Saturday's college football games to watch

Records: South Carolina 6-0, LSU 5-1

The skinny: South Carolina can maintain at least a share of the SEC East lead by getting to 5-0 in league play while enhancing national championship credentials that have grown with each victory. If LSU loses, it would fall to 1-2 in the SEC, could drop out of the top 10 and would need help to repeat as SEC West champion.

The stat: South Carolina is riding a school-record 10-game winning streak, the longest current streak in major college football, one ahead of Alabama. The Gamecocks will try to improve to 7-0 for only the second time in school history and first time since 1984. The rub is that LSU has the nation's longest home winning streak at 21 games, having not lost in Tiger Stadium since falling to Florida on Oct. 10, 2009.

Line: LSU by 2 1/2.

Records: Texas 4-1, Oklahoma 3-1

The skinny: This game in Dallas has been pivotal in the Big 12 and national championship races recently byt is practically a survival contest this season. Neither team can afford to take a second conference loss with No. 5 West Virginia and No. 6 Kansas State in the Big 12 lead.

The stat: It's a well-known Red River Rivalry fact that no team has won the game with fewer yards rushing since 1997. The Longhorns are averaging 209.4 yards rushing, the Sooners 190.5.

Records: West Virginia 5-0, Texas Tech 4-1

The skinny: West Virginia QB Geno Smith, with 24 touchdowns and no interceptions, will test a Texas Tech defense that's giving up only 117 yards passing per game. Trouble is, those numbers were built against some spotty early-season competition. The Red Raiders didn't fare quite as well last week against Landy Jones and Oklahoma.

The stat: That shootout you've come to expect is likely. West Virginia doesn't defend the pass too well, giving up 336 yards a game, ranking near the bottom nationally.

Line: West Virginia by 3 1/2.

Records: Stanford 4-1, Notre Dame 5-0

The stat: The Irish have gone three games in a row without allowing a touchdown, the longest streak by Notre Dame since 1980.

Line: Notre Dame by 7.

Records: Texas A&M 4-1, Louisiana Tech 5-0

The skinny: Louisiana Tech is off to a 5-0 start that has the team ranked for the first time since 1999, and the Aggies entered the rankings last week for the first time this year. This game, to be played in Shreveport, La., is more important now than it would have been Aug. 30, when Hurricane Isaac caused it to be postponed.

The stat: Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is sixth in the nation in total offense with 356 yards a game, and Louisiana Tech is allowing 531 yards a game, second-most in the country.