Winston autographs add off-field intrigue

Which team will prevail in a battle of unbeatens between second-ranked Florida State and No. 5 Notre Dame isn't the only question on Saturday night in Tallahassee. There's also the unresolved issue of how many "authenticated" signed items by Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston will be on the Internet, with ESPN reporting that it found more than 2,000 on one website.

What is not known is whether Winston was paid for signing, an issue that has resulted in an indefinite suspension for Georgia running back Todd Gurley. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said the university's compliance people are looking into Winston's autographs but added, "He's never taken a dime for anything."

We begin Week 8 of college football with six unbeaten teams and a guarantee for next week of only two - the Florida State-Notre Dame winner and top-ranked Mississippi State, which is idle.

No. 3 Mississippi is home with Tennessee, fourth-ranked Baylor is on the road at West Virginia, and Marshall, which finally got some love in the polls this week, travels to Florida International. The Thundering Herd are second in FBS to Baylor in both total offense (594.5 yards per game) and scoring (47.8 points per game), and running back Devon Johnson is eighth with 814 rushing yards to go with 11 touchdowns.

Two years ago when Baylor and West Virginia last played in Morgantown, W.Va., 13 touchdown passes filled the air and the Mountaineers took a 70-63 victory. The Bears got their revenge last year at home by putting up a Big 12-record 864 yards and 73 points on WVU.

Although Bryce Petty remains at the controls for Baylor, the Mountaineers have a strong quarterback of their own in Clint Trickett, who ranks third in FBS with 2,303 passing yards. The key to the game may be the Baylor pass rush, which is averaging 3.5 sacks led by former Penn Wood High star Shawn Oakman.

They're getting a little concerned in Alabama where the Crimson Tide followed a loss to Mississippi with a nerve-racking, one-point win over Arkansas that have some of the faithful wondering if this team is playoff-worthy.

Alabama averaged 42 points in its first four games but managed only three offensive touchdowns the last two weeks. Injuries along the offensive line contributed to a 66-yard rushing output - the Tide's lowest in four years - last week. Coach Nick Saban would like to see better execution and discipline against a Texas A&M team that has one of the poorest defenses in the SEC.

Like Alabama, Oregon continues to have injury issues along the offensive line but the Ducks appeared to have settled things down last week by winning at UCLA and keeping their name in the playoff conversation.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota, who had been sacked 12 times in the previous two games, accounted for four touchdowns against the Bruins. Led by linebacker Hau'oli Kikaha, who leads the nation with 10 sacks, Washington will attempt to rattle Mariota in the game at Eugene, but the Oregon ace has 17 touchdowns against no interceptions and owns the FBS' highest passer rating.

The FBS rushing leader is from the Big Ten but he's not Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah or Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. Meet 6-foot-1, 210-pound Indiana junior Tevin Coleman, who is at the top of three lists - 176.7 yards per game, 8.8 yards per carry and 199.0 yards from scrimmage.

He undoubtedly has the attention of coach Marc Dantonio of eighth-ranked Michigan State, the Hoosiers' next opponent.

"The guy has huge figures in terms of runs," he said in an Associated Press story. "When you look at that, the statistics of the big runs, they are staggering."

The Spartans are fifth in FBS against the rush at 81.5 yards per game.

This could be the day for Arkansas, which is at the bottom of the powerful SEC West after losses to three teams that were in the top 10 at the time the Razorbacks played them. Tenth-ranked Georgia is Saturday's opponent and the visiting Bulldogs would appear to be vulnerable without Todd Gurley even though Nick Chubb took his place last week and accounted for 174 yards from scrimmage.

The Razorbacks need their rushing game, which is ranked 11th in FBS at almost 279 yards per game, to help them put an end to their 15-game SEC losing streak.

A pair of former Philadelphia-area high school stars - sophomore Daryl Worley (Penn Charter) and redshirt junior Terrell Chestnut (Pottsgrove) - are the starting cornerbacks for West Virginia.

The 6-foot-1, 199-pound Worley leads the Mountaineers with two interceptions and his 23 tackles are fifth. Chestnut, who is 5-10 and 190 pounds, had a career high six tackles against both Maryland and Oklahoma and is seventh on the team with 19.

Top choice

Notre Dame at Florida State, 8 p.m., 6ABC:

This battle of unbeatens matches quarterbacks Jameis Winston of the Seminoles and Everett Golson of the Fighting Irish. Both teams need a victory to stay large in the College Football Playoff picture, but this is Florida State's last game against a ranked team, while Notre Dame still has Arizona State and Southern Cal left.

Pick Six

Kansas State at Oklahoma, noon, ESPN:

Each of these teams is playing a ranked opponent for the first time this season and neither can afford to add a second loss to its playoff resume.

Baylor at West Virginia, noon, FoxSports1:

The Bears put up 73 on the Mountaineers last season behind QB Bryce Petty, but WVU's Clint Trickett is no slouch throwing the ball to guys like Kevin White.

Texas A&M at Alabama, 3:30 p.m., CBS3:

The Crimson Tide looks for more offensive consistency while the Aggies try to re-create the magic they had with Johnny Manziel two years ago at Alabama.

Rutgers at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC:

The Scarlet Knights get to play in the Horseshoe for the first time but need QB Gary Nova and their defense to come up with great games.

Tennessee at Mississippi, 7 p.m., ESPN:

With their in-state rivals off, the Rebels can take first place by themselves in the SEC West if their defense (four TDs scored, six TDs allowed) can sustain its excellence.

Washington at Oregon, 8 p.m., FoxSports1:

The Ducks put themselves back into the playoff conversation with last week's win over UCLA, but need to force turnovers against a Huskies team that has committed only one.

- Joe Juliano

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