Clemson, FSU to square off in Death Valley; top-ranked Oklahoma to host Mizzou
No. 7 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Texas A&M (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC)
Amid upheaval over conference realignment, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M prepare to face off in a Big 12 showdown with each side looking to preserve its undefeated season. The Cowboys lead the nation in passing, but they will face their first real challenge from a top defensive team.
"We play a good football team on the road that is very deserving of a top-10 ranking," Oklahoma State Mike Gundy said. "They are one of the few teams that I've seen over the last few years that are really solid in all three phases of the game. They're playing really good on offense, they're playing really good on defense and they're sound in the kicking game. They've become a complete football team."
No. 11 Florida State at No. 21 Clemson (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN)
The Seminoles, who took a tough loss to No. 1 Oklahoma last week, hope to get their season back on track in their first road game of the year against ACC rival Clemson. Last week's upset of Auburn vaulted the Tigers into the Top 25.
"The goal is to try to win every game," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "You don't plan to lose any games. I'm proud of our team for being 3-0, but this is an important week. We get into ACC play on Saturday, and that's really what it's all about. Our next goal is to win the division, and in order for us to do that, we have to keep improving. We have to stay committed to our standard that we've set and our process of preparation."
North Carolina at No. 25 Georgia Tech (Saturday at noon on ESPN)
In a meeting of 3-0 teams, both sides will look for an early win against an ACC rival. North Carolina began its conference schedule with a win over Virginia last weekend, and it will rely on quarterback Bryn Renner, who has thrown for an average of 231 yards per game, to lead them past the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has stayed undefeated on the strength of its dominating offense, leading the nation in rushing yards and points scored, but it will look to its defense to put pressure on Renner.
"Hopefully you don't let him have the little dink and dunk short passes that they throw," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "You're going to complete a high percentage if you're not throwing more than three or four yards downfield, so you've got to try to take some of that away. I think he's a very talented guy; hopefully you can put some pressure on him. Hopefully he'll make a mistake somewhere along the line. He's very accurate, and they've got good receivers, and they've got a good idea of what they want to do on offense."
Missouri at No. 1 Oklahoma (Saturday at 8 p.m. on FX)
Oklahoma has won its last 17 meetings at home against Mizzou, and the Sooners own the nation's longest current home winning streak at 37. But Missouri heads to Norman after a 69-0 win over Western Illinois in which it shattered several school records on offense, amassing 744 total yards while allowing just 44. The Tigers hope to carry some of that momentum into their first Big 12 contest of the year.
"Oklahoma is an outstanding football team," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "I don't think they have any weaknesses. They are very impressive on both sides of the football and are playing very well. When you look at [quarterback] Landry Jones, you see the development over the last few years. He's a really great player, and he has great players around him. It's a great atmosphere. [Bob Stoops] is a good coach. He gets his players ready to play. I think it's a combination of all those things. That's also the challenge that anybody has going in and playing in Norman."
Kansas St. at Miami (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU)
After shutting out Kent State last weekend, the Kansas State defense will face its first major challenge of the season when it confronts the speed of Miami's offense. The Hurricanes, who upset Ohio State for their first win last weekend, are led by sophomore running back Lamar Miller, who has averaged more than 150 yards in the first two games of the season.
"This is a major step for our defense," Kansas coach Bill Snyder said. "It will be very definitive on where we are. Hopefully we play as well as we are capable of playing and continue to make some improvement, and that will give us a good assessment of where we are regardless of the outcome ... This will probably give us as good of test as we can have."
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Saturday at noon on ABC)
After notching its first win against No. 15 Michigan State last week, Notre Dame will look to build momentum against a Pittsburgh squad that let a 17-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter against Iowa. Notre Dame will focus on containing quarterback Tino Sunseri, who threw for 255 yards in the loss to Iowa. Sunseri has improved each week as he grows comfortable with a new system under first-year coach Todd Graham.
"We look at the quarterback, Tino Sunseri, as someone who has great escapability," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "He's throwing at a much higher percentage. You can see that each game he's played in this offense he's gotten more and more confident in what he's doing. He probably had his best game of the year against Iowa. It's being more familiar with cCoach Graham's philosophy with what he did at Tulsa, and we're really preparing for that kind of offense versus what Pittsburgh ran last year."