What To Watch For In Week 12 Of The 2022 College Football Season
If we’re being honest, Saturday isn’t exactly full of must-see matchups with just two games between ranked opponents on the schedule. However, both matchups with help decide this year’s Pac-12 title game participants.
Elsewhere, three of the top four teams in the country hit the road against conference opponents, though one of them could be on upset alert against the defending Big XII champions in one of college football's oldest rivalries.
More News From Sports Illustrated: College Football Schedule | TCU Might Be the Only Protection From a Power 2 Playoff Picture | How A 12-Team Playoff Would Look After Week 11 | ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ Going to Montana State for Week 12
With that said, here’s what to watch for in Week 12 of the 2022 college football season:
No. 4 TCU at Baylor - 12 p.m. on FOX
Even though TCU is the fourth-ranked team in the country, it feels like the Horned Frogs are being disrespected for the second week in a row. After winning as a touchdown underdog at Texas last weekend, they’re now a mere 2.5-point favorite on the road at Baylor.
The Bears, meanwhile, are coming off a 31-3 loss at home to Kansas State, which was playing its backup quarterback last Saturday. Perhaps the defending Big XII champions have something up their sleeves, hence the closer-than-expected line?
No. 7 USC at No. 16 UCLA - 8 p.m. on FOX
USC heads across town with a chance to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 title game and as the only team in the conference with a shot of making it to the College Football Playoff. A loss, meanwhile, keeps the conference from the four-team field for the sixth year in a row.
UCLA needs some help to reach the conference championship after last week’s loss to Arizona, not to mention the tiebreaker scenarios don’t exactly favor the Bruins. Still, pulling an upset over the Trojans could still sent them to the postseason on a positive note.
No. 10 Utah at No. 12 Oregon - 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Utah’s chances of returning to the Pac-12 Championship Game took a significant hit with a 10-point loss at UCLA on Oct. 8, but thanks to the Bruins’ aforementioned loss to the Wildcats, the Utes can now clinch their spot if they and the Trojans win on Saturday.
Oregon can also punch its ticket to Las Vegas with a win over Utah, as well as a Washington loss to Colorado. The Ducks are also a surprising two-point underdog at home, where they had won 23 straight games before last week’s loss to the Huskies.
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