Saturday showdowns 9/14/06

No. 11 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame

At stake: The Fighting Irish have won two straight against Michigan and three in a row against the Wolverines in South Bend, Ind. Michigan hasn't won a road opener in six years.

* Pressure: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr has won a national title, but he hasn't beat Ohio State and Notre Dame lately.

* The key: The Michigan running game with running backs Michael Hart and Kevin Grady must keep the pressure off quarterback Chad Henne.

* The quote: "They're not coming up here hoping to win, they're come up here expecting to win. We wouldn't expect anything less from a Michigan team that we have a great respect for." -- Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis.

No. 6 LSU at No. 3 Auburn

* At stake: The winner has earned the Southeastern Conference West title four of the last five years. Both teams have legitimate national title hopes, but Auburn's toughest remaining games -- Florida and Georgia -- are at home, while LSU must go to Florida and Tennessee.

* Pressure: Auburn kicker John Vaughn missed five field goals in an overtime loss to LSU last season, and a penalty saved him from being the goat two years ago in a 10-9 Auburn victory.

* The key: The team that best protects its quarterback against the other's swarming defense wins.

No. 19 Nebraska at No. 4 Southern California

* At stake: Nebraska has won five straight, its longest streak since 2003, while USC has won 27 straight at home. The Huskers find out if they're ready to stand up to a national power again.

* Pressure: Nebraska coach Bill Callahan still faces doubt whether his West Coast offense can lead the Cornhuskers back to the top.

* The key: USC already has lost safety Josh Pinkard to a knee injury. Without him, how well will the Trojans' secondary hold up against the passing of Zac Taylor?

* The quote: "If we put up a good performance against USC and we score some points, people will take notice of the offense and realize we know what we're doing out here." -- Taylor.

No. 7 Florida at No. 13 Tennessee

* At stake: Best in the SEC East, though Georgia will have a lot to say about that, too.

* Pressure: The heat has been on Vols coach Phillip Fulmer, and Florida quarterback Chris Leak is one bad outing away from giving coach Urban Meyer a reason to play freshman phenom Tim Tebow.

* The key: The team that runs best usually wins this rivalry.

No. 17 Miami at No. 12 Louisville

* At stake: Louisville has two major obstacles to an undefeated season -- the Hurricanes and a meeting with West Virginia in November. Miami could start 1-2 and slide out of the rankings for the first time since 1999.

* Pressure: Miami coach Larry Coker faces it, of course, and the Louisville defense often gets run over in the biggest games.

* The key: Can quarterback Kyle Wright and the Miami offense keep up with quarterback Brian Brohm and the Cardinals?

No. 15 Oklahoma at No. 18 Oregon

* At stake: Oklahoma has beaten the Ducks the past two years and the Pac-10 has struggled so far this year, which means Oregon is upholding the conference's reputation as being more than just USC.

* Pressure: Oregon sophomore running back Jonathan Stewart came to Eugene with talk of being another Adrian Peterson. It's time to show it.

* The key: Oregon's spread offense with dynamic quarterback Dennis Dixon against Oklahoma's speedy defense led by linebacker Rufus Alexander.

No. 24 Texas Tech at No. 20 TCU

* At stake: The nation's longest winning streak, TCU's 12-gamer, and the Horned Frogs' chance to go undefeated and reach the Bowl Championship Series.

* Pressure: TCU's defensive backs can look at film of the meeting in 2004, when the Red Raiders scored 70 on TCU.

* The key: The Red Raiders must contain tailback Aaron Brown and the TCU running game so their pass-happy offense doesn't get stuck on the sideline.