FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. A Notre Dame victory at Texas A&M.; Yeah, yeah, we know about Notre Dame being on the verge of going 0-3 for the first time in school history, but Coach Bob Davie is football’s version of UCLA basketball Coach Steve Lavin: Davie, like Lavin, always seems to pull out victories in times of great need. How else could Davie earn two contract extensions without winning a bowl game? Last year, Notre Dame started 2-2 and rallied to get a Fiesta Bowl berth. Davie went 9-3 the year after going 7-6 in 1997, and 9-3 last year after going 5-7 in 1999. It would be just like Davie to take his team into College Station and pull off an upset, staving off the critics for at least another week.

2. The Oregon marching band forming a giant “Swoosh” during its next halftime show. This, after news that Oregon booster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight has settled his spat with the university. Knight pulled the financial plug 17 months ago when the university sided with a labor rights group that was critical of Nike’s practices. At the time Knight said, “the bands of trust, which allowed me to give at a high level, have been shredded.” Knight will apparently kick in to help complete the $80-million expansion of Autzen Stadium. It should be noted Knight announced his comeback after Oregon improved to 3-0 with a last-minute victory against USC.

3. Washington State at Arizona. This is the Pacific 10 Conference’s only battle of unbeaten teams this week and also ranks as one of the conference’s more zany rivalries. The schools have played a total of four overtimes in their last four meetings. In 1997, Washington State’s 35-34 overtime victory at Pullman kept the Cougars’ Rose Bowl dreams alive. Last year, Arizona pulled out a 53-47, triple-overtime victory at Tucson. Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser threw a school-record six touchdown passes in defeat. This is just a hunch, but we’re guessing this game isn’t going to end 3-0.

4. The Western Athletic Conference drag. While a 13-0 finish by Fresno State would certainly warrant a major bowl berth, the Bulldogs can’t cinch a spot unless they finish ranked in the top six of the final bowl championship series rankings. The problem is Fresno State’s BCS rating, particularly strength of schedule, is going to take a hit because of the WAC’s relative weakness. The WAC ranks ninth this week in the Sagarin Ratings. Fresno State’s nonconference victories against Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin are impressive, but the rest of the WAC has gone only 2-11 against Division I competition.

5. Gamecocks fly the coop. South Carolina Coach Lou Holtz has pretty much put a stake in the dreaded “Chicken Curse,” but look for his 3-0 team to complete some unfinished business Saturday when it plays host to Alabama. South Carolina is 0-10 against Alabama on the field, although it did pick up a forfeit victory in 1993 as a result of NCAA sanctions. Why is South Carolina going to end the streak? Because, unlike our USC, Holtz’s USC knows how to win close games, winning games at Georgia and Mississippi State by a total of seven points. South Carolina will be favored in its next four games and likely be 7-0 when it visits Tennessee on Oct. 27.