The biggest game from my perspective will be South Carolina at LSU. With a win, the Gamecocks will be assured of at least a top-3 ranking, and the rest of the SEC will be put on notice. Right now, I think that South Carolina has the best defense outside of Tuscaloosa. LSU, meanwhile, will have more than pride at stake. They can't really afford to fall more than one game back of Alabama in the conference standings, and, if they lose at home, they would need some luck to remain in the top 25. A win, however, would put them back in the top 10.
Notre Dame will look to remain undefeated when they play Stanford from South Bend. Notre Dame has proven that they can defend the run against Michigan State, but I bet that David Shaw and the Cardinal will have a few tricks up their sleeves. Also, I think they have a better offensive line than Michigan State. I'll be rooting for the Stanford upset. If they do, they'll get a huge boost in the rankings, probably up to 13th or 12th. Notre Dame can't really get much higher, but a loss would knock them down to somewhere between 18th and 20th.
I don't really value Texas all that much, so the Red River Rivalry doesn't really get me all that excited. The loser will be two games back of Big 12 co-leaders Kansas State and West Virginia, which would be bad for both of them. The winner should be 10th or 11th in my poll, while the loser will be unranked.
One game that I will be watching with interest will be #1 Oregon State at BYU. The Beavers will be without starting QB Sean Mannion, but they will be playing an offensively inept Cougars team. I totally expect the final score to be something like 9-2. With Oregon idle, no one can catch the Beavers this week as long as they keep winning.
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