Eight college football programs under the most pressure in Week 14

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin stands on the sideline during the second half against the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This is it. Rivalry week. The week for teams to play their way into conference championship games or make a strong final impression otherwise on the College Football Playoff committee. And in some cases, the final week for schools to evaluate potential coaching changes -- or certain high-profile coaches to figure out their own futures.

The action starts early on Thanksgiving week with a big slate of notable games on Friday, so let's get right into it here.

This list could have been even longer this week, but these are the eight teams under the most pressure entering Week 14.

(All point spreads via ESPN Bet. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.)

1. Ole Miss

Just imagine the fury that will come if No. 7 Ole Miss loses its Egg Bowl rivalry clash with Mississippi State on Friday, amidst all the uncertainty about coach Lane Kiffin's future and whether he'll even still be coaching the team in the playoffs.

Kiffin is already getting immense flak for letting his courtship by LSU (and Florida) become a distraction during what should be the most exciting time for Ole Miss and its fans in ... more than 60 years?

CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek acknowledged Tuesday night that hypothetically if Kiffin were to no longer be coaching Ole Miss before the playoff bracket is set, it could impact the Rebels' ranking, though he mostly side-stepped any definitive answer on that while noting the committee really wouldn't have a "data point" to evaluate in terms of what Ole Miss looks like without Kiffin on the sideline.

But if the Rebels look out of sorts and disjointed in this game Friday by the mere potential of Kiffin's departure, well, that's another story.

Or if they lose, Kiffin will never hear the end of how he undermined his team, deserved or not, and it will be a permanent part of his already interesting legacy.

Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss tweeted to the fans earlier this week to say the players feel no such distraction and are fully behind their head coach, but that doesn't stop the critics from creating the narrative as they see fit.

To our fans, this team is completely locked in, living in the moment, and staying true to our 1-0 mindset for the Egg Bowl and future games. We are unbothered by anything about next year and fully trusting Coach Kiffin’s leadership to keep us moving toward our goals! pic.twitter.com/AAgraNb63P

— Trinidad Chambliss (@TrinidadChambl1) November 24, 2025

It's also not out of the realm of possibility that Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) is indeed challenged Friday while playing on the road in Starkville in a raucous rivalry environment against a Mississippi State team (5-6, 1-6) that has been far more competitive most weeks than that record indicates.

The Bulldogs took ranked Tennessee and Texas teams to overtime, lost by just 2 points on the road at Florida and won on the road at Arkansas. This may have been a tighter-than-expected game without any Kiffin drama, but if it closes at all now, it will be perceived as related to all the swirling rumors, reports and speculation.

Ole Miss is a 7.5-point favorite in what has become one of the most anticipated games of the week.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal watches from the sideline against NC State Wolfpack during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

2. Miami

Many have taken issue with No. 12 Miami (9-2) being ranked three spots behind No. 9 Notre Dame (9-2), given the Hurricanes' head-to-head win over the Fighting Irish in Week 1, but the CFP committee has made it clear it views the teams differently overall and not close enough for the head-to-head to be a differentiator.

Ultimately, that means Miami looks to be on the outside looking in on the playoff picture, unless the Hurricanes get some chaos above them in the rankings this week.

First, Miami has one more chance to impress the committee while playing at No. 23 Pittsburgh (8-3) on Saturday. The Hurricanes don't have a great path to the ACC championship game (there is a convoluted scenario for them to get in, but it's highly unlikely), so they have to hope they can climb the rankings as an at-large hopeful.

The means not only beating a very good Pitt team, which has won six of its last seven games with a 42-28 statement win over Georgia Tech last week, but doing so with style points -- especially if Miami wants to continue to contend that it's more deserving than Notre Dame. The Irish are the only team to beat Pitt since it turned to true freshman QB Mason Heintschel, and it humbled the Panthers in a dominant 37-15 result.

So the bar is kind of set for Miami if it wants to counter the committee's perception that Notre Dame is a better team. The Hurricanes are 6.5-point favorites for what it's worth.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

3. Texas

Texas (8-3) is an even worse spot than Miami, of course, as it already has three losses and is ranked 16th by the CFP committee.

The Longhorns don't have a path to the SEC championship game and would need total wreckage in the rankings with several other CFP hopefuls falling out of the race this week or next.

Texas is the highest-ranked three-loss team, though, and it gets one more prime opportunity to make a statement while hosting No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0) on Friday night.

If the Longhorns can pull the upset (as mere 2.5-point underdogs), they would have wins over the current No. 3 Aggies, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt with losses to No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Georgia and that defeat at Florida that now haunts this team.

However, with that resume, there would be a lot of momentum for Texas to get a fresh evaluation in the at-large conversation -- whether it would be enough to get them in is hard to say, but it could be depending on what else happens.

So yes, there is a lot of pressure on the Longhorns and QB Arch Manning this week. Manning has thrown for at least 325 yards in three of the last four games while playing his best football of the season and just put up 4 passing touchdowns, a rushing TD and receiving TD vs. Arkansas last week.

Consider the potential outcomes here for Texas ...

Win and make a truly compelling case for an at-large berth, and even if it doesn't happen, the Longhorns are 9-3, some will view them as a playoff snub, and they'll have momentum to build upon if Manning returns next year after a strong finish.

Or lose, and they're 8-4, which, despite some great moments, would be truly disappointing for the preseason No. 1 team. Also, there's a scenario in which Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU (via winning the ACC) and North Texas (via winning the AAC) all make the playoff, while the Longhorns miss out.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer watches his team play Eastern Illinois at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

4. Alabama

This is not a good Auburn team (5-6, 1-6 SEC), and even with the Tigers hosting, there's no reason to think Alabama should trip up or be unfocused in this Iron Bowl rivalry showdown.

But ... rivalry games are wildcards and can be wonky even when unexpected, and unfortunately for the No. 10-ranked Crimson Tide (9-2, 6-1), style points matter now as the CFP committee scrutinizes every detail in comparing the pack of playoff hopefuls. (Yes, we're overusing that term, but it's really what it comes down to this time of year.)

Alabama already had a chance to bounce back from the loss to Oklahoma, making easy work of Eastern Illinois in a 56-0 win last week, but all eyes will be on how the Tide looks Saturday night. Yurachek said Alabama was evaluated this week alongside No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Miami, which is essentially the fringe of at-large berth consideration.

With a win, Alabama is in the SEC championship game against either No. 3 Texas A&M or No. 4 Georgia and can simply (well, not simply) play its way into the playoffs by winning the SEC's automatic berth, but picking up a third loss in the title game would put the committee in a tough spot to decide how much it is penalizing teams for losing in conference championships and how it views the Tide's resume outside of that game. And if Alabama is indeed at the mercy of the committee for at-large consideration, again, style points matter big right now.

The Tide is a 6.5-point favorite.

Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) rolls out to pass during the ]first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

5. Michigan

There may not be many people outside Ann Arbor and the broader Michigan fan base who expect the No. 15 Wolverines (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) to beat No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0) on Saturday, but absolutely, Michigan fans believe after four straight wins in the rivalry series.

Especially when the Wolverines even managed to win last year in Columbus despite being in a down season with a lifeless passing attack, finding a way to keep the eventual national champion Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship game.

So there may be more pressure here eon second-year coach Sherrone Moore than some think.

Michigan has a chance to turn a fairly blah season (its best win is vs. ... Washington?) into something truly memorable if it stuns the Buckeyes and shoots up the CFP rankings for potential at-large berth consideration.

Michigan can also still make the Big Ten championship game if it wins and Washington upsets Oregon.

The Wolverines are 9.5-point underdogs at home.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day has lost four straight meetings with rival Michigan. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

6. Ohio State

The top-ranked Buckeyes have less pressure Saturday, at least in regard to their CFP fate. Even with a loss to Michigan and a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game, it would still be hard to imagine the reigning national champions getting bounced from the 12-team bracket.

But there are separate stakes here. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is one of the fiercest in all of sports, and Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is well aware of his 1-4 record vs. the Wolverines.

Day and Buckeyes fans have had to hear all year that the 13-10 loss to Michigan in the rivalry game last year somehow taints their national championship.

Winning this game is important for Day's legacy, for Buckeyes fans everywhere, and, absolutely, for CFP seeding and the path to a potential national title repeat.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates after the team’s win against Kentucky at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

7. Vanderbilt

No matter what happens from here, this will be remembered as one of the greatest seasons in Vanderbilt history and one of the great stories of this 2025 college football season.

The No. 14 Commodores (9-2, 5-2 SEC) go on the road to No. 19 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3), one win away from the program's first-ever 10-win season, but also still with hopes of swaying the CFP committee.

Unfortunately for Vandy, it has five SEC teams ahead of it in the CFP rankings, not to mention all the other teams jockeying for potential at-large berths. It would probably take a lot of help elsewhere for the Commodores to move up high enough to make the 12-team bracket, but another win over a ranked opponent (and on the road) would boost their resume.

Also, while he is not going to win the Heisman Trophy, it would be significant if Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia were one of the four finalists invited to New York City for the ceremony. Another strong performance like he had last week vs. Kentucky might be enough to make that happen.

Tennessee is a 3.5-point favorite, but the Volunteers haven't beaten anybody of the caliber of this Vanderbilt team.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) reacts after throwing an interception for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

8. Georgia Tech

The wheels really came off the bandwagon the last few weeks for Georgia Tech, which is down to No. 23 in the CFP rankings with the slimmest of playoff hopes at this point.

The Yellow Jackets followed their 8-0 start with a 48-36 loss at NC State, a near-disaster at ACC-worst Boston College, before salvaging a 36-34 win, and then a lopsided 42-28 loss to Pittsburgh last week that was especially damaging.

Georgia Tech now needs multiple favorites to lose this week to have an unlikely backdoor path to the ACC championship game, and it's hard to say if it would be able to earn an at-large playoff berth even with an upset win over No. 4 Georgia this week.

But the Yellow Jackets can hope that stunning the Bulldogs would be enough to move the needle and restore their playoff dream.

The teams meet Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with Georgia a 13.5-point favorite.