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Only 7 teams have a bye week so 123 will see action this week. The jam-packed 62-game schedule kicks off on Wednesday. Here's a look at the top games this week in each conference.
In the ACC, Virginia is a slim 0.48-point computer underdog at home to Duke. The Cavaliers have dropped two straight (at Notre Dame, at Miami) after reeling off 4 straight wins to start the season. Virginia was held to a total of 29 points in those two losses. The Cavs and Blue Devils are tied with North Carolina in the conference's Coastal division. UNC visits Virginia Tech as a 5.57-point computer underdog.
Wisconsin visits Illinois with a shot at its fifth shutout on the season. The Badgers are 19.70-point computer favorites over a team they have now beaten on 10 straight occasions.
Michigan visits Penn State as a 1.06-point computer underdog after being favored in the preseason to win this game by 11.23. The Nittany Lions are tied with Ohio State for first in the East division. Michigan desperately needs the win to keep a title shot on the table. The Wolverines have taken 4 of the last 5 meetings, but the only loss in that span came in their last visit to Happy Valley two years ago.
After a week off, Ohio State heads to Northwestern on Friday night as a 17.41-point favorite, a margin that is exactly 11 points greater than the 6.41-point preseason projection.
Rutgers, which has already been blanked three times this season, hosts Minnesota as a 23.59-point underdog.
Baylor and Oklahoma are the two remaining undefeated teams in the conference, but the computer has the Bears installed as a 0.24-point underdog at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is a 23-point home pick over a struggling West Virginia team under first-year head coach Neal Brown.
Iowa State is tied with Texas, a game behind the Bears and Sooners. The Cyclones are favored by 13.95 points on their trip to Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders have already proven to be more dangerous than expected with a 3-point loss in double-overtime at Baylor this past weekend after entering that game as a 13.65-point underdog. Just a week earlier, Texas Tech upset Oklahoma State by 10 in Lubbock when they were a 6.81-point underdog.
Texas draws Kansas to Austin where the Longhorns are a 27.50-point pick.
Notre Dame, fresh off a 30-27 win over rival USC, is idle this week. The only other independent with a winning record entering this week is Liberty (4-2) which hosts FCS member Maine.
Army (3-3) is a 3.02-point choice at Georgia State. The Panthers have been the quintessential up-and-down team with wins over Tennessee and Arkansas State to go with a loss to perennial Sun Belt basement-dweller Texas State.
The PAC-12 South is in total chaos with four teams all tied atop the division standings at 2-1 - Arizona, Arizona State, USC and Utah.
Utah is a huge 11.61-point favorite at home over ASU, while USC is a 10.33-point choice at home over Arizona.
Oregon has sole possession of the lead in the North at 3-0 and everyone else already has at least two losses. The Ducks host Washington as a 4.53-point pick.
Washington State is shockingly last in the North division at 0-3.
Alabama (3-0) and LSU (2-0) lead the Western half of the conference while Missouri now holds sole possession of first in the Eastern half after Florida's loss at LSU. The Tide and Tigers will Tangle on November 9 in Tuscaloosa.
This week, LSU goes to Starkeville to face a Mississippi State team that's reeling from a 20-10 upset loss to Tennessee with the Tigers favored by 15.89.
Alabama is a 24.79-point choice at home over Tennessee.
Georgia will try to right the ship after a shocking 20-17 upset loss at home to South Carolina in double-overtime. The Bulldogs, who were a 16.25-point pick over the Gamecocks, are favored by 22.31 at home this week over Kentucky. Georgia has won 9 straight versus the Wildcats and leads the all-time series 58-12-2.
South Carolina is now a 1.03-point computer pick to rub salt into Florida's wound, but that's down from the 3.59-point forecast in the preseason. The Gamecocks last defeated both Georgia and Florida in the same season in 2014.
This past weekend, Kentucky was a 24-20 winner over Arkansas after converting top receiver Lynn Bowden to QB and all he did was rush for 2 scores and throw for another while leading the team back from a 13-0 deficit.
The top teams in the Group Of Five conferences are vying for a single available slot in the New Year's Six bowl slate. Boise State (6-0) is the current odds-on favorite to earn the Cotton Bowl berth, but Cincinnati (5-1), SMU (6-0), Tulane (5-1), Memphis (5-1), Temple (5-1), and even Appalachian State (5-0) are not out of the picture.
In the American Conference, Memphis looks to rebound from the 30-28 loss at Temple. The Tigers are welcoming a red hot Tulane squad that is tied with SMU atop the West division standings. Memphis is a slim 1.67-point computer choice.
Cincinnati and Temple are tied atop the American East. The Bearcats are huge 26.36-point home favorites over Tulsa, while Temple travels to SMU as a 6.12-point underdog.
Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech are atop the West and the two square-off on Saturday in Ruston with the visitors favored by 1 point. The Golden Eagles who have taken 4 straight in the series.
FAU and Western Kentucky lead the East. The Boca Raton Owls are a mere 0.55-point favorite over the visiting Thundering Herd of Marshall on Friday, while the WKU Hilltoppers are a 7.80-point home pick over Charlotte on Saturday.
Rice has been the computer underdog in 21 straight games against FBS foes, and the Owls hold the current longest streak for road losses to FBS schools at 14 in-a-row.. But this week, Rice is actually a slim 0.30-pont favorite at UTSA. The Roadrunners have won 4 in-a-row over the Owls.
Don't look now but Kent State leads the East and Ball State leads the West. Those are the only two MAC schools without a conference loss, even though 10 of the 12 members have only played 2 conference games.
Kent State is a 9.23-point underdog at Ohio.
Ball State is a 3.22-point pick over a Toledo team that defeated BYU and Western Michigan before inexplicably falling 20-7 at Bowling Green this past weekend.
Preseason East division favorite, Ohio, is 1-1. Preseason West division favorite Western Michigan is 2-1.
Boise State heads to BYU as a mare 0.99-point favorite as the Broncos strive to remain undefeated. Utah State is also unbeaten in the conference's Mountain division and hosts Nevada as a 16.52-point pick.
The West division is led by San Diego State which is a 9.16-point favorite when it visits a much-improved San Jose State squad.
Air Force (2-1, Mountain) heads to Hawaii (1-1, West) as a 7.76-point underdog.
UNLV was a 22.46-point computer underdog at Vanderbilt this past weekend and wound up winning by 24, 34-10. This week, the Rebels head to Fresno State as a 7.79-point underdog.
Appalachian State lost head coach Scott Satterfield to Louisville, but that's all the Mountaineers have lost. Under Eliah Drinkwitz, the Boone, North Carolina school is undefeated and still atop the East division as it prepares to host West division leader Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Last weekend, Appalachian State was was a 3.93-point road underdog to Louisiana-Lafayette but prevailed 17-7 to run its all-time conference record to 36-6. This week, the Mountaineers are favored at home over the Warhawks by 15.46. The teams haven't met since 2017 when UL-M was the only conference team to beat Appalachian that year, 52-45 in Monroe.
Florida, Georgia, Wake Forest and Memphis all fell from the unbeaten ranks last week.
The 12 teams that remain perfect are:
American: SMU
Mountain West: Boise State
Sun Belt: Appalachian State
ACC: Clemson
Big 12: Baylor, Oklahoma
Big 10: Minnesota Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
SEC: Alabama, LSU.
Akron, New Mexico State and Rice all remain winless.
114 games this year pit FBS teams against FCS schools. That's two more than a season ago when FBS teams won 105 of 112 games.
There is just one FBS-FCS game this week as Liberty hosts Maine. The Black Bears played two FBS schools last year, beating Western Kentucky 31-28 and losing to Central Michigan 17-5. Maine has already played one other FBS school this season, losing 26-18 at Georgia Southern on September 7.
FBS teams are 99-3 (.971) for the season. Since we began tracking this in 2003, the FBS schools are 1,423-127 (.918).
FCS victories over FBS teams in 2019:
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28
September 7: Southern Illinois 45, Massachusetts 20
September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 (OT)
FCS victories over FBS teams in 2018
August 29: UC Davis 44, San Jose State 31
September 1: Villanova 19, Temple 17
September 1: Northern Arizona 30, UTEP 10
September 1: Nicholls State 26, Kansas 23 (OT)
September 2: North Carolina A&T 28, East Carolina 23
September 8: Maine 31, Western Kentucky 28
September 22: Illinois State 35, Colorado State 19
CLEMSON - Won 21 straight over-all (FBS longest). Won 23 straight regular season (FBS longest) games. Won 17 straight conference games (new FBS longest). Won 19 straight home games (FBS longest).
Last: 45-14 home win over Florida State on October 12.
Next: Visits Louisville on October 19.
ALABAMA - Won 29 straight home games (FBS longest).
Last: 47-28 win at Texas A&M on October 12.
Next: Hosts Tennessee on October 19.
OKLAHOMA - Won 22 straight true road games (FBS longest).
Last:: Won 34-27 versus Oklahoma at Dallas on 12.
Next: Hosts West Virginia on October 19.
RUTGERS - Lost 16 straight conference games (FBS longest).
Last: 35-0 loss at Indiana on October 12.
Next: Hosts Minnesota on October 19.
AKRON - Lost 11 straight overall (FBS longest).
Last: 26-3 home loss to Kent State on October 12.
Next: Hosts Buffalo on October 19.
CONNECTICUT - Lost 21 straight vs. FBS teams (FBS longest).
Last: 49-7 loss at Tulane on October 12.
Next: Hosts Houston October 19.
RICE - Lost 14 straight road games (FBS longest).
Last: 35-20 loss at UAB on October 5.
Next: Visits UTSA on October 19.