This is the week to overdose on turkey and college football. The top 25 schedule is chock full of rivalry games that will make your mouth water.
Last week’s college football top 25 schedule was a little light on substance. This week’s slate of games is completely different. Tons of rivalry games with big stakes make this weekend a terrific stretch of time for college football fans around the country.
All eyes will be on Michigan’s trip to Ohio State. This game not only will go a long way toward determining this year’s Big 10 Champion, it also has serious national title implications. If the Wolverines can vanquish the Buckeyes, they should be in great shape to make the College Football Playoff.
There’s a great matchup in the Big 12 too. Oklahoma takes its high scoring offense to West Virginia in a game that might remind fans of what they saw on Monday night between the Chiefs and the Rams. Kyler Murray and Will Grier are going to engage in an absolute shootout.
Don’t sleep on the traditional rivalry games that don’t necessarily have huge stakes, though. Anytime Florida and Florida State get together you’re going to see some interesting bad blood. The same can be said for Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out the Pac-12’s marquee matchup of the week. Washington at Washington State is always fun, but Mike Leach’s team has a chance to crash the College Football Playoff party too. Expect to see tons of emotion in the great Northwest.
As always, we’re here to give you the entire top 25 schedule and our picks in each game. Our selections are in bold.
Thursday, Nov. 22nd
No. 22 Mississippi State at Ole Miss 7:30 p.m, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 23rd
No. 11 Texas at Kansas Noon, Fox Sports 1
No. 19 Syracuse at Boston College Noon, ESPN
No. 8 UCF at USF 4:15 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 Oklahoma at No. 12 West Virginia 8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 16 Washington at No. 7 Washington State 8:30 p.m., FOX
Saturday, Nov. 24th
No. 4 Michigan at No. 10 Ohio State Noon, FOX
Georgia Tech at No. 5 Georgia Noon, SEC Network
No. 13 Florida at Florida State Noon, ABC
Auburn at No. 1 Alabama 3:30 p.m., CBS
Maryland at No. 15 Penn State 3:30 p.m., ABC
Illinois at No. 20 Northwestern 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
No. 24 Pitt at Miami (Fla.) 3:30 p.m., ESPN
South Carolina at No. 2 Clemson 7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 17 Kentucky at Louisville 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Kansas State at No. 25 Iowa State 7:00 p.m., FS1
No. 8 LSU at Texas A&M 7:30 p.m., SECN
No. 3 Notre Dame at USC 8:00 p.m., ABC
BYU at No. 18 Utah 10:00 p.m., FS1
No. 14 Utah State at No. 21 Boise State 10:15 p.m., ESPN
As you can see, we’re not expecting everything to go according to plan this weekend. Look for the Mountaineers to throw a real wrench into the Sooners’ hopes to get into the College Football Playoff picture. It’ll be a close game, but it feels like a big day for Grier.
We do, however, like Washington State and Michigan to overcome their big tests. Leach’s aerial attack just seems too powerful for the Washington secondary. Ohio State just looks like a team that’s ready to succumb to the Wolverines. Both those games should be close, but they might not come down to the final possession.
This is a great weekend to plant yourself in front of the television and stuff your face with food and college football. Get out for a walk if you can, but take your smartphone with you. This weekend of college football is just that good.