By JOHN LINDSAY, Scripps Howard News Service

Capsule previews for Saturday's college football games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

NORTHWESTERN (5-4) at No. 8 IOWA (9-0), Noon, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Iowa by 16.

COACHES: Pat Fitzgerald (24-22 in fourth year at Northwestern) and Kirk Ferentz (79-53 in 11th year at Iowa).

Capsule previews of Thursday and Friday's top college games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

THURSDAY:

No. 23 VIRGINIA TECH (5-3) at EAST CAROLINA (5-3), 7:30, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Va. Tech by 12.

COACHES: Frank Beamer (182-91-2 in 23td year at Va. Tech) and Skip Holtz (34-25 in fifth year at East Carolina).

In a little more than a month, the 75th Heisman Trophy will be awarded in New York City. And right now, the race could not be more wide open.

November is the cruelest month for coaches. And since no one has been officially axed yet, here's a list of who will in the coming weeks.

GOOD AS GONE

Capsule previews for Saturday's top college football games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

INDIANA (4-4) at No. 7 IOWA (8-0), Noon, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Iowa by 17.

COACHES: Bill Lynch (14-19 in third year at Indiana) and Kirk Ferentz (78-53 in 11th year at Iowa).

LAST WEEK: Indiana lost at Northwestern, 29-28. Iowa won at Michigan State, 15-13.

An October surprise has hit the Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll.

Just two weeks after Florida quarterback Tim Tebow appeared to be in charge of the race, Alabama running back Mark Ingram grabbed the lead in a jumbled vote that saw six different players receive first-place votes.

Capsule previews for Thursday and Friday's college games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

THURSDAY:

NORTH CAROLINA (4-3) at No. 14 VIRGINIA TECH (5-2), 7:30, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Virginia Tech by 15.

COACHES: Butch Davis (16-16 in third year at UNC) and Frank Beamer (182-91-2 in 23rd year at Va. Tech).

A gift arrives Saturday with a full slate of college football excitement set for Halloween. The on-field bedlam of this unpredictable season might just be matched by the -- shall we say -- colorful activity in the stands and tailgates.

So with that in mind, here are the season's five scariest statistics so far:

Capsule previews for Saturday's top college games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

MINNESOTA (4-3) at No. 18 OHIO STATE (5-2), Noon, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Ohio State by 18.

COACHES: Tim Brewster (12-20 in third year at Minnesota) and Jim Tressel (88-21 in 9th year at Ohio State).

Apparently, no one told Alabama running back Mark Ingram that the Heisman Trophy race was over.

After racing through and past South Carolina defenders for a career-high 246 yards rushing (third most ever by a Crimson Tide player), Ingram similarly shot into this week's Scripps Howard News Service Heisman Trophy poll.