Dame at Air Force, CBSSN.

4 p.m.: Baylor at Kansas, ESPNU.

4:30 p.m.: Texas at Texas Christian, FS1; Florida Atlantic at Auburn, FS West.

NIGHT

No. 8 Stanford (6-1) at Oregon State (6-1)

7:30 p.m., ESPN

Stanford’s bounce-back win over UCLA last week will mean little if the Cardinal can’t follow up with a win at Corvallis. Oregon State has won six straight since a shocking loss to Eastern Washington and boasts the nation’s most dangerous pass-catch combination in Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks. Mannion’s 414 yards-per-game average leads the nation in total offense, while Cooks is the receiving yards leader with 1,176.

No. 15 Fresno State (6-0) at San Diego State (3-3)

7:30 p.m., ESPN2

Fresno State’s potent pass-catch combo of Derek Carr and Davante Adams should post big numbers against the No. 81-ranked defense. Fresno State debuted at No. 17 in the first BCS standings and is halfway home to an undefeated season that could land the Bulldogs in the Fiesta Bowl.

California (1-6) at Washington (4-3)

8 p.m., FS1

Cal officially became the worst Pac-12 team on and off the field this week when the Bears’ football team finished last in the latest Graduation Success Rates report. Cal held the bottom spot at just 44%, far behind cross-bay Pac-12 leader Stanford (93%). At 82%, Washington ranks third behind Stanford and UCLA.

5 p.m.: Penn State at Ohio State, Channel 7; Arizona at Colorado, Pac-12.