Stretch those sitting muscles and those remote clicking fingers because we have a couple weeks of must-see football left. It’s the home stretch, and you’re going to need every beverage, every chicken wing, and every bit of energy you have to make it through the rest of the regular season.
You’ll see folks telling you “where did the time go?” but we all know exactly where it went. It went into a few months of hope, failure, disappointment, expectations, surprises, fun, good, bad, noteworthy performances, mediocrity, and quotable moments. Which is to say it was a football season, and a football season just like a lot of the others. Enjoy it for it will be gone soon, and we’ll be starting to look ahead to next year, building teams up and forgetting about others and never remembering any of the lessons we should have learned along the way.
Here’s this week’s viewing guide. (As always, times are in Eastern.)
The Early Slate
FRONT AND CENTER
Noon: North Carolina (-5) at Virginia Tech (ESPN)
It’s Frank Beamer’s final home game with the Hokies in what has been a storied and epic career. If you care even a little bit about college football history, it’s worth tuning into this one. Plus, that UNC offense has been putting up points in dizzying numbers lately, so watching Virginia Tech try to slow the Tar Heels down will be interesting, as well.
Noon: Michigan (-3.5) at Penn State (ABC)
That’s a suspiciously low line, which means Vegas seems to think this game is going to be a close one in Happy Valley. Penn State has quietly gone 7-2 since that opening week loss to Temple, and the Nittany Lions could grab the statement win that’s been eluding them all season if they could find a way to knock off Michigan. The Wolverines, meanwhile, are still technically in the hunt to play their way into Indianapolis for the Big Ten title, but have to win this one, beat Ohio State and also need the Buckeyes to beat Michigan State in Columbus.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
Noon: Memphis (-1.5) at Temple (ESPNU)
Just a few weeks ago, both these teams were undefeated and the talk of the American. November is a fickle month, though, and now the Tigers and Owls each need a win to avoid dropping their third game of the season. Paxton Lynch continues to dazzle for the Tigers, and Memphis might just have the edge in hopes of bouncing back after that disappointing finish to Houston a week ago.
Dog Day Afternoon
FRONT AND CENTER
3:30 p.m.: Michigan State at Ohio State (-13.5) (ABC)
You’re already watching this game, I’m sure. So, you don’t need me to tell you why you should be watching it. But this showdown is as big as we all thought it would be heading into the season, and despite Michigan State’s loss to Nebraska, the Spartans can still win the Big Ten (thanks to that last-second miracle win over the Wolverines earlier in the season) if they win out. But beating the Buckeyes is already a tall order, especially with Spartans’ quarterback Connor Cook on the mend.
3:30 p.m.: USC at Oregon (-4.5) (ESPN)
Heading into the year this seemed like a big game. Then everything kind of went down the tubes for both the Trojans and the Ducks. And something strange happened – both teams rallied the second half of the year. So, it suddenly is important again! Which says something about the power of perseverance or something, I’m sure, but I’m just way too tired to connect the dots right now. We need those people from Bones on the case.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
3:30 p.m.: LSU at Ole Miss (-6.5) (CBS)
A couple weeks ago, LSU was undefeated, had a Heisman frontrunner, and controlled its own destiny in the SEC heading into a huge game against Alabama. Then two losses later (and two mediocre games by Leonard Fournette), and now there are rumblings that Les Miles is on the hot seat. Even though this seems a little insane, it just goes to show you how quickly things can change in college football.
*Second Screen Special BONUS EDITION: Make sure and have your clicker handy because there’s also that UCLA-Utah game, Houston-UConn, and Northwestern-Wisconsin, and both are at least worth checking if one of the other three up top gets out of hand*
Under The Lights
FRONT AND CENTER
7:30 p.m.: Baylor at Oklahoma State (-1) (FOX)
It looks like Baylor quarterback Jarrett Stidham is a go for the Bears despite being uncertain for most of this week. This would be huge, and the Bears need him badly against a Cowboys team that seems to win no matter how much the odds have been stacked against them this season (like James Bond against an army of henchmen) and has been especially good at home. Oklahoma State’s the Big 12’s best shot at a Playoff team right now, and that two quarterback system is a big part of the reason why. So, do yourself a favor and read Ben Kercheval’s breakdown of the situation before kickoff.
7:30 p.m.: TCU at Oklahoma (ABC) (No line available)
Josh Doctson being out hurts so, so much. And Trevone Boykin is a “maybe.” Even if both had played, this was still a tall order for a TCU team playing on the road, banged up, against an Oklahoma team that is coming off a huge win over Baylor. The Sooners have been streaking since that loss to Texas, and the offense keeps getting better, so much so that Baker Mayfield is suddenly a Heisman candidate. Can Oklahoma keep its Playoff hopes alive (remember, there’s that game in Stillwater against Oklahoma State next weekend too), or can TCU find one last bit of magic, and make an even bigger mess of the Big 12 title picture?
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
7:30 p.m.: Georgia Southern at Georgia (-13.5) (ESPNU)
Sure, you could watch Mississippi State-Arkansas if you want. I wouldn’t blame you. I just am interested to see how Georgia tries to slow down this Georgia Southern offense in Athens. There’s also that shiny Fenway Park game between Boston College and Notre Dame if you like your football played in baseball stadiums.
The Late Show
FRONT AND CENTER
10:30 p.m.: California at Stanford (-11) (ESPN)
That Jared Goff vs. Kevin Hogan match-up isn’t as tasty as it was a couple weeks ago before Cal fell off a bit and Stanford got upended by Oregon, but it’s still a mighty fine way to cap off what should be a really fun and exciting Week 12. Remember, there aren’t that many of these weeks left, so we may as well make an extra pot of coffee and save our sleep for the Holiday Season.
