Five College Football Games to Watch: Week Thirteen
This piece is a continuation of our weekly series, Five Games You Should Watch. The premise is simple: if you’re an Oregon State Beavers fan, the bye week potentially frees up your weekend. Let’s fix that: here are five other games to consider watching.
Friday - Hawai’i at UNLV - 7:30 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1
The Mountain West Conference standings are an absolute mess. San Diego State has the simplest path to December’s MWC title game - just win out - but five other teams are tied for second place. Two of those teams duke it out Friday night.
Perhaps recapturing the form of head coach Timmy Chang’s playing days, Hawai’i boasts the nation’s ninth highest passing yards per game (302.4). Conversely, UNLV suffers through the nation’s sixth worst total defense, surrendering 6.64 yards per play and 448.6 total yards per game.
Regardless of who wins or loses, this game will feature plenty of points.
Saturday - #15 USC at #7 Oregon - 12:30 PM (PST) on CBS
College Gameday returns to Eugene ahead of Saturday’s pairing of former Pac-12 rivals. It remains eternally confounding that two traditional west coast schools now battle in the Big Ten, but I digress. This game has significant playoff implications: the Ducks, Trojans, and Michigan Wolverines are all tied (6-1 Big Ten), trailing Ohio State for the Big Ten’s second title game slot. Since Oregon & USC are ranked below the top playoff teams, an automatic bid is likely their only viable path forward. Saturday’s matchup is a must-win game.
Saturday - Pittsburgh at #16 Georgia Tech - 4 PM (PST) on ESPN
Close conference standings are a theme this week. Georgia Tech and Virginia are tied for the top spot in the ACC. Pittsburgh and SMU are each a half-game behind them, 5-1 in conference games. If Georgia Tech wins, the Yellow Jackets punch their ticket to the ACC title game, and deny Pittsburgh their shot at glory. A Pittsburgh win would drop a 50 megaton nuclear warhead on the top of the standings.
Saturday - Colorado State at Boise State - 4 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1
For decades, Andy Avalos defined what it meant to be a Boise State Bronco: he was a team-captain linebacker who scored a 92 yard pick-six in the 2004 Liberty Bowl, then a linebackers coach who recruited eventual NFL all-pro Leighton Vander Esch to Boise, a successful defensive coordinator, and a Mountain West Coach of the Year head coach. Ultimately, none of that mattered: in 2023, Avalos’ Broncos slumped to a 5-5 record with 3 weeks left, and Boise State fired him.
Now, Avalos’ successor Spencer Danielson is feeling the heat: the Broncos are third in the Mountain West standings behind San Diego State & Fresno State, 6-4 overall. A loss to lowly Colorado State (2-8 overall, 1-5 MWC) might mark the end of Danielson's time on the smurf turf.
Saturday - San Jose State at San Diego State - 7:30 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1
Like his counterpart in Boise, San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo is believed to be on the hot seat. Earlier this week, the veteran coach dismissed his defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Now, the last two weeks of his season will be watched with great scrutiny.
For San Diego State, this game represents a golden opportunity: win out, and the Aztecs will host the Mountain West Conference championship game in a couple weeks. With a little luck, they might even earn highest rated G5 status, and a berth to the College Football Playoff.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.