college football

Capsule previews for Saturday's top college football games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

MICHIGAN (3-8) at No. 10 OHIO STATE (9-2), Noon, ABC.

FAVORITE: Ohio State by 21.

COACHES: Rich Rodriguez (first year at Michigan) and Jim Tressel (82-20 in 8th year at Ohio State).

From college football's observation tower, the national title picture is coming into focus.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas Tech control their destinies. Yet plenty of pundits believe neither of the unbeatens will play for it, much less win it.

LSU football coach Les Miles trudged off the field at halftime last Saturday and stared at the Tiger Stadium north end-zone scoreboard, which read: Troy 24, LSU 3.

He heard the boos -- at least from the fans who weren't too cold to voice their opinion.

Capsule previews for this week's top college football games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

THURSDAY:

No. 23 MIAMI (7-3) at GEORGIA TECH (7-3), 7:30, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Ga. Tech by 3-1/2.

COACHES: Randy Shannon (12-10 in second year at Miami) and Paul Johnson (first year at Ga. Tech)

Pat Quinn doesn't know why he was asked to vote in the Harris Poll that helps college football stage its national championship.

But here's a good guess. Harris Interactive had to find 114 voters. Someone has to do it.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was Monday of Michigan-Ohio State week. Bo Schembechler would walk into his press conference with that wicked half grimace, half grin and within five minutes of the first question his hair would be mussed and spittle would be flying out of the corners of his mouth.

It isn't often that a late November game will decide the Heisman Trophy race. But that looks to be the case this year with Saturday night's Texas Tech-Oklahoma showdown.

Only two of the top five Heisman candidates were in action last week, so there wasn't much movement in the Scripps Howard News Service Heisman Trophy poll, either.

Texas Tech's 10-0 start can largely be explained by three statistics.

Four-hundred ninety-nine pass attempts.

Six interceptions thrown.

Five sacks allowed.

Tech's penchant for avoiding negative plays has been remarkable.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A.Q. Shipley vividly recalls Penn State's collapse last year in the regular-season finale at Michigan State.

"I remember being up about three scores and watching it all come crumbling down," the fifth-year senior center said. "It kind of put us in a little bit of shock."