College football viewers guide: Game times, channel info and analysis
Defensive back Tevin Carter and undefeated Utah are hoping to have another celebration after playing USC on Saturday evening.
Break out the chips and cold drinks but let Chris Dufresne handle the remote. Each Friday, The Times’ national college football writer handicaps what’s worth watching, and skipping, on the upcoming menu of games.
SATURDAY MORNING
No. 6 Clemson (6-0) at Miami (4-2)
9 a.m., Channel 7
Clemson doesn’t have many tough games left, but this is one of them. Miami has a talented quarterback in Brad Kaaya and has turned the ball over only twice this season (one fumble, one interception). A win over Miami would give Clemson a clear path to an undefeated season. A College Football Playoff berth might be on the line in a Nov. 7 home game against nemesis Florida State.
Auburn (4-2) at Arkansas (2-3)
9 a.m., SEC Network (SEC)
These gold-star Southeastern Conference teams are playing double-A ball after entering the season ranked No. 6 and No. 18 in the Associated Press media poll. Both teams are 1-2 in the SEC West. For what it’s worth: Arkansas’ home loss to No. 19 Toledo (6-0) is looking better now than it did then.
Northwestern (5-2) at Nebraska (3-4)
9 a.m., ESPN2
Nebraska has suffered four excruciating defeats by 11 total points. Breakdown: Hail Mary (Brigham Young), overtime (Miami), last-seconds touchdown (Illinois), last-seconds field goal (Wisconsin). Northwestern, after a 5-0 start, has been outscored by 68 points in consecutive defeats to Michigan and Iowa.
9 a.m.: Iowa State at Baylor, ESPN; Pittsburgh at Syracuse, ESPNU; Houston at Central Florida, ESPNews; Kansas State at Texas, FS1; North Carolina State at Wake Forest, Prime; Army at Rice, FS West.
9:30 a.m.: Boston College at Louisville, KDOC.
10 a.m.: Tulane at Navy, CBS Sports (CBSSN).
AFTERNOON
Tennessee (3-3) at No. 8 Alabama (6-1)
12:30 p.m., Channel 2
Alabama has won the last eight games in the series. Coach Nick Saban is 10-1 against Tennessee and his team this year seems to have found its identity after a home loss last month to Mississippi. The Crimson Tide has coalesced around a power run game led by Derrick Henry, who gets overshadowed in a conference headlined by Leonard Fournette, Louisiana State’s star back.
Indiana (4-3) at No. 7 Michigan State (7-0)
12:30 p.m., Channel 7
Upset alert? It probably took Michigan State days to come off the adrenaline high of last week’s miraculous win at Michigan. Indiana has lost three straight after a 4-0 start, but quarterback Nate Sudfeld should test Michigan State’s secondary. Last week, Sudfeld passed for 464 yards in a 55-52 loss at Rutgers.
Texas Tech (5-2) at No. 17 Oklahoma (5-1)
12: 30 p.m., ESPN2
This could be awkward: Oklahoma quarterback Blake Mayfield faces his former school. You can’t say it wasn’t the right move. In his first year as a starter, Mayfield has thrown for 19 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. He transferred from Texas Tech two years ago. His departure opened the door for Texas Tech starter Patrick Mahomes, who leads the Big 12 in passing. As they say, it worked out for both sides.
No. 3 Utah (6-0) at USC (3-3)
4:30 p.m., Channel 11
It shocks some that Utah enters this game as the underdog, but Pac-12 Conference coaches are steadfast that USC has the best talent in the league. Interim USC Coach Clay Helton and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham may be auditioning for the full-time position. Whittingham, a former linebacker at Brigham Young, was a replacement player for the Los Angeles Rams in the strike-altered NFL season of 1987. The substitutes were dubbed by the media as the “Also-Rams.”
12:30 p.m.: Penn State at Maryland, ESPN; Duke at Virginia Tech, ESPNU; Kansas at Oklahoma State, FS1; North Texas at Marshall, FS West; Wisconsin at Illinois, Big Ten Network (BTN).
1 p.m.: Missouri at Vanderbilt, SEC; Southern Methodist at South Florida, ESPNews; Washington State at Arizona, Pac-12 Networks (Pac-12).
1:30 p.m.: Connecticut at Cincinnati, CBSSN.
4 p.m.: Texas A&M at Mississippi, ESPN; Florida State at Georgia Tech, ESPN2; Western Kentucky at Louisiana State, ESPNU.
4:30 p.m.: Kentucky at Mississippi State, SEC.
NIGHT
No. 1 Ohio State (7-0) at Rutgers (3-3)
5 p.m., Channel 7
When was the last time a coach sat his quarterback after a 7-0 start? Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer announced this week that J.T. Barrett would start in place of Cardale Jones, who led the Buckeyes to last season’s national title win over Oregon. New Jersey is hosting the top-rated teams at both the FBS and FCS levels Saturday. Earlier in the day, FCS No.1 Coastal Carolina plays at Monmouth.
Washington (3-3) at No. 10 Stanford (5-1)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
What will Christian McCaffrey do next? Stanford’s all-world, all-purpose sophomore tailback returns to action for the first time since amassing 369 all-purpose yards against UCLA. Washington is improving under second-year Coach Chris Petersen. In the last two weeks, the Huskies defeated the team picked to win the Pac-12 South (USC), and last week played North favorite Oregon to a tough, 26-20, defeat.
5 p.m.: Troy at New Mexico State, FS West.
7:15 p.m.: Wyoming at Boise State, ESPN2.
7:30 p.m.: Colorado at Oregon State, Pac-12.
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