5 storylines to watch ahead of Saturday's games

Will Lane Kiffin leave Tennessee safely?

To say that Tennessee fans dislike Alabama's offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is an understatement. When the former Volunteers coach returns with the Crimson Tide to Neyland stadium, the Tennessee crowd is more likely to welcome him with closed fists than open arms.

Although No. 4 Alabama is known to struggle offensively on the road, the Crimson Tide are the clear favorites in this matchup against Tennesse, having beaten the Volunteers seven straight times. Tennessee has not exceeded the 17-point mark in its last 10 games with Alabama. 

Just how potentially volatile is this situation? Lane's mother Robin Kiffin is scared for her boy and wants him to do his job from the press box. But Kiffin will continue to coach the Crimson Tide from the sidelines as he always does and hopes to leave Knoxville, Tenn. with a victory, and without any incidents. 

Can LSU upset Ole Miss?

When No. 24 LSU hosts No. 3 Ole Miss on Saturday, it will be the first time both teams have been ranked for this game since 2003. 

Despite struggling early this season, LSU is coming off a 41-3 win at home over Kentucky in which the Tigers returned to what they knew best: running the ball. LSU returned to basics and rushed for 303 yards. However, the offense is still looking one-dimensional: LSU has failed to top 150 yards passing in each of their past three games, and are completing just 51.4 percent of their passes this season. 

Opponent Ole Miss will not be easy to topple. The Rebels are riding off an impressive three-game winning streak over Alabama, Texas A&M and Tennessee. The "Landshark" defense at Ole Miss is ranked second nationally in points allowed with 10.6 points per game, and is second only to Alabama in SEC rushing defense at 97.1 yards per game. 

It will be a close battle for victory in Death Valley. 

Will Penn State's offensive line step up?

Ohio State challenges Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday, and with the way the Nittany Lions offense has been playing, the matchup could get ugly.  

Penn State is last in Big Ten offense with only 376 offensive yards gained per game. The fact that the Nittany Lions have scored 19 points in the last two games combined is evidence of the o-line's deep struggle to move the ball. 2013 Big Ten freshman of the year Christian Hackenberg and his NFL-caliber arm has been sacked 20 times in six games, and thrown only five touchdown passes against seven interceptions.  

A bright spot is that the Nittany Lions will be coming off of a bye week most likely spent combing through playbooks, and Ohio State may slip since they have already started looking to the Nov. 8 matchup against Michigan State.

Will Vanderbilt's fourth quarterback help the Commodores?

Coach Derek Mason is having a rough first season at Vanderbilt. In their four SEC games, the Commodores have been outscored 150-61. Victories over lower level teams from UMass and Charleston Southern have not been enough to boost team and fan morale. 

Vanderbilt has set a unique record this season though: the Commodores are the first SEC team to start four quarterbacks in the 2014 season. The shining hope for a victory against Missouri is redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny McCrary, who is covering for an injured Wade Freebeck. Starting quarterback Patton Robinette has been medically cleared to suit up against Mizzou after suffering a concussion in the Sept. 20 loss to South Carolina. 

McCrary has a 52.6 percent pass completion rate with three interceptions and one touchdown. This will be his first career start. 

Will Mississippi State be caught looking ahead?

No. 1 Mississippi State is set to face unranked Kentucky on Saturday and everyone is questioning whether the Bulldogs will succumb to the pressure of playing as a top-ranked team. 

The 6-0 Bulldogs enter with Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Dak Prescott, who is a consistent team leader in both passing and rushing. Prescott has a 61.5 percent completion rate, throwing 14 touchdowns against just four interceptions this season. He's also run for 568 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Kentucky, who is 5-2 this season, plans to use defensive end Alvin "Bud" Dupree to derail Prescott. Last year in the Wildcats' close loss to Mississippi State, Dupree made a career-high 13 tackles and had two tackles for loss and a crucial, fourth-quarter quarterback sack. This season he welcomes the Bulldogs with 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks under his belt. 

The college football realm is already counting this matchup as a win for Mississippi State and are looking ahead a few weeks to the Nov. 15 game against Alabama. The Wildcats are ready for a fight, and refuse to be counted as an easy win. If the Bulldogs do not concentrate on the current game, Mississippi State could find themselves in an unexpected struggle.