No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m. CT, NBC
Clemson heads to Notre Dame for its toughest game of the season without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he was sidelined last weekend with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Lawrence will travel with the team but not play until the precautionary cardiovascular tests are complete. Clemson missed Lawrence in last weekend’s game against Boston College, where they came back from an 18-point deficit. Clemson goes into the game as the favorite but will have to rely on freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei while Notre Dame turns to senior quarterback Ian Book and its nationally ranked defense. Can the Fighting Irish take advantage, or will the Tigers work their magic?
West Virginia at No. 22 Texas, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. CT, ABC
After an overtime thriller in Stillwater, the Longhorns are back in Austin to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. While the win last weekend was a fresh breath of air for Texas, the Mountaineers are coming off a statement win against the Kansas State Wildcats last weekend. The Longhorns are 4–5 all time against West Virginia and only 1–4 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Houston at No. 6 Cincinnati, Nov. 7, 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN
The No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats continue their dark horse run into the College Football Playoff as they host the Houston Cougars. The 5–0 Bearcats look to remain unbeaten, and the 2–2 Cougars are hoping to bounce back from their 44-21 loss to UCF last weekend. The Bearcat defense obliterated both SMU and Memphis in back-to-back weeks, while the Cougar offense often stalled against UCF.
No. 12 Oregon at Stanford, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC
In the first prime-time matchup of the year, the No. 20 Oregon Ducks head down to Palo Alto, California, to face the Stanford Cardinal. The Ducks have kept mum on who will replace former quarterback Justin Herbert, but return most of last year’s squad. The Cardinal find themselves in a rebuild as a majority of their roster from last season transferred in the offseason, including current Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello.
No. 9 BYU at No. 21 Boise State, Nov. 6, 8:45 p.m. CT, FS1
The 7–0 BYU Cougars haven’t faced much of a challenge this season. After the majority of their opponents canceled the fall season or adjusted to a conference-only season, the Cougars scrambled to throw together a schedule. While the No. 9 Cougars have benefited from their adjusted, but weak, schedule, they travel to the blue turf of Boise State as the 2–0 Broncos look to avenge last season’s upset. Will the Broncos benefit from a late start, or will the Cougars’ momentum carry on?
No. 8 Florida at No. 5 Georgia, Nov. 7, 2:30 p.m. CT, CBS
Saturday will be the unofficial SEC East championship game as the top two in the SEC East are set for a showdown in Jacksonville, Florida. While a trip to the SEC championship is on the line, both team’s college football playoff dreams are also on the line. Florida has had a bit of a roller-coaster season. After suspending all program activity for two weeks following a program COVID-19 outbreak, the Gators ended up in a brawl with Missouri in last weekend’s emotion-filled return to the field. Will the Gators be able to control their emotions, or will the Bulldogs be able to get under their skin?
