The Front Seven tackles the weekend's top games

• No. 8 LSU tries to take down high-flying No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks
• No. 5 Kansas State travels to surprising Iowa State
• No. 17 Stanford aims to take some shine off No. 7 Notre Dame in South Bend

The Front Seven salutes Midnight Madness.

1. Full-court Press: No. 3 South Carolina made it look easy last week as it began a brutal stretch in the unforgiving SEC. Next up is this trip to No. 8 LSU (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), where the desperate Tigers will either jump right back into the BCS title picture or be eliminated with a second loss. DE Jadeveon Clowney and the Gamecocks' defensive line showed it is capable of taking over a game, bad news for an LSU offenisve front that is struggling to open holes for TBs Kenny Hilliard and Michael Ford. QB Zach Mettenberger has been accurate on deep balls but has lacked time for chances to develop. LB Kevin Minter and the Tigers' front can be just as dominant, but QB Connor Shaw and TB Marcus Lattimore offer more diversity.

2. Trap: No. 5 Kansas State has a trip to West Virginia on tap. While the Mountaineers face a potential trap game of their own at Texas Tech, the Wildcats' venture to No. 25 Iowa State (noon ET, FX) looks more dangerous. Wildcats QB Collin Klein and TB John Hubert will be up against a well-disciplined Cyclones defense, featuring senior LBs Jake Knott and A.J. Klein. K-State might have to test the perimeter with WRs Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson to keep the inside lanes open. The Cyclones' offense is the least productive in the Big 12 at a modest 365.2 yards a game, but QB Jared Barnett provided a spark in his first start at TCU last week, making good use of WR Josh Lenz. TB James White will likely have his hands full against K-State LB Arthur Brown.

3. Zone: No. 7 Notre Dame's defense is in one, having kept its last three opponents out of the end zone. No. 17 Stanford will try to be the first team this season to take the lead on the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind. (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC) While LB Manti Te'o has received deserved credit for the superb performance, Notre Dame DE Stephon Tuitt and NG Louis Nix have done their jobs in front of him equally well. That probably will mean tough sledding for Stanford TB Stepfan Taylor. QB Josh Nunes showed considerable improvement last week in the rally against Arizona, but he is likely to be without injured WR Ty Montgomery. Fighting Irish QB Everett Golson is also on an upward trajectory, but Stanford LBs Chase Thomas and Shayne Skov could make his day difficult. He'll need TE Tyler Eifert to keep them busy.

4. Rebound: No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 15 Texas find themselves in an unaccustomed position as Red River Rivalry week arrives (noon ET, ABC). Their annual showdown in Dallas amounts to a Big 12 elimination game with each already having a league loss. Sooners QB Landry Jones has been getting better protection in his last couple outings. That must continue, or Texas DE Alex Okafor might force him to throw early, and CB Quandre Diggs will be ready to claim any off-target deliveries. Longhorns QB David Ash's nemesis will be Sooners DT Jamarkus McFarland.

5. Overtime: No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 24 Louisiana Tech step out of their respective leagues to this rescheduled contest (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPNU) The delay of this game from opening week has raised its profile with both squads winning their way to the top 25. The Bulldogs have been nearly flawless with QB Colby Cameron yet to throw a pick at the controls. But his blockers have yet to encounter the likes of the Aggies' Damontre Moore, so Cameron must get the ball quickly to WR Quinton Patton. A&M QB Johnny Manziel is a dual threat who can avoid the rush on his own. WRs Mike Evans and Ryan Swopes are his main targets when he doesn't take off himself. Hoping to contain him will be Bulldogs DE I.K. Enemkpali.

6. In the paint: No. 9 Southern California still controls its destiny in the Pac-12 South. The Trojans head to Washington (7 p.m. ET, Fox) in a clash of teams that have struggled to control the line of scrimmage at times. The Huskies had trouble with the power of LSU and the speed of Oregon, so LB Thomas Tutogi and Co. figure to have their hands full against USC QB Matt Barkley and his numerous weapons. But Trojans DE Morgan Breslin will try to make Washington QB Keith Price's life difficult. But the USC ground defense has been less airtight, so TB Bishop Sankey might be able to lend support.

7. Beyond the arc: No.18 Mississippi State has the lowest rank among the SEC's remaining undefeated clubs. The Bulldogs are still a long shot for the league title, but they'll earn another measure of respect if they can handle Tennessee (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in Starkville, Miss. The Vols have been on the brink of a breakthrough win and hope to get this one on the road with Alabama coming to Knoxville next week. There hasn't been anything wrong with the Tennessee offense, with QB Tyler Bray, WR Justin Hunter and TB Rajion Neal able to keep the team in most games. But defensive breakdowns have been too common, and efficient Bulldogs QB Tyler Russell, with 10 TD tosses and only one pick, should find space for WR Chad Bumphis and TB Ladarius Perkins. Bulldogs CB Darius Slay and Vols SS Byron Moore are takeaway threats.