Laken Littman
College Football and Football Analyst
So we’re into Week 12 of the college football season, and there are several matchups that will have conference championship and College Football Playoff implications to watch closely on Saturday.
The most anticipated matchup is Saturday night’s game between No. 7 Tennessee and No. 12 Georgia. Do the Volunteers have a starting quarterback? Can the Bulldogs’ offense find its rhythm and avoid its third SEC loss?
Elsewhere, the Big 12 has six teams still preparing for the title game. This week, no. 17 Colorado is hoping to topple a Utah team still reeling from last week’s emotional loss. Later, No. 6 BYU will try to remain undefeated when it takes on a Kansas team that is coming off an important win over Iowa State. Currently, Colorado and BYU are on a collision course to meet in Dallas for the Big 12 Championship Game, but both teams need to keep winning and there’s still time for something wild in the season.
Here are the top five games to watch this weekend.
Utah In number 17 Colorado (Noon (ET))
Utah Utz
Utah
+11.0
+331
Oh 45
colorado buffalos
CU
-11.0
-439
U45
Colorado needs to keep winning if they want to advance to the Big 12 title game, plain and simple. Standing in the Buffs’ way this week is Utah, which has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between these two programs.
However, the Buffaloes may be able to catch the Utes at the right time. Utah suffered a blowout loss to archrival BYU last week when a defensive holding penalty extended the Cougars’ game-winning drive. To make matters worse, coach Kyle Whittingham’s quarterback problems have become more difficult. He lost starter Cam Rising for the season a month ago and replaced him with true freshman Isaac Wilson. However, the performance of the backup QB led Whittingham to make another change. Third-string Brandon Rose started last week against BYU, but suffered a leg injury late in the season. Whittingham is likely to return to Wilson, who also happens to be bumped.
Utah’s offensive situation could get even worse as Colorado, which is on a three-game winning streak, leads the Big 12 with 29.0 sacks. The Utes will have to keep an eye on defensive lineman Arden Walker, who had two sacks for the Buffs in last week’s 41-27 win over Texas Tech. Needless to say, the defense will have to account for Colorado’s offensive star power and improved running backs in QB Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter, who has had one of the most unique seasons in recent college football history. game.
Nebraska to USC (4 PM ET on FOX and FOX Sports App)
Nebraska Cornhuskers
nose
+7.5
+232
Oh 51
USC Trojans
USC
-7.5
-292
U51
Both teams enter this conference tilt after key offensive changes.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule replaced offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield with former West Virginia and Houston coach Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen recently joined the Huskers’ staff as an offensive consultant, but Rhule decided to inject some energy into the unit by promoting him. Holgorsen will work with freshman signal caller Dylan Raiola, who got off to an exciting start in his first season but has struggled in Big Ten play (six interceptions in the last four games). He also enters this game not fully healthy after suffering a back injury against UCLA two weeks ago.
At USC, coach Lincoln Riley benched starting pitcher Miller Moss. Jayden MaiavaA red shirt second-year student who transferred from UNLV Last offseason. Moss has thrown nine interceptions in his last seven games, five of which came in losses by seven points or fewer. Maiava started 14 games for the Rebels as a redshirt freshman last season, passing for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. We’ll see how Riley’s QB experiment goes, and Trojans fans will hope it works. Because after this weekend, USC has two games remaining against rivals UCLA and Notre Dame to close out the season. To qualify for bowling, you must win 2 out of 3 runs.
No. 23 Missouri In number 21 south carolina (4:15 PM ET)
missouri tigers
Americas
+14.0
+447
Oh 41.5
South Carolina Gamecocks
scar
-14.0
-629
Yu 41.5
Considering what happened last week, Missouri enters this matchup. warm. The Tigers outscored Oklahoma 30-23 after scoring two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game. Trailing 23-16 with two minutes left, backup QB Drew Pyne led a scoring drive to tie the game with about a minute left. On the next possession, DE Zion Young forced OU to return a 17-yard fumble to the house with 22 seconds left to seal the win. It was a touching moment and one that prepared the Tigers nicely for this week’s showdown.
Missouri travels to the SEC’s other town of Columbia to face a South Carolina team on a three-game winning streak (including a blowout win over then-10th-ranked Texas A&M on Nov. 2). The Gamecocks will rely on RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who has rushed for 270 yards and four scores in the last two games, and DE Kyle Kennard, who has the second-most tackles for loss (13.5) and the second-most sacks (9.5). They’re looking to get another win against a top 25 team in the SEC this season.
No. 7 Tennessee In number 12 Georgia (7:30 PM ET)
Tennessee Volunteers
ten
+9.5
+281
Oh 47
Georgia Bulldogs
Uga
-9.5
-364
U47
There’s no other way to say it: Georgia’s CFP hopes hinge on the outcome of this game. The Bulldogs are still looking for a win, but the loss makes things very tricky. Does Georgia, which lost three times to the selection committee, count? It’s certainly possible, but Georgia doesn’t leave things like this to chance and will enter this matchup looking for revenge after being upset by Ole Miss on the road last Saturday. But to win, Georgia will need more from QB Carson Beck, who threw 12 interceptions in his last six games and was sacked five times last weekend.
Meanwhile, Tennessee faces some uncertainty. QB Nico Iamaleava is listed as questionable after suffering an injury last week against Mississippi State. He reportedly underwent concussion protocol this week. Iamaleava has been a key part of the Vols’ success this year, throwing for 1,879 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. If he can’t play, coach Josh Heupel will have to rely on backup Gaston Moore. He has appeared in five games this season, passing for 201 yards with two scores and two interceptions.
kansas In number 6 metaphor (10:15 PM ET)
Kansas Jayhawks
can do
+2.5
+113
Oh 56.5
BYU Cougars
metaphor
-2.5
-136
U 56.5
Every week, the college football world waits with bated breath to see if BYU can continue its undefeated streak. The Cougars had a close game against rival Utah last week, then a defensive holding penalty saved the game and helped them secure a one-point win in the final seconds of the game. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was not pleased with the call and harshly criticized the officials in his postgame press conference.But that’s another story. BYU now has a clear path to the Big 12 title game and the CFP. All they have to do is beat their remaining opponents in Kansas, Arizona State and Houston and win the conference championship to advance to the 12-team field.
Kansas hopes to thwart these plans, and it may be able to do so. The Jayhawks may be 3-6, but five of those losses have been by six points or fewer. They should enter this conference matchup feeling confident after a 45-36 win against then-No. 17 Iowa State last weekend. QB Jalon Daniels was 12 of 24 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and added 68 rushing yards and another score. RB Devin Neal ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas needs to win its final three games to qualify for a bowl, and anything seems possible in this wacky conference.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. follow her @LakenLitman.
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