Rock

We're about halfway through the NFL season, and some quarterbacks have been a bit, shall we say, disappointing so far. But has it been enough to merit a demotion? One of the biggest question marks coming out of week 8 is Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. Head coach Andy Reid has decided to stick with his struggling QB, even though the Eagles are 3-4, losers of three straight.

#1 ALABAMA (8-0) AT #5 LOUISIANA STATE (7-1) [Saturday, 8 p.m. on CBS] Last year, these two teams gave us the two most anticipated games of the year, and this season isn't much different. Alabama and LSU boast two of the top defenses in the game, ranking first and third, respectively, in total defense. The Crimson Tide have a slight edge on offense, with quarterback A.J. McCarron leading the nation in pass efficiency. However, while Alabama has blown away the opposition by an average of over 37 points per game, they have played just one ranked team and aren't as battle-tested as an LSU squad that is playing its fourth consecutive ranked opponent and has had a bye week to prepare.

Thursday, Nov. 3 Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers — 8:20 P.M. Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Kansas City (1-6) is tied with three other teams for the league's worst record. The Chiefs have committed an NFL-high 25 turnovers, including six in a 37-20 Week 4 loss to the Chargers. Quarterback Matt Cassel, who has 16 turnovers, will start for the injured Brady Quinn. San Diego (3-4) has the league's second-ranked run defense, giving up an average of just 80 yards per game. Chargers running back Ryan Mathews could see additional carries as the Chiefs defend the pass better than the run.

Alex Smith completed 18 of 19 pass attempts for 232 yards and three touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals, 24-3, in Arizona on Monday night. San Francisco (6-2) led 17-0 at halftime on the strength of two scoring passes from Smith to Michael Crabtree. Smith connected with Randy Moss on a 47-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. The 49ers coasted the rest of the way, allowing Arizona (4-4) just a 28-yard Jay Feely field goal prior to the start of the fourth quarter.

N.Y. Giants 29 — Dallas 24 Lawrence Tynes kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter, and the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys, 29-24, in Dallas on Sunday after blowing a 23-point lead. New York (6-2) surged to a 23-0 advantage early in the second quarter after defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul returned a Tony Romo interception 28 yards for a touchdown. Dallas (3-4) then scored 24 straight points to take a 1-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Marco Scutaro's line drive single scored Ryan Theriot with the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3, on Sunday night in Detroit to complete a four-game sweep of the 2012 World Series.

This week’s rankings will look very different when the new AP Poll comes out following a Saturday full of upsets. Four Top Ten teams fell this week and five ranked teams suffered their first losses of the season. Meanwhile, Collin Klein and Manti T’eo boosted their Heisman chances while Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame continued to make their case for a shot in the national title game.

Former Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu and three former LSU football players were arrested Thursday and charged with a variety of drug crimes.

Friday, Oct. 26 Cincinnati at (15) Louisville Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville; 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN Two of the Big East's best teams meet on a Friday night in Kentucky. Fifteenth-ranked Louisville (7-0 overall, 2-0 Big East) is led by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and running backs Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright. Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0) was ranked and undefeated before dropping its game against Toledo last week. The Bearcats have beaten Louisville in the last four meetings between the teams.

#13 Mississippi State (7-0) at #1 Alabama (7-0) [Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN] After steamrolling through its first seven opponents, the Crimson Tide now gets to the meat of its schedule with a three-game stretch vs. #13 Mississippi State, at #6 LSU and vs. #22 Texas A&M. Thus far, Alabama hasn’t really been challenged, outscoring its opponents by almost 33 points per game. The Tide defense has been as good as we’ve seen in years, ranking first in almost all defensive categories. But while the defense understandably gets the publicity, the Alabama offense has been no slouch either, scoring 40+ in five of seven games this year. Quarterback A.J. McCarron leads the nation in pass efficiency and the offense ranks 14th nationally in scoring.