In this week's Canadian Stock Watch, it's the biggest game of the year in the ACC as Ajou Ajou and No. 1 Clemson travel to South Bend to take on No. 4 Notre Dame in a matchup that could have enormous implications for the College Football Playoff.


No. 1 Clemson (7-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (6-0), Saturday at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on NBC: With the Irish playing conference football for the first time in the ACC this year, this was the marquee game circled on many calendars when the schedule was released as the one that will potentially decide the conference and send one of these two programs to the College Football Playoff. While that implication remains in place, the lustre of the game has taken a major hit with the absence of Tigers quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence will miss his second straight game after having tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) with freshman D.J. Uigaleilei again getting the start behind centre. Uigaleilei played well last week against Boston College (342 yards on 30-for-41 passing and two touchdowns), but Dabo Swinney's team had a considerably more difficult time than anticipated with the Eagles. Boston College took a 28-13 lead into the half, but the Tigers' defence tightened up in the second half - holding BC scoreless - and Clemson squeaked out a 34-28 victory. The Tigers can ill afford for its defence to fall asleep like it did versus the Eagles against a Notre Dame team that has started to click on offence. After eking out a 12-7 win over Louisville on Oct. 14, the Irish have scored 76 points over their last two games in wins over Pitt and Georgia Tech, generating 860 yards of total offence.

Canadian to Watch: WR Ajou Ajou (Brooks, Alta.) - For a second straight week, Ajou was without a catch in the game against the Eagles. Like the rest of the Tigers' receiving corps, Ajou will look to build rapport with Uigaleilei over the course of the ND game. Once again, Travis Etienne, who had 20 carries for 84 yards against BC, will be used heavily against the Irish.

--

No. 14 Oklahoma State (4-1) vs. Kansas State (4-2), Saturday at 4pm et/1pm pt on FOX - Last weekend's 41-34 overtime loss to Texas was bad for the Cowboys, but also bad for the Big 12. With the loss, Oklahoma State fell from the ranks of the undefeated and, as the conference's last unblemished team, likely took the Big 12 out of CFP contention. Now, that's not an ironclad certainty, but the odds are against the Big 12. Why? The conference's bluebloods, Texas and Oklahoma, already have multiple losses. They are out of contention. The conference's only real hope would be a one-loss Cowboys team. In the six-year history of the College Football Playoff, 15 of the 24 teams in the final four have been a one-loss team, including Oklahoma on three occasions. But State does not possess the same cache as a program that the Sooners do and they wouldn't likely be given the same consideration as a one-loss SEC or Big Ten team. With that said, this is a problem for another day and one the Cowboys would like to have. In order for that problem to even come into existence, Oklahoma State needs to move past the Texas loss and steady the ship going forward. The Wildcats come into Saturday's game coming off a flat 37-10 loss to West Virginia. After averaging just over 35 points a game over its first five contests, K-State managed just 225 yards of offence in the loss, with quarterback Will Howard picked three times.

Canadian(s) to Watch: OLB Amen Ogbongbemiga (Calgary) and RB Chuba Hubbard (Sherwood Park, Alta.) - Hubbard had another efficient game against the Longhorns, rushing for 72 yards on 25 carries, taking him to 550 yards on the season. His heavy usage should continue against the Wildcats. Ogbongbemiga led the Cowboys' defence against Texas, recording 10 tackles and one sack.

--

Tennessee (2-3) vs. Arkansas (2-3), Saturday at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN4 - Year 2 of the Jeremy Pruitt era in Knoxville demonstrated the improvement a charter member of the SEC expected, with the Vols winning eight games after a five-win 2018. But Tennessee still remains far from relevance and the 1998 national title feels like eons ago. After opening the season with back-to-back wins over South Carolina and Mizzou, the Vols have lost three in a row, including last time out against Alabama. The worst loss of the bunch came two weeks ago in a 34-7 drubbing by Kentucky that cost defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh his job. Even though their opponents on Saturday have an identical record, the mood surrounding the Arkansas program is completely different and there's optimism surrounding Sam Pittman in his first season at the helm of the program. All three of the Hogs' losses have come against ranked teams (Georgia, Auburn and TAMU), but the team has been competitive in every game it's been in outside of the opening week loss to the Bulldogs. A win against the Vols at Frank Broyles Field will go a long way to continue the good feelings in Fayetteville.

Canadian to Watch: WR Josh Palmer (Brampton, Ont.) - A senior, Palmer leads the Vols in receiving with 295 yards on 15 receptions and four touchdowns. He comes into Saturday night off of a four-reception, 57-yard outing with a TD against the Crimson Tide two weeks ago in Tennessee's last game before their bye.

Embedded Image

--

Other Canadians to watch: Defensive back Deane Miller (Calgary), defensive lineman Tavius Robinson (Guelph, Ont.) and Ole Miss host South Carolina in an SEC clash. Senior offensive lineman Alaric Jackson (Windsor, Ont.) and Iowa host a Michigan State team coming off of a big win over archrivals Michigan.

--

ALSO ON TSN:

- No. 11 Miami (5-1) vs. North Carolina State (4-2), Friday at 7:30pm et/4:30 pm pt on TSN1/4 - The Hurricanes remain a major factor in the ACC with their only blemish on their record a 42-17 loss to Clemson on Oct. 10. Should Notre Dame beat the Tigers on Saturday, a path to an ACC title could begin to open for Manny Diaz's team. But that's a long way down the road and before any of that can happen, they must take care of their own business and that means beating a good Wolfpack team on Friday night.

- Houston (2-2) vs. No. 6 Cincinnati (5-0), Saturday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN4 - Luke Fickell's Bearcats are one of the stories of the early season and right now are the highest-ranked non-Power 5 team in the country. It's far too premature to get into 2017 UCF talk, but should the Bearcats continue on this clip, the College Football Playoff committee will certainly have to take what is turning into a remarkable Cincinnati season into account.

- UCLA (0-0) vs. Colorado (0-0), Saturday at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN2 - The Pac-12 season kicks off with the spotlight and pressure once again on Chip Kelly. The Bruins aren't paying Kelly nearly $4 million a season for back-to-back seasons of three and four wins, respectively. UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a fine quarterback, but he'll need to rein in his propensity for turnovers if he hopes to help keep the Bruins afloat in 2020.