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SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg provides his opinion of the top three programs in the history of college football.
USA TODAY

That autumn chill is creeping into the air, but the action on college football fields across the nation is heating up. The final weekend of October is upon us, and the teams with a realistic shot at the national championship are looking to position themselves for the grueling November stretch drive.

Here are the five games in Week 9 that will have the biggest impact on the chase for the College Football Playoff.

No. 10 Auburn at No. 3 LSU

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

The all-Tiger clash in the SEC West is the game of the week as far as the playoff race is concerned. With perennial power Alabama still ahead for both teams, this is all but a must-win proposition. That’s especially true for Auburn, which already has a ‘1’ in the loss column courtesy of Florida and must also face Georgia before the Crimson Tide.

LSU QB Joe Burrow already owns the school record for TDs in a season with 29, with Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase on the receiving end of many of them. But the Auburn defensive line, featuring DE Marlon Davidson and DT Derrick Brown, is capable of putting pressure on him, so this could be a test of his rapid decision making. The visiting Tigers of the Plains got the tune-up they needed at Arkansas last week, but they’d still prefer to avoid getting into a shootout with freshman Bo Nix at QB and with top RB JaTarvious Whitlow still recovering from a knee injury. There are yards to be had against the LSU secondary, but pass catchers often pay a price upon encountering S Grant Delpit.

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No. 13 Wisconsin at No. 4 Ohio State

Saturday, noon ET, Fox

This had all the makings of the blockbuster of the week, a top-10 showdown that figured to be a preview of the Big Ten championship game. It might yet be the latter, but Wisconsin’s fourth-quarter meltdown at lowly Illinois has cast serious doubt on the Badgers’ ability to hang with a complete team like Ohio State. The Buckeyes for their part have not faced anything resembling a close call during their 7-0 start.

The Wisconsin defense entered the Illinois game with four shutouts on the season but couldn’t compensate for the offense’s red-zone inefficiency and critical miscues by RB Jonathan Taylor and QB Jack Coan. Now the Badgers will have to play an absolutely clean game with no mistakes against the Buckeyes, but DE Chase Young, LB Malik Harrison and S Jordan Fuller know how to force a few. Meanwhile, Ohio State QB Justin Fields has been operating a well-oiled machine. He has accounted for 30 TDs himself and has been getting plenty of help from RBs J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague III. Badgers LBs Jack Sanborn and Chris Orr will lead the effort to keep them in check.

No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The Nittany Lions staved off Michigan to cement their position as the principal challenger to Ohio State in the rugged Big Ten East. The Spartans can only spoil at this point, but they’re rested following an open date and can be a tough out in East Lansing thanks to their solid defense.

The bad news for Michigan State, however, is their most recent outing two weeks ago was a whitewash at the hands of Wisconsin. Their fans must hope QB Brian Lewerke and the offensive brain trust made good use of the extra preparation time, but they’ll have to account for Nittany Lions LB Micah Parsons at all times. Penn State QB Sean Clifford and WR K.J. Hamler will look to continue the superb chemistry they showed in the Michigan victory. Opposing them this week will be Spartans DE Kenny Willekes and LB Joe Bachie.

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Michigan

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The Fighting Irish will need a few breaks to climb back into playoff consideration. But they’ll also have to make some of their own, starting with this opportunity against a ranked Big Ten opponent on the road. The Wolverines, already tagged with two losses, are now playing for a sunny postseason destination, but they’d probably be all right with derailing a long-time rival along the way.

Michigan did have a few positive developments from last week’s disappointing trip to Happy Valley. QB Shea Patterson was able to do some damage in the passing game and make things interesting after the Wolverines fell behind 21-0. But S Alohi Gilman and the rested Notre Dame secondary rarely beats itself. The same can be said of QB Ian Book and the Fighting Irish offense that has given the ball away just four times all season. The unit isn’t always flashy, though, and it will be up to Wolverines LBs Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow to keep it that way.

Washington State at No. 11 Oregon

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

With a hard-won victory in Seattle in hand, the Ducks have a clear path to the Pac-12 North. A couple of potential obstacles remain, however, starting with this home date with the explosive Cougars.

Washington State snapped a three-game skid last week with a dominant 41-10 triumph against Colorado as QB Anthony Gordon increased his season total of TD tosses to 29. The Cougars are hard to stop when Gordon doesn’t throw the ball to the wrong team, but the Ducks have swiped 12 passes, three by S Jevon Holland, and should have chances for more. Oregon QB Justin Herbert, meanwhile, has 21 scoring passes with just one pick. LB Jahad Woods is the Cougars’ primary disruptor.

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