UC Davis is well rested for its matchup vs. Rhode Island...

Notre Dame has been on an extended weekly blowout tour, winning nine straight games by double digits -- topped by last Saturday's 70-7 spanking of Syracuse. However, opening kickoff times for those outings ranged from early afternoon to mid-evening. Let's see how they adjust to a 10:30 (ET) start out west. A rough season for Stanford has turned somewhat for the better in November. The Cardinal were competitive in defeats to Pitt and North Carolina before slamming rival Calfornia last Saturday. The Irish's latest win was bittersweet, with LBs Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Chance Tucker lost for the season. This is a sizable number for ND to cover with the body clock set on an early Sunday morning.

Northwestern games lean toward relatvely low scores. The Wildcats do not score in bunches and prefer runnng to passing. With snow and heavy wind in the forecast, this matchup shapes up as points-starved. Illinois likes to air it out more but must alter its game plan to deal with the elements. Harsh weather can drive down the total; this one has dpped a couple of points, not enough to steer us off.

Can't ignore these numbers: 0-4, 6-0. Those are the respective SU records of Wisconsin on the road and Minnesota at home. The Badgers are playing much better than the Gophers but, being run-oriented, seem unlikely to capitalize on a soft pass defense. Wisconsin is on its fourth QB of the season, freshman Carter Smith, and he is not exactly tearing it up with his 53 percent completion rate. The percentage probably will not rise, given the expected unpleasant weather, as the Badgers have little choice but to stick to a ground game. If the home side offense can generate 20 points, that should be enough.

We can't exactly draw a line through Pitt's loss to Notre Dame, but coach Pat Narduzzi appeared to place such relatively little interest in the game in the midst of the ACC schedule that it can be discounted. Otherwise, the Panthers have won six in a row SU, scoring between 30 and 53 points in each. Now they welcome back do-it-all RB Desmond Reid, out last week wth an injury. Temperatures touching the freezng mark is a bonus for the hosts aganst the visitors from balmy south Florida. With an ACC Championship berth on the line for both, there is no motivational edge.

Sore-footed Louisville QB Miller Moss is expected to soldier on, but his usual sidekicks will be absent. It's quite enough to miss your foremost WR (Chris Bell), but your four best RBs (notably the Browns, Keyjuan and Isaac) are gone as well. A promising season has gone to seed with three conseutive SU loss entering the game. The momentum rests wth Kentucky, which was playng well before the schooling from Vanderblt last Saturday and can secure a bowl berth with a W.

The swirl of attenton around where Lane Kiffin coaches next season has knocked down this line to seven. Thank you, rumors. Ole Miss is a better team with an ideal matchup, and the Rebels players overlow with motivation. If Kiffin leaves, the CFP committee could dock its rankng, so the Rebs will seek a one-sided win. Ole Miss unleashes star RB Kewan Lacy (second in SEC rushing, frst in run TDs) against a defense ranked 15h in the league for points and yards allowed. Trinidad Chambliss is the latest in Kiffin's product line as a QB whisperer. The perception of teams motivated by needing a sixth win to qualify for a third-rate bowl is overblown. Winning the Egg Bowl is the extent of MSU's inspiration.

Washington's offense is shaky enough on the road when at full strength. Erase WRs Denzel Boston and Raiden Vines-Bright, along with O-linemen Landen Hatchett and Drew Azzopardi, with injuries, and the Huskies might be scrounging for points. They have managed just 17 in the latest two away games. UCLA got a lift on the injury front when QB Nco Iamaleava was cleared after a concussion scratched him for the Ohio State loss. The Bruins get some relief after getting hammered by the Buckeyes and Indiana, the nation's two finest teams, in recent weeks.

Five SU losses in its past six outings, and Colorado is getting less than a touchdown against a ranked opponent? Arizona State is gunning for a Big 12 title game berth. It gets an ideal matchup, with dual threat QB Jeff Sims able to chew up the Buffaloes' bottom-ranked defense in the league. Future NFL WR Jordyn Tyson seems likely to play after an injury threatened his status. On offense, the Buffaloes' beat-up O-line could struggle to protect freshman QB Julian Lewis in just his third start.

Tennessee's 10 consecutive defeats in Gainesville is the only explanation for such a tiny spread. The Volunteers own the nation's second most prolific offense. While their defense leaves much to be desired, Florida lacks the wherewithal to keep scorng pace. The Volunteers have essentially enjoyed two weeks off with a bye and a walkover win against New Mexico State. They have lineup holes in the lineup because of injuries but are far healthier than the ravaged Gators, who might also be distracted by rumors swirling around the coaching search.

Plenty of scoring is projected, and Pitt might not be able to keep up with the machine-like Georgia Tech offense with versatile RB Desmond Reid injured. Reid catches and rushes with equal efficiency. The spread is small in part because of the public's perception, based on coach Pat Marduzzi's comments before last week's game, that the Panthers might not have treated non-league foe Notre Dame seriously. Partly as a result, the host that boasts FBS' top-ranked offense and has outright won nine of the last 10 home dates is yielding less than a field goal. Hard to resist.

How weird is this. Auburn QB Ashton Daniels will skip this game to preserve a year of eligibility but apparently intends to play next week against Alabama. The upshot: Freshman Deuce Knight, who has thrown all of five passes this season, steps in over the far more experienced Jackson Arnold. The Tigers end a stretch of seven SEC games, five against ranked foes, and have ther arch-rival looming. Their focus could be elsewhere. Mercer is 9-1, with point scored in the last four outings between 49 and 62. The Bears have the offensive oomph to hang with the big brother.

It's Senior Day in College Station, which means A&M likely will clear out the bench in the second half to give playing time to departing backup seniors. The Aggies are coming off a comeback for the ages against South Carolina and might be simply restarting their engines with a matchup against mega-rival Texas just six days ahead. By any measure, Samford should not be facing a national title contender. The Bulldogs did dump their coach ths week, so players might be eager to impress the interim in case he gets the job next season.

Louisville might have a perfect ATS road record, but each win happened with QB Miller Moss at the helm. Looks like an injury will keep him out here. The two backups have thrown a combined nine passes this season. The Cardinals might have to relay on their rushing game. Good luck with that against the 14th-ranked run defense in FBS. SMU comes in refreshed by a bye and has knocked off the past three ACC opponents at home -- most recently fellow CFP contender Miami.

Senior Day at the Horseshoe against an overmatched guest means Ohio State could give lesser-light players a chance to get their uniforms dirty without worrying about the final margin. Ritgers does boast the nation's 22nd best pass offense and should become the rare Buckeyes opponent to crack double figures. Ohio State's offense likely will be crippled by the absence of its stellar WR tandem; Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are ailing. With Michigan, next week's opponent, on their minds, the Buckeyes figure to fall short of the usual blowout.