Play it forward: the week ahead in college football

Five things to watch this week in college football:

1: The “Pac-12” on Thursday series continues as UCLA plays at Stanford right around rush-hour Palo Alto. What could go wrong? UCLA hasn’t defeated Stanford since 2008.

2: Conspiracy theory: Why does every Alabama opponent seem to get an off week in advance of its big game against the Crimson Tide? Undefeated Texas A&M will be tanned and rested when Alabama visits College Station for Saturday’s key Southeastern Conference West showdown.

3: Michigan State at Michigan wasn’t supposed to be a big deal until next year. Three straight Michigan shutouts under first-year Coach Jim Harbaugh, by the total score of 97-0, have boosted the playoff implications for both schools.

4: USC travels to Notre Dame 10 years after the famous “Bush Push” game in 2005, one of the most memorable moments of the Bowl Championship Series era. USC took some of the luster off the anniversary by losing last Thursday to Washington.

5: Every year one SEC team seems to take advantage of a few early breaks and emerges as an unexpected contender. Florida (6-0) is that team this year and is one win at Louisiana State on Saturday from going from unranked in preseason to title contender.