Previewing Thursday's college football TV games

• Sun Belt supremacy on the line when Louisiana-Monroe visits Arkansas State
• Florida State to test Virginia Tech's 11-3 home record in Thursday night ESPN games
• Sixth-ranked Seminoles boast top overall defense in Bowl Subdivision

A capsule look at Thursday's games:

Louisiana-Monroe (6-3) at Arkansas State (6-3)

Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPNU. Surface: Artificial.

Covers.com line: ASU by 6½. Sagarin difference: ULM by 0.98.

Two of the three teams currently sharing the Sun Belt Conference lead square off in what is sure to be an electric atmosphere in Jonesboro. The Warhawks had the driver's seat to themselves before last week's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. They'll regain control of the wheel with a win at ASU, having defeated Middle Tennessee earlier, but they'll have to do it without starting QB Kolton Browning (ankle). Senior Cody Wells will get the nod, and will look to get top WRs Brent Leonard and Je'Ron Hamm involved quickly. ASU enters on a four-game winning streak since dropping its conference opener to Western Kentucky. Red Wolves QB Ryan Aplin has 14 TD throws with only two picks. WR J.D. McKissic is his primary target, and TB David Oku provides solid ground support. Warhawks LB R.J. Young and Red Wolves LB Nathan Herrold will be around the ball often.

No. 6 Florida State (8-1) at Virginia Tech (4-5)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.

Covers.com line: FSU by 14. Sagarin difference: FSU by 11.42.

While Thursday night in Blacksburg has often spelled trouble for visitors during Frank Beamer's long and storied tenure at Tech, these Hokies will need a lot of breaks to pull off this upset. The Seminoles look to take another step toward closing out the ACC Atlantic. FSU has been dominant since its curious second-half collapse at N.C. State. The Seminoles' defense leads the nation, yielding only 227.1 yards a game, thanks mainly to a devastating front seven featuring DEs Bjoern Werner and Cornellius Carradine and LBs Christian Jones and Telvin Smith. Nevertheless, the Hokies must try to establish a presence on the ground with TBs C.J. Coleman and Michael Holmes to take some pressure off QB Logan Thomas, who has been plagued by turnovers in the red zone. FSU QB EJ Manuel has been able to let TBs James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman do most of the heavy lifting. They'll be opposed by Virginia Tech LB Jack Tyler.

Jeff Sagarin's power ratings show the relative strength of teams; 3.12 points were added to the home team's rating to calculate the difference.