It's the first week of October, the point in the season when conference races and the chase for College Football Playoff begin to ramp up.
There are only two Top 25 matchups Saturday: No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State and No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama. Miami goes for its first win in Tallahassee since 2019 (and its third this season against a ranked opponent) while the Seminoles are in bounce-back mode after losing in two overtimes at Virginia.
There is no shortage of other big games.
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s other big game sends No. 24 Virginia to unbeaten Louisville. In the Southeastern Conference, once-beaten Mississippi State is at No. 6 Texas A&M and Florida, loser of three straight, hosts No. 9 Texas.
In the Big 12, Houston is 4-0 for the first time since 2016 and will face its toughest test to date when No. 11 Texas Tech visits, and No. 14 Iowa State is on the road against a Cincinnati team that's won three straight.
No. 16 Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 10 Alabama (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Vanderbilt will try for its first 6-0 start since 1928 while the Crimson Tide are looking to avenge last year’s monumental loss as the nation's No. 1 team in Nashville.
Alabama once again is coming off a win over Georgia and will host a Vandy team looking for a second road win against a ranked opponent. It will be the first time since 1937 Alabama and Vandy have met when both are ranked.
Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson has 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions, his confidence is high after the Georgia game and he'll be going against a secondary that's given up eight TD passes the last two games. Vandy's Diego Pavia averages more than 300 yards per game in total offense and will face an Alabama defense having to adjust after losing LBs Qua Russaw and Jah-Marien Latham to injuries.
Washington (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at Maryland (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
Maryland's pattern under seventh-year coach Mike Locksley has been to start fast and wilt the deeper it goes into Big Ten play. The unbeaten Terrapins have another prove-it opportunity after opening with four straight wins.
The Terps have 64 new players, a positive since Locksley acknowledged he “lost the locker room” over NIL pay disparity in 2024. Among the newcomers is Malik Washington, the second true freshman in 20 years to throw for at least 250 yards in each of his first four games. The No. 5 national quarterback recruit in the 2025 class has eight TD passes against one interception.
The Huskies have a rising star of their own in sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who has completed 76% of his passes with six TDs and no interceptions.
The Heisman Trophy front-runner, as judged by BetMGM Sportsbook wagering, has changed nearly every week with Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck and John Mateer all taking turns as the leader.
Oregon's Dante Moore is the choice this week, at 15-to-2 odds, after he led the Ducks to a 30-24 win over Penn State in two overtimes. Moore connected on a career-high 29 of 39 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He's thrown for at least three TDs in four of five games.
Moore's 14 TD passes rank fourth in the nation, and he's thrown just one interception. The Ducks have an open date this week before Indiana and another Heisman candidate, Fernando Mendoza, visit Oct. 11.
Miami's Beck, the second choice at 9-to-1, has an opportunity to woo Heisman voters in his prime-time game against Florida State.
9 — Texas' road win streak in conference games.
17 — Consecutive field goals by Cincinnati's Stephen Rusnak, who is 6 for 6 this season after going 11 for 11 at Charlotte last season. He's the only kicker in the country to be perfect in 2024 and 2025.
27 — Consecutive quarters in which BYU has scored entering its Friday game against West Virginia.
57 — UNLV defense's FBS-leading number of interceptions since 2022. The Rebels' eight picks this season are tied for second.
1994 — Last time Duke started Atlantic Coast Conference play 3-0, which would be its record with a win at California.
Wisconsin's lopsided loss to Maryland as a 10-point home favorite cranked up the heat another notch on Luke Fickell. Athletic director Chris McIntosh did issue a statement of support for Fickell, who has a buyout north of $25 million.
Injuries, particularly at quarterback, have hamstrung Fickell. But Fickell's original hiring of Phil “Air Raid” Longo as offensive coordinator was a mistake, and new coordinator Jeff Grimes' unit is averaging a Big Ten-worst 4.96 yards per play. The Badgers do have the nation's best run defense but are vulnerable against the pass.
Five of the final eight opponents are in this week's Top 25, including three in the top 10. The gantlet starts Saturday at No. 20 Michigan.
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