College Football Viewing Guide, Week 13: It’s Rivalry Week


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Man, the college football regular season is basically over. This is lame. College football should be a year-round sport. We need football in the spring and in the summer and in the winter – in addition to the fall. The current system is great, but it can be better. That’s neither here nor there.

So the watch guide is going to be a little different this week. Instead of doing The Early Slate, Dog Day Afternoon, Under the Lights, and The Late Show, we’re going to look at all five major conferences (plus the best Group of Five teams) and talk about the big games heading into next weekend. Additionally, we’ll talk about how the games this week could impact the Playoff race. Cool? Cool.

Group of Five

Don’t look now, but we have four Group of Five teams with a shot at making it to the Cotton Bowl. The top Group of Five squad goes to Arlington, and the committee currently has Boise State at 19, Houston at 20, Western Michigan at 21, and Navy at 25.

It’s possible that another Group of Five team (say, San Diego State or South Florida) crashes the party, but it looks like one of these four squads will make the Playoff. We’ll dive into this in depth next week once the Group of 5 picture becomes a little more clear, but man, I’m gonna feel bad for Western Michigan if it wins out, goes undefeated, and doesn’t make the Cotton Bowl.

GAMES TO WATCH:

Noon: Houston vs. Memphis, ABC (FRIDAY)
3:30 p.m.: Boise State vs. Air Force, CBS Sports Network (FRIDAY)
5:00 p.m.: Toledo vs. Western Michigan, ESPN2 (FRIDAY)
3:30 p.m.: Navy vs. SMU, ESPNU

Big XII

This one’s easy: everything comes down to Oklahoma hosting Oklahoma State. The team that wins this game wins the conference. But that’s not until next weekend, so, uh … watch TCU vs. Texas on Friday because the Longhorns are going to play with their heads on fire for Charlie Strong.

GAMES TO WATCH:

3:30 p.m.: TCU vs. Texas, FS1 (FRIDAY)

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SEC

No drama here in terms of conference title Saturday, as we know that Alabama and Florida will face off in Atlanta next weekend. Alabama has been the best team in the country this year, while Florida locked up the East last week thanks to a thrilling goal-line stand against LSU.

As for the Playoff, Alabama is the only team with a shot, although there is a scenario where Florida wins out, a ton of craziness occurs, and the Gators get to play for a title. Still, Alabama is likely in barring a total collapse. This week’s Iron Bowl should be fun, as the Crimson Tide host a good Auburn squad, but you can probably get away with watching something other than the SEC this weekend.

GAMES TO WATCH:

3:30 p.m.: Auburn vs. Alabama, CBS
8:00 p.m.: Florida vs. Florida State, ABC

ACC

We know that Clemson will represent the ACC Atlantic in the conference championship game. The Tigers are in a “win and in” situation with regards to the Playoff, too. Should Dabo Swinney’s squad take down South Carolina this week and the ACC Coastal champion next week, they’re in. If not? Well, that’s where things become interesting and the door is opened for, say, the Big XII champs or the Big Ten champion if it’s not Michigan or Ohio State.

But we’ll worry about that stuff next week. For now, Clemson doesn’t have to worry about anything other than beating the Gamecocks and getting to Orlando for the title game in a timely manner. Where things get interesting are in the ACC Coastal, which has come down to Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

The Tar Heels play a tricky NC State squad on Friday. If they win, the Hokies will need to upend Virginia on Saturday. If they lose, Virginia Tech will clinch the Coastal title regardless, as it holds the tiebreaker over North Carolina. (Actually, if both teams lose, there is a chance we end up with a four-way tie atop the Coastal with those two teams, Pitt, and Miami, but Virginia Tech has beaten all three of the other teams.)

Odds are Clemson would be able to win the conference regardless of which team they play, but a Tigers vs. Hokies or Tigers vs. Tar Heels championship would probably be a ton of fun. As for the Playoff, it’s hard to see Virginia Tech or North Carolina making it in regardless, so odds are it’s Clemson or bust. Unless the committee decides to give Louisville another shot, which, hey, crazier things have happened.

GAMES TO WATCH:

Noon: NC State vs. North Carolina, ESPN (FRIDAY)
Noon: Virginia vs. Virginia Tech, ESPN2

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Pac-12

Here’s where things start getting really, really fun. We’ll start with the North because that’s easier: the team that wins the Apple Cup will win the division. Washington and Washington State are both 7-1 in conference play, so this is a de facto play in game for the Pac-12 title game. For the Huskies, this isn’t a huge surprise, other than the fact that they’ve been the best team in the conference this season. For Wazzu, which fell to Eastern Washington and Boise State to start the year, this is stunning.

Rivalry games are usually really intense. When you add in that this is for a chance to play for a conference title, plus you factor in that Washington has a relatively easy path to the Playoff and Washington State can play spoiler, and you remember that the Apple Cup is such an interesting game, this is going to rule.

As for the South, we know one thing: USC is going to end the season at 7-2 in the conference, because the team plays Notre Dame (which is 4-7) this weekend in a non-conference game. The Trojans’ destiny is out of their hands and completely in the hands of the biggest surprise in college football: Colorado.

The Buffs lost to USC earlier this year, so the tiebreaker in the event that Colorado loses on Saturday goes to the Trojans. If the Buffaloes want their magical season to continue, they need to beat a Utah team that is probably angry coming off of a close loss at home to Oregon. If this game was taking place a month ago, it would have been fun to begin with. But this weekend with so much on the line? Well now it’s going to outright rule.

For the Playoff, the only teams that have much of a shot are Washington and Colorado. Washington State is almost certainly not making it in, while USC would need a lot to happen to earn a shot – odds are, the Trojans would get the four seed if anything, where they would play an Alabama team that beat them 52-3 to start the year. Even though USC is playing some outstanding football right now, that would probably be lingering in the back of the committee’s mind.

So yeah, the Huskies are almost certainly in if they win the Pac-12. The Buffaloes would also have a really good shot, but would likely need a few teams ahead of them lose – there is a really interesting scenario where Penn State or Wisconsin win the Big Ten and the committee would have to choose between the two-loss Big Ten champs or the two-loss Pac-12 champs, with the monkey wrench of Ohio State very easily making the Playoff even without a conference title.

So yeah, Pac-12 Saturday is going to be A Good Time.

GAMES TO WATCH:

3:30 p.m.: Washington vs. Washington State, Fox (FRIDAY)
3:30 p.m.: Notre Dame vs. USC, ABC
7:30 p.m.: Utah vs. Colorado, Fox

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Big Ten

This is the conference that you’re going to watch above everything else this weekend. Both divisions are up for grabs, and it’s not a stretch at all to watch a conference title game next weekend without Ohio State or Michigan.

But before we get to the craziness and Playoff implications of this weekend in the East, let’s start in the West, where Wisconsin likely has the division locked up. Nebraska has a shot at making it to Indy, but that would mean the Cornhuskers have to go to Iowa and beat the Hawkeyes while the Badgers lose at home to a good Minnesota squad. If Nebraska and Wisconsin lose, the Badgers are still going to Indy.

Wisconsin is in a really good position for the Playoff. Should it advance to the conference title game and win in Indianapolis, Paul Chryst’s team is going to have one of the best resumes in the country. If Nebraska wins the Big Ten, things get weird, because it’s hard to see them going from 16th this week to Top-4 in two weeks. But it would be nice to see Tommy Armstrong get the chance to play for a national title. So, there’s that.

The East is where things have the potential to get completely insane. Three teams have a chance to make it to Indianapolis: Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Here’s how all three could get there …

  • Michigan: Beat Ohio State.
  • Ohio State: Beat Michigan, hope Michigan State beats Penn State.
  • Penn State: Hope Ohio State beats Michigan, beat Michigan State.

The fact that the division title and spot in Indianapolis is so dependent on the result of The Game isn’t a surprise, but the fact that the Nittany Lions have a very realistic path to Indy is a shock. Considering the Buckeyes are hosting the Wolverines, John O’Korn may make his first road start for Michigan, and the Nittany Lions are at home against an underwhelming Michigan State team that could be without Malik McDowell, it’s not hard to see Penn State winning the division.

Still, the battle for the glorious Land Grant Trophy means nothing if Michigan just wins on Saturday. All three of these teams have a shot at the Playoff. If Michigan wins out, it’s in, obviously. Penn State will need some help, even if it wins the Big Ten title, but the path is there if, say, Clemson or Washington lose.

Ohio State is a fascinating case. If it loses, it’s out. If it wins the Big Ten, it’s in. Both of these are obvious. But what happens if the Buckeyes win on Saturday, Penn State beats Michigan State, and either the Nittany Lions or the Badgers/Cornhuskers win the Big Ten? Does Ohio State still make it in over its own conference champion? If it’s Wisconsin or Nebraska, you have the argument of “Ohio State won the head-to-head.” But if it’s Penn State, the Nittany Lions can say “sure, two losses, but we have the conference title and the head-to-head over the Buckeyes.”

GAMES TO WATCH:

3:30 p.m.: Nebraska vs. Iowa, ABC (FRIDAY)
Noon: Michigan vs. Ohio State, ABC
3:30 p.m.: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, Big Ten Network
3:30 p.m.: Michigan State vs. Penn State, ESPN

It’s going to be a crazy weekend. Well, it’s going to be a crazy couple of weekends, but this one should be especially wild. Saddle yourself up on the couch with some Thanksgiving leftovers, because there’s a whole heck of a lot of good football on this Saturday.

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