Play it forward: A look ahead at the week in college football

Five things to watch this week in college football:

1) Stanford, which has emerged as the Pac 12’s best shot at the four-team playoff, hits the road for its final two road games of the year. The Cardinal plays at emerging Washington State (5-2) next week and then at Colorado.

2) Last summer, Oregon at Arizona State on Thursday looked like a premier midseason, Pac-12 North vs. South game with national title implications. Instead, the teams are a combined 8-6 with the hopes of becoming bowl-eligible.

3) Notre Dame at Temple in Philadelphia features a team looking to stay undefeated as it vows to stay involved in the four-team playoff scenario. The other team is Notre Dame.

4) There were seasons when Florida at Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., was one of the most anticipated games of the year. This isn’t one of those years, but first place is still on the line in the SEC East Division.

5) Clemson, the hottest team coming out of the weekend, faces a possible trap game next week at North Carolina State. The game comes before the all-important Nov. 7 home showdown against ACC rival Florida State.

—Chris Dufresne