The buzz is palpable. The best teams in the country have underachieved to date. Alabama's offense has fallen apart to such a degree that the Crimson Tide fell out of the AP top 10 after a win. Colorado's drawing ridiculous ratings. Washington is playing like the best team in the country. Texas is back. And USC. Florida State, too. And maybe Penn State and Miami?
Now comes the buzziest weekend imaginable, with six ranked-versus-ranked matchups and seven unbeaten-versus-unbeaten games. Notre Dame has a major statement opportunity. Alabama's playing in its most desperately important game in quite a while.