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Happy Week 12! Ole Miss is off this week, but everybody is still worried about facing the Rebels. Here’s what else to expect from this week’s schedule (plus, we’ll review your thoughts on noon games).
Week 12 Schedule
Setting up your Saturday
Let’s start with a look at the matchups of every ranked team this weekend. The darker the highlight = the higher the intrigue (All times ET).
Noon
Most important game: Utah (4-5) at CFP No. 17 Colorado (7-2). The Buffs are in line to play for a Big 12 championship, but first, they’ll have to get through a Utah team with an extra chip on its shoulder after last week’s one-point loss to BYU. The Utes have spiraled this season (1-5 in conference play) but showed us last week that we can’t write them off entirely. Utah has the Big 12’s top defense, holding opponents to an average of 17.1 points per game and 307.4 yards. Colorado’s Travis Hunter leads The Athletic’s Heisman straw poll and can continue to make his case with some big plays on offense.
Most underrated game: No. 25 Tulane (8-2) at Navy (7-2). This one looked a lot more interesting when Navy was 6-0 … but hear me out. The Midshipmen’s two losses tarnished their national ranking, but only one (Rice) was against an AAC opponent (Notre Dame was the other). The Midshipmen can jump back into a tie for second in the conference standings by beating Tulane, which still has to play 8-2 Memphis in the regular-season finale. An Army-Navy AAC title game hinges on a Midshipmen win this week.
Afternoon
Most important game: No. 23 Missouri (7-2) at No. 21 South Carolina (6-3). This is the ultimate “so you’re saying there’s a chance?!?!” game. Missouri and South Carolina each has a less than 1 percent chance to make the CFP, per Austin Mock. Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz made sure to highlight his team is still in the Playoff picture after it beat Oklahoma last week, but that picture is blurry. Blowout losses to Texas A&M (41-10) and Alabama (34-0) badly hurt a Tigers resume without a ranked win, although maybe they can get it against the Gamecocks this weekend and raise their CFP chances to 1.1 percent (!!!).
Most underrated game: Virginia (5-4) at No. 8 Notre Dame (8-1). Virginia snapped a three-game losing streak last week by upsetting Pitt on the road. Against a team hungry to keep the momentum, this is another chance for Notre Dame to prove it’s getting into its groove at just the right time. And it will be a lesson for the Fighting Irish to avoid looking ahead. Next week, No. 24 Army (9-0) awaits.
Night
Most important game: No. 7 Tennessee (8-1) at No. 12 Georgia (7-2). It’s a bad time to be taking on the Bulldogs, who should be upset after last week’s loss to Ole Miss kicked them out of the projected CFP bracket. Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is listed as questionable for this weekend after leaving the Vols’ 33-14 win against Mississippi State with an injury. The winner here is in a good position to make the CFP while the loser likely falls out.
Most underrated game: Arizona State (7-2) at No. 16 Kansas State (7-2). You really can’t be sure what you’ll get from either of these teams on any game day. The Wildcats looked strong before a bad loss to Houston. And Arizona State has a handful of good wins that are stained by bad losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati. ASU will have its two best players, RB Cam Skattebo and LB Keyshaun Elliott, back from injury. With both teams at 4-2 in the conference, the winner will stay in title game contention while the loser is eliminated.
Click here for a full Week 12 schedule.
Need tickets? Go here. Stream the games on Fubo for free.
Checking in with the FCS
Multiple win-and-in games are happening in the FCS this week. And a handful of other teams need the cards to fall just right to clinch a spot in the 24-team bracket (which will be officially announced on Sunday, Nov. 24). Mercer, which plays at No. 10 Alabama this week, has clinched the auto-bid from the Southern Conference. Here’s a look at a few other win-and-in scenarios this week.
- Abilene Christian (7-3) at Tarleton State (8-2): Abilene Christian can clinch the United Athletic Conference auto-bid with a win. Morehead State (6-4) at Drake (7-1): Drake can clinch the Pioneer Football League auto-bid with a win. Incarnate Word (8-2) at Stephen F. Austin (6-4): IWU can clinch the Southland auto-bid with a win. And now … for the week’s must-see:
- No. 2 Montana State (10-0) at No. 4 UC Davis (9-1), 8 p.m., ESPN+. If you’re looking for the ultimate nightcap, this is it. Both teams are undefeated in Big Sky competition, meaning the winner will clinch the conference’s auto-bid. Montana State is having one of its best seasons ever and already knocked off a top-five opponent this season (then-No. 5 Idaho) while UC Davis is 10-0 for the first time in program history.
The full breakdown of what’s at stake this week in the FCS can be found here.
Until Saturday Poll Results
Ideal game time
Noon game angst is reaching an all-time high. And that sentiment seems no different with Until Saturday readers, according to this week’s poll.
First, I asked readers to share their ideal kickoff time. As expected, noon games got the least love, but I was surprised to see such an overwhelming majority vote for an afternoon kick.
And now, for the ultimate test. I asked readers to rank their tailgate vibes for a noon game versus a night game. Here are the results:
A night-game tailgate seems like a guaranteed win among Until Saturday readers, as expected. An easy morning while tuning into some afternoon games and grilling for your night kickoff sounds like just the perfect Saturday.
Conversely, nearly 80 percent of readers have an average time or worse at a noon game tailgate. That’s WORSE than I expected. But shoutout to the 11.5 percent who say they’ve never lost a tailgate, even if it’s at noon. I appreciate the dedication.
Quick Snaps
Should Georgia bench Carson Beck amid turnover troubles? The “Until Saturday” podcast discusses that and more today.
A 2-seed Indiana and a Group of 5 bye? Here are the most chaotic ways the Playoff bracket could shake out.
From Ralph Russo today: As public criticism of college football refs heats up, it’s on the people in charge to stay cool.
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(Top photo of Kirby Smart: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
