Alabama faces tricky trip to Louisiana State

No. 5 Alabama (7-1) at No. 12 Louisiana State (7-1)

Saturday, 12:30 p.m., CBS

Alabama is the only one-loss team that seemingly controls its fate in the national title race because of its Nov. 26 game against Auburn. But the Crimson Tide first needs to navigate this very tricky trip to unpredictable LSU. The pick: Alabama.

No. 4 Texas Christian (9-0) at No. 6 Utah (8-0)

Saturday, 12:30 p.m., CBS College Sports

One thing we know for sure: one team will leave this Mountain West Conference showdown with its first loss. The winner emerges as a prime candidate for the BCS national title game or a possible Rose Bowl berth. The pick: Utah.

No. 13 Arizona (7-1) at No. 10 Stanford (7-1)

Saturday, 5 p.m., ABC

This is a key Pacific 10 Conference game for teams trying to keep pace with Oregon. Stanford’s only loss was at Eugene; Arizona travels to Oregon on Nov. 26. The pick: Stanford.

—Chris Dufresne