Don’t take it for granted — there are only two full weekends of college football left before we hit conference title games. This Saturday has its share of noteworthy clashes, some of which could have significant impact on league title races and the College Football Playoff rankings, and some that should simply be entertaining matchups or add fuel to the coaching carousel.
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So let’s power rank the top 10 games of Week 12, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable mention: Appalachian State at James Madison, NC State at Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State at Houston, Florida at Missouri, Nebraska at Wisconsin
(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted. All rankings are via the College Football Playoff.)
10. UCLA (6-4) at USC (7-4), 3:30 p.m., ABC
This is the last game of the regular season for USC, and, considering it is already at four losses and out of the Pac-12 title race, probably the last game for quarterback Caleb Williams, who will likely opt out of the bowl game. Win or lose, it marks a bitter end for the reigning Heisman winner, who won’t repeat, won’t win a league title or make it to the Playoff, and won’t even return to a New Year’s Six bowl. As disappointing as things have been for USC, Bruins coach Chip Kelly is on the hot seat, with some rumblings that he could be out after the USC game, win or lose.
Line: USC -6.5
9. No. 20 North Carolina (8-2) at Clemson (6-4), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Tar Heels coach Mack Brown might not be on the hot seat, but much like Williams and USC, UNC is staring down the possibility of losing a top NFL prospect at quarterback in Drake Maye with little to show for it. The Heels have to win to even stay in the ACC championship race, though they would still need some help. And a loss could force Brown into some staff shake-ups. Clemson is a touchdown favorite and an impressive 2-0 since head coach Dabo Swinney’s radio rant, but he’ll also continue to be under the microscope after his response when asked about the Texas A&M opening felt less than a categorical denial.
Line: Clemson -7
Asked Dabo Swinney if he had any interest in the Texas A&M job opening: "I'm just focused on this job … Always have been. Just trying to beat North Carolina. It must be November — that's all I can say"
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 14, 2023
8. UNLV (8-2) at Air Force (8-2), 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
A week after Air Force Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark was named the next executive director of the College Football Playoff, the Falcons will host scorching-hot UNLV with first place in the Mountain West on the line. The Athletic is still projecting the AAC will ultimately claim the Group of 5’s New Year’s Six spot, but whoever wins this one will at least remain in that conversation. For UNLV, it’s an opportunity to surpass eight wins for only the third time in program history and first since 1984.
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Line: Air Force -3
7. SMU (8-2) at Memphis (8-2), Noon, ESPN2
SMU has a top-10 scoring offense in the country and is currently tied with Tulane and UTSA for first place in the AAC. The Mustangs avoid both of those opponents in the regular season, with the other two meeting in the final week. That means SMU could face one or the other with undefeated conference records in the AAC title game, which would surely give that winner an NY6 berth. Memphis, which lost to the Green Wave last month, is lurking at 5-1 in the conference race and can really disrupt the AAC standings with an upset as a home underdog.
Line: SMU -7.5
6. No. 7 Texas (9-1) at Iowa State (6-4), 8 p.m., Fox
Folks, we have some tiebreaker controversy brewing. Oklahoma State’s blowout loss to UCF last weekend dropped it to a four-way tie for second place with Oklahoma, Kansas State and Iowa State. The tiebreaker scenarios are a mess — Iowa State beat Oklahoma State but lost to Oklahoma and plays Kansas State next weekend; Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma and Kansas State; K-State and the Sooners don’t play each other. But Berry Tramel of Sellout Crowd reported this week that confusion over the current tiebreaker wording led the Big 12 to present a clarified version to the league’s athletic directors on Wednesday. What could make things even more intriguing is an Iowa State upset in Ames on Saturday, where the Longhorns have lost on three of their last four trips. Texas remains in the driver’s seat for a Big 12 championship game appearance (and possible CFP berth) but may still have to win out to secure its spot in Arlington.
Line: Texas -7.5
5. No. 22 Utah (7-3) at No. 17 Arizona (7-3), 2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network
It’s a shame this game has been banished to the Pac-12 Network. Arizona is one of the darlings of this season, racking up three Top-25 victories and looming in the Pac-12 standings just two seasons removed from going 1-11 in 2021. Credit to Jedd Fisch and the turnaround he orchestrated in Tucson. This game is also an example of something I wrote about this week: Neither of these teams is likely to win or even play for the Pac-12 title. They aren’t going to make the four-team Playoff. But they’ve had commendable seasons, Arizona in particular based on recent history, and that deserves to be recognized. And in a 12-team Playoff format, the Wildcats would have an outside chance at sneaking in. I think there’s value in that. I also wish I could watch this game.
Line: Arizona -1
4. No. 10 Louisville (9-1) at Miami (6-4), Noon, ABC
The Cardinals are in the ACC Championship with a win on Saturday, though the Hurricanes have proven to be a tough out, as evidenced by the point spread and last week’s performance against ACC frontrunner Florida State. A spot in the conference title game would be a hard-earned reward for a Louisville team that arrived well ahead of schedule in Year One under head coach Jeff Brohm. The Seminoles would be an obvious favorite, and a Cards upset would likely keep the ACC out of the Playoff — ESPN’s predictor gives Louisville a whopping 2 percent chance. But if Tyler Van Dyke, back at starting quarterback, can lead Miami to a win, it could make for a wild final weekend for the ACC.
Line: Miami -1
3. No. 21 Kansas State (7-3) at No. 25 Kansas (7-3), 7 p.m., FS1
Hopefully one of the sport’s more underrated rivalries can get the attention it deserves with both teams in the Top 25 for this year’s edition of the Sunflower Showdown, one of only four future rivalries protected by the Big 12’s new scheduling matrix. The Jayhawks lost to Texas Tech last week while down to their third-string, freshman walk-on quarterback, but coach Lance Leipold is optimistic that second-string backup Jason Bean will be healthy enough to go against the Wildcats. A win for K-State would keep it in the Big 12 title hunt with a home game against Iowa State next weekend.
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Line: Kansas State -8.5
2. No. 1 Georgia (10-0) at No. 18 Tennessee (7-3), 3:30 p.m., CBS
This is too good of a matchup not to rank this highly, but I’ve lost faith that any of these teams can keep pace with the Bulldogs, who reclaimed the top spot in this week’s CFP rankings. Maybe the Vols will be able to hang around at home, but it seems as if we might as well fast-forward to the SEC championship tilt against Alabama. At the very least, I appreciate that these teams gave us a legit SEC game to watch in a week when Bama, Ole Miss and LSU have buy games on the docket. Now let’s see if Tennessee can keep this one closer than two touchdowns.
Line: Georgia -10.5
1. No. 5 Washington (10-0) at No. 11 Oregon State (8-2), 7:30 p.m., ABC
Washington deserved to be No. 4 in this week’s CFP rankings. It has what the committee views as the best win in the country over No. 6 Oregon and two straight ranked victories against USC and Utah. Florida State, not exactly running through a gauntlet, is still holding onto that fourth spot, though I have to think a Huskies win over the Beavers would be enough to finally leapfrog a Seminoles squad facing North Alabama. And if Oregon State (which is actually favored at home) pulls off the win, it would inject some measure of chaos into next week’s Playoff rankings — and even give the Beavs a chance to crash the Pac-12 title game if they can go back-to-back against Oregon the following week. Either way, the outcome of this one could spice up the Playoff race.
Line: Oregon State -2.5
(Photo of Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
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