In this week's Canadian Stock Watch, Ajou Ajou and No. 1 Clemson host Boston College without Trevor Lawrence, while No. 2 Alabama hosts Mississippi State with John Metchie looking to carry the receiving load in the absence of Jaylen Waddle.

Boston College (4-2) vs. No. 1 Clemson (6-0), 12pm et/9am pt on TSN1: Saturday's game with Boston College seemed relatively straightforward for Dabo Swinney's Tigers ahead of next weekend's key ACC clash in South Bend against No. 4 Notre Dame until a massive monkey wrench was thrown into their plans on Thursday night: star quarterback and likely top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft Trevor Lawrence tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and will be unavailable against the Eagles. Clemson had been favoured by 30 points, but the game was taken off the board in most betting houses by Thursday night. Saturday will see the Tigers take the field without Lawrence for the first time since the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018. In his stead comes freshman D.J. Uiagaleilei, a five-star recruit out of Bellflower, CA.

Canadian to Watch: WR Ajou Ajou (Brooks, Alta.) - Ajou got his first Clemson touchdown during the Tigers' 73-7 rout of Georgia Tech on Oct. 14, but only has two receptions on the season. His usage could change with Uiagaleilei under centre, but the change could also mean that the Tigers' offence could rely even more heavily than normal on star running back Travis Etienne.

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Texas (3-2) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State (4-0), 4pm et/1pm pt on FOX: The Big 12 is kind of all over the place this season with traditional powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas suffering multiple early losses that have likely taken them out of title contention. At the top of the conference right now are two of its middle powers in Kansas State and the No. 6 Cowboys who face Tom Herman's Longhorns in Stillwater. While Texas has enjoyed dominance in the rivalry between the two teams over the years (holding a 25-9 mark), Mike Gundy's team has been the better team in recent history. Though Texas won last season's meeting, 36-30, Oklahoma State had won the previous four meetings and head into the game as 3.5-point favourites. The biggest news surrounding these teams came off the field this week when quarterback Quinn Ewers, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022, decommitted from the Longhorns, a huge blow for a program still looking to reassert itself at the top of the bluebloods.

Canadian(s) to Watch: OLB Amen Ogbongbemiga (Calgary) and RB Chuba Hubbard (Sherwood Park, Alta.) - Ogbongbemiga isn't quite on pace to reach his 2019 numbers, but his 25 tackles are third on the team. Hubbard is once again among the FBS's top rushers with 478 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, positioning himself to be one of the first running backs off the board next spring.

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Mississippi State (1-3) vs. No. 2 Alabama (5-0), 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN2: For the second straight season, an injury to a key starter will test the Crimson Tide's mettle and put its depth into the spotlight. Last year, an injury in training camp ended linebacker Dylan Moses' season before it even started. This season, the big injury is on offence. The Crimson Tide's top receiver, Jaylen Waddle, broke his ankle during last weekend's win over Tennessee during a kick return. Alabama's receiving corps had already been decimated heading into the season with Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III turning pro. With Waddle out, Brampton, Ont.'s John Metchie will be looked at to carry even more of the receiving load. Already with 499 yards receiving and three TDs on the year, Metchie's rapport with QB Mac Jones will become crucial to Steve Sarkisian's offence. Sophomore Slade Bolden is also expected to see a big jump in his usage. As for Bama's opponents, the Bulldogs are looking to stop the bleeding, something that won't be easy against a punishing Crimson Tide. After starting off the season with a win over the defending national champion LSU Tigers, Mississippi State has lost three straight and scored only 30 points in the process. The optimism surrounding Mike Leach's first year on the job has quickly evaporated with the focus now turned on weeding out perceived malcontents on the roster.

Canadian to Watch: WR John Metchie (Brampton, Ont.) - The game against the Bulldogs should allow Nick Saban and Sarkisian to work out their new-look offence ahead of their bye and a more difficult matchup in two weeks against a LSU team that looks to have turned the corner on offence.

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Other Canadians to watch: Twin brothers, safety Sydney Brown and running back Chase Brown (London, Ont.), look to help Illinois bounce back from an opening week pounding by Wisconsin when they take on a Purdue team coming off an upset of Iowa. Elsewhere, wide receiver Terrell Jana (Vancouver) and Virginia face a tough test in No. 15 North Carolina who still have designs on an ACC title.

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ALSO ON TSN:

- No. 5 Georgia (3-1) vs. Kentucky (2-3), 12pm et/9am pt on TSN2:  The Bulldogs' lone blemish on their season thus far was a 41-24 loss to Alabama last time out on Oct. 17. Coming off of a bye, Kirby Smart's team takes on a Kentucky team that has been all over the place. Mark Stoops' Wildcats have shown flashes of quality in dominant wins over Mississippi State and Tennessee, but struggled mightily against Mizzou last weekend. With the Bulldogs looking to tighten up on defence, a Wildcats team thirsty for offence might be the tonic to do just that.

- No. 4 Notre Dame (5-0) vs. Georgia Tech (2-4), 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN1: The Irish offence broke out in a big way last weekend in a 45-3 demolition of Pitt after struggling to score only 12 points in a win against Louisville the previous week. Ahead of a huge ACC clash against the nation's top team, Clemson, next weekend, Brian Kelly's team can ill-afford a letdown against Tech. Following a win over the Cardinals in which the Yellow Jackets scored 46 points, Georgia Tech has allowed 121 points in its past two games in blowout losses to Clemson and Boston College. With the Notre Dame offence starting to click, the Tech defence could be in for a long afternoon.

- No. 3 Ohio State (1-0) vs. No. 18 Penn State (0-1), 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN1: The Nittany Lions' season could be over before it even really started with a poor performance on Saturday. James Franklin's team was shocked in overtime last weekend by Indiana with a wild two-point conversion by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penn State now faces the very real prospect of an 0-2 start and virtually no shot at the Big Ten title game should they fall to OSU. The Buckeyes didn't break a sweat in their opening weekend 52-17 rout of Nebraska. Quarterback and Heisman candidate Justin Fields led the way with 276 yards passing, 56 yards rushing and three total TDs.