Five games to watch
After opening the season with a loss to Maryland, Texas has won four straight, including back-to-back Big 12 contests. Much of the turnaround can be credited to turnovers, with Texas forcing seven in those four wins. Oklahoma has been on a torrid pace offensively, averaging more than 523 yards and 48 points per game. The Sooners have won three of the last four Red River Rivalry games.
Since losing the season opener to Notre Dame, Michigan has bounced back by leaning heavily on the ground game, with the team averaging more than 240 rushing yards per game behind running back Karan Higdon. Maryland is looking to go 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the league in 2014. The Terps have lost four straight conference road games going back to last season.
LSU is making its second consecutive trip to Florida as part of a deal between the two schools following Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow is coming off a career-best game against Ole Miss in which he passed for 292 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Florida leads the SEC in takeaways (14) and leads the nation in fumble recoveries (10).
The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 14 points. The Hurricanes are tied atop the ACC with 12 takeaways, while the Seminoles lead the league in turnovers surrendered with 12. N’Kosi Perry has injected life into the Miami offense since taking over the starting quarterback job two weeks ago, with the redshirt freshman responsible for 42 points so far this season.
Notre Dame is making its first trip to Blacksburg, Va. Coming off a victory over Duke, Virginia Tech is looking to knock off a ranked opponent for the second consecutive week for the first time since 2009. Since taking over the starting duties two weeks ago, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book has completed more than 72 percent of his passes for more than 600 yards and accounted for 10 total touchdowns.
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