The week ahead in college football

Five things to watch this week in college football:

1. Thursday night in October at San Francisco’s AT&T Park must mean the World Series champion Giants are in the midst of defending their title. Either that or USC is playing at California on ESPN in the Bears’ temporary venue while Memorial Stadium is being renovated.

2. Arizona State is playing at Oregon. Arizona State is playing at Oregon. We repeated that because Saturday’s game might be the first of two meetings this year at Autzen Stadium. The new Pacific 12 format calls for the team with the best record to host the conference’s first title game.

3. The state of Florida, which produces almost as many football players as it does oranges, has no team in the Associated Press top 25 for the first time since 1982. Florida fell out this week after its loss at Louisiana State but, sitting at AP No. 26, can rejoin the list with a win this week at Auburn.

4. How ugly could it get? Kansas ranks dead last nationally in scoring defense (49.40 points per game) and total defense (556 yards). Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 in scoring (45 points) and total offense (535 yards). Kansas hosts Oklahoma. Pick the score.

5. Michigan is 6-0 under first-year Coach Brady Hoke and probably can’t wait to end Ohio State’s recent dominance in, arguably, college football’s greatest rivalry. Before that Nov. 26 game, though, the No. 11 Wolverines have to win the state championship this week at No. 23 Michigan State.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com