Most people figure the college football season comes in two parts – the regular season and the postseason.

But Nick Saban sees it differently for his Crimson Tide, which not surprisingly claimed the top spot in the initial College Football Playoff poll of the season.

Alabama is 8-0 so far this year, topping the 50-point mark in six games. But, as the coach put it, the Tide is flipping the calendar and flipping the page to a new season, one that begins at 7 p.m. Saturday on CBS at LSU, the No. 3 team in the playoff ranking.

“Basically, we’re in a new season in terms of the teams we have to play,” Saban said.

“Especially the team that we play this week, who’s one of the best teams in the nation. I think they’re very elite in terms of the way they play defense. Their offense is really efficient and has done a great job this year.

“This team is really good all-around, so every part of our team is going to have to get challenged and is going to have to respond very well to the challenges in this game.”

Auburn’s JaTarvious Whitlow jumps over a tackle and keeps going in the first half of Auburn’s victory over Ole Miss. (Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics)

Gus Malzahn said his Auburn Tigers spent their bye week focused on themselves. This week, their attention is on Texas A&M, which visits at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“We got to clean some things up, really, in all three phases that can help us in these last three weeks,” the coach said. “And then, of course, any time you get an extra couple of days on an opponent, that really helps. We got a chance to watch them play on Saturday, so it’s good to get a head start on that, too.”

Here’s what Auburn saw in the Aggies, who are No. 25 in the playoff ranking.

“They’re very good against the run,” Malzahn said. “They mix things up offensively. They’ve got a dual-threat quarterback (where) you have to account for his feet. And he can throw it, too, with some big, talented receivers. I think their special teams is solid. Their punter really stands out to me. He can really change the game as far as field position goes.”

The University of Alabama at Birmingham didn’t make it into the AP Top 25 but received enough votes that it would have been ranked No. 35. The mission for UAB is to strengthen its hold on first place in Conference USA when it hosts the University of Texas at San Antonio at 6:30 p.m. on beIN.

The Blazers are coming off a 19-0 shutout of Texas-El Paso, the team’s C-USA-record third shutout of the season. The Blazers are the only team in the country with multiple shutouts this season. UAB has not allowed a point in six straight quarters, and in five C-USA games has held its opponents scoreless in 16 of 20 quarters.

“We’re playing really good team defense,” coach Bill Clark said. “That starts with pursuit and tackling. We’re getting a lot of good pressure on the quarterback.

“Sometimes, we’ve got great coverage, which leads to a sack,” he said. “Sometimes, the great pressure leads to better coverage.”

 

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With four additional sacks at UTEP, the Blazers are now tied with Oklahoma State for the most sacks in the nation (31 total, 3.88/game).

A post shared by UAB Football (@uab_fb) on Oct 29, 2018 at 4:20pm PDT

In other action:

Tuskegee at Miles: It seems the season couldn’t end any differently in the West Division of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Golden Tigers (5-4) and Golden Bears (3-6) are both 3-2 in league action. This 2 p.m. contest will settle whose gold will appear in the conference championship game. Last Saturday at Clark Atlanta, Miles quarterback Daniel Smith found wide receiver Mikhail Jacobs in the back of the end zone with a 28-yard touchdown pass as time expired and kicker Jackson Spradlin booted a 35-yard extra point into a swirling wind to give Miles a 28-27 win. Meanwhile, Tuskegee fell 40-36 to Central State.

UT-Martin at Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks (6-2, 5-1 Ohio Valley Conference) bounced back from their first OVC loss in 36 games by trouncing Murray State last week. They’ll look to extend their current streak to two at 1 p.m. against the Skyhawks, who are 1-7 overall and 1-4 in the league.

After a few rough weeks, the Samford Bulldogs have put together a three-game winning streak. (Marvin Gentry)

Louisiana at Troy: It’s homecoming at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the 6-2 Trojans, who are 4-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. “’November separates pretenders from contenders,’” coach Neal Brown told his team. “We are going to find out which one we are.” Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.

Huntingdon at North Carolina Wesleyan: The Hawks alternated wins and losses in October after going 0-3 in September. They’ll look to get November off on the right foot at noon Central Time.

South Alabama at Arkansas State: The Jaguars (2-6) reach for Win No. 3 at 2 p.m. Central.

Alabama A&M at Arkansas Pine Bluff: Coming off a victory over rival Alabama State in the Magic City Classic, the Bulldogs (4-4, 3-2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) look to move above .500 overall at 2:30 p.m.

Texas Southern at Alabama State: Speaking of the Classic, the Hornets (2-5, 1-2) have lost two in a row and five of their past six. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Birmingham-Southern at Millsaps: Following three straight wins, the Panthers fell last week at Berry. This week, they face the Majors at 1 p.m. Central.

Wofford at Samford: Speaking of win streaks, the Bulldogs have notched three victories in a row after having lost four in succession. They host the Terriers at 2 p.m.

Shorter at North Alabama: The Lions are 5-3 in their transition season to Division I. A winning season will be assured with a triumph over the Hawks at 1:30 p.m.

West Alabama at Mississippi College: This 2 p.m. game features the top rushing offense in the Gulf South Conference against the best rushing defense. The Choctaws average 282.1 yards rushing per game, while UWA is allowing just 105.8 per game.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Class 7A: McGill-Toolen heads to Fairhope. The winner will clinch the No. 2 seed in 7A Region 1 and the loser will be No. 3.

Class 6A: Jackson-Olin hosts Class 5A Parker. This Birmingham City Schools rivalry aside, there is a lot at stake. A JO win would clinch the first 10-0 regular season in school history. A win by the Thundering Herd would clinch a 5A Region 4 playoff berth as the No. 4 team.

Class 5A: Central-Tuscaloosa heads to Fairfield.

Class 4A: Montevallo hosts Lincoln. Montevallo quarterback Malik Inabinette has had four 400-yard passing games this season. MaxPreps ranks him as being the Alabama high school leader in passing yards this season with 2,800 yards.

Class 3A: Piedmont makes its way to Geraldine.

Class 2A: Abbeville entertains Headland in the 80^th renewal of this rivalry. Abbeville leads 45-31-4 but Headland could finish 10-0 for the first time in school history, dating back to 1921.

Class 1A: Gordo travels to Pickens County.

AISA: Macon-East (8-2) plays at Morgan Academy (9-2) in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.