College football kickoff: Stanford and the Sun Devils, Top 25 buzz, matchups and picks

Here's a look at the big matchups and top storylines from around the nation as we near kickoff on another Saturday of college football:

The Big Buzz: Stanford faces first big test in explosive Sun Devils

No. 23 Arizona State at No. 5 Stanford, 7 p.m. ET

After last week's dream matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama, it was almost inevitable that we'd have a letdown week around college football. And we do, with only one game between Top 25 teams. With that said, tonight's battle between Arizona State and Stanford, both 2-0, still carries plenty of intrigue.

The Sun Devils are coming off a big but bizarre win over then-No. 20 Wisconsin. With the Badgers maneuvering deep in Arizona State territory, Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave attempted an awkward kneel-down that would have put them in position for a game-winning field goal. Stave put the ball down, the Sun Devils jumped on it and by the time the officials restored order, the clock had expired and the game was over.

While the Sun Devils have their best team in recent memory, last week's gaffe by the officials calls into question how good they actually are, putting them right at the top of the list of teams with something to prove this week, writes USA Today's George Schroeder:

If No. 23 Arizona State can take down No. 5 Stanford, it won't make anyone forget what happened last week - but it will also be a more significant victory.?

It's hard to argue with that. While they haven't faced a test as difficult as Arizona State yet, Stanford is a legitimate national title contender, albeit an under-the-radar one. The Cardinal's grind-it-out style has led them to victories over San Jose State and Army, the latter of which is unlikely to help prepare them for the Sun Devils.??

As SI.com's Martin Rickman writes, Army's option offense couldn't be less similar to an Arizona State offense that tries "to run up to 100 plays a game," according to Sun Devils wide receiver Jaelen Strong. Stanford's defense will have its hands full on Saturday night:

"They really make it basketball on grass," Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason said of the Sun Devils' attack.

Stopping an up-tempo grassketball barrage like Arizona State's is difficult enough with adequate time to prepare, but Stanford is fresh off having to deal with another scheme entirely. It just beat Army, which runs an option attack, and the Knights and Sun Devils' styles seem about as similar as a coffee mug and a tiger. The Cardinal will have to adjust quickly; Arizona State is averaging 495.5 yards through its first two games.

Luckily, kids that go to Stanford are smart, and Cardinal head coach David Shaw knows it. Shaw said this week that although he inundates his players with strategic information for every matchup, they're still able to wipe their memory clean and start from scratch as soon as the final whistle sounds each week.?

The main thing that Shaw and his Cardinal have going for them on offense in this matchup is their 46th-ranked rushing attack, which averages 197 yards per game thus far in 2013. The Badgers exposed the Arizona State rush defense last week, racking up 231 yards on the ground and averaging 7.2 yards per carry.? Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan is an impressive passer, but it looks like it could be a big day for running back Tyler Gaffney.

Much of Gaffney's early success this season can be attributed to Stanford's big and physical offensive line, which is one of the elements of the Cardinal that makes them the best bet from the Pac-12 to win a BCS title this season, according to ESPN's Kevin Carter:

As the No. 5-ranked team in the country heading into a big early-season game versus No. 23 Arizona State on Saturday, the Stanford Cardinal are poised to step into the national spotlight.

But what might be most significant about this year's Cardinal team is its size and style of play. In certain ways, Stanford is built like -- and perhaps best equipped to match up with -- a typical SEC champ.

If Stanford truly has title aspirations, taking care of the upstart Sun Devils is a must.? Whatever happens Saturday night, let's hope it helps us forget what happened the last time Arizona State took the field.

Watch Charles Davis of FoxSports.com break down the matchup:

Top games

Here's a look at some of Saturday's other can't-miss matchups involving teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25:

? Michigan State at No. 22 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. ET

? Tennessee at No. 19 Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET

? Colorado State at No. 1 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET

? SMU at No. 10 Texas A&M, 7 p.m. ET

? Auburn at No. 6 LSU, 7:45 p.m. ET

? No. 15 Michigan at Connecticut, 8 p.m. ET

Headlines

? With Georgia castoffs Nick Marshall and Zach Mettenberger set to square off, tonight's Auburn-LSU matchup has a unique quarterback storyline, writes Chris Low of ESPN.com.

? Notre Dame defensive end Sheldon Day (ankle) will be a game-time decision for Saturday's matchup with Michigan State, says Irish head coach Brian Kelly. (via CollegeFootballTalk)

? Now that he has a firm grasp on the starting quarterback job, Michigan State's Connor Cook has an opportunity to shine in the national spotlight against Notre Dame today. (via MLive.com)

? Florida State has suspended linebacker Christian Jones and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, both starters, for today's game against Bethune-Cookman, head coach Jimbo Fisher announced Thursday. (via ESPN.com)

? Rumors are swirling that Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and girlfriend Katherine Webb have broken up, and Debbie M. Lord has the latest on AL.com. Say it ain't so AJ!

Who they're picking

? There is a lot of consensus on the USA Today panel, which unanimously agrees on every Top 25 game except Fresno State-Boise State (a 4-2 vote in favor of the Bulldogs).

? The Irish have won two straight over Michigan State for the first time in about 20 years, a streak that ESPN's Phil Steele expects to continue on Saturday in South Bend. Steele also expects Stanford to prevail over Arizona State.

? SI.com's Stewart Mandel forsees Tennessee putting up a fight in the swamp, but expects the Gators defense to ultimately be too much for the Vols to overcome.

? Dennis Dodd, Jeremy Fowler and Adam Aizer of CBS Sports like the Stanford Cardinal to roll over Arizona State.

? While he sees a much-improved Auburn team, Yahoo Sports' Eddie George says that playing LSU in Death Valley is simply too tall an order.

What they're saying

? News broke Thursday that members of the University of Texas board of regents contacted Nick Saban's agent Jimmy Sexton early this year, presumably about replacing Mack Brown in Austin. Chris Low tells the Crimson Tide faithful that they have nothing to worry about: (via ESPN.com)

For the upteenth time, and with emphasis, Nick Saban isn't looking for a new job. He likes the job he has at Alabama. He likes what he's built at Alabama, and he has emphasized to me more than once in our conversations over the past few years that there are no other coaching horizons out there for him.

? With the Auburn Tigers descending on Death Valley tonight, Jim Kleinpeter of The Times-Picayune takes us back 25 years to The Earthquake Game: (via NOLA.com)

The Earthquake Game is embedded into the psyche of every LSU football fan - almost like a fault line running alongside that of Billy Cannon's 1959 Halloween run. For the 79,431 in attendance -- and thousands more that claim so -- they can still feel the explosion of the touchdown with a minute and 41 seconds left that lifted LSU to an improbable 7-6 victory against No. 4 Auburn, Oct. 8. 1988.

? Speaking of Auburn-LSU, ESPN's Todd Blackledge says that Auburn will need to take chances and be aggressive to beat LSU, who is currently a 17.5-point favorite over the Tigers. Brandon Marcello breaks down Blackledge's comments over at AL.com:

Todd Blackledge is no stranger to Auburn-LSU games over the years. It's also why the ESPN analyst expects a hard-hitting, physical football game Saturday night inside Tiger Stadium. Whether Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC) can pull the upset and knock off No. 6 LSU (3-0) on Saturday is another story.

? Heading into Saturday night's tilt with Kansas State, it is unclear if Texas has a talent problem or a talent development problem, writes Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples. The one thing that is clear, Staples says, is that a sixth straight loss to the less-talented Wildcats will be the perfect indicator of just how awry things have gone under Mack Brown:

If Kansas State makes it a sixth consecutive win on Saturday, it should be a clear sign. The program that always has done more with less will have once again beaten the program that usually does less with more. That great group of young people is trying, but it may not have the tools it needs to win.

? Current Houston Texan and former Tennessee Volunteer Arian Foster admitted to getting money on the side during his senior year in a 90-minute documentary.? Foster was adamant in saying that he didn't, and still doesn't, think he was doing anything wrong: (via SI.com)

"I called my coach and I said, 'Coach, we don't have no food. We don't have no money. We're hungry. Either you give us some food, or I'm gonna go do something stupid. He came down and he brought like 50 tacos for like four or five of us. Which is an NCAA violation. [laughs] But then, I walk up to the facility and I see my coach pull up in a brand new Lexus."

Source: http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2013/09/college_football_kickoff_stanf.html

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