‘You Are Looking Live’: All The College Football Games You Need To Watch In Week 13

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I appreciate each and everyone of you who is actually reading this thing and keeping me going even though I’m running on tea and soup and Advil Liqui-Gels (still waiting on that sponsorship btw) by this point of the season. I do this for you. I don’t do it for me. I would’ve scrapped this weekly thing a long time ago if a few of you hadn’t outright told me “we read this and we like it.” So here it is once again.

We get the always-fun Friday slate of games, which makes things easier on Saturday because we can turn our attention to the games that matter without any sort of background noise. And there’s football all day Friday while you’re immobile and still fighting off a food coma. Thank you college football schedule gods, you always come through.

Let’s watch some games! (Times are in Eastern.)

Turkey Day Features

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FRONT AND CENTER

7:30 p.m.: Texas Tech at Texas (-1.5) (Fox Sports 1)

Two things make this one interesting: (1) Texas is favored, and (2) the Longhorns need to win out to make a bowl. While it seems a longshot at this point, especially since the last game of the season is against Baylor, it’s still intriguing enough to keep this on your radar if you crave college football over the NFL games happening on Thursday.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

7:30 p.m.: South Florida at UCF (ESPN) (No line available)

Willie Taggart went from hotseat to hot coach again over the past few weeks. Let’s get back on the bus!

The Bulls will be huge fans of UConn this weekend when the Huskies play Temple. A loss by the Owls and a win by USF would get the Bulls into the American Championship. Dispatching a winless UCF team has to happen first.

Friday Fun

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FRONT AND CENTER

Noon: Navy at Houston (-1) (ABC)

The crown jewel of the early afternoon, there’s a conference title spot up for grabs, and there’ll likely be close to 80 points in the process.

3:30 p.m.: Iowa (-1.5) at Nebraska (ESPN)

The Hawkeyes only being favored by 1.5 points is scary. Real scary. Scarier still is that Iowa is on a regional cover of Sports Illustrated. And that Nebraska needs this win to get bowl eligible. The Hawkeyes have been playing really good football (you have to be good in order to stay undefeated this late in the season), but their Playoff hopes would likely be dashed if they can’t beat the Huskers. Which Nebraska team shows up? The one that beat Michigan State, or the one that lost to Purdue?

7:30 p.m.: Baylor (-1.5) at TCU (ESPN)

Trevone Boykin is back in practice having fun and being Trevone Boykin, and that makes this one way more interesting and fun from a “watching football” perspective. The Horned Frogs almost engineered a comeback against the Oklahoma team that beat Baylor a couple weeks ago, and everyone remembers that 61-58 thriller from a year ago. Here’s hoping even with Baylor on its third-string quarterback that we’ll get points and fun and friends.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIALS

Noon: Marshall at Western Kentucky (-10.5) (Fox Sports 1)

Just trust me on this one. It’s worth your time.

2:30 p.m.: Missouri at Arkansas (-14) (CBS)

This could be Gary Pinkel’s last game at Missouri if the Tigers don’t win to get bowl eligible. You know his players are going to be playing extra hard to ensure he gets one more game on the sidelines. It’s a big test, though, against an Arkansas team that can really run the football and has played some of the most ridiculously entertaining games in the SEC this season (in wins and losses).

Saturday: The Early Slate

FRONT AND CENTER

Noon: Ohio State at Michigan (-1.5) (ABC)

The defending national champions and winners of 10 of the last 11 meetings are underdogs in Ann Arbor. You were going to watch this game anyway, and you didn’t need me to give you even that little piece of information. But I am just looking out for you.

Noon: Virginia Tech (-3.5) at Virginia (ESPNU)

The Hokies need to win to keep that bowl streak (since 1993) alive, and to give Frank Beamer one more game as Virginia Tech head coach. His last home game was special, but it was a loss, and the team especially doesn’t want to give up the Commonwealth Cup this year.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

Noon: Southern Mississippi at Louisiana Tech (-6) (Fox Sports Network – Regionally)

We all need a little more C-USA football in our lives.

Saturday: Dog Day Afternoon

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FRONT AND CENTER

3:30 p.m.: Alabama (-13.5) at Auburn (CBS)

It’s not as big a game as in recent years, but hey, it’s still the Iron Bowl. That has to count for something.

3:30 p.m.: UCLA at USC (-3) (ABC/ESPN2)

Another rivalry game that doesn’t hold quite as much attention as it would if both teams were having better seasons, but UCLA going into the Coliseum is always worth a watch. And there’s still plenty of talent on both sides to make for an enjoyable experience.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

3:30 p.m.: Penn State at Michigan State (ESPN) (No line available)

The Spartans gave everything they had in their win in Columbus behind backup Tyler O’Connor, but they can’t make the Big Ten title game if they don’t beat Penn State. This is worth having in the background just in case it gets dicey late.

Saturday: Under The Lights

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FRONT AND CENTER

8 p.m.: Oklahoma (-7) at Oklahoma State (ABC)

Bedlam is going to be so great. CAN’T WAIT!

7:30 p.m.: Notre Dame at Stanford (-3.5) (FOX)

The Fighting Irish’s chances at making the Playoff hinge on this game. A loss and they’re out of the picture entirely. Stanford wants this one badly, and to show off Christian McCaffrey’s prowess which has been unheralded all season long nationally.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

7:30 p.m.: Florida State (-2) at Florida (ESPN)

You get a chance to watch Dalvin Cook try to operate against that Gators defense. This is well worth an additional screen all by itself.

*If you have screens on screens, please consider watching the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss-Mississippi State) at 7:15 on ESPN2 or Texas A&M playing LSU on the SEC Network at 7:30 or even the 7:00 p.m. showdown between UConn-Temple on ESPNU. Hey, it’s Thanksgiving weekend. Gluttony is encouraged.*

The Late Show

FRONT AND CENTER

10 p.m.: Arizona State at California (-4) (Fox Sports 1)

Sure, why not? Although I bet most of you are going to be asleep and drooling by the time the second half of this one rolls around.

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