College Football

#5 USC @ #16 Washington State

Friday 9:30 pm on ESPN

A great PAC-12 match up. I always thought Mike Leach was a great hire for WSU, and he finally has them in some serious games. Of course, the big rival for WSU is another ranked team that will come later. But this is a great opportunity for Washington State to make a statement. Similarly, USC wants to be back in Championship conversation. They had a near miss with Texas already this season. We’ll see how they look against a quality opponent. Too bad this game isn’t being played in a month. The advantage of a Palouse winter game outside against a Southern California team would be enjoyable to watch.

#24 Mississippi State @ #13 Auburn

Saturday 5 pm on ESPN

MSU makes another of the to-watch games. It lost last week Georgia, but that was not enough to drop them out of the Top 25 rankings. A loss this week would though. Auburn is trying to put together a season to challenge their state rival. They need to win here to keep in the hunt.

#2 Clemson @ #12 Virginia Tech

Saturday 7 pm on ABC

Clemson is a fun team to watch. The ACC as a conference is really making a good showing. This is a great way for Clemson to get votes for the #1 spot over Alabama. Virginia Tech wants to make its own name in the national stage and they will have to go through Clemson to get there.