After last week's blowout win over Rice, Limas Sweed and the Texas Longhorns look to avenge last year's upset loss to Kansas State on Saturday.
As the college football season approaches the halfway point, Week 5 marks the start of conference play for several conferences around the country. In the Big 12 and Conference USA, the majority of teams will face their first conference opponents this week. Here is a look at some of the top matchups in each conference:
Big 12
No. 7 Texas looks to exact revenge against Kansas State this weekend in Austin. Last season, the Wildcats ended the Longhorns' national championship hopes with their upset victory in Manhattan. Texas sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy hopes that the extra weight he added in the offseason helps him avoid injuries like the one he suffered in last year's game. McCoy faces an aggressive defense that has already racked up 13 sacks in three games. Making it even tougher, Kansas State has had two weeks to prepare for the Longhorns, with their last game being a dominant victory over Missouri State on Sept. 15.
No. 3 Oklahoma travels to Boulder to take on the ColoradoBuffaloes, who avoided a three-game losing streak with their win over Miami (Ohio) last weekend. The Buffs' 42-0 victory was their first shutout since a 34-0 win at Oklahoma State back in 2005. The Sooners enter the game with highest-scoring offense in the nation, averaging almost 62 points per game. Freshman sensation running back DeMarco Murray put on a show in last week's victory over Tulsa, scoring two rushing touchdowns and returning a kickoff 81 yards for a score.
Iowa State looks to rebound after a tough loss at Toledo last week as they make the trip to Lincoln and face No. 25 Nebraska. Iowa State senior quarterback Brett Meyer provided a valiant effort in defeat, throwing three touchdowns in a game for the first time since the 2005 Houston Bowl. The Huskers narrowly escaped an upset from Ball State last week, winning 41-40. Senior quarterback Sam Keller threw for a school-record 438 yards in the victory, completing 29-of-37 passes.
Other Big 12 games
Baylor at Texas A&MNorthwestern State at Texas TechSam Houston State at Oklahoma State
Conference USA
Tulane, coming off its first win of the season, prepares to face No. 2 LSU. Saturday's game at the Superdome. Tulane has not beaten LSU in 15 tries dating back to 1982. If the Green Wave are to stay in the game, they will need another Herculean effort from senior running back Matt Forte, who set a Conference USA and school record with 303 rushing yards and a school-record five touchdowns in last week's win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Houston faces a struggling East Carolina team that has dropped three of its first four games. The Cougars' high-scoring offense is led by senior running back Anthony Alridge, who enters the game averaging 164 yards from scrimmage through his first three games. East Carolina had trouble with another high-powered offense last week in their loss to West Virginia. They have also struggled on offense, ranking near the bottom in most offensive categories.
Coming off their first win of the season, Alabama-Birmingham now must face one of the most potent passing offenses in the country in the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Tulsa senior quarterback Paul Smith is off to a fantastic start, throwing for 1,111 yards and 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The Blazers, on the other hand, have struggled putting points on the board, ranking 98th in the country with 20.7 points per game.
Other Conference USA games
Memphis at Arkansas State
Southern Mississippi at Boise State
Texas-El Paso at Southern Methodist
Louisiana-Lafayette at Central Florida
