The Front Seven tackles the weekend's top games

• No. 1 Alabama hosts No. 12 Mississippi State Saturday night on ESPN
• No. 5 Notre Dame visits No. 7 Oklahoma Saturday night on ABC
• CBS airs the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville Saturday afternoon

This is The Front Seven, and it approved this preview.

1. Primary: No. 1 Alabama's much-anticipated showdown with LSU is still a week away. But while the Tigers get a bye to prepare, the Crimson Tide has another huge SEC West battle to survive first as No. 12 Mississippi State visits Tuscaloosa (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Tide QB A.J. McCarron is the nation's top-rated passer with 16 scoring throws and no interceptions. The rapid development of freshman WR Amari Cooper has made Alabama even more dangerous, and his matc-up with Miss State CB Johnthan Banks will be worth watching. Bulldogs QB Tyler Russell has been quite effective himself with only one INT and 15 TD tosses, including six to WR Chad Bumphis. The Bulldogs lead the country in turnover margin at +17 (2.43 a game), and they'll need to win that category and try to get TB Ladarius Perkins going on the ground. If they can't find a way around LB C.J. Mosley and the Alabama front, the Crimson Tide's punishing offensive line will eventually allow TBs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon to take over the game.

2. Convention: Every party needs a convention, and parties don't come any bigger than the annual rivalry in Jacksonville. No. 3 Florida can lock up the SEC East and secure its Dec. 1 reservation in Atlanta with a victory against No. 11 Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS). The Gators' power-heavy attack featuring TB Mike Gillislee would appear to match up favorably with the Bulldogs' interior defense, which has taken some internal criticism this week. Georgia LB Jordan Jenkins can be an effective pass rusher, but Florida QB Jeff Driskel might be able to counter with TE Jordan Reed. Bulldogs QB Aaron Murray can set his own unit up for success if he is accurate from the outset and gets WRs Tavarres King and Marlon Brown involved. But his ground support has been spotty since the explosion against Tennessee, and LB Jonathan Bostic and the Gators' run supporters close gaps quickly.

3. Nominee: No. 4 Kansas State is now squarely in the national title discussion and QB Collin Klein is front-and-center in the Heisman Trophy race. But the Wildcats' Saturday opponent, No. 17 Texas Tech (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox), has already had a hand in derailing one candidate's prospects. The Red Raiders hope to do likewise and enhance the credentials of their own contender, QB Seth Doege. Klein's running ability presents a different challenge for the Red Raiders' defense than West Virginia's Geno Smith, and the added ground threat from TB John Hubert could present more opportunities for Klein downfield for WRs Tyler Lockett and Chris Harper. All that will mean a busy day for Red Raiders S Cody Davis. But Doege has running help himself from RB Kenny Williams, and WR Darrin Moore and TE Jace Amaro are reliable targets. LB Arthur Brown is the centerpiece of the stingy Wildcats defense, but he gets plenty of support in front of him from DE Meshak Williams and behind him from S Ty Zimmerman.

4. Debate: No .5 Notre Dame gets a chance to state its case to merit consideration in the BCS title picture. The Fighting Irish hope to do what Kansas State managed before them, go into Norman and come out with a victory against No. 7 Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Fighting Irish QB Everett Golson will be back in the starting lineup after sitting out last week (concussion). He'll have to be sharp in hostile environs right away while steering clear of Oklahoma DE Jamarkus McFarland. TE Tyler Eifert is an excellent outlet, but WR T.J. Jones must get some touches as well. The pass protection for Sooners QB Landry Jones has improved since the Kansas State loss, thanks in part to increased productivity from TB Damien Williams. Notre Dame DE Stephon Tuitt will nevertheless try to mount pressure and give LB Manti Te'o chances to do what he does best, chasing down plays.

5. Campaign: No. 8 Southern California is trying to work its way back up the rankings. Its biggest opportunity is next week in what might be its first of two dates with Oregon, but first the Trojans must handle a trip to Arizona (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The Wildcats' duel with the Ducks didn't go so well, but they hope to do better on their home turf. USC QB Matt Barkley and WR Marqise Lee are making frequent connections against leaky defenses, but they figure to be challenged more on this road trip by Wildcats CB Jonathan McKnight. The Trojans' ground game has been inconsistent, so expect them to try to establish TB Silas Redd early. Aside from the Oregon whitewashing, Arizona QB Matt Scott has proven to be a natural fit in the newly installed spread, and he has enough weapons to keep pace if a shootout develops. TB Ka'Deem Carey will try to keep USC LBs Hayes Pullard and Dion Bailey occupied to give WRs Austin Hill and Dan Buckner chances to find room in the secondary.

6. Dark horse: Division leaders in the Atlantic Coast Conference face off Saturday as No. 10 Florida State hosts ... Duke (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU), You read that right. The Blue Devils stand alone atop the Coastal after their last-minute triumph against North Carolina that got them bowl-eligible for the first time since 1994. A win in Tallahassee would add an even more improbable chapter to this underdog story. Veteran Duke QB Sean Renfree's arsenal includes one of the nation's best-kept secrets, WR Conner Vernon, as well as WR Jamison Crowder, who made the big catch against the Tar Heels. But finding them figures to be troublesome with Seminoles DEs Bjoern Werner and Cornellius Carradine keeping the temperature high. FSU QB E.J. Manuel will miss the speed of TB Chris Thompson (knee) for the remainder of the campaign, but the power running of Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr. should help compensate. Duke must find a way to make their own plays in the backfield; their best chance rests with DE Kenny Anunike.

7. Vote early: The battle for the Keg Of Nails featuring Cincinnati at No. 14 Louisville gets the weekend off to a Friday night jump start (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). In addition to the heavy trophy, the winner maintains a share of first place in the Big East with both still to take on Rutgers. Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater has an efficient 73.4% completion rate, but there haven't been many explosive plays of late with defenses locking in on his receiving corps. Fortunately, RB Senorise Perry is lending a hand with 10 rushing TDs. He'll be seeing a lot of Bearcats LB Greg Blair. Cincinnati stubbed its toe at Toledo last week to fall from the top 25, but QB Munchie Legaux and TB George Winn can still provide a balanced offensive threat. Cardinals DE Lorenzo Mauldin could disrupt things in the UC backfield.