Who: Huntington at N.C. Wesleyan
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Where: Rocky Mount Athletic Stadium, Rocky Mount, N.C.
What to look for: Can the Battling Bishops find a way to keep this close? They are coming off a 61-7 loss to Maryville and are 2-6 on the season.
Why to watch: Huntingdon continues to march on in its quest for a USA South championship. The Hawks are 7-1 in conference play and 8-3 overall.
Who: Centre College at Birmingham Southern
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: General Krulak Stadium, Birmingham
What to look for: Birmingham Southern’s defense has been outstanding in the red zone. Opponents are just 12-of-24 in red zone trips with seven of those resulting in touchdowns.
Why to watch: Birmingham Southern is 4-1 at home. Centre College is 3-1 on the road. Strength vs. strength.
Who: Miles College at Tuskegee
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium, Tuskegee
What to look for: In the past two games, Tuskegee quarterback Bryson Williams is 24-of-35 for 462 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Miles quarterbacks have seven touchdown passes and eight interceptions on the season.
Why to watch: This time last year, Reginald Ruffin was directing Miles College into the SIAC championship game. This time this year, Reginald Ruffin is directing Tuskegee into the SIAC championship game.
Who: Faulkner at Bethel University
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Wildcat Stadium, McKenzie, Tennessee
What to look for: Bethel cornerback Marquese Taylor was named the Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Week after contributing two tackles, an 85-yard fumble return and an end zone pass breakup that preserved a win over then-No. 3 ranked Lindsey Wilson.
Why to watch: Bethel is the No. 4 ranked team in the country with a 9-0 record. This is the fifth ranked team that Faulkner (4-5) will play this season.
Who: Mississippi College at West Alabama
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Tiger Stadium, Livingston
What to look for: West Alabama running backs Bry Webb and Demetrius Battle have combined for 1,195 rushing yards with nine touchdowns.
Why to watch: Mississippi College gains 306 yards on the ground and has three players with at least 540 yards rushing.
Who: VMI at Samford
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Seibert Stadium, Homewood
What to look for: Samford has developed an offense that can truly take what the defense is offering. VMI allowed more than 40 points in each of the last four games.
Why to watch: It’s been a special season for the Bulldogs, and they’re looking to celebrate homecoming before moving on to bigger challenges.
Who: UTSA at UAB
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham
What to look for: The two best offensive players in the conference – UAB’s DeWayne McBride and Frank Harris of UTSA — will be on the same field.
Why to watch: UAB hasn’t put itself in a position to make this a game for the C-USA lead but it still would be a special win if they can pull off the upset. UTSA is clearly the top program in C-USA right now. So is this a chance for UAB to play a bully?
Who: South Alabama at Georgia Southern
When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Where: Allen E. Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia
What to look for: Kyle Vantrease is one of the country’s passing leaders. Will South Alabama offensive coordinator Major Applewhite try to play keep away with running back La’Damian Webb and the running game?
Why to watch: South Alabama still has hopes of working into the Sun Belt Championship Game. Georgia Southern has two consecutive wins over teams that had the same hope.
Who: Austin Peay at UNA
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Braly Stadium, Florence
What to look for: UNA has just eight sacks in eight games. Austin Peay allowed 25 sacks in eight games.
Why to watch: Offensive coordinator Ryan Held added interim head coach to his duties this week. This will be his first game at the helm.
Who: Alabama State at Bethune-Cookman
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Daytona Stadium, Daytona Beach, Florida
What to look for: What will Alabama State’s focus look like after last week’s Magic City Classic win?
Why to watch: Deion Sanders expressed disbelief that Alabama State scheduled Jackson State as a homecoming opponent. Will Alabama State have the same reaction to Bethune-Cookman hosting Alabama State on homecoming?
Who: Troy at Louisiana
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana
What to look for: Troy head coach Jon Sumrall was frustrated with his team’s offense in recent games, particularly during the win at South Alabama. The Trojans had some extra time to work on the problem.
Why to watch: Troy linebacker Carlton Martial continues to chase history. He is 33 tackles short of becoming the NCAA all-time leader in career tackles.
Who: Alabama at LSU
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
What to look for: History tells us that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young will have success. History is still undecided on just how good an LSU quarterback can be in a game like this.
Why to watch: Alabama is seasoned in this type of game. LSU head coach Brian Kelly could get a signature win in his first season in Baton Rouge.
Who: Auburn at Mississippi State
When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
What to look for: Let’s be honest, Bryan Harsin and the assistant coaches let go on Monday are not the only problems with this team. What will Auburn look like now under the interim staff?
Why to watch: It’s Cadillac Williams’ debut as Auburn’s interim head coach. That is reason enough.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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