National college football preview

They look evenly matched, but maybe you can judge these teams by common opponents. TCU hammered Air Force 38-7. Utah beat the Falcons 28-23 a week before that.

Washington at Oregon

Quarterback Jake Locker will not play for Washington (3-5), which makes the path easier for the Ducks at home. Oregon (8-0) has won six consecutive against the Huskies by at least 20 points. The Ducks do not seem to be rattled by their ascension to a favorite’s role for the BCS title game. They played loose and fast against USC and walloped the Trojans. Oregon, with the best FBS offense (572 yards per game) is favored by 35. The No. 1 team should roll on.

Oklahoma at Texas A&M

The No. 8 Sooners (7-1) are trying to keep pace with Oklahoma State and Baylor in the Big 12 South. OU quarterback Landry Jones is coming off a career-best 453 yards passing against Colorado. Both teams know how to throw it; Oklahoma is fifth in pass offense nationally and A&M is sixth. They both throw it more than 40 times a game. One stat difference: the Sooners’ defense gets its hands on more footballs with twice as many interceptions.

Arizona at Stanford

Alabama vs. LSU and TCU vs. Utah are compelling games to watch, but so is this one. No. 15 Arizona still has a shot for the Pac-10 title and an at-large BCS berth. This is for an inside track to the Rose Bowl, perhaps for a chance to play unbeaten Boise State or the TCU-Utah winner if they are passed over in the BCS. Arizona is 7-1 and just two points away from being undefeated. Stanford is 7-1 and a bad half against No. 1 Oregon from being undefeated. The Wildcats have a very good defense with good players on three levels, which is key against No. 13 Stanford’s balance (223 yards rushing, 243 yards passing).

Around the SEC

Alabama at LSU

Alabama (7-1, 4-1) still is in the hunt for the national championship. They have survived the rants of coach Nick Saban who blasted his team up and down following the loss to South Carolina. The Crimson Tide has come together on offense with its line starting to plow away behind tackle James Carpenter. LSU was one score away from taking down Auburn two weeks ago. The Tigers still have an unsettled situation at quarterback with Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee unable to take the job and not make key mistakes. If Les Miles can win this one the fans may settle down.

Chattanooga at Auburn

How well will Cam Newton play with allegations swirling around him. He was allegedly shopped by a family friend to schools. When you start looking at Chattanooga's body of work, you wonder if they could cause a little concern for a distracted Auburn team. The Mocs (5-3) lost to the top-rated FCS (formerly Division I-AA) team, Appalachian State by 1 and to the No. 2 team, Jacksonville State by 4. Auburn (9-0, 6-0) might need more than expected from Newton to make this a comfortable win going into the Georgia game next week. Joel Bradford of Chattanooga leads the FCS in receiving yards with 1,027 on 66 grabs.

Arkansas at South Carolina

There are no national-championship hopes on the line, but this is still going to be one of the best games in the country. South Carolina is still chasing its first berth in the SEC championship game, which will likely be decided in Gainesville, Fla., next week. The Gamecocks (6-2, 4-2) have an efficient offense in most games because they lead the SEC in third-down conversions.

The Razorbacks (6-2, 3-2) lost their top receiver, Greg Childs, to a season-ending injury, but quarterback Ryan Mallett still has plenty of targets for the SEC’s top-rated passing game.

South Carolina has made only four interceptions, but it leads the SEC in sacks with 30. Go figure.

Florida at Vanderbilt

Florida (5-3, 3-3) was a better team on offense Saturday with Chris Rainey back in the lineup, but the offense still is anything but smooth with the hurry-up offense. As long as the defense keeps up its ball-hawk tendency (16 interceptions) it will coast in this one. The Gators have won 19 consecutive in the series.

Vanderbilt (2-6, 1-4) lost its best offensive player, Warren Norman, to a season-ending wrist injury. He was the top rusher and return man. The Commodores had a slight chance with him; not so much now.

Tennessee at Memphis

Both of these teams are a mess. Tennessee (2-6, 0-5) will start a new quarterback, Tyler Bray. The Vols have a terrific receiver, but it is not the Georgia product, Da’Rick Rogers. It is Denarius Moore, who had 228 receiving yards Saturday. Tennessee leads the series 21-1. Memphis (1-7) is a basketball school, but it does have a pretty good Australian punter, Tom Hornsey (42.6 yards per kick).

Around the ACC

Maryland at Miami

The Hurricanes (5-3, 3-2) were dancing and jumping around following a win over North Carolina two weeks ago, but now they are wondering where their season went with the upset loss at Virginia. You wonder if there was a mentality they could turn it on when they needed it. Maryland (6-2, 3-1) has hung around the discussion in the Atlantic Division and is in the chase for the championship game with FSU and N.C. State. The defense is better than solid (19.5 points allowed), and they usually win the turnover battle. The thing to remember: The ACC wins are over Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College.

North Carolina at Florida State

The Seminoles (6-2, 4-1) have had nine days to get over the loss to N.C. State and fumbling the game away at the end. The game with the Wolfpack should have prepared FSU for another pass-first team. North Carolina’s T.J. Yates, who already has 39 career starts, has been carrying the Tar Heels (5-3, 2-2) with the passing game (235 yards per game, four interceptions all season). FSU leads the series 15-1-1. North Carolina plays well on defense in the fourth quarter; it just needs to keep things close until then.

Boston College at Wake Forest

BC (3-5, 1-4) has the ACC’s leading rusher in junior Montel Harris, who has five 100-yard games. The Eagles stunned Clemson last week, 16-10. Wake Forest (2-6, 1-4) has had trouble stopping the run all season (217 yards allowed per game). The Deacons are on a six-game losing streak, but at least they are at home with one of college football’s least experienced teams.

N.C. State at Clemson

This is huge for the Wolfpack (6-2, 3-1), who are tied for the division lead with Florida State and Maryland. State has had some extra time to prepare since its Thursday night win over the Seminoles. Quarterback Russell Wilson is in the discussion for ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Clemson (4-4, 2-3) has defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who almost assuredly will be Defensive Player of the Year. Bowers has to track down Wilson and get a couple of sacks and pressures. The Tigers have played run-first teams lately, but they can play the pass fairly well (27th nationally in pass-efficiency defense). Clemson gives up only 18 points a game.

Virginia at Duke

The Cavaliers (4-4, 1-3) got the signature win they needed in coach Mike London’s first season last week against Miami. It would be a heart-breaker to give back the gains with a loss at Duke (2-6, 0-4), which has won the past two games between the schools. Quarterback Mark Verica threw three interceptions against North Carolina on Oct. 16, but has bounced back to lead wins over Eastern Michigan and Miami. He should stay on an upward trajectory this week against a Duke defense that ranks 103rd nationally.