ESPN College Football

Posted by Mark Schlabach

1. Can Alabama get its passing game going?

The No. 3 Crimson Tide have to throw the football more effectively to beat No. 9 LSU on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Quarterback Greg McElroy has struggled mightily in his past four games, completing 53 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He failed to throw for 150 yards in each of the Tide's four games in October.

There might be good news on the way. Tide coach Nick Saban said this week that sophomore receiver Julio Jones is as healthy as he's been all season, and tight end Colin Peek has returned to practice after spraining his knee in warm-ups before Alabama's 12-10 win over Tennessee on Oct. 24.

Jones, the team's leading receiver with 20 catches, had been bothered by a bruised knee.

2. Can Iowa do it again?

The No. 4 Hawkeyes will be looking to avenge a 22-17 loss to Northwestern last season when they host the Wildcats on Saturday (ESPN, noon ET). Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi drove the Hawkeyes to the Wildcats' 8-yard line late in the 2008 game but then threw four straight incompletions in the loss.

The Hawkeyes, who have won 13 games in a row, keeping finding ways to win this season. They trailed Indiana 24-14 entering the fourth quarter in Week 9 but scored 28 straight points for a 42-24 victory.

Stanzi threw a career-high five interceptions against the Hoosiers but led another remarkable fourth-quarter comeback. Iowa has trailed in eight of its nine games this season, including four times in the fourth quarter.

3. Will Tony Pike return for No. 5 Cincinnati?

Bearcats coach Brian Kelly faces a difficult decision as Cincinnati tries to improve to 9-0 for the first time since 1951 when it hosts Connecticut on Saturday night (ABC, 8 p.m. ET).

Senior quarterback Pike returned to practice this week after undergoing surgery to replace screws and a plate in his forearm. Zach Collaros has played remarkably well in Pike's absence, throwing seven touchdowns without an interception in two starts.

Does Kelly stick with the hot quarterback or go back to the veteran and team leader? There's only a potential Big East championship and BCS bowl game riding on his decision.

4. Will No. 8 Oregon have a letdown?

The Ducks are coming off one of their most impressive victories in recent history, having thumped Southern Cal 47-20 on Saturday in Eugene.

Oregon has a one-and-a-half-game lead over Arizona in the Pac-10 standings but can't afford to look past Stanford. The Ducks have beaten the Cardinal seven times in a row, including three straight in Palo Alto.

Stanford has won its past four home games and nine of the past 10 in Palo Alto.

Cardinal tailback Toby Gerhart leads the Pac-10 in rushing, and quarterback Andrew Luck is the league's top-rated passer.

5. What will Terrelle Pryor's homecoming be like?

Pryor isn't expecting a warm welcome when No. 16 Ohio State plays at No. 11 Penn State on Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). Pryor, from Jeanette, Pa., was the country's top-rated quarterback in high school in 2007, when he chose the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions and Michigan.

The Nittany Lions got some revenge last season, when Pryor's third-down fumble helped them hold on for a 13-6 victory in Columbus.

Pryor has endured an inconsistent sophomore season, and Penn State senior Daryll Clark has looked like the better quarterback the past two seasons.

Both teams are 4-1 in Big Ten play, and neither can afford a loss if it's going to stay in the hunt with unbeaten Iowa.

6. Will No. 1 Florida be distracted?

The defending BCS national champions should have little trouble with Vanderbilt at home Saturday night (ESPN2, 7:15 p.m. ET), but how focused will the Gators be after a week full of distractions?

Senior linebacker Brandon Spikes, the leader of the Florida defense, was suspended for the first half of the Vandy game by coach Urban Meyer after Spikes attempted to gouge Georgia tailback Wayshaun Ealey's eyes during last week's 41-14 rout of the Bulldogs. Then Spikes decided to suspend himself for the entire Vanderbilt game.

On Friday, Meyer was fined $30,000 by the SEC for criticizing officials after he accused them of missing Georgia's late hit on star quarterback Tim Tebow.

Florida played better against Georgia, but it needs to continue to improve on offense before the Dec. 5 SEC championship game.

7. Will Georgia Tech's defense play better?

The No. 10 Yellow Jackets are firing on all cylinders on offense and are two victories away from clinching the ACC's Coastal Division going into Saturday's home game against Wake Forest (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).

But Georgia Tech's defense has left a lot to be desired, allowing averages of 391 yards and 27.6 points during a five-game stretch in October.

The Demon Deacons played well against the triple-option in a 13-10 loss to Navy on Oct. 24. Quarterback Riley Skinner, who suffered a concussion in last week's 28-27 loss to Miami, has been cleared to play and is expected to start against Georgia Tech.

8. Which top-25 team should be on upset alert?

It might be No. 15 Houston, which needed Case Keenum's 28-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left to beat Southern Mississippi 50-43 last week.

Tulsa is riding a three-game losing streak, but there's no question it will be motivated to play after losing to Houston 70-30 last season.

Keenum threw for a career-high 559 yards with five touchdowns against the Golden Eagles. Tulsa isn't sure it will have starting quarterback G.J. Kinne, who suffered a concussion in last week's 27-13 loss to SMU.

9. How effective will Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd be?

No. 22 Notre Dame has a lot riding on its last four games, starting with Saturday's home contest against Navy. If the Fighting Irish win out and finish 10-2, there's a very good chance they'll receive an invitation to play in the Orange Bowl.

So receiver Michael Floyd's return from a five-game absence couldn't be coming at a better time. Floyd hasn't played since breaking his collarbone against Michigan State on Sept. 19. In less than three full games, Floyd had 358 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Golden Tate played very well in Floyd's absence, with 37 catches and six touchdowns in the last five games. Floyd's return figures to make the Notre Dame offense even more explosive, if he knocks off the rust quickly.

After playing Navy, Notre Dame plays at No. 13 Pittsburgh, home against Connecticut and at Stanford to close the regular season.

10. Will Nebraska avenge last year's blowout loss to Oklahoma?

It's hard to believe one of college football's most storied rivalries has so little riding on the outcome this season. No. 24 Oklahoma has been riddled by injuries, and Nebraska has struggled in coach Bo Pelini's second season.

But the winner might stay in the race for a major bowl game, possibly the Cotton Bowl or Holiday Bowl, depending on what happens the rest of the regular season.

Last season, Oklahoma blasted the Cornhuskers 62-28. It was the Sooners' highest ever scoring total against Nebraska. The Sooners led 28-0 after the first 5 1/2 minutes in beating the Cornhuskers for the fourth straight time.