The LSU Tigers are in the driver’s seat to win the SEC West.

The Tigers (7-2, 5-1) moved up to No. 7 in the CFP rankings Tuesday night after a 32-31 overtime victory over Alabama last Saturday. That put them in position to win the West if they win their last two conference games.

First up is a game at Arkansas (5-4, 2-3) on Saturday. Coming off the upset victory against the Crimson Tide, LSU’s second in the past 12 meetings, the game against the inconsistent Razorbacks could be seen as “a trap game,” but Tigers coach Brian Kelly doesn’t see it that way.

“I’ve never bought into that because I think if it’s a trap game, you have not done a very good job with your football team,” Kelly said. “They know that Arkansas is an SEC opponent that beat them last year (16-13).

“It becomes a trap game if you’re not thinking right, and we’ll get our guys thinking the right way, and we’ll prepare the right way.”

LSU, which began the season unranked and was unranked as recently as three weeks ago, has won three straight, beating Florida and previously unbeaten Ole Miss before Alabama.

“We didn’t do anything different last week than we did for Ole Miss or we did for any of the other teams,” Kelly said.

The players understand the opportunity they have created for themselves, but Kelly said he won’t allow them to let it be a distraction.

“We’re not going to walk in with a PowerPoint on the SEC Championship race,” he said, “but it’s out there. They know what they’re going for.”

Arkansas rose to as high as No. 10 in the poll after winning its first three games, but that was followed by a three-game losing streak.

The Razorbacks bounced back to beat BYU and Auburn by a combined score of 93-62. But last week they lost at home to Liberty 21-19 as quarterback KJ Jefferson struggled while playing through a shoulder injury. He had the first multi-interception game of his career, throwing two, but coach Sam Pittman didn’t turn to backup Malik Hornsby.

Pittman said Jefferson’s limited practice time was a bigger factor in his performance than the injury itself.

“It was about is he healthy enough to play, and the answer was yes,” Pittman said. “So, there was never really a thought of pulling him out because of performance. It was about whether he was healthy or not. And obviously he ended up playing the last quarter or so well. He got back in the groove a little bit.”

Arkansas scored just three points during the first three quarters before scoring 16 in the fourth but still coming up short.

Jefferson, who finished 23 of 37 for 284 yards with two touchdowns against Liberty, is expected to practice more this week and start against LSU.

“My message to the team is if we don’t stay together, it ain’t going to work,” defensive back Quincey McAdoo said. “We’ve got to go back to work.”

–Field Level Media

Blake Corum remains in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy. With Donovan Edwards healthy, Michigan’s rushing attack is no longer a one-man show.

Nebraska will have to prepare for both dynamic running backs when the Cornhuskers travel to Ann Arbor to face the undefeated Wolverines on Saturday afternoon.

Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) moved up to No. 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Wolverines now trail only Georgia and arch-rival Ohio State.

Corum entered the week ranked fourth nationally with 1,187 rushing yards and tied for first with 17 total touchdowns. Corum and the Wolverines perked up after trailing 17-10 at halftime against Rutgers Saturday night, as Michigan pulled away to a 52-17 victory.

Corum finished with 109 rushing yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Edwards compiled the same number of rushing yards on 15 carries and also led the team in receiving with three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown.

“When Donovan is in the game, whether handing the ball off to him, he’s a very good blocker, runs really good routes, catches the ball really well, really good after the catch,” Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I think a defense is always going to have to mind that anything’s available when he’s out there.”

Edwards missed two games due to an injury but reestablished himself as a major threat when he rushed for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns against Penn State on Oct. 15.

Edwards’ production hasn’t hurt Corum, who has rushed for over 100 yards in all six Big Ten contests. He’s scored at least one touchdown in every game.

Harbaugh believes Corum should be at the top of the list for Heisman voters.

“He’s definitely having an MVP season for us here at Michigan,” he said. “Be hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be — the way he’s going, to win the Heisman trophy. Leading in touchdowns. Leading points scored, consistently really good every game and there’s been quite a few backs who’ve won the Heisman Trophy. And I would bet my truck that Blake Corum is on pace or ahead of many of those running backs that have won that Heisman Trophy.”

The Cornhuskers (3-6, 2-4) have lost three straight and will need to win their remaining three games to become bowl eligible.

Nebraska led Minnesota 10-0 at halftime on Saturday but the Golden Gophers rallied for a 20-13 victory.

Cornhuskers quarterbacks Chubba Purdy and Logan Smothers combined for just 121 passing yards while completing 11 of 26 attempts.

Purdy got his first start in place of Casey Thompson, who injured a nerve in his right elbow the previous game against Illinois. Thompson is questionable to play against Michigan.

One bright spot for Nebraska has been Anthony Grant. He is the first Nebraska running back since 2018 to have five 100-yard rushing games in a season. He gained 115 yards on 21 carries against Minnesota.

Interim coach Mickey Joseph expects the team to give a full effort despite being nearly a 30-point underdog.

“We’re not going to back down. We’re not going to throw in the towel,” he said. “These kids won’t do that. These coaches won’t do that.”

Joseph acknowledges the Cornhuskers will have to play a near perfect game to keep it close.

“We know what we’re getting into,” he said. “We know the task at hand but it’s an opportunity.”

–Field Level Media

Matching its best start since the 2008 season, No. 8 USC looks to remain in the conversation for the College Football Playoff when it hosts Pac-12 Conference counterpart Colorado on Friday in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) rode quarterback Caleb Williams’ five total touchdowns — four passing and one rushing — and an early cushion to overcome defensive miscues in a 41-35 defeat of Cal last week.

The win marked USC’s third consecutive game scoring at least 41 points, bumping its season average to 41 points per game — seventh-best in the nation — but was also the Trojans’ third straight contest yielding at least 35 points.

USC gave up 43 points in a one-point loss at Utah on Oct. 15, and 37 in an eight-point win Oct. 29 at Arizona.

“We do a lot of great things, a lot of the time. It’s just about doing it every single play,” Trojans linebacker Shane Lee said during Tuesday’s media availability. “(Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch) always challenges us to look at ourselves and see what we can do better … That’s what you have to do if you want to get better and be a part of team: Be critical of yourself.”

The USC defense has excelled at generating turnovers, boasting 18 through nine games. Coupled with Williams’ savvy play at quarterback — he has thrown 28 touchdown passes against one interception — the Trojans enjoy the nation’s best turnover margin at plus-16 for the season.

Colorado (1-8, 1-5) will try to jump-start its struggling offense, which ranks worst among all Power Five-conference teams and ahead of only Colorado State and Massachusetts in FBS scoring averages.

The Buffs are producing 15.6 points per game, backsliding after a promising, 34-point effort in an Oct. 29 loss to Arizona State. Colorado managed 10 points in a 39-point loss to Oregon last week.

The Buffs have never beaten USC in program history, a streak encompassing 15 games and dating back to 1927. Since Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011, the Trojans have won the 10 meetings by an average of 17.4 points per game — though three of the last six were decided by four points or fewer.

Colorado running back Anthony Hankerson told the Daily Camera that USC is a “good team, but they suit up pads just like us.”

“They bleed just like how we bleed and it’s football,” Hankerson said. “Anybody could win and you don’t have to be the best team, but as long as you’re the best team that day when you play, you’re good.”

The Buffs will have to avoid giving up possessions to have hope of an upset. Their 18 giveaways rank Colorado among the most turnover-prone teams in the country.

J.T. Shrout — Colorado’s season-opener at starting quarterback but sidelined in conference games against UCLA and Arizona while freshman Owen McCown started — captained the Buffs down the stretch of their lone win, Oct. 22 in overtime against Cal.

For the season, however, Shrout has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns with six each.

–Field Level Media

Ohio State looks to regain its swagger on offense when the No. 2 Buckeyes host Indiana on Saturday in Columbus.

After enduring torrential rain and a wind averaging nearly 30 mph to win 21-7 at Northwestern last week, the Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) want to take their frustrations out on the downtrodden Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5), who have lost six in a row.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday the running game remains a concern even though the Buckeyes produced 207 rushing yards vs. Northwestern after managing a combined 164 yards in the previous two games vs. Iowa and Penn State.

The Buckeyes were stuffed several times on short-yardage situations at Northwestern, including on third- and fourth-down needing a yard in the first quarter when Miyan Williams had the two runs for no yards.

“Of all the things that I was disappointed with on Saturday with running the football, short yardage was the one high on the list,” Day said. “You know they’re all going to be in (the box) and we have to convert in those situations.

“We all need to do better. Going back and watching the film, we have to block better, we have to run better. We have to try to do a better job of equating numbers, all of the above.”

Quarterback C.J. Stroud was among the Buckeyes who struggled, completing 10 of 26 for a career-low 76 yards and no touchdowns. However, he ran for a career-best 79 yards on six carries.

Still, Buckeyes’ 283 total yards were their lowest since they had 277 against Southern California in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.

Despite those numbers, Ohio State is the top scoring team in the nation (45.8 points per game) and is 14th in total offense (484.1 yards per game). That’s bad news for the Hoosiers, who rank 114th in scoring defense (32.2) and 104th in total defense (422.3).

“Coach Day continues to do a tremendous job with that program, and the way that they are playing right now, and at all three phases, obviously a lot of talented players, very good coaches,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “It will be a tremendous challenge for us to play on the road against such a really good football team.”

There is concern on the offensive side as well for Indiana. Starting quarterback Connor Bazelak, a transfer from Missouri, did not play last week due to an injury as the Hoosiers lost 45-14 to then-No. 15 Penn State. In addition, backup Jack Tuttle got hurt during the game.

Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams II finished the game, but Allen said Monday that Bazelak would start against the Buckeyes to lead an offense that is 100th in scoring (23.3) and 112th in total yards (329.0).

The odds are stacked against the Hoosiers leaving Ohio Stadium with a victory. They have lost 27 straight to the Buckeyes with Indiana’s last win coming in 1988.

“We will continue to fight and battle and that’s what this team is going to do and that’s what we are all about here,” Allen said. “But that’s part of being in the tough cycle we are going through right now, and we have to find a way to break through it.”

–Field Level Media

Georgia soared to the No. 1 spot in the second edition of this season’s College Football Playoff rankings after defeating last week’s No. 1, Tennessee.

The Bulldogs were followed by Ohio State, Michigan and TCU in the top four of the new rankings, released Tuesday night. Those are the only four remaining unbeaten teams in FBS college football.

Georgia soundly beat visiting Tennessee 27-13 last Saturday. The Bulldogs, the defending national champions, were No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings. They are 9-0 (6-0 Southeastern Conference) and 27-1 in their past 28 games dating to 2020.

Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) claimed the second spot in the rankings for the second straight week, while Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) moved up two spots as the teams remain on a collision course for their annual Big Game on Nov. 26 in Columbus, Ohio.

TCU, also 9-0, benefited from losses by Clemson and Alabama, which were both ranked ahead of the Horned Frogs last week, to move up three spots.

“They’ve got six wins over teams that are .500 or better,” NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan, the new CFP chairman, said in an ESPN interview. “They’re averaging 43 points a game. As you know, we value wins. And they continue to find a way to win and not give up those points in the second half, and it really was impactful to the committee.”

Tennessee fell to No. 5. Oregon is No. 6 after its eighth straight win following a Week 1 blowout loss to Georgia. And LSU moved up three spots to No. 7 after the Tigers beat Alabama 32-31 in an overtime classic.

“We’re looking at the overall body of work, where it’s not about one game, it’s about what have they done throughout the entire season,” Corrigan said.

Southern California, Alabama and Clemson completed the top 10. Clemson was shut out for three quarters en route to a 35-14 road loss to Notre Dame. Unranked in the initial poll, the Fighting Irish appeared at No. 20 Tuesday.

The full rankings are below:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. Tennessee
6. Oregon
7. LSU
8. Southern California
9. Alabama
10. Clemson
11. Ole Miss
12. UCLA
13. Utah
14. Penn State
15. North Carolina
16. NC State
17. Tulane
18. Texas
19. Kansas State
20. Notre Dame
21. Illinois
22. UCF
23. Florida State
24. Kentucky
25. Washington

–Field Level Media