2013-10-12



With most of Saturday's action consisting of conference showdowns, there will be no shortage of stuff to watch on the tube. With a handful of top-10 teams on upset alert, the polls could really look different when they're released Sunday morning. Here is a primer for this weekend's key games.

Saturday's slate

12 p.m. ET

12 Oklahoma

vs.

Texas

ABC

12 p.m. ET

25 Missouri

at

7 Georgia

ESPN

12 p.m. ET

Iowa State

at

20 Texas Tech

FS1

12 p.m. ET

Pittsburgh

at

24 Virginia Tech

ESPNU

12 p.m. ET

Eastern Michigan

at

Army

CBSSN

12 p.m. ET

Lehigh

at

Columbia

NBCSN

12 p.m. ET

Memphis

vs.

Houston

ESPN News

12 p.m. ET

Indiana

at

Michigan State

ESPN2

12 p.m. ET

Nebraska

at

Purdue

Big Ten Network

12 p.m. ET

Kansas

at

TCU

FSN, MSG+, ROOT-PIT

12 p.m. ET

USF

at

UConn

SNY, Altitude

12:21 p.m. ET

14 South Carolina

at

Arkansas

SEC Network, MSG

12:30 p.m. ET

Navy

at

Duke

ACC Network

2 p.m. ET

Western Carolina

at

Auburn

Pay-per-view, ESPN3.com

2 p.m. ET

Central Michigan

at

Ohio

Time Warner Cable, ESPN3

2 p.m. ET

Buffalo

at

Western Michigan

ESPN3.com

2 p.m. ET

Missouri State

at

North Dakota State

NBC ND, ESPN3.com

3 p.m. ET

Kent State

at

Ball State

ESPN3.com

3 p.m. ET

Miami (Ohio)

at

UMass

ESPN3.com

3:30 p.m. ET

15 Baylor

at

Kansas State

FOX

3:30 p.m. ET

17 Florida

at

10 LSU

CBS

3:30 p.m. ET

19 Northwestern

at

Wisconsin

ABC or ESPN2

3:30 p.m. ET

Boston College

at

3 Clemson

ABC or ESPN2

3:30 p.m. ET

East Carolina

at

Tulane

WITN

3:30 p.m. ET

New Mexico

at

Wyoming

ROOT-NW, RM

3:30 p.m. ET

Rice

at

UTSA

TWC Sports

3:30 p.m. ET

Richmond

at

James Madison

NBCSN

3:30 p.m. ET

San Jose State

at

Colorado State

CBSSN

3:30 p.m. ET

Syracuse

at

NC State

ROOT-PIT, MSG+

3:30 p.m. ET

Troy

at

Georgia State

ESPN3, CSS, Sun Belt Net

3:30 p.m. ET

Virginia

at

Maryland

ESPNU

4 p.m. ET

2 Oregon

at

16 Washington

Fox Sports 1

4 p.m. ET

Eastern Washington

at

North Dakota

MidcoSN

4 p.m. ET

Tennessee State

at

Jacksonville State

TV24

5 p.m. ET

18 Michigan

at

Penn State

ESPN

5 p.m. ET

Akron

at

23 NIU

ESPN3.com

5 p.m. ET

Marshall

at

FAU

FOX College Sports

6 p.m. ET

5 Stanford

at

Utah

Pac-12 Network

7 p.m. ET

1 Alabama

at

Kentucky

ESPN2

7 p.m. ET

Georgia Tech

at

BYU

ESPNU

7 p.m. ET

Idaho

at

Arkansas State

ESPN3.com

7 p.m. ET

Middle Tennessee

at

North Texas

meangreensports.com

7 p.m. ET

ULM

at

Texas State

Longhorn Network

7 p.m. ET

Illinois State

at

Youngstown State

ESPN3.com, CSN-CHI

7 p.m. ET

Montana

at

UC Davis

Max Media

7 p.m. ET

Villanova

at

Towson

NBCSN

7:30 p.m. ET

UAB

at

FIU

CSS

7:30 p.m. ET

Bowling Green

at

Miss State

FSN

8 p.m. ET

Tulsa

at

UTEP

FS1

8 p.m. ET

Boise State

at

Utah State

CBSSN

8:05 p.m. ET

Hawaii

at

UNLV

MW Network Streaming

8:30 p.m. ET

9 Texas A&M

at

Ole Miss

ESPN

10 p.m. ET

Colorado

at

Arizona State

Pac-12 Network

10:30 p.m. ET

California

at

11 UCLA

ESPN2

10:30 p.m. ET

Oregon State

at

Washington State

ESPNU

Lunch shift

Best option: No. 12 Oklahoma vs. Texas in Dallas

Week 7's big games

The Red River Shootout

"There is no game like this."

Sooners likely to run wild

Texas surrenders ground advantage

OU, Texas wearing gold alternates

Next week's Mack Brown apology, today!

No. 17 Florida at No. 10 LSU

Can Tigers pass on this D?

How Florida is what LSU once was

No. 2 Oregon at No. 16 Washington

"Oregon's defense is elite."

College GameDay flag drama

No. 25 Missouri at No. 7 Georgia

Dawgs hope to end injury plague

Mizzou's offense for real?

Announcers: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Quint Kessenich
Odds: Oklahoma -14
Weather: 80s, chance of storms

The annual Red River Shootout takes on a different feel in 2013. The Longhorns are trending in the wrong direction; after a rough start to the year, the UT faithful is calling for Mack Brown to be canned. While it seems his job is probably safe until the end of the year -- firing him mid-season wouldn't exactly accomplish much -- a blowout to the hated Sooners could force the athletic department to make a tough decision.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is firing on all cylinders once again under Bob Stoops. The Sooners will be heavy favorites on Saturday, and while anything can happen in rivalry games, most like OU to roll. If the Longhorns are going to stay in this one, Jonathan Gray will need to put up a huge performance against Oklahoma's run defense.

Plan B: No. 25 Missouri at No. 7 Georgia

The Tigers are underdogs in this one, but they've become a trendy upset pick. Given all of Georgia's injuries -- Todd Gurley is doubtful and Keith Marshall, Justin Scott-Wesley and Michael Bennett are all out indefinitely -- Mizzou could pick up its first signature SEC win on Saturday to improve to 6-0.

Keep it in mind: Indiana at Michigan State, Pittsburgh at No. 24 Virginia Tech, Nebraska at Purdue

Indiana and Michigan State will be really interesting. The Hoosiers can move the ball on offense, while the Spartans are stout defensively. Something will have to give in this BIG matchup. Virginia Tech has been an enigma all season long and they'll look to continue rolling against Pitt.

In case of emergency: Iowa State at No. 20 Texas Tech

Texas Tech can score a lot of points in a hurry, and Iowa State tends to give up a lot of points. The Cyclones will likely come out with some fire after losing their last game in controversial fashion against Texas, but most arrows point to this one being a blowout.

Afternoon

Best option: No. 17 Florida at No. 10 LSU

Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson
Odds: LSU -7
Weather: 80s, partly cloudy

This game has the makings of your typical grind-it-out, punch-you-in-the-mouth SEC showdown. Given all of the history between these two programs, there should be no shortage of fun in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have one of the best offenses in the conference, and Florida's defense is as good as almost anyone's in the country.

This game will likely come down to how well Tyler Murphy fares in a tough road environment. He's played well since taking over for Jeff Driskel, though this will be his toughest challenge yet. If he has a good game, the Gators will have a chance to pull the upset. If not, well, it could be a long ride back home to The Swamp.

Plan B: No. 2 Oregon at No. 16 Washington

This game may be listed as Plan B on the schedule, but it could easily be the best game of the day depending on Washington's ability to keep Heisman frontrunner Marcus Mariota in check. The Ducks will likely come out looking to stress UW's defense out with their run game and then work in the pass as the game moves along.

Keep it in mind: No. 18 Michigan at Penn State, No. 19 Northwestern at Wisconsin

Michigan heads to Penn State for what may be the toughest game of the day to predict. Despite their top-20 ranking, the Wolverines have looked awful at times in 2013. The Nittany Lions are coming off a blowout loss to Indiana and will look to turn their season around.

Northwestern battled their butts off and came up just short against Ohio State last weekend. Wisconsin battled their butts off a few weeks ago against Arizona State and had their hearts broken on a controversial call in the 4th quarter. Both teams are a play or two from having different outlooks on their season, and neither wants to pick up a conference loss this weekend. Look for Wisconsin to continue running the ball early and often, and if they're able to get their passing game going, watch out.

In case of emergency: No. 15 Baylor at Kansas State

Baylor is Oregon-esque with the way they move the football on offense. Watch this one if you like points.

Evening shift

Best option: No. 9 Texas A&M at Ole Miss

Announcers: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
Odds: Texas A&M -7
Weather: Upper 60s, partly cloudy

Ole Miss and Texas A&M have only been SEC foes for two years now, but given their proximity to each other, this seems like a rivalry waiting to happen.

On a night with very little watchable college football on the slate, the fightin' Johnny Manziels are the go-to option here. The Aggies are arguably the best offensive team in the SEC, and they should have no trouble putting up points against Ole Miss' young secondary.

The Rebels have some momentum on the recruiting trail and the program appears to be headed in the right direction, but they're off to a poor start this year. A win would be a big stepping stone for Hugh Freeze and likely knocks Texas A&M out of the conference title race with their second loss.

Plan B: Georgia Tech at BYU

BYU is a couple of plays away from being 5-0 and nationally ranked this year. Taysom Hill should be able to move the ball against an iffy Georgia Tech defense, and it's tough to see the Yellow Jackets and their running attack being able to hold up in hostile road territory.

Keep it in mind: Boise State at Utah State

If Chuckie Keeton was healthy for this game, the Aggies would be favored. He's out for the season after injuring his knee last weekend. Look for Chris Petersen's Broncos to roll.

In case of emergency: No. 1 Alabama at Kentucky

This one is probably going to get ugly. Mark Stoops has UK headed in the right direction, but they just don't have the size, speed or talent to hang with the nation's top team.

More from SB Nation college football:

Follow @SBNationCFBFollow @SBNRecruiting

• Your full Week 7 TV schedule guide

• Up-to-the-minute college football scoreboard

• Stats say Florida’s better than LSU

• Jon Bois’ history of the Red River Shootout

• Has Washington closed the gap with Oregon?

• College football Twitter has fun with Hokies-Vols NASCAR game

Show more