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#5 Auburn at #20 Kansas State
Roll Snyd is the mantra for K-State this Thursday as Auburn comes to Manhattan for the marquee game of the weekend, at least locally. The Tigers are seventh in the country with an average of 330 yards rushing per game so far in the short season, a season that has seen them roll over San Jose State and Arkansas. The Wildcats are coming off a less than spectacular, come from behind victory over the Iowa State Cyclones, but if you give Bill Snyder this much time to prepare for a game, things usually go pretty well for K-State. Expect this one to be close throughout. You can watch it on ESPN at 6:30 CT on Thursday.
#4 Oklahoma at WVU
This is a bigger conference matchup than most would have thought at the onset of the season. True, West Virginia barely escaped Maryland and Oklahoma rolled Tennessee last weekend, but the Mountaineers showed they were no push over in the season opener when they stuck with Alabama. While Oklahoma looks to be at the top of the league with Baylor, West Virginia could very well prove themselves to be a top half of the league team this year. It’ll be tougher considering the Mountaineers just suspended their top defensive player for this game. Cornerback Daryl Worley is out for his violation of team rules. Game time is 6:30 CT on Fox.
Florida at #3 Alabama
It’s always a big game when the Gators travel to Tuscaloosa, and this time Florida can make a major statement and change the landscape of the SEC with a win. Florida would like nothing better than to jump out to a 2-0 record in the SEC East with Georgia and South Carolina already losing and Missouri yet to play a game. But it won’t be easy as Alabama looks to win their 23rd straight SEC conference opener and Florida needed triple overtime last weekend to beat Kentucky. Still, it’s Florida against Alabama, and you can tune into the game on CBS at 2:30 CT.
Miami at #24 Nebraska
Championship history. These two programs have combined to win 10 championships but the amazing part is the amount of times they have beaten the other to win a championship. Miami beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl in 1983 and 1991 to earn the National Championship and Nebraska returned the favor on the Hurricanes in 1994. Miami again one-upped the Cornhuskers in the Rose Bowl Game that followed the 2001 season. They haven’t met in a regular season game since 1976, and although they aren’t title contenders this year, this game should still be fun to watch from a historical perspective. It airs at 7:00 CT on ESPN2.
#22 Clemson at #1 Florida State
These are the only teams currently ranked in the ACC and they’re both in the much stronger Atlantic Division. Seminole's QB Jameis Winston has been suspended for the first half of this game, and Clemson will be looking to take advantage. This game could go a long way in determining if Florida State makes it to the playoffs. If the Seminoles lose, are there enough challenging games to get them back in the hunt? Can a one-loss ACC team even qualify for one of the four spots? The game is slated for 7:00 CT on ABC.