1. No. 2 Penn State at No. 6 Ohio State (2:30 p.m., Fox): Let the CFP preliminaries begin. This showdown will help determine supremacy in the Big Ten East (both are 4-0 in conference along with upstart Michigan State) and possibly the Heisman chances for Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett.
2. No. 14 N.C. State at No. 9 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., NBC): The Irish have ridden a Josh Adams-led rushing attack (317.9 ypg, sixth in FBS) into CFP contention. But the Wolfpack ranks sixth in rushing defense (91.3 ypg), led by DE Bradley Chubb, second nationally with 14 tackles for loss.
3. No. 4 TCU at No. 25 Iowa State (2:30 p.m., ABC): This one screams Upset Alert. Remember the Cyclones shocking No. 2 Oklahoma State in Ames in 2011, likely keeping the Cowboys out of the BCS title game against LSU? The Horned Frogs have to be on guard to avoid a similar fate.
4. No. 11 Oklahoma State at No. 22 West Virginia (11 a.m., ABC): The day-long buffet of college football begins with a track meet. Oklahoma State, led by QB Mason Rudolph, ranks first nationally with 584.6 yards per game. West Virginia, led by former Florida QB Will Grier, ranks fifth with 539.4 ypg.
5. Georgia Tech at No. 7 Clemson (7 p.m., ABC): This is Clemson’s first game since its 27-24 loss at Syracuse. The Tigers are 4-1 in their last five with the Yellow Jackets, but 4-2 Tech is not an easy touch: it’s two losses (Tennessee, Miami) were by two points.