5 burning questions for Rivalry Week: Can Michigan finally beat Ohio State?

Burning questions for Week 13, including what unranked team can pull off a major upset and how will the College Football Playoff picture look different next Tuesday.

Week 13 of the college football season provides multiple matchups between top 25 teams. All of these games have even more excitement and anticipation behind them due to the playoff implications and storied rivalries between all of these teams. The week kicks off early with Oklahoma against West Virginia and Washington against Washington State on Friday night. Saturday starts off with Michigan going to play at Ohio State, picks up with LSU at Texas A&M in the evening, and finishes off with Utah State and Boise State as the nightcap.

Which top 10 teams will have the least amount of trouble this week?

Notre Dame against USC. The Trojans have lost four of their last five games and are limping into their final game of the season. Notre Dame knows that a victory in this game should make them an automatic lock for the College Football Playoff, so it should be expected that they will come out aggressive as they hope to put up another impressive performance in an attempt to cap off an undefeated regular season.

What unranked team has the best chance to pull off an upset?

Georgia Tech against Georgia. After starting off the season 3-4, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have gone on a four-game winning streak as they head into their toughest test of the season against Georgia. Georgia Tech will need to build success early on with the running game if they want a chance to pull off the upset, but with a rivalry and bragging rights on the line, do not be shocked if the Yellow Jackets try to incorporate the passing game more to catch Georgia off guard.

Which rivalry games have bowl eligibility implications?

Purdue vs. Indiana, Baylor vs. Texas Tech and Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt.

All six of the teams in these games sit at records of 5-6. This means that, not only will these teams be fighting against their rivals for a year of bragging rights, they all need a victory in week 13 to ensure that they get a chance to keep their seasons alive and earn a bowl berth. Be sure to keep tabs on these games in the early afternoon and into the evening on Saturday because, even though they may not be highly ranked or playing for a conference championship, all of these teams will be putting it all on the line this weekend.

What top 25 teams can rise the most in the rankings?

The winner of Utah State and Boise State. With so many competitive games going on in week 13 including top 25 teams, a lot of turnover and change should be expected, especially in the back end of the rankings. If either Utah State or Boise State wins in impressive and dominating fashion, the committee will definitely take notice and move them up accordingly. Expect the winner of this game to move up around four to six spots in rankings next week.

How will the Playoff Picture look on Tuesday?

With Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame facing unranked opponents, the best chance for the playoff picture to change comes in the rankings right behind these team. Every team ranked 4-10 plays against another top 25 team except for Georgia and UCF. Even so, both of the opponents of Georgia and USF have a respectable 7-4 record. These tough matchups for all of the teams in the top 10 will help give the committee and college football fans the best indication of what teams deserve to be in the Playoff and which do not. Rivalry week has a history of major upsets that throw the College Football Playoff rankings into chaos but the only big change will come if Ohio State upsets Michigan.