TV Timeout: Football takes spotlight with LSU-Alabama, Green Bay-Carolina

There are three matchups of Top-20 college teams Saturday — highlighted by No. 4 Louisiana State at No. 7 Alabama — and an NFL Sunday doubleheader showcasing two of the league’s four remaining unbeatens as the 7-0 Carolina Panthers host the Green Bay Packers in the morning and the 7-0 Denver Broncos take on the Indianapolis Colts in the afternoon.

TODAY

Brigham Young at San Jose State (8:30 p.m., CBSSN (333)): The Cougars will try to slow down arguably the best running back they’ve faced all season in Tyler Ervin, who is third in the nation in rushing (1,159 yards) behind LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Wyoming’s Brian Hill. BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum will try to solve the country’s top pass defense as the Spartans allow an average of only 122.1 yards per game.

BEST OF REST: Football: No. 23 Temple at Southern Methodist (5 p.m., ESPN2 (31)); NBA: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers (5 p.m., ESPN (30)), Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings (7:30 p.m., ESPN (30)).

SATURDAY

No. 4 LSU at No. 7 Alabama (5 p.m., CBS (8)): The Southeastern Conference rivals were both ranked in the top four in the first College Football Playoff rankings, with the unbeaten Tigers at No. 2 and the one-loss Crimson Tide at No. 4, jumping over unbeatens Baylor, Texas Christian and Michigan State. The game features two of the country’s best running backs in Fournette and Alabama’s Derrick Henry going against two of the top run defenses. The Tide has won the last four meetings, including a 20-13 overtime victory last season.

No. 5 TCU at No. 12 Oklahoma State (12:30 p.m., Fox (5)): The Horned Frogs have allowed only one touchdown in the last seven quarters and will need their defense to deliver again against the high-powered Cowboys, who have scored 128 points in their last two games. Oklahoma State trailed Texas Tech 24-0 on Saturday before storming back for a 70-53 win. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, a Heisman Trophy candidate, pilots the nation’s second-leading scoring offense (48.9 ppg).

No. 17 Florida State at No. 3 Clemson, (12:30 p.m., ABC (13)): Clemson is No. 1 in the CFP rankings and its 11-game win streak is its longest since the school’s national championship season of 1981. The Seminoles have won four of the last five meetings, including a 51-14 rout in 2013 in which they scored the most points ever by an opponent at Death Valley.

BEST OF REST: NBA: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers (7:30 p.m., Prime (50); NHL: Florida Panthers at Los Angeles Kings (1 p.m., FSW (49)), Boston Bruins at Montréal Canadiens (4 p.m., NHLN (316)).

SUNDAY

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (10 a.m., Fox (5)): The Packers (6-1) face their second consecutive unbeaten opponent following Sunday’s 29-10 loss at Denver in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers was held to a career-low 77 yards passing and no TDs. Quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers are looking for their franchise-record 12th straight win. The Panthers lead the NFL in rushing yards (144 pg) while Green Bay is 25th against the run. The Packers have won the last two meetings and five of seven all-time at Carolina.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (1:25 p.m., CBS (8)): Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning heads back to his old stomping grounds, where he could surpass Brett Favre’s NFL records for career passing yards (71,838) and regular-season wins (186) with 284 yards passing in a victory. Denver hasn’t lost since quarterback Andrew Luck and the Colts eliminated the Broncos from last season’s playoffs with a 24-13 triumph. Luck has thrown a league-high 12 interceptions for Indy (3-5), which has lost three in a row for the first time since 2011.

BEST OF REST: NASCAR: Sprint Cup Series, AAA Texas 500 (11 a.m., NBC (3)); NFL: Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers (10 a.m., CBS (8)), Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (5:20 p.m., NBC (3)).

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33