Two weeks remain in the regular season for every conference that has a conference championship game, if you can believe that. The Big XII extended its season a week to make sure its on TV with those having conference championship games and Army-Navy still plays a week after everyone else. However, this is basically the stretch run. Several teams, like Ohio State, are even having senior day on Saturday.
Several conference championship game berths are at stake. North Carolina clinches the ACC Coastal with a win at Virginia Tech. Alabama is playing an FCS team this week, but it clinches the SEC West for the second consecutive year if Ole Miss loses to LSU. San Diego State could secure the Mountain West West Division with a win at UNLV while Air Force clinches the Mountain West Mountain Division with a win at Boise State and the next New Mexico loss.
Stanford, which failed to secure the Pac-12 North last week when it lost to Oregon, will get a second crack at it at home against California for the Big Game.
There's again a lot at stake this weekend. We'll know more about the first week of December after this weekend. Here's your viewing guide.
THURSDAY
East Carolina at Central Florida (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). This game seemed like a better idea from a TV standpoint in the offseason. Central Florida is 0-10. East Carolina is 4-6 and has lost three straight.
Louisiana-Monroe at Texas State (ESPNU, 9:30 p.m.). College football will not make for priority viewing this Thursday. These two teams are a combined 3-16 on the season so far.
FRIDAY
Cincinnati at South Florida (CBS Sports, 8 p.m.). South Florida is having arguably the best second-half-of-the-season turnaround of any program in the country. The Bulls started 1-3 but have won five of the last six games. It even handed Temple a 21-point loss last week, Temple's first conference loss.
Notwithstanding the 11-point win over Miami, Cincinnati has few highlights this season but can still rally to an 8-4 season.
Air Force at Boise State (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.). 7-3 (5-1) Air Force sits on top the Mountain West Mountain standings right now. It could actually win the division with a victory in Boise and a New Mexico loss against Colorado State. Air Force closes its regular season at New Mexico.
SATURDAY
Memphis at Temple (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). This game looked a lot more compelling two weeks ago. Temple still controls its destiny in the American's East division but Memphis has lost two straight and is eliminated from the American Athletic Conference's first conference championship game.
Florida Atlantic at Florida (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). The penultimate week of the regular season is typically time for cupcakes in the SEC. You'll be seeing a fair bit of them this weekend, though the SEC was wise to better stagger the cupcakes across the schedule.
North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN, 12 p.m.). It's senior day in Virginia Tech and the last time Lane Stadium will see Frank Beamer as head coach. Virginia Tech needs to win out to give the Hokies a 7-5 season. However, North Carolina should be thinking ACC Championship Game on Saturday. It clinches the Coastal with a win.
Rutgers at Army (CBS Sports, 12 p.m.). It's curious to see a Big Ten team step out conference play this late into November to play at Army, but I can dig it.
Iowa State at Kansas State (FOX Sports 1, 12 p.m.). Iowa State is 3-7 and has little left for which to play. However, Kansas State could still make a bowl game if it wins its next three games.
Purdue at Iowa (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). We all remember the failed Leaders and Legends experiment in the Big Ten, but at least it gaves us the idea of Iowa-Purdue as protected "rivalry" in the Big Ten. I'll always be grateful for that, even if Iowa and Purdue now play in the same division.
Illinois at Minnesota (ESPN News, 12 p.m.). Tracy Claeys is 0-3 since taking over as acting head coach for Jerry Kill. A failure to beat Illinois would result in bowl ineligibility for the Gophers just a year after it made its first January bowl game since the 1962 Rose Bowl.
Michigan at Penn State (ABC, 12 p.m.). I'm kind of salty this isn't at least a 3:30 kickoff. Beaver Stadium is an entirely different animal under the lights.
Ohio State fans may want Michigan to win here to set up the most exciting regular season finale for the Buckeyes. I'm hoping for a Penn State win for two reasons. One, optimistic Michigan fans annoy me like a crying child on a plane or nails on a chalkboard. Two, a Michigan loss and Ohio State win gives the B1G East to the Buckeyes.
Houston at Connecticut (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). Houston is favored by about three touchdowns this game. How fortuitous for Houston (and the American Athletic Conference) that Navy is the season finale for the Cougars? Both teams are 6-0 and have a combined 18-1 record (i.e. Navy's lone loss was at Notre Dame).
LSU at Ole Miss (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). It's genuinely alien to me that, after two losses, now Les Miles is a credible threat to be fired. He was not after 2008 or 2009, but somehow the time is now in this saturated market. Scott Rabalais at The Advocate is reporting that boosters and administrators fear they'll continue to throw good money after bad with the way LSU's offense has stagnated under Les Miles.
It's worth reiterating that LSU has thrown good money after bad on LSU's offense for almost ten years now. LSU's offense has never been noteworthy.
Les Miles is reportedly coaching for his tenure at LSU while Ole Miss is still playing for an outside shot at the SEC Championship Game. We've long forgot about Ole Miss since it lost at Florida and at Memphis. However, the Rebels are the only other team still alive in the SEC West. It needs to win out and hope Auburn beats Alabama next week.
Wake Forest at Clemson (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). It's Senior Day in Clemson and the Tigers have already had the ACC Atlantic wrapped up for the past two weeks. The Tigers are a 29-point favorite on Saturday.
USC at Oregon (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). After Oregon lost its third game of the season, it was starting down a losing season with games remaining at Washington, at Arizona State, and at Stanford. Oregon won all those and even beat California at home. It's now a four-point favorite at home against the Trojans who, we forget, would secure the Pac-12 South if the season ended today. Both Utah and USC are 5-2 in the Pac-12 and the Trojans have the all-too-important tiebreaker.
UCLA at Utah (FOX, 3:30 p.m.). The loser of this game is eliminated from the Pac-12 South. UCLA is 4-3 in the league and cannot afford another loss. Yet, wins at Utah and at Southern California gives the Bruins tiebreakers over the other top teams in the Pac-12 South.
Utah needs to win out and hope that USC loses at least one of its remaining two games if it wants to play in its first Pac-12 Championship Game.
Northwestern at Wisconsin (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). It's nice that the Big Ten can boast two games this week featuring two ranked teams. Indeed, the Big Ten has more teams in the AP Top 25 than any other conference. However, the loser of this game will assuredly drop out the rankings next week.
Michigan State at Ohio State (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
Louisville at Pittsburgh (ESPN News, 3:45 p.m.). North Carolina could clinch the ACC Coastal earlier in the day with a win. Should Virginia Tech upset the Tar Heels on Frank Beamer's last home game, UNC could still secure the division with a Pittsburgh loss.
Idaho at Auburn OR Charleston Southern at Alabama (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). Don't work too hard before next week, boys...
Washington at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network, 6 p.m.). This game features the two worst teams in the Pac-12, and Larry Scott wonders why the Pac-12 Network is having trouble finding providers...
Mississippi State at Arkansas (ESPN, 7 p.m.). Don't look know, but Bert might salvage an 8-4 season this year. This would be an improvement from last year's 7-6 campaign. The Razorbacks have won four-straight games since the loss at Alabama. These include two road wins at Ole Miss and LSU.
Georgia Southern at Georgia (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). Who knows. This could be Mark Richt's last game in Athens too...
Navy at Tulsa (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.). Navy may be looking ahead to next week's division championship game against Houston, but the Midshipmen will have to win in Tulsa first. Navy is a 12-point favorite.
Tennessee at Missouri (ESPN2, 7:15 p.m.). This will be Gary Pinkel's last home game as Missouri's head coach. Tennessee could stand to spoil it, though. It needs to win its next two games to secure a respectable 8-4 season in Butch Jones' third year.
Texas A&M at Vanderbilt (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). In its last SEC game, Texas A&M lost at home to Auburn by 16 points for some reason. Fun fact, that's Auburn's only other SEC win (the other was against lowly Kentucky).
Boston College vs. Notre Dame (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.). This game will be held in Fenway Park. Knowing the layout of that ballpark, a football field seems like an odd fit. Indeed, there will not be a lot of room beyond the end zone leading to the right field wall.
Boston College is also wearing Doug Flutie throwbacks for this contest. It should really wear these kind of uniforms every game, though.
Charlotte at Kentucky (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). Want to watch a coaching hot seat go from simmer to medium-high in the next two weeks? Watch what happens if Louisville loses one of its next two games. Kentucky is currently 4-6 in Mark Stoops' third year and is turning to redshirt freshman QB (and one-time Ohio State target) Drew Barker to lead them against the 49ers.
At least basketball season started. Kentucky regrettably looks pretty good again.
Baylor at Oklahoma State (FOX, 7:30 p.m.). The evening belongs to the Big XII, which appeared to deliberately gerrymander the schedule to make sure its expected front-runners and playoff hopefuls were all playing each other late into November.
Baylor's loss at home last week to Oklahoma naturally takes some luster off this matchup with the 10-0 and No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Baylor always seemed like long odds to make the playoff mostly because of its schedule. Even when Baylor was the AP No. 2, several voters were reticent to jump on the bandwagon until Baylor played a team with a pulse. Once it did, it lost... at home. Should Baylor win its next three games (at Oklahoma State, at Texas Christian, and at Texas), a playoff selection still seems unlikely.
Oklahoma State sits behind Iowa in the eyes of the playoff committee, but it's reasonable to expect they'll make it into the field of four if it wins out. It hosts No. 7 Oklahoma after this game and at least one of the Big Ten teams in the playoff picture is guaranteed to not make it.
Here's a fun fact unrelated to the playoff conversation. Baylor last won in Stillwater in 1939. This game's a "pick 'em", though.
Texas Christian at Oklahoma (ABC, 8 p.m.). This is ABC's primetime game of the week.
It's hard to say who is a favorite in this game. This game is off many sportsbooks, though Odds Shark is predicting a one-point win for the Sooners. Given how both seasons have unfolded of late, that seems like a stretch.
TCU has struggled in its last two games. It lost by 20 points at Oklahoma State and followed that with a limp six-point win over Kansas, which has yet to win a game. There are lingering questions about the status of both Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson for this game. Without those two, it's hard to see how Texas Christian does not get thumped by the Sooners.
Oklahoma fans will struggle to explain the 24-17 loss to a now 4-6 Texas team, but it has looked like a world beater in its last five games after the Red River Shootout. It beat Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Iowa State by a combined 232-50, even if that four-game stretch is not exactly murderer's row. Still, it beat Baylor in Waco by ten.
I would think Oklahoma is the safe pick here, but I've been burned by the Sooners before.
Tulane at Southern Methodist (ESPN News, 8 p.m.). These are the two worst teams in the American Athletic Conference not named "Central Florida".
San Diego State at UNLV (CBS Sports, 10:30 p.m.). San Diego State could wrap up its spot in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game with a win at UNLV.
California at Stanford (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.). Last week's loss to Oregon was a letdown for the Cardinal, who were expecting to beat Oregon, secure its Pac-12 North divisional crown, and keep itself alive in the playoff picture.
This week, one of three may not be bad. Stanford could still win the Pac-12 North with a win against California.
Colorado at Washington State (ESPN2, 10:45 p.m.). Washington State is favored by 15 in this game and should be favored at Washington to end the regular season. The Cougars, which lost at home to Portland State in its season-opener, could have a 9-3 season.
