Smith, Jones square off at Oklahoma in Big 12 duel
No. 13 Oregon State @ No. 16 Stanford, 3 p.m., Fox
After a poor performance by signal caller Sean Mannion two weeks ago against Washington left Oregon State enshrouded in quarterback controversy, junior Cody Vaz stepped up to lead the Oregon State Beavers to victory last weekend against Arizona State. This week, the No. 11 Beavers will leave the friendly confines of Corvallis, Ore., and travel south to face No. 14 Stanford in a contest with huge Pac-12 implications. Despite the departure of star quarterback Andrew Luck to the NFL, the Cardinal have managed to compile an impressive 2012 campaign and sit tied with the Beavers for second place in the Pac-12 North. Unfortunately for Stanford, the Cardinal are about to run a brutal gauntlet of ranked divisional opponents with Oregon State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 18 UCLA. As unlikely as it is, winning their next three games would land the Cardinal a BCS bowl bid.
West Virginia @ Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2
After an extraordinary start to 2012, quarterback Geno Smith and the West Virginia Mountaineers have come crashing back down to Earth, losing their last three games. While Smith is still one of the nation’s most dynamic players, the Mountaineer defense has proved incapable of stopping anyone this year, which has ultimately led to the team’s decline. Still, West Virginia brings the nation’s No. 5 passing offense into Saturday’s contest against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who gave No. 2 Kansas State a run for its money Nov. 3. Unfortunately, the lead couldn’t be sustained, and the Cowboys got stuck with their third loss of the year. Whether quarterback Wes Lunt will be able to go for Oklahoma State after suffering an injury last week is still unclear at the point, but the Cowboys’ passing offense has enjoyed immense success this year, ranking No. 3 in the nation. Expect a shootout Saturday between these two powerful offenses.
No. 3 Kansas State @ TCU, 7 p.m., Fox
Perhaps no coach in all of college football is more important and directly responsible for his program’s success than Bill Snyder of the Kansas State Wildcats. The job Snyder has done this year with a largely forgotten Kansas State team, buried in the middle of the pack in the preseason, is nothing short of remarkable. The Wildcats are now a few wins away from the chance to play for their first national championship in team history. After suffering an undisclosed injury against Oklahoma State last week, quarterback and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Collin Klein appears ready to play. However, if he can’t, the Wildcats will be hard-pressed to overcome his absence on the road against a solid TCU team fresh off a thrilling double-overtime victory against West Virginia.
Penn State @ No. 18 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2
With quarterback Taylor Martinez, the 2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers have been a model of inconsistency, giving the polls something to be excited about but then collapsing into stunning losses. Martinez has looked brilliant at times and awful at others, throwing the game away in the team’s losses to UCLA and Ohio State with poor decision making. However, Martinez has been strong at home this season, tossing 12 touchdown passes to just one interception, which is exactly where Nebraska will be Saturday as it hosts the Penn State Nittany Lions. To say the Nittany Lions’ season has been one of resiliency is an understatement. Coach Bill O’Brien has stared down the barrel of one of the most detrimental NCAA sanctions in history and led his team to a stunning 6-3 record. It will be tough to take down the Huskers at home, but Penn State is far from the doormat program many thought it would be in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal this offseason. Penn State should not be overlooked in this contest.
Northwestern @ Michigan, Noon, ESPN
Despite quarterback Denard Robinson’s absence last week against Minnesota, the Michigan Wolverines managed to turn in one of their more impressive performances of the year under the direction of junior backup Devin Gardner. While Robinson’s status remains uncertain for this week, the Wolverines must feel confident if Gardner needs to step in again after his three-touchdown performance. Meanwhile, the Northwestern Wildcats are on the rise and a game behind the Wolverines in the Big Ten race. Under the leadership of dynamic quarterback Kain Colter, Northwestern is already bowl-eligible and has an outside chance a conference title. Unfortunately, both teams more or less sealed their doom with losses to Nebraska earlier in the year and now require help to climb back to the top.