So much for catching a breather. Following a weekend packed with six ranked showdowns, the college football schedule Saturday ramps up the pressure even higher. With five more matchups between playoff contenders and the College Football Playoff selection committee's bubble drama reaching a boiling point, the margin for error has officially vanished.
In addition to all those ranked-on-ranked showdowns, four other top-25 teams must protect both their home turf and their ranking from visitors capable of knocking them off and sending the CFP rankings into chaos. Let’s take a spin around the schedule and highlight the games that should find a spot on one of your screens.
10. Northwestern at No. 20 Ohio State
- When: Noon ET Saturday
- Where to watch: Fox
The Buckeyes have three losses — and yet, somehow, still a flickering pulse. At No. 20 in the CFP rankings, they still somehow have a path to crawl back to the No. 11 spot — because any grace extended by the selection committee would seemingly go to the biggest brands in the sport. For Northwestern to snuff out those lingering hopes, the Wildcats will have to make some serious history: They haven’t won in Columbus since 1971, dropping 16 in a row in the Horseshoe. Their only victory in the series since then came at home in 2004.
9. Boston College at No. 5 Notre Dame
- When: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: NBC
David Gordon II, anyone? We’ve been around the game long enough to remember the last time Notre Dame knocked off a top-ranked team from the state of Florida by a 31-24 score to become the toast of college football and then welcomed BC to South Bend the following week. Back in 1993, when the Eagles stunned the Irish on Gordon’s last-second field goal to knock them out of the national title chase.
But a lot has changed in 33 years. For starters, this BC team has little in common with the Glenn Foley-led group from long ago. And this Notre Dame team appears better equipped to handle the success of last week’s upset of then-No. 1 Miami. Quarterback C.J. Carr, who has thrown just one interception in nine games, emerged from that victory as the Heisman Trophy favorite.
8. Oregon State at No. 24 Boise State
- When: 6 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: USA Network
This one looked a lot more appealing a few weeks ago, when Oregon State was flying high and it looked like this matchup might decide which team would claim the Group of Six’s automatic playoff berth. But that was before the Beavers dropped two straight to plunge out of the playoff discussion and quarterback Braden Atkinson’s status fell into uncertainty with a hand injury. Now, the stakes are more simple: With its most serious competition for that playoff berth coming instead from former Mountain West rival New Mexico, Boise State can’t afford a letdown.
7. No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU
- When: Noon ET Saturday
- Where to watch: ESPN
The Demon Deacons are certainly making a strong run at the first playoff berth in school history, reeling off six wins in a row with the last five coming by a combined 264-31. They’ve beaten the two other ACC newcomers — Stanford and California — by a combined 98-10. And they certainly appear on course for a rematch with the only team that beat them (Miami) in the league title game in Charlotte.
But this one won’t be nearly as easy for Jake Dickert’s team. The Mustangs are still kicking themselves for their inexplicable and supremely costly 30-27 loss at Syracuse two weeks ago. After smashing Virginia Tech last week, they showed they can still be a factor in the ACC race. And with a visit to Notre Dame next week, they can certainly affect the national landscape.
6. No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 25 Oklahoma State
- When: 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: ESPN
The first of two matchups of ranked Big 12 teams on this list matches a Texas Tech team still lacking a signature victory against an Oklahoma State team with the top offense in an offense-first conference. The Red Raiders will clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game by winning their last three games — and everything about this one points to a shootout.
Texas Tech is coming off a 53-48 win over West Virginia in which Thomas Castellanos became the first power-conference quarterback in six years with 350 yards and five passing touchdowns along with 100 yards rushing. But a Tech defense that was repeatedly shredded by Michael Hawkins Jr. now must find a way to slow Drew Mestemaker, who leads the FBS with 29 touchdown passes and ranks second with 329.1 yards passing per game.
5. No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona
- When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: Fox
This is a classic letdown spot for the Utes, flying high after their emotional victory over in-state rival BYU in the “Holy War.” Now they must hit the road to take on a talented — and potentially overlooked — Arizona team in what looks like their last true test before the Big 12 title game. The Wildcats are coming off a near-miraculous 29-28 win at TCU set up by the Horned Frogs’ failure to cover an onside pooch kick in the closing moments.
It’s safe to say that unlike BYU’s Bear Bachmeier last week, Arizona QB Noah Fifita will not throw four interceptions. He’s only thrown five all year, and is throwing for 310 yards per game.
4. Florida at No. 11 Kentucky
- When: 6:15 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: ESPN
If the SEC handed out an award for the best rookie head coach, these two would be in the conversation for it — even if both teams were blown out last time out. Those results only makes them more desperate.
Jon Sumrall had the Gators in the national rankings for a while, before losses in four of five — including last week’s 23-7 home blowout to Oklahoma. Florida can boot Kentucky out of the playoff picture by going into Lexington and giving the Wildcats a second straight loss. Coach Will Stein’s team was sky high before a loss at Tennessee dropped them to No. 11 — making them the last at-large team in the field. Another loss, and it would seemingly be curtains for the ’Cats.
3. No. 22 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia
- When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: ABC
Few teams face tougher tasks than Missouri, which is in a must-win situation against the nation’s No. 1 team. The Tigers are coming off a loss to Texas, and now that they’ve been beaten three times, they simply can’t afford a fourth if they hope to remain in the playoff picture. For the Bulldogs, who took over the top spot after Miami’s loss to Notre Dame, this one is about protecting their seeding and staying on course for another trip to the SEC title game.
2. No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana
- When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: CBS
This showdown in Bloomington has implications for both the league and national races for two teams chasing UCLA in the Big Ten standings. Quick: What’s Indiana’s best win? Maybe Minnesota? That only underscores the key storyline for the Hoosiers, who desperately need a signature victory. Both teams are coming off an idle week, but how will Indiana respond after dropping five spots in the rankings without even taking the field? Lincoln Riley’s Trojans close the season with three marquee matchups in their final four games. They’ve already checked one box by soundly beating Ohio State, and they take on the Bruins in two weeks — creating a stretch that can help them sneak back into playoff contention.
1. No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU
- When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday
- Where to watch: ABC
Put simply, the stakes in Baton Rouge are enormous. Arch Manning and Texas are trying to keep their spot in the CFP bracket and avoid a third loss. Lane Kiffin and desperate LSU, after taking their third L, are trying to claw their way back in. Manning enters the closest thing he has to a homecoming coming off of his best road performance of his career, a come-from-behind, three-touchdown, interception-free outing at Missouri. The Tigers are tough to beat in night games at Death Valley — but Alabama found a way to do it last week, avoiding its third loss by pulling away for a surprisingly lopsided 31-13 victory. That only adds to LSU’s urgency.
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