The final week of the regular season is here and even after the last few years of realignment, the Thanksgiving weekend will be filled with games between dreaded rivals. The Game, the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl and more are on the slate, but perhaps more importantly, hopefuls for the College Football Playoff will have one last chance to either boost their résumés, avoid collapses or clinch spots in conference championship games.
The recent CFP rankings arrived Tuesday, setting the table for which matchups matter the most throughout the holiday weekend. The ACC is positioned to nab two, maybe even three, spots in the playoff field, but needs a solid Saturday and some help to do so. The Big 12 has firmly turned into a one-bid league and technically still has nine teams in the running to make the title game. And of course, the SEC renews a rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M in a contest that will decide which Lone Star State program will play Georgia for a championship.
Here are which games to keep an eye on during rivalry week, broken down by conference:
ACC2. No. 6 Miami Hurricanes (10–1) at Syracuse Orange (8–3)
The big winner of this week’s CFP rankings was the ACC as a whole, with at least two—and possibly three—teams now being in the mix to earn a spot in the 12-team field. Miami earned the top spot among the league's teams and may be able to hold on even with a loss to Syracuse. It’s been a roller-coaster season for both the Hurricanes and the Orange, complete with chaotic wins and head-scratching losses, so there’s no reason to expect this game to be any different.
1. No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (8–3) at No. 12 Clemson Tigers (9–2)
To have any chance of snagging a spot in the bracket, Clemson needs a win against a South Carolina team that’s somewhat flown under the radar on its way to a top-15 ranking. The Tigers are the first team out as of Tuesday’s rankings and may not get a chance to play for an ACC championship with the SMU Mustangs already guaranteed a place and Miami favored over Syracuse. Not only would a victory over the Gamecocks be a late-season résumé boost, but it would put the pressure on teams like Tennessee and Indiana, which won’t play in title games and can’t afford a slip-up against their own rivals.
Big 124. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3–8) at No. 25 Colorado Buffaloes (8–3)
Let’s get into the most confusing conference to decipher in rivalry week: the dreaded Big 12. Yes, there are other games that could play a part in how the tiebreakers unfold, but for the sake of simplicity, the following four games are the most important to keep an eye on. Colorado’s path to the championship is among the toughest, needing at least a win and a BYU loss to earn one of the two spots. It’s probably not where Deion Sanders envisioned his team just a week ago, but a loss to the clearly-better-than-their-record Kansas Jayhawks can do that to you.
3. Houston Cougars (4–7) at No. 19 BYU Cougars (9–2)
BYU also would have fancied itself having a much clearer path to playing for a Big 12 title a few weeks ago, but the train has come off the tracks. Back-to-back one-score losses to chaos-causing Kansas and Arizona State also mean the Cougars won’t control their destiny. BYU needs a win and either an Arizona State or Iowa State loss to succeed in a three-team tiebreaker scenario. If any two of the four currently tied teams lose and the other two win, the victors will claim the championship game spots.
2. No. 16 Arizona State Sun Devils (9–2) at Arizona Wildcats (4–7)
The Sun Devils are the highest-ranked team in the conference in the latest rankings, but only one spot above two-loss Tulane, meaning there’s a world in which the Big 12 misses out on the playoff entirely in favor of the conference champions in the AAC and Mountain West. Before getting there, though, Arizona State has the most wiggle room of any team going into this week. The Sun Devils need to win and then they would get in under almost any three-team tie scenario (unless BYU loses, Texas Tech beats West Virginia, Baylor beats Kansas AND Cincinnati beats TCU). If every one of the four teams tied atop the standings wins, Arizona State would play Iowa State in the title game.
1. No. 24 Kansas State Wildcats (8–3) at No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones (9–2)
Because this is the only ranked vs. ranked matchup, it earns the honor of being the most watchable game in the conference, but frankly all four of these games are deserving of your attention. Iowa State also seemed on the ropes a few weeks ago with consecutive losses to Texas Tech and Kansas, but had the advantage of having those losses come slightly earlier in the season. The Cyclones have since righted the ship and would actually get a boost with a win over a top-25 Kansas State team this week.
For at least added simplicity, here’s a full breakdown of the Big 12 tiebreaker scenarios, courtesy of the conference:
Big Ten3. Purdue Boilermakers (1–10) at No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers (10–1)
After a full week of strength of scheduling bashing, Indiana detractors got their due as the Hoosiers were trounced by Ohio State in Columbus. But Curt Cignetti & Co. may be just fine after the second tier of the SEC (Alabama and Ole Miss) picked up the all-important-to-avoid third loss. Indiana would need Ohio State and Penn State to lose to make the Big Ten title game, which seems unlikely, so the focus is on beating 1–10 Purdue and hoping a mostly unblemished regular season is enough to sneak an at-large bid.
2. Maryland Terrapins (4–7) at No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (10–1)
The Nittany Lions also lost out on the tiebreaker to Ohio State because of their early November loss, and would need a Buckeyes slip-up to play Oregon for a Big Ten championship. That’s not a necessity for James Franklin’s one-loss team, though. Similar to Indiana, a win over a conference bottom-feeder in Maryland is enough for Penn State to make the playoff—and keep the CFP committee off its back about a similarly so-so resume.
1. Michigan Wolverines (6–5) at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (10–1)
The Game doesn’t have the juice of the last three seasons where the winner (each time being Michigan) instantly claimed its spot in the College Football Playoff. That luster may not be there with a 6–5 Wolverines team headed to Columbus, but the dislike between these two programs isn’t any less potent. The next best thing for Michigan after winning a national championship last season might be bouncing Ohio State from the Big Ten title game in 2024, even if the Buckeyes appear relatively safe from CFP elimination.
SEC3. No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (9–2) at Vanderbilt Commodores (6–5)
Though three-loss teams like Alabama and Ole Miss playing in historic rivalries like the Iron Bowl and the Egg Bowl are worth at least staying aware of, the SEC team most in danger of falling out of the CFP field is Tennessee. There’s no chance of a title game appearance for the Vols, so a win is likely enough to get by and a loss puts them in the danger zone. Not to mention that Vanderbilt has had its fair share of success against the SEC elite at home this season.
2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7–4) at No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (9–2)
Georgia finds itself in one of the more interesting spots going into rivalry week. The Bulldogs already have a spot in the SEC championship game, meaning there will at the very least be an opportunity to play for an automatic bid, regardless of the result this week. A loss, however, could make the title game a must win. Georgia Tech has been frisky all season and already boasts a top-10 win over Miami, so that’s not out of the question.
1. No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10–1) at No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies (8–3)
Not only is this one of the most consequential games of rivalry week, but this would likely take the No. 1 overall spot in a standard watchability rankings. A rivalry renewed, with a chance to go to the SEC championship game is all we can really ask for. Texas A&M is far more desperate for a win with no path in except for an automatic bid. Texas probably doesn’t need any added motivation than beating its historic rival, but would need a win to make the title game—and earn a chance at a first-round bye.
Group of 53. Nevada Wolf Pack (3–9) at No. 22 UNLV Rebels (9–2)
After its loss to Boise State, UNLV’s playoff hopes looked mostly dead. However, with only two losses to teams with a combined record of 18–4 by a combined eight points, the Rebels have remained competitive. UNLV absolutely needs to take care of business against Nevada to earn even a chance at stealing a playoff spot. From there, the Rebels would probably need to beat Boise State and have Tulane lose to Army in the AAC championship game—but let’s take things one week at a time for now.
2. Memphis Tigers (9–2) at No. 17 Tulane Green Wave (9–2)
It’s hard to argue there’s been a G5 program playing better than the Green Wave over the last few weeks when they’ve outscored their three AAC opponents 121–9. Two early-season losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma may keep Tulane from getting high enough in the rankings to overtake Boise State, but wins against Memphis and Army across the next two weeks would certainly help Jon Sumrall’s case. The Tigers’ résumé is lacking but a 10-win season is at stake should they pull off the road upset.
1. Oregon State Beavers (5–6) at No. 11 Boise State Broncos (10–1)
Boise State still holds the hammer in the Group of 5 race, but hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in recent weeks that it can hold on in its final two games before Selection Sunday. Narrow wins over Wyoming and Nevada and a second-half explosion against San Jose State kept the Broncos unscathed, but a loss might allow Tulane to jump them going into the conference championship games. A likely meeting with UNLV awaits next week, but Boise State must first take down the other member of the Pac-12—the conference it will soon help replenish.
