KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Packers-Chiefs game Sunday will hardly be what anyone expected at the beginning of the season. The showdown between Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes is off after the Green Bay quarterback and reigning league MVP tested positive for COVID-19. And the potential Super Bowl preview is hard to picture given the Chiefs are wallowing at .500 eight games into the season. But the game is still crucial for both Green Bay and Kansas City not only in their divisional race but also for their postseason potential.

UNDATED (AP) — Texas and Iowa State both need a win in their game Saturday night in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones almost certainly need to win out and get lots of help from other teams to fulfill preseason predictions of a return to the Big 12 title game. Texas is on a three-game losing streak under first-year coach Steve Sarkisian. Iowa State won 23-20 in Austin last year after trailing 20-10 in the third quarter. The game features the Big 12′s top two running backs in Iowa State’s Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson of Texas.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ohio State coach Ryan Day doesn’t want his players looking at the recent history against Nebraska. The Buckeyes have outscored the Cornhuskers by an average of 53-18 while winning the last six meetings. Day says his players better not expect an easy Saturday in Lincoln. With the Buckeyes No. 5 in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings, they have no margin for error. No two-loss team has ever made the playoff. Nebraska has lost three straight and five of its last six. But none of the Huskers’ six losses has been by more than eight points.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa was rolling along, unbeaten at No. 2 in the AP poll and with its sights set on a spot in the College Football Playoffs just a few weeks ago. The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes will try to steady themselves after back-to-back losses when they visit Northwestern on Saturday. Iowa has been outscored by a combined 51-14 against Purdue and Wisconsin since knocking off then-No. 4 Penn State to improve to 6-0.  Northwestern is coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Michigan and Minnesota.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas State-Kansas game is one of the longest running rivalries in college football. It started in 1902 and will be played for the 119th time on Saturday. The game carries a lot of heft for Kansas residents. For the Jayhawks, this year’s game is a chance to earn a signature win in Lance Leipold’s first season in charge. For the Wildcats, it’s a chance to become eligible for a bowl game.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Missouri is a big underdog against top-ranked Georgia but that’s OK with coach Eliah Drinkwitz. The coach says he knows his team is facing a major challenge against the Bulldogs. Even so he says he is excited about the challenge. Georgia is favored by 39 1/2 points. Missouri is coming off a win over Vanderbilt but has questions at quarterback and has the nation’s worst rushing defense. Georgia leads the nation in scoring defense and ranks second against the run. The Bulldogs also have an uncertain situation at quarterback. Backup Stetson Bennett has made five consecutive starts following JT Daniels’ lat injury. 

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