Sooners could be major spoilers

Three to watch

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 20 Oklahoma

Noon, WTVD, WCTI

The Sooners, with two losses, can't win the national title, but they could help deny Texas the title, as well. The Longhorns won 45-35 last year and have taken three of four in the Red River Rivalry.

No. 6 Southern California at No. 25 Notre Dame

3:30, WNCN, WITN

Reality check time for the Irish (4-1) and quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The Trojans have won seven straight in the series, the past two by a combined score of 76-3.

No. 22 South Carolina at No. 2 Alabama

7:45, ESPN

The Tide is averaging 37 points per game, a seven-point improvement from last season's 12-2 team, but it hasn't faced a team as fast as the Gamecocks.

Observations

Upset alert?

If No. 1 Florida is going to lose before the SEC title game, and that's a gator-sized if, this is the spot. It's an afternoon game against a dangerous offense (Arkansas), and it comes a week after an emotional win at LSU.

Even if Florida loses once before the SEC title game on Dec. 5, and the same for No. 2 Alabama, the SEC winner will still be ticketed for Pasadena and the BCS title game.

Suh good, he's in Heisman talks

Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has jumped into the outer fringes of the Heisman Trophy conversation after a dominant performance in a 27-12 win over Missouri on national television last week.

With the front-running quarterbacks -- last year's winner Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, '07 winner Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy -- either injured or off their '08 pace, there's room at the Heisman table for an outsider. Of course, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is playing against Southern Cal this week, so Suh's status could be trumped quickly.

You have to go back to Pitt's Hugh Green, runner-up in 1980, to find a defensive lineman in the Heisman balloting, but if Suh keeps it up, Green could have company.

Black Knights thinking bowl

Army is on its fifth coach this decade, but it looks like it found a winner in Rich Ellerson, previously at Cal-Poly. The Black Knights entered the season with 20 wins in the 2000s, four more than Duke but less than all the other teams in the Bowl Subdivision.

They're off to a 3-3 start, after last week's win over Vanderbilt and have a shot at their first bowl appearance since 1996. They have Temple today then two more winnable games, VMI on Nov. 14 and North Texas on Nov. 21. At 6-6, Ellerson will have Army in the EagleBank Bowl, against an ACC team, despite losses to Duke, Iowa State and Tulane.

By the numbers

45 Combined wins by Army (20) and Temple (25) from 2000 to 2008.

199 Combined wins by Oklahoma (102) and Texas (97) from 2000 to 2008.

-11 Georgia's turnover margin, a big reason for its worst start (3-3) in nine years under Mark Richt.

Top 25

Wednesday's result

No. 5 Boise State 28, Tulsa 21

Thursday's result

No. 8 Cincinnati 34, No. 21 South Florida, 17

Today's games

No. 1 Florida vs. Arkansas, 3:30 p.m.

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 22 South Carolina, 7:45 p.m.

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 20 Oklahoma, noon

No. 4 Virginia Tech at No. 19 Georgia Tech, 6 p.m.

No. 6 Southern Cal at No. 25 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.

No. 7 Ohio State at Purdue, noon

No. 9 Miami at UCF, 7:30 p.m.

No. 11 Iowa at Wisconsin, noon

No. 12 TCU vs. Colorado State, 4 p.m.

No. 14 Penn State vs. Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.

No. 15 Nebraska vs. Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.

No. 16 Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 9:15 p.m.

No. 17 Kansas at Colorado, 8 p.m.

No. 18 BYU at San Diego State, 6 p.m.

No. 23 Houston at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.

No. 24 Utah at UNLV, 10 p.m.

Idle: No. 10 LSU, No. 13 Penn State,

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