College football
Washington looks to avoid a letdown in the final Pac-12 meeting against Arizona. The Huskies opened last season 4-0, then lost their first road game to UCLA and took another loss to Arizona State to drop out of the College Football Playoff conversation.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz hasn’t spent much time thinking about getting the Tigers back into the Top 25 for the first time since 2019.
No. 12 Alabama hopes to continue its domination of Mississippi State and improve to 2-0 in SEC play with a 16th consecutive series victory.
Georgia Tech, led by quarterback Haynes King, will look for back-to-back wins for the first time this season when it faces Bowling Green.
TCU will try to extend a 10-game winning streak in Big 12 regular-season games in a visit from West Virginia.
Syracuse gets its first real test of the 2023 season with a noon showdown at home against the Clemson Tigers.
No. 6 Penn State looks to improve to 5-0 when it visits Northwestern. The Nittany Lions have won nine straight since a loss to Ohio State on Oct. 29.
No. 23 Missouri finally plays its Southeastern Conference opener making the Tigers the last team in the league to play an SEC opponent.
No. 9 Oregon visits Stanford in search of its first 5-0 start to the season since 2013. The Ducks are fresh off a 42-6 win at home over Colorado last week but want to avoid of a repeat of their last visit to Stanford when they lost in 2021 as the third-ranked team in the country.
No. 24 Kansas plays at No. 3 Texas in a battle of two of the Big 12’s last three unbeaten. And it is another big chance for a program-elevating win for Kansas and coach Lance Leipold.
No. 6 Penn State comes into Saturday’s game at Northwestern on a roll. The Nittany Lions have outscored their opponents by a combined 127 points.
The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are making their first road trip of the season. The Bulldogs are set to visit Auburn in the Deep South’s oldest rivalry after opening with four home games.
Both BYU and Cincinnati are looking to avoid falling to 0-2 in Big 12 play. The Cougars surrendered 21 points on three turnovers in a 38-27 loss to Kansas.
No. 14 Oklahoma trying to keep focus on Iowa State and its stingy defense before showdown with Texas
Oklahoma had several seasons crippled by plucky underdogs in recent years. Iowa State has been one of the Sooners’ biggest nuisances.
Louisville will go for a 5-0 start when it visits North Carolina State on Friday night. The Cardinals can also reach 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
No. 12 Alabama seeks 2-0 SEC start at last-place Mississippi State, which wants first league victory
Alabama’s first winning streak this season offers promise as it pursues offensive consistency. The No. 12 Crimson Tide hope to find the rhythm they’re used to at struggling Mississippi State, which looks to end a two-game slide and climb out of the SEC West basement.
No. 5 Florida State is undefeated and unsatisfied — even with victories against powerhouses LSU and Clemson on a resume that’s widely considered the most impressive in the country.
Today in Sports - Week Ahead, September 29 - October 5, Take 2
A smothering defense has led Michigan to four easy wins at home. Now the Wolverines go on the road for the first time against a fellow historic program in Nebraska in the game of the week in the Big Ten.
No. 2 Michigan visits Nebraska for first road game. The teams are among eight with 900 all-time wins
Second-ranked Michigan goes on the road for the first time when it visits Nebraska on Saturday. The schools are among eight with over 900 all-time wins.
No. 11 Notre Dame visits No. 17 Duke on Saturday night. The Fighting Irish have won 29 straight regular-season games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents dating to 2017.
No. 20 Mississippi is facing a ranked SEC West rival for the second straight week. The Rebels hope to fare better this time when 12th-ranked LSU visits Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Neither No. 21 Tennessee nor South Carolina have any margin for error in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division with each having a league loss apiece.
No. 17 Duke will take another big stage with Saturday night’s visit from No. 11 Notre Dame. The school is hosting ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time for a football game after multiple stops there for basketball.
No. 25 Fresno State moved into the AP Top 25 this week after winning its 13th straight game. The Bulldogs have the second-longest active winning streak in the nation behind two-time defending champion Georgia.
Second-ranked Michigan will face the challenge of having to defend against the option offense when it plays its first road game Saturday at Nebraska.
Michigan State acting coach Harlon Barnett says the Spartans are very close to a breakthrough. That notion will be tested agaist Saturday night against an Iowa team still smarting from generating just 76 total yards in a 31-0 loss at Penn State.
Out of the rankings after 1st loss, Colorado looks to snap 0-16 streak vs. No. 8 Southern California
Colorado’s losing streak against No. 8 Southern California started with a 46-7 loss in 1927. Since then, the Buffaloes have dropped 16 straight to the Trojans.
Illinois coach Bret Bielema squares off against his former defensive coordinator, Purdue coach Ryan Walters, in Saturday’s battle for The Cannon.
No. 24 and No. 3 Texas meet Saturday in a matchup of Big 12 unbeaten teams. It’s the Jayhawks’ first return to the site of a huge win that launched the program out of league cellar.
Oklahoma appears to be back on track after a 6-7 season last year, but the Sooners can’t afford to slip against Iowa State before a showdown with Texas in Dallas next week.