Ohio State and other college football topics

Let's examine the Ohio State story in 2013. The Buckeyes, who are 16-0 since Urban Meyer became head coach, won their first four games over teams that have yet to defeat an FBS opponent this season. They're averaging 52.5 points, fourth in the nation, thanks to backup quarterback Kenny Guiton's 12 touchdown passes in his last three games.

Now Guiton, who was national offensive player of the week for Week 3, probably will start Saturday night's Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on the bench in favor of Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller. Regardless of who takes the snaps, the Buckeyes thankfully are through visiting Cupcake City.

It's a sure bet that Saturday's "upset alert" watch lands squarely over Orlando, where 12th-ranked South Carolina must play its best game to leave with a victory over Central Florida in front of the Knights' first sellout since 2011.

The Knights received national attention two weeks ago by rolling up 507 yards and beating Penn State in Happy Valley. The Gamecocks, who gave up 536 yards and 41 points earlier this month against Georgia, have injury problems on defense, with all-American end Jadeveon Clowney nursing bone spurs in his right foot.

Only a couple of months ago, Jeremy Hill might have doubted whether he'd even be lining up in the backfield for No. 6 Louisiana State after his arrest in April for punching a man outside a bar. But a judge allowed Hill to remain free under a more restrictive probation, and the sophomore has thrived for the Tigers after being suspended for the season opener by head coach Les Miles.

"I'm just doing the little things right, something I took for granted this spring,' said Hill, who rushed for 184 yards last week against Auburn, including runs of 54 and 49 yards, and will be a key figure in the game at No. 9 Georgia.

Could the Pac-12 be closing in on the SEC's dominance as the best conference in America? If you've had trouble staying awake to watch conference teams play late games, be aware that the league owns a 29-4 record against outside opponents, including big wins by UCLA at Nebraska and Arizona State over Wisconsin.

Four teams are ranked in the top 16, and Oregon and Stanford have national championship aspirations. It helps to have five Pac-12 quarterbacks in the top 10 of total offense (passing and rushing combined). Two of them - the Ducks' Marcus Mariota (383.7-yard average) and California freshman Jared Goff (429.7) - will face off Saturday in Eugene.

There wasn't much doubt at the start of the season that Alabama was the nation's best team. But even in winning their first three games, the Crimson Tide didn't exactly run over the opposition. They rank 11th in the SEC in pass defense and allowed a school-record 628 total yards against Texas A&M.

Now they get to welcome Mississippi, which runs two styles of offense - fast and faster - while averaging more than 79 plays per game. As for its own offense, Alabama is last in the conference in rushing yards and needs a big day from T.J. Yeldon.

There's something about Oklahoma that brings out the best in Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish hold a 9-1 advantage in the series against the Sooners, including a 30-13 victory last season in Norman, Okla., that ended OU's hopes for winning the national championship. The two teams meet again at South Bend, Ind., and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said the effort must be the same as last year, if not better.

"Our plan [last year] was to keep the ball in front of us, minimize the big plays," Kelly said. "I think that's going to have to be the case again. It's going to have to be our best game of the year in all phases."

We don't like to cite Las Vegas too much in this space, but it's worth nothing that the sports books there went 55-2 in picking the point-spread favorites last week on one of the worst college football cards in recent memory. According to Grantland.com, the typical bettor usually likes the favorite, which means the books took a bath last week even if the average point spread was 19.

Jay Kornegay from the Las Vegas Hilton told the website: "We lost every major decision - the sharps, the public, and the in-house players all won."

Cardinal O'Hara graduate Tom Savage has led a nomadic lifestyle with stops at Rutgers and Arizona before settling in (we think) at Pitt. But no one ever said he wasn't talented. Savage tied an ACC record with six touchdown passes last week in the Panthers' 58-55 victory over Duke and threw for 424 yards, fourth-highest in Pitt history.

The 23-year-old senior does take some ribbing because of his age, but his veteran cool has put a spark in the offense of the Panthers, who host Virginia.

Top Choice

Louisiana State at Georgia, 3:30 p.m., CBS3: The ninth-ranked Bulldogs seek to knock off their second top-10 team of the season (the Tigers are No. 6) and move into the driver's seat for a chance at their third straight SEC title game.

Pick Six

South Carolina at Central Florida, noon, 6ABC: Penn State fans have seen UCF quarterback Blake Bortles and his talented receivers carve up a secondary, and the 12th-ranked Gamecocks are banged up on defense.

Miami at South Florida, noon, ESPNU: Speaking of Nittany Nation, it gets a chance to watch former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench, who will be make his first start for the Bulls against Al Golden's Hurricanes.

Oklahoma at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC10: The Fighting Irish have had the Sooners' number but must come up with a way to move the ball on the ground to take the heat off quarterback Tommy Rees.

Mississippi at Alabama, 6:30 p.m., ESPN: The No. 1 Crimson Tide, who struggled last week, are seeking a consistent effort against a Rebels team seeking to make a statement in the SEC.

Wisconsin at Ohio State, 8 p.m., 6ABC: Finally, a marquee matchup in the Big Ten highlighted by the anticipated return of Braxton Miller at quarterback for the No. 4 Buckeyes.

Stanford vs. Washington State at Seattle, 10 p.m., ESPN: The Cougars, who already have an upset win over Southern Cal this season, look to duplicate the feat against the fifth-ranked Cardinal.

- Joe Juliano
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1. Alabama 3-0

2. Stanford 3-0

3. Clemson 3-0

4. Oregon 3-0

5. Ohio State 4-0

6. Georgia 2-1

7. Louisville 4-0

8. Florida State 3-0

9. LSU 4-0

10. Texas A&M 3-1

- Joe Juliano

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