In the middle of the season, it’s time to start separating the contenders from the contenders. And with a loaded slate set for Saturday in week 8 that features three games with the top 25 teams facing off, we probably have clarity to come Sunday morning.

Two of those games are West in the Pac-12, where the division races heat up as No. 12 Oregon heads to No. 25 California and No. 13 Utah hosts No. 17 Arizona state. The third, No. 7 Penn state vs. No. 16 Michigan, will have major implications on the Big Ten standings depending on which team leaves with a win in State College.

Seven other remaining undefeated teams will also play this weekend – Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Ohio state, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Penn State-as the fight to crack into the top four of the upcoming playoff rankings continues.

You’re going to want to settle in early Saturday for a solid slate that will keep you going all day.

All times Eastern; games played on Saturday unless otherwise noted.

The biggest games

No. 3 Clemson at Louisville, abc, noon: ACC Atlantic’s top two teams will go head-to-head at cardinal stadium. Clemson lost the top spot in the AP Top 25 Poll after only narrowly escaping to chapel hill three weeks ago, but still sits at 6-0 on the season after destroying Florida state last week. Louisville is on a tear after taking down the Wake forest team rankings in week 7. Can card – at home – to complete the upset ing the attempt by the tar heels could not?

No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington, ABC, 3: 30 p.m.: Oregon’s defense will be tough for Washington to beat, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Facing the best secondary in the conference, the huskies will need another offensive outburst as they release against Arizona if they want a shot at taking down the ducks. A win for Oregon, on the other hand, could help them essentially lock up the Pac-12 North crown.

No. 17 Arizona state at No. 13 Utah, Pac-12 network, stream on FuboTV (Try it for free), 6 p.m.: the Second top 25 showdown in the Pac-12 comes with a chance to start in the pac-12 South. Arizona state freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels has made serious progress throughout the season, but the winner of this conference clash will be determined on the defensive side of the ball. The cliffs seem to have the edge, but the Sun Devils have shown that their secondary can be activated as needed.

No. 16 Michigan at No. 7 Penn state, ABC, 7: 30 p.m.: The wolverines head to Happy Valley and knock undefeated Penn state to the top of the Big Ten East standings. Ohio state sits next to the Nittany Lions with a perfect record – and both teams will face the Buckeyes later this season, making Saturday’s showdown a conference decider. With “white out” planned at State College, the energy is all but guaranteed to be electric.

Other great games

No. 9 Florida at South Carolina, ESPN, noon: South Carolina showed they can hang with the SEC’s best teams after handing Georgia its ” first loss last week. It took two overtimes, but will Muschamp’s team still successfully coped with this Desk. Florida, on the other hand, enters the matchup fresh off a loss to No. 2 LSU.

No. 2 LSU at Mississippi state, CBS, 3: 30 p.m.: It shouldn’t be too tough for the tigers to take, but watching Joe burrow orchestrate this LSU offense is like watching a work of art. He threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns with an 87.5 completion percentage last week. He could have his Heisman Trophy hopes of another five or six touchdown performances this weekend on the road.

Temple at No. 19 SMU, ESPN2, 3: 30 p.m.: SMU is the last undefeated AAC team still standing and temple is on the verge of breaking the AP Top 25 poll. This game could go a long way in determining the AAC champion, and could be a potential rematch in the AAC title game later this year.

No. 18 Baylor at Oklahoma state, Fox, stream on FuboTV (Try it for free), 4 p.m.: Baylor is one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12 with Oklahoma. A win this weekend would be a big step toward the bears keeping their Vice record free ahead of the showdown with the Sooners in week 10.

Kentucky at No. 10 Georgia, ESPN, 6 p.m.: How the bulldogs recover from a double overtime loss to unranked South Carolina last week will give a glimpse of what lies ahead before the end of the season. Georgia is 3-3 under Kirby Smart in games immediately after the loss and Kentucky – who led Florida for three quarters a few weeks ago-is ripe for an upset.

Watch out for …

• West Virginia at No. 5 Oklahoma, Fox, stream on FuboTV (try free), noon
• No 6 Wisconsin at Illinois, BTN, stream on FuboTV (Try free), noon
• No 11 Auburn at Arkansas, SEC Network, noon
• Purdue at No. 23 Iowa, ESPN2, noon
• Duke at Virginia, accn, 3:30 p.m.
• Tulsa at No. 21 Cincinnati, espnu, 3:30 p.m.
• Tulane at Memphis, ESPN2, 7:00 p.m.
• Tennessee at No. 1 Alabama, ESPN, 9 p.m.
• no 14 Boise state at BYU, ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.