Saturday’s college football lineup is crowded from midday through primetime. BYU and Utah meet at noon ET, Alabama visits LSU at 3:30 p.m. ET, and top-ranked Miami travels to Notre Dame for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
BYU at Utah, noon ET
Utah is unbeaten and has Big 12 and playoff hopes riding on the game. BYU, though, has won the teams’ last three meetings. Each of those games finished with between 42 and 45 total points.
Alabama at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET
Both teams enter at 6-2, so another loss would make the path to the playoff considerably tougher. LSU has won four of its last five games. Alabama ended a two-game losing streak with a win over Texas A&M.
Miami at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET
Miami is 8-0 and ranked No. 1, but it heads to South Bend as the underdog. Notre Dame is 7-1 and unbeaten at home. The Irish will also be looking to respond after losing 27-24 to Miami last season.
For Alabama, quarterback Keelon Russell could be central to keeping pace in what may be a high-scoring game. He threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns earlier this season, and the projected total is 54.5 points.
Receiver Rico Scott could benefit if Russell has another productive outing. Scott had 156 yards on six catches in that same game and has emerged as Alabama’s leading deep threat.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt may also need to produce through the air. LSU has scored heavily in recent games, including 38 points against Auburn and 63 against McNeese, and will likely need to answer Alabama’s offense.
Miami running back Javian Mallory faces a tougher outlook. The Hurricanes rely heavily on quarterback Darian Mensah and the passing game, while Notre Dame has a defense that could focus on limiting the run and force Miami to move the ball through the air.
With rivalry games and conference matchups spread throughout the day, Saturday offers plenty to follow beyond the three marquee games.
