Five College Football Games to Watch: Week Twelve
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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, it’s a safe bet that you’ll watch Oregon State at Tulsa tomorrow morning. Here are five more games to consider watching.
#24 South Florida at Navy - 9 AM (PST) on ESPN2
The Midshipmen are still reeling from a blowout loss to Notre Dame, but they're still atop the AAC standings. South Florida, currently the top ranked G5 school in America, sit a half game below the leaders. A road win for the Bulls would help their case to join the College Football Playoff next month.
#14 Virginia at Duke - 12:30 PM (PST) on ESPN2
Early in the second quarter last Saturday, Virginia starting quarterback Chandler Morris took a hit to the head. His day ended with just 3 completed passes for 19 yards. Virginia's day ended with an upset loss to Wake Forest which clogged the ACC leaderboard: four teams are tied for the top two spots, while fifth place Duke trails by half a game, and sixth place Louisville lurks one game behind.
A second straight loss Saturday would plunge the Cavaliers out of the title race. A win would keep them in it. Their starting quarterback is working doggedly to return in time for kickoff. If it all goes according to plan, it'll be a great story. If it doesn't, it'll be an entertaining implosion.
#12 Oklahoma at #4 Alabama - 12:30 PM (PST) on ABC
This feels like an elimination game for Oklahoma. In a loaded SEC, the Sooners are stuck in seventh place, two and a half games behind league-leaders Alabama and Texas A&M. Win, and you can keep trekking a difficult playoff path as at-large, with a little upset luck. Lose this game in Bryant-Denny, and it's game over until 2026.
#11 Texas at #5 Georgia - 4:30 PM (PST) on ESPN
Take everything I just said about Oklahoma and apply it to both Texas and Georgia. The Bulldogs are a half game behind Bama and A&M. The Longhorns are a game and a half behind the top two teams. Simply, there is no margin for error; there aren't enough games left to lose.
Boise State at San Diego State - 7:30 PM (PST) on CBS Sports Network
The top two teams in the Mountain West will face off a few weeks before the league championship game in Vegas. Essentially, this game is like a semifinal. If Boise State wins, San Diego State immediately slips to third place behind Hawaii in the standings. Potentially, a San Diego State win could knock Boise State into a six way tie for second place. The Broncos are licking their wounds after a stunning upset loss to Fresno State two weeks ago, while the Aztecs suffered their first Mountain West defeat last Saturday on the big island. Lose this game, and the pain will feel so, so much worse.
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.