Predicting Every Remaining Undefeated College Football Team's 1st Loss
Of the 128 teams in the FBS, only 29 boast undefeated records heading into Week 5 of the college football season.
Some of these teams are bona fide national championship contenders that have already recorded big-time wins in the early season. Others are Power Five programs that haven't been tested yet. And there are some that have defied the odds multiple times to stay unbeaten through four weeks.
But let's bring everyone to a somewhat level playing field and predict when they all will join the 99 other squads that have already tasted defeat.
The following slides contain each undefeated team's highest chance at taking its first loss of the season. I came up with these losses based on location, potential matchup problems, where they land on the schedule and recent history between the two sides.
Of course, these are just one college football writer's opinions and predictions—they have been determined by how these teams look right now. There's still plenty of time for things to change for these undefeated teams between now and their problem matchups, especially in the crazy world of college football.
Baylor
1 of 29
Nov. 21 at Oklahoma State
While Baylor hasn't exactly been firing on all cylinders defensively to start the season, the Bears offense continues to be the best in the country through the first four weeks of 2015. Behind new quarterback Seth Russell, Baylor has recorded three straight high-scoring wins with at least 700 yards of offense in each game.
Matching that insane offense with a favorable schedule should lead to a huge run this season for Baylor. The Bears have home games against two of the top three teams in the Big 12—West Virginia and Oklahoma—while banged-up TCU must travel to Norman later in the year.
A lot can change between now and late November, as big upsets happen all the time. But on paper, Baylor looks like a strong favorite in all of its games leading up to the road trips to Oklahoma State and TCU.
The home team has won the last five games between Baylor and Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys destroyed the No. 3 Bears the last time in Stillwater by a score of 49-17. Baylor could be in danger of looking ahead to that massive Friday night game against TCU, and a tough Oklahoma State defense has had past success in frustrating Art Briles' offense.
California
2 of 29
Oct. 10 at Utah
After back-to-back close wins over Texas and Washington, Cal is off to a program-best start since the 2007 season, sporting a 4-0 record and a Top 25 ranking heading into Week 5.
While the Golden Bears are expected to take down Washington State this weekend at home in a rematch of last year's 60-59 insanity, their cross-divisional matchup against No. 10 Utah in Week 6 seems mighty troublesome.
Utah will be coming off a bye week following its beatdown of Oregon, which also boasts a high-powered offense. The Ducks, however, only mustered 20 points and 178 passing yards against the Utes defense in the comforts of their own stadium last weekend.
While Cal star quarterback Jared Goff will give Pac-12 opponents problems throughout this season, Utah is on a roll right now and will be fresh for this game. The Golden Bears' undefeated run looks like it will come to an end in Salt Lake City two weeks from now.
Clemson
3 of 29
Nov. 7 vs. Florida State
Clemson is another title contender that benefits from a favorable home schedule in conference play. The Tigers' three biggest opponents of the season—Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Florida State—all come to Death Valley.
Although I like Clemson to defeat a tough but transitioning Notre Dame team this weekend, as well as next week's game against a slumping Georgia Tech, the annual matchup with Florida State should be highlighted over and over again.
Florida State hasn't blown anyone away through its first few games, but these young Seminoles have a ton of talent and should get better with quarterback Everett Golson as the season continues. By the time they head to Clemson, the Seminoles will have already faced some adversity.
How Clemson plays this weekend against Notre Dame will say a lot about its caliber moving forward. But facing Florida State in early November—right after the Tigers face a pair of currently undefeated teams on the road—still appears to be the game with the best chance of a Clemson loss in the regular season.
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Florida
4 of 29
Oct. 3 vs. Ole Miss
Florida's comeback victory against rival Tennessee last Saturday catapulted the Gators into the Top 25, which is a great achievement for first-year head coach Jim McElwain in what looked to be a rebuilding season.
Unfortunately, the Gators don't have time for a breather between the Tennessee victory and their next SEC test—a home game against No. 3 Ole Miss.
The Rebels already have a big road win on their resume and are coming off a closer-than-expected home result over Vanderbilt. While the Florida pass defense has been excellent in the early season, Ole Miss has thrown for at least 300 yards against all four of its opponents this year.
Does Florida have enough offensive firepower to keep up with Chad Kelly and the Ole Miss attack? I don't think so. Ole Miss should be extra-focused after its underwhelming performance against Vanderbilt and ready to hand Florida its first loss of the McElwain era.
Florida State
5 of 29
Oct. 24 at Georgia Tech
Florida State has been a difficult team to predict so far this season. The Seminoles have been inconsistent on offense but excellent on defense, leading to two nonconference victories and a 14-0 road win at Boston College.
Coming off a bye week, the Seminoles should be able to dispatch Wake Forest away from home in Week 5. But after back-to-back home games against Miami and Louisville, keep an eye on the road trip to Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets' triple-option offense has been stonewalled in back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Duke, but their defense has done well for the most part. As Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote after Tech's loss to Duke, Paul Johnson's offense should bounce back sometime in the near future because "the track record is too long to ignore."
Against Georgia Tech, a young Florida State team will face a tricky offense and an improved defense away from home. The Yellow Jackets have given elite Seminoles teams trouble in recent seasons and are strong candidates to hand this year's FSU squad a loss here—even after their early-season slide.
Georgia
6 of 29
Oct. 3 vs. Alabama
In one of Week 5's biggest matchups, Georgia will put its undefeated record on the line against Alabama, which fell to Ole Miss at home two weekends ago.
The Bulldogs have coasted for the most part through their first four games of the season, recording two lopsided nonconference wins and a pair of divisional victories against Vanderbilt and South Carolina. According to Odds Shark, Georgia is a 2.5-point favorite against Alabama—the first time the Tide have been underdogs in 73 games.
While the odds and records favor Georgia at home, the matchup might be more in favor of Alabama. Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert has been phenomenal in his last two starts, but he doesn't have the dual-threat capability that has troubled Alabama's defense in its losses these last few years. Georgia's fast-paced defense will face its toughest challenge yet with a balanced Alabama offense that is averaging 460 yards per game.
Alabama is the more tested team at this point in the season, and my early prediction of this game has the Crimson Tide winning a close matchup between the hedges. However, if the Bulldogs can pick up the home victory, they're set up well for an undefeated campaign in the SEC.
Houston
7 of 29
Nov. 7 vs. Cincinnati
First-year head coach Tom Herman has Houston rolling through the first three games of his tenure. The Cougars knocked off Louisville away from home and are now coming off a blowout win over Texas State.
The first part of the American Athletic Conference schedule looks good for Houston, which opens with a quartet of struggling programs—Tulsa, SMU, Tulane and UCF. After a game against Vanderbilt, though, a home contest against Cincinnati looks to be its biggest challenge.
Even with the undefeated record and an experienced secondary, Houston ranks 96th nationally in passing yards allowed per attempt this season. Each of the Cougars' first three opponents has thrown for more than 300 yards on them.
Cincinnati has the nation's second-best passing offense at 412.5 yards per game after backup quarterback Hayden Moore threw for 557 yards in a shootout loss to Memphis in Week 4. Teams such as Tulsa and SMU will challenge Houston through the air, but Cincinnati is a stronger squad overall and has a great chance at picking apart the Cougars in early November.
Indiana
8 of 29
Oct. 3 vs. Ohio State
Indiana football has been one of the feel-good stories of the young season, as the Hoosiers are 4-0—matching their win total from the entire 2014 campaign. Indiana fans even put together a strong campaign to get College GameDay to come to town for its Week 5 matchup.
Unfortunately, GameDay is headed to Clemson this weekend, and Indiana has to face defending national champion Ohio State without the extra fanfare.
As Bleacher Report's David Regimbal wrote Monday, the Hoosiers "have been as bad on defense as they've been good on offense." That's a recipe for disaster against Ohio State, which hasn't had the most even performances to start the season but is still loaded with plenty of offensive firepower.
Indiana's close wins against the likes of Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Wake Forest will give the Hoosiers momentum heading into this Saturday, but they'll surely taste defeat against the Buckeyes.
Iowa
9 of 29
Oct. 3 at Wisconsin
Kirk Ferentz has his Iowa Hawkeyes out to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2009, when the program finished 11-2 on the season.
They'll face their first big test of the season at Wisconsin this weekend. The Badgers surrendered 35 points in a season-opening loss to Alabama, but they have allowed just three points since—a field goal to Troy between shutouts against Miami (Ohio) and Hawaii.
Wisconsin has started to surge on offense without injured starting running back Corey Clement, who was expected to pick up the reins after Melvin Gordon's departure to the NFL. If Iowa upsets Wisconsin, it will snap a nine-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
All signs point to a competitive game between these two Big Ten West favorites, but with Wisconsin's home-field advantage and Iowa's recent blues against ranked opponents, expect to see the Hawkeyes' undefeated run come to an end in Madison.
Kansas State
10 of 29
Oct. 3 at Oklahoma State
After a triple-overtime win over Louisiana Tech and a bye week, Kansas State will take its 3-0 record into Stillwater, Oklahoma, this weekend for its Big 12 opener against the undefeated Cowboys.
The matchup to watch in this one will be the Kansas State passing game against the stingy Oklahoma State defense. Oklahoma State is one of the nation's best at pressuring the quarterback this season, and Kansas State quarterback Joe Hubener has only completed 53 percent of his passes through three nonconference games.
It's hard to tell what to expect from Kansas State's defense heading into the rigors of Big 12 play. The Wildcats held South Dakota and UTSA to a combined three points, but then they allowed 451 yards and 33 points to Jeff Driskel and Louisiana Tech.
With the exception of last year's blowout home win for Kansas State, this series has produced some tight contests in recent seasons. It will be another close game, but Oklahoma State is the more talented and tested team playing at home this time.
LSU
11 of 29
Nov. 7 at Alabama
By beating Mississippi State on the road and then routing a disappointing Auburn team at home, LSU put itself on the path for an undefeated run toward one of the biggest games of the SEC season.
After a sloppy win over Syracuse in Week 4, the Tigers now face—in order—Eastern Michigan, South Carolina, Florida and Western Kentucky. South Carolina is the only road game of that bunch, and LSU should be able to defeat the Gamecocks away from home.
That stretch will lead right into an off week and a road game against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban and Alabama have won their last four games against LSU since the 9-6 victory for the Tigers in 2011. It should be another heavyweight fight between these two power-minded programs, and LSU has a great shot at coming into the game with a higher ranking than Alabama.
LSU's biggest challenges on paper are coming in November. Right now, I would lean toward host Alabama, which could be fighting for its championship life at this point in the season. This looks like the best candidate for LSU's first loss of what has been a strong 2015 so far.
Memphis
12 of 29
Oct. 17 vs. Ole Miss
Memphis is on a great pace to match or even exceed its surprising 10-win record from last season. The Tigers, led by quarterback Paxton Lynch, have edged Group of Five powers Bowling Green and Cincinnati in back-to-back weeks.
But the one thing keeping Memphis from a potential unbeaten run through its schedule is a mid-October home game against national championship contender Ole Miss. In last season's matchup, Memphis only trailed 7-3 heading into the fourth quarter before a late run by Ole Miss.
This year's Rebels look a lot more powerful on offense than the ones the Tigers faced last year in Oxford, and an inexperienced Memphis defense has allowed a staggering 1,331 yards in just the last two weeks. As Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal wrote last week, "unlike Bowling Green and Cincinnati, Ole Miss has a defense that may not allow Lynch and the Tigers to keep up."
The "Land Shark" defense looks too tough for Lynch and the high-powered Memphis attack, and Memphis' own defense could be in for a long day against the likes of Chad Kelly and Laquon Treadwell. But there will be no shame in a competitive loss to the Rebels.
Miami (Florida)
13 of 29
Oct. 10 at Florida State
Despite the visible negativity toward head coach Al Golden, Miami is 3-0 heading into the October slate, which starts with a road game against Cincinnati. After that, the Hurricanes will face Florida State in Tallahassee.
Florida State has won eight of the last 10 games over Miami in this series, although the Hurricanes only lost to the Seminoles by four points last season. The last time the two teams played in Tallahassee, Florida State won 41-13 in a matchup of Top 10 teams.
Miami's defense hasn't been overly impressive through the first three games of the season, as it allowed 389 yards to Florida Atlantic in Week 2 and let a 23-point lead slip away against Nebraska in Week 3. Against FBS opponents, Miami has allowed a staggering 5.78 yards per carry—which is far from encouraging when looking at a potential matchup against FSU running back Dalvin Cook.
The Hurricanes will have the benefit of extra rest following the Thursday night game against Cincinnati, but they haven't faced a big-time road game like the one they'll get in Tallahassee. Florida State will have the advantage in what could be the first loss of the year for Golden.
Michigan State
14 of 29
Nov. 21 at Ohio State
Count me among those who believe Michigan State is one of the two best teams in the country. The Spartans' elite strength on both the offensive and defensive fronts will make them tough for anyone to beat this year.
Michigan State has a couple of potential pitfalls in its schedule—at Michigan and at Nebraska—but Mark Dantonio's team will be too strong to fall before heading to Columbus.
That brings us to the matter of Sparty's road trip to Ohio State late in the season, which has the potential to be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Like I've already said, a lot can change for a number of title contenders over the next month-and-a-half. Michigan State hasn't exactly played perfect football through its first four wins of the year.
This far in advance, I'd lean toward the No. 1 team in the country, especially in a home game. Michigan State vs. Ohio State will be an excellent, closely contested game between championship-caliber programs. But, if I have to pick the greatest chance at a loss for the Spartans, I have to go with this one.
Navy
15 of 29
Oct. 10 at Notre Dame
Navy is off and running to a 3-0 start this season, defeating Colgate, ECU and UConn by double digits. Now members of the AAC, the Midshipmen should be in the hunt for a conference title in 2015.
After this weekend's rivalry game against Air Force, Navy will travel to a Notre Dame team that will be coming off a tough road matchup against Clemson.
With potential all-time record-breaker Keenan Reynolds running the football, Navy is always a threat to ruin Notre Dame's season and hand the Irish a tough loss. After all, Notre Dame's defense has allowed totals of 331 and 336 rushing yards in each of its last two wins over Navy.
But this year's Notre Dame defense has already done well against the option by holding Georgia Tech to just 216 rushing yards and 22 points—most of which came late in the game. The big upset over the Fighting Irish looks less likely this season than it has in the last few years, and this should be Navy's first loss.
NC State
16 of 29
Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech
N.C. State feasted on an easy nonconference schedule to start 2015, defeating Troy, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion and South Alabama without any real issues.
The Wolfpack's home game against Louisville will be its first true test of the season, and the 1-3 Cardinals won't be pushovers—they've played some high-quality opponents this year.
But N.C. State's Week 6 matchup away from home looks more like a loss. The Wolfpack will travel to Virginia Tech for a Friday night game, which means they'll have one less day of rest than usual. At home this season, 2-2 Virginia Tech has played it close with Ohio State for three quarters and blown out FCS foe Furman.
N.C. State will have a chance in the next few weeks to show how much staying power it has after a breezy start to the year. A weeknight game at Lane Stadium might be too tough of a challenge for the Wolfpack.
Northwestern
17 of 29
Oct. 10 at Michigan
Northwestern avoided a disastrous upset loss to Ball State last weekend, needing a 17-point third quarter to put away its MAC visitors.
Low scores and Northwestern victories have gone hand in hand so far this season, so I would give the edge this weekend to the host Wildcats against a Minnesota team that has averaged 20 points in three straight wins over Colorado State, Kent State and Ohio.
But the Week 6 matchup in the Big House at Michigan is a different story. Don't expect another "M00N" game, because Jim Harbaugh's team is starting to get things rolling. After the close loss to what appears to be a legit Utah team, Michigan has outscored opponents 91-14 at home and has averaged more than 5.5 yards per play.
If Michigan can continue to click on the offensive side of the ball, Northwestern will simply have a hard time keeping up the scoring pace.
Notre Dame
18 of 29
Oct. 3 at Clemson
Despite a growing injury list, Notre Dame just keeps winning football games. After a home win against UMass, Notre Dame will head into Death Valley this weekend for a huge matchup against Clemson—perhaps its first true test away from South Bend.
"This is going to be the first game I’m really feeling some true tension," cornerback KeiVarae Russell told Matt Fortuna of ESPN.com. "...Our away game at Virginia wasn’t that crazy, but I know these guys are going to be excited for the Irish to come into town. And trust me, we’re excited to go."
Sure, Notre Dame had to overcome Malik Zaire's injury to pull out a last-minute win at Virginia, but Clemson will be a different ACC animal. Clemson's front seven looks strong as always, and quarterback Deshaun Watson has proved to be one of the most efficient passers in the nation when he's in rhythm.
This will be a hostile road game for a Notre Dame team that is still trying to fit some new pieces together in the early season. Clemson will be coming off a bye week, and the Tigers are my pick to end the Irish's impressive unbeaten run.
Ohio State
19 of 29
Nov. 28 at Michigan
Picking Ohio State's first loss was a tough challenge. Ohio State has looked like a beatable team this season—see the Northern Illinois game—but the schedule is just perfect for the Buckeyes to figure it out and run the table.
Indiana, Rutgers and Illinois shouldn't give Ohio State too much trouble on the road, and the home games against Penn State and Michigan State look tougher on paper. And since I've tentatively penciled in the Michigan State game as a loss for the Spartans, look at the game right after that one for Ohio State.
If Michigan can keep it up and continue to be a ranked team heading into the regular-season finale against Ohio State, watch out. Emotions will be running high for the first meeting between Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, and it'll be at Michigan Stadium. Things could get wild.
There's still a lot of football left to be played for both programs, and I still feel like Ohio State has the best chance of any Power Five team at going undefeated. But coming off the high of a Michigan State matchup and going right into the Michigan game will be a challenge.
Oklahoma
20 of 29
Nov. 14 at Baylor
Oklahoma will have its hands full Saturday at home against West Virginia, especially with the Mountaineers sporting the nation's No. 1 ranking in scoring defense. But a fresher Oklahoma team should win at home.
After this weekend, the schedule starts a downward slope for Oklahoma. Texas will be a tough challenge as always, but then the Sooners play at Kansas State, versus Texas Tech, at Kansas and versus Iowa State. That stretch leads right into a road game against Baylor.
Oklahoma's defense has had plenty of issues with spread-it-out, high-powered offenses—in fact, former Baylor assistant Philip Montgomery's Tulsa team put up 603 yards and scored 38 points against the Sooners two weeks ago. Baylor has blown out Oklahoma each of the last two seasons and should be tough on defense in front of its home fans.
The Sooners definitely have the firepower to contend in the Big 12 this season. But Baylor will be coming off a Thursday night game at Kansas State and will have a little more time to gear up for this massive November showdown with Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State
21 of 29
Oct. 10 at West Virginia
Oklahoma State has had a tough time with West Virginia the last two seasons, as the Mountaineers have scored at least 30 points in back-to-back victories.
As previously mentioned, West Virginia is looking fierce on the defensive side of the ball, which poses some real trouble for an Oklahoma State team that has to travel there next weekend. The fast-paced Cowboys hit a bump in the road last weekend in a tight win over Texas, turning the ball over three times and switching out quarterbacks in the middle of the contest.
Last year, West Virginia's defense shut down Oklahoma State's offense in the second half en route to a 34-10 victory in Stillwater. Both units look much-improved heading into this year's matchup.
A road game in Morgantown is always a stiff challenge for any team, and Oklahoma State will look to bounce back on offense this weekend against Kansas State. Right now, I'd still take WVU at home over Oklahoma State.
Ole Miss
22 of 29
Nov. 21 vs. LSU
Like LSU, Ole Miss is in a fantastic position right now. The Rebels have already won their toughest road game of the season, and their biggest remaining tests seem to be home contests.
Oct. 24's matchup against Texas A&M will be the next huge challenge for Ole Miss if it can get past Florida in the Swamp this weekend. The Rebels have played the Aggies close in each of their three SEC meetings, and home-field advantage will be crucial in that one.
With Auburn and Arkansas looking down, that leaves the LSU game in Oxford as the next-biggest one on the schedule for Ole Miss. The Rebels upset LSU at home in 2013 but lost momentum in their national title hunt in 2014 with a 10-7 loss in Baton Rouge.
LSU's passing offense with Brandon Harris should continue to pick up steam as the season continues, and the Tigers defense will be a challenge for Chad Kelly and the Rebels' fast-paced attack. A November game against LSU for an Ole Miss team that has been known to run out of gas toward the end of the season looks like the best bet for a Rebels loss.
TCU
23 of 29
Oct. 29 vs. West Virginia
TCU dodged disaster last weekend against Texas Tech, but the losses keep piling up on the depth chart. Sooner or later, the defensive woes are going to catch up with the Frogs.
"TCU's defense is going to cost it a game at some point," Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports wrote. "It's not really TCU's fault, either. Injuries and attrition have the Horned Frogs basically playing their second-string defense out there on every single snap, and it is forced to do so in a Big 12 conference that's filled to the brim with high-octane offenses."
Right now, TCU's next three opponents—Texas, Kansas State and Iowa State—don't have the offensive firepower to make the Horned Frogs pay. But a Thursday night game at the end of October could be troublesome, as West Virginia will be explosive and road-tested heading into this one.
Also, keep in mind that the last three games between these two teams have come down to the final play. If this one is close in the late going, I'll side with the healthier and more experienced team.
Temple
24 of 29
Oct. 31 vs. Notre Dame
Another AAC team off to a strong start this season, Temple followed up a season-opening win over Penn State with tight road wins against Cincinnati and UMass.
Like fellow conference foe Navy, the chances of staying undefeated will drop exponentially against Notre Dame in October. Charlotte, Tulane, UCF and East Carolina won't be huge challenges for the Owls, but they face a Notre Dame team coming off a bye week on Halloween.
Led by tackle machine Tyler Matakevich, the Temples defense shouldn't be too overwhelmed by the Notre Dame offense. But the Owls offense, currently ranked 101st nationally in yards per play, doesn't match up well with the Fighting Irish.
If Temple caught Notre Dame between tough opponents, this might be a trendier upset pick. But the Owls will be coming off back-to-back road games, and the Irish will have their eyes on staying alive in the race for the College Football Playoff.
Texas A&M
25 of 29
Oct. 24 at Ole Miss
A few years ago, college football writer Bruce Feldman coined "Body Blow Theory," which attempted to explain the drop-offs that teams had the week after facing a physical Stanford team. Let's apply that theory to another physical team—Alabama.
Texas A&M gets a bye week before playing Alabama at home. I like the Aggies to stay undefeated against Mississippi State and then Alabama, as their explosive cast of receivers and pass-rushers provides a great matchup at home against the Crimson Tide.
But it won't be easy, and Alabama has a habit of wearing out teams for their next opponents. In this case, the true winner of "Body Blow Theory" will be Ole Miss, which beat Texas A&M by two touchdowns last season in College Station.
Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss has the potential to be one of the best games of the season, but the Aggies could be less than full strength heading into Oxford this year. Mark this one down as Texas A&M's first knockout loss after a big body blow.
Toledo
26 of 29
Nov. 3 vs. Northern Illinois
Toledo's wins over Power Five foes Arkansas and Iowa State have set up the Rockets well for a potential Cinderella run this season, and they also have the benefit of an easier start to their MAC schedule.
But the first big potential for a conference loss comes in the form of Toledo's first of three straight Tuesday night #MACtion specials. Northern Illinois will come to Toledo in early November sporting a five-game winning streak in the series.
The Huskies already looked like the Rockets' biggest competition in the MAC's Western division, and they've proved that with a pair of close road losses at No. 1 Ohio State and Boston College. Toledo's 95th-ranked offense could have a tough time with NIU's experienced defense, which ranks an impressive 33rd nationally in average yards per play.
While Toledo has home-field advantage in this one, Northern Illinois seems to have the Rockets' number over the last several seasons.
UCLA
27 of 29
Oct. 15 at Stanford
UCLA's latest win at Arizona showed that Jim Mora's team is a legitimate title contender. But in order to make a potential unbeaten run through the Pac-12, the Bruins must defeat a team on the road that they haven't beaten in seven straight meetings.
Stanford bounced back from its season-opening loss to Northwestern by dispatching USC and Oregon State on the road. The Cardinal seem to have found a spark on offense with quarterback Kevin Hogan and an improving rushing attack.
While UCLA is looking strong on offense with quarterback Josh Rosen and running back Paul Perkins, the Bruins still have to overcome some season-ending injuries to major defensive starters. The Stanford offense will look to limit UCLA's time of possession and wear down that defense.
Thursday nights on the road in the Pac-12 have been known to trip up some big-time championship contenders. UCLA has only lost 11 games in the last three seasons, and four of them have come to the Stanford team it'll face in a few weeks.
Utah
28 of 29
Oct. 24 at USC
With one big road win already in the bag, Utah has back-to-back home games against Cal and Arizona State. Then the Utes will face a team out for revenge.
USC suffered a historic loss to Utah in Salt Lake City last season—its first regular-season defeat to the Utes since 1916. While the Trojans have already taken a tough loss early in the year, they bounced back in a big way with a home rout over Arizona State last weekend. If the Trojans continue to play at home like they did against Arizona State, they'll still be a force in the Pac-12.
Utah is undoubtedly one of the nation's hottest teams right now, but it could cool off with the off week and the matchups against the Golden Bears and the Sun Devils. Keeping up the momentum against two teams looking to knock off the new "it" team in the South Division will be paramount.
USC showed last weekend it won't go away quietly in the conference. At home and looking to avenge last season's loss, USC could very well put a mark in Utah's loss column by the middle of October.
West Virginia
29 of 29
Oct. 3 at Oklahoma
West Virginia has been simply dominant on defense to start the season, but it hasn't faced an attack like it will against Baker Mayfield and the Sooners this Saturday.
The Sooners are averaging 41 points and 553 yards per game this season, a far cry from West Virginia's opponents so far this season—Georgia Southern, Liberty and Maryland. As Jason Kersey of the Oklahoman wrote, "if the game turns into a shootout, OU's home field advantage might be the difference."
Oklahoma also has had a week off to sort through the defensive issues that plagued the team against Tulsa. As it showed against Tennessee, this defense can put opponents on lockdown when it's clicking, and it'll be out to prove that it can do the same thing against a spread system.
I'm expecting plenty of fireworks out of two red-hot teams this weekend in the Big 12. But a fresher Oklahoma team in front of its home fans looks likely to end West Virginia's unbeaten start to 2015.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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