Wake Forest at Baylor
Need to know: 7 p.m., Floyd Casey Stadium, Fox Sports Net.
Records (2007): Wake Forest 9-4; Baylor 3-9.
Scouting Wake Forest: The 23rd-ranked Demon Deacons are aiming for their third consecutive winning season; the last time that happened was during the Truman Administration. Wake Forest has 16 returning starters, most of whom have been in the program for four or five years. The Deacons are concerned about their offensive line and replacing All-American center Steve Justice. Junior Riley Skinner is in his third season as the starting quarterback. Wake Forest relies on the running game with a lot of misdirection. The defense has speed and emphasizes forcing turnovers.

Scouting: Baylor: The Art Briles era starts with an air of anticipation. Briles is known for coaching high-powered, balanced offenses. Baylor hasn't announced a starter at quarterback. Junior and incumbent Blake Szymanski, fifth-year senior Kirby Freeman (a transfer from Miami) and freshman Robert Griffin are in the mix. Briles denies any gamesmanship, but keeping the secret means Wake Forest has to guess about Baylor's game plan. The Bears have switched to a traditional 4-3-4 defensive alignment; last year's 4-2-5 scheme was a failure.


South Dakota State at Iowa State
Need to know: 7 p.m., Jack Trice Stadium, Fox College Sports.
Records (2007): South Dakota State 7-4; Iowa State 3-9.
Scouting South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits are in the first season as members of the newly formed Missouri Valley Football Conference. South Dakota State, which moved up from Division II, finished in the top 25 of last season's Division I-AA rankings and are ranked in the pre-season polls. This will be the school's first game against a I-A opponent since 1984. The pass-catch combo of quarterback Ryan Perry and receiver JaRon Harris lead the Jackrabbits' offense.

Scouting Iowa State: The Cyclones hope to start year two of the Gene Chizik era with a victory. Sophomore Austen Arnaud will start at quarterback, but fellow
sophomore Phillip Bates also will play. Iowa State figures to rely on a running game led by sophomore Alexander Robinson, the team's leading rusher who finished strong in 2007. The Cyclones' pass defense was porous last season, allowing over 250 yards per game through the air. Improving the secondary has been a major focus of the off season and pre-season practices.