The college football season is almost over, if you can believe that. It seems like it just started.
Now in Week 12, most teams, certainly those in conferences with championship games, have just three games remaining on their schedule. Ohio State, for example, has a two-game homestand before a prospective berth in the Big Ten Championship Game in December. Then, the bowl season follows.
Ohio State did itself a big favor with a convincing win in East Lansing over the reigning Rose Bowl and Big Ten champion Spartans. Now at no. 8 in the playoff rankings, Ohio State fans will still need to do some cynical cheering for programs playing teams ranked ahead of it. This guide will detail your viewing options and what you should hope to watch in these games.
The honorary TV Guide cover for the week honors the greatest pop culture hit to be set in the Twin Cities: The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In this writer's humble opinion, it also had one of the catchiest TV theme songs ever. Throw your Tam O'Shanter in the air, Goldy. You might just make it after all.
In case you missed it, there were four MAC games played in the past two days. Buffalo routed Akron and Northern Illinois beat Toledo on Tuesday. Massachusetts got its third win of the season by beating a three-win team. Bowling Green clinched the MAC's East Division last night.
Thursday
East Carolina at Cincinnati (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). We are well past the point of Cincinnati being a quality win for Ohio State. However, those Buckeye fans who, for their own reasons, find themselves rooting for the Bearcats may find East Carolina vulnerable. East Carolina was a January bowl game-aspirant before losing two weeks ago at Temple. We will see if the Pirates have given up hopes of playing in a marquee bowl.
Southern Miss at UTSA (CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.). UTSA is coached by Larry Coker. I think that's all I have to add.
California at USC (ESPN, 9 p.m.). At 6-3 this season, USC is playing for pride at this point. The Trojans are still "in the thick of it" for the Pac-12 South, but they would need Arizona State to lose twice. Arizona State is not losing two of its final three Pac-12 games.
A win for California would mean bowl eligibility. The Golden Bears are 5-4 with three remaining games at USC, and at home to Stanford and BYU.
Friday
Tulsa at Central Florida (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). How weird is the American Athletic Conference? Central Florida, the reigning champion and Fiesta Bowl champion, needs this win to keep pace with Memphis. Yes, Memphis.
Saturday
Ohio State at Minnesota (ABC, 12 p.m.). Your personal game of the week comes first on ABC. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
Clemson at Georgia Tech (ESPN, 12 p.m.). This is the final ACC game for both teams. Clemson's anemic offense hopes to benefit from the return of Deshaun Watson.
Fun fact: Clemson fans who travel to this game tend to pack two-dollar bills stamped with the school's logo to show how they contribute to the local economy in Atlanta.
Virginia Tech at Duke (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). Virginia Tech is running out of opportunities to not be a colossal disappointment to Ohio State fans. Duke, by the way, is a one-loss team if you can believe that.
Temple at Penn State (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). It's unusual to see Big Ten teams playing out of conference in November. Penn State will be one of two Big Ten teams doing exactly that on Saturday.
Iowa at Illinois (BTN, 12 p.m.). Was Iowa looking ahead to the Illini? That might be one way to explain the whooping the Gophers gave to the Hawkeyes last week. Illinois returns to action from a bye week. Its last game was a 55-14 loss in Ohio Stadium in which J.T. Barrett got an early rest.
South Carolina at Florida (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). This is traditionally the SEC finale for both teams. It might also be the SEC finale for both coaches. Will Muschamp scored that nice upset win of Georgia, but that might have bought him just a temporary stay of execution. Steve Spurrier may be thinking that golf is more in his interest right now than football.
Texas Christian at Kansas (FOX Sports 1, 3 p.m.). At least Kansas got that one Big XII win under its belt. I hope Kansas fans cherish it.
Mississippi State at Alabama (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). I would try to articulate a rooting interest here. Truth is, Alabama is going to smash Mississippi State. The fan in me who hates Alabama with a white hot fury would be thrilled if Alabama lost. I just doubt it will happen.
If you're wanting chaos in the SEC, assume that Mississippi State loses this game and hope that it loses on the road at Ole Miss two weeks from now. Hope to high heavens that Alabama loses the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa or the SEC Championship Game to follow.
Washington at Arizona (FOX, 3:30 p.m.). Arizona, 4-2 in league play and 7-2 overall, should win this game and still be stuck at fourth place in the Pac-12 South.
Nebraska at Wisconsin (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). Assuming Ohio State defeats Minnesota earlier in the day, this becomes a strong rooting interest for Ohio State. Ohio State might play the winner of this game in the Big Ten Championship Game. Hope it's Nebraska, which has only one loss on the season.
The winner of this game gets the Freedom Trophy. It's not free.
Northwestern at Notre Dame (NBC, 3:30 p.m.). Northwestern steps out of league play to travel to South Bend for this game. These two teams last played in 1995, a season-opening upset win for Northwestern in South Bend that catapulted Northwestern into the national spotlight and a Big Ten championship season.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). There might have been a time this game would've been worth watching this season. That time is not now.
Indiana at Rutgers (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). Ohio State plays Indiana next week, if you want to do some scouting.
Kentucky at Tennessee (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). Not including games played against each other, these two programs have six combined SEC wins since 2011.
Utah at Stanford (Pac-12 Network, 6 p.m.). A Stanford loss would be no. 5 on the season, which stands at odds with a team that has the country's no. 5 total defense.
UNLV at BYU (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). BYU is 1-4 since losing Taysom Hill to injury. It's 5-4 on the season, which is better than UNLV's 2-8 mark. You can skip this game.
Auburn at Georgia (ESPN, 7:15 p.m.). The urgency of this game is reduced after Auburn lost last week at home to Texas A&M.
Ohio State fans should root for a Georgia win. Georgia is one game behind Missouri in the SEC East, though Missouri has games remaining at Texas A&M and Tennessee. Georgia owns the tie-breaker, so Missouri just needs one more loss. A Georgia loss on Saturday makes it more difficult for a two-loss Georgia to advance to the SEC Championship Game. If you want Alabama to have the toughest road possible to the playoff, hope it has to get there through Georgia in the Georgia Dome.
Todd Gurley returns to the lineup for Georgia after serving a four-game suspension for getting narced by a memorabilia dealer. Last year's contest, you may recall, had an all-time memorable ending overshadowed by the next week's Iron Bowl.
Missouri at Texas A&M (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). Guess who's back in the rankings at no. 24? Yep, Texas A&M. That didn't take long for pollsters to forgive the Aggies for a three-game losing streak in which it was outscored 142-51.
I mentioned this above, but hope for a Missouri loss. Ohio State fans should want Alabama to play Georgia.
Texas at Oklahoma State (FOX, 7:30 p.m.). Texas has won three of its last four, which is more than can be said about Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State has lost its last three games by a combined margin of 124-31.
Florida State at Miami (ABC, 8 p.m.). Florida State's margin of error is zero. Any loss would eliminate them given the quality of the ACC and Florida State's remaining schedule. I'm torn between wanting Florida State to lose to help Ohio State and wanting Florida State to keep winning to A) reduce the probability of the SEC sending two teams to the playoff, and B) give Ohio State a (remote) opportunity to play the Seminoles and smash them in the playoff.
Miami has won three straight games, but I'm not ready to crown them as good by any stretch. Those three wins are over Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina. They are a combined 13-13 this season.
Michigan State at Maryland (BTN, 8 p.m.). This is the last night game of the season in the Big Ten. You should be rooting for Michigan State to make Ohio State look good the rest of the way
Be mindful that Ohio State opponents this season are 2-5 in their next game. Ohio State has a habit of beating the football out of opponents.
LSU at Arkansas (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). Good news, Ohio State fans. You don't have to care what Arkansas does the rest of the season. A month ago, Arkansas was your designated chaos team. Now you're free to laugh at its follies and its inability to win an SEC game yet under Bert.
Arizona State at Oregon State (ESPN, 10:45 p.m.). Told you guys Arizona State would be a player in the playoff picture. Right now, no. 6 Arizona State is one of the first two teams out of the playoff picture (along with Alabama).
Were I you, I wouldn't necessarily fret Arizona State. Three things can happen. One, Arizona State wins out, wins the Pac-12, and takes Oregon's spot. Alternatively, Arizona State stumbles somewhere along the way and the Pac-12 Championship Game, at best, is an elimination game for Oregon and not a substitution game.
Finally, Arizona State wins the rest of its regular season games before losing the Pac-12 Championship Game. I think this is probably what happens.
Basically, the Pac-12 isn't sending two teams into the playoff.
