Ordinarily by the time the college football season reaches the third week of November, we have a pretty good idea which teams are the true contenders and which are the pretenders. This year, of course, is not ordinary, as the expanded playoff format has introduced a whole new element.
As regular readers of this feature well know, we always present our games-of-interest selections with the caveat that invariably there will be contests not on the list that wind up occupying our attention. That will almost certainly be the case this week with jockeying for conference position in full swing.
With all that in mind then, here are our seven choices for appointment viewing in Week 12.
No. 4 Tennessee at No. 10 Georgia
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC.
Why watch: Until last week, this shaped up as a de facto SEC semifinal. But Georgia’s loss at Ole Miss brought a lot more variables into play. For the Volunteers, however, the mission hasn’t changed as they can still win their way to the conference finale without help. Georgia QB Carson Beck’s uneven play remains a huge concern, especially with DB Will Brooks and the Vols’ active secondary ready to pounce on any more errant throws. The good news for the Bulldogs is DB Malaki Starks and the defense have done well in the red zone to limit opponents to field-goal attempts, but Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson has found paydirt 20 times this season. Vols QB Nico Iamaleava sat out the second half of last week’s win against Mississippi State after absorbing a hard hit. He is listed as questionable, but Tennessee coach Josh Heupel expressed optimism he would play.
Why it could disappoint: One team could be in for a long night, and which one that is seems to hinge on Georgia. If the focused version that executed its game plan at Texas shows up, it could be the Vols on the short end of a blowout. But if the Bulldogs’ offensive woes continue, Tennessee might be able to seize control with a ground-and-pound approach.
No. 3 Texas at Arkansas
Time/TV: noon ET, ABC.
Why watch: The Longhorns are now just one of three teams with a single SEC loss and thus able to win their own way into the conference championship game. The first of their final three obstacles is this trip to Fayetteville, where the Razorbacks have been known to spring surprises. Since taking down Tennessee on Oct. 5, however, Arkansas’ upset bids against LSU and Ole Miss did not go nearly as well, as the Razorbacks were outscored 97-41 in those two efforts. Texas QB Quinn Ewers and his dazzling array of targets, led by WR Isaiah Bond and TE Gunnar Helm, will look to continue that trend. DL Landon Jackson gives Arkansas its best chance to disrupt the Texas aerial attack. Razorbacks QB Taylen Green and RB Ja’Quinden Jackson can also help if they can control the ball for long stretches, but LB Anthony Hill Jr. and his friends on the Texas defense allow only 30% of third-down attempts to be converted.
Why it could disappoint: It seems the league has figured out the Arkansas defense. If the Longhorns put up some quick scores, the Razorbacks could find themselves overwhelmed again.
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No. 21 Missouri at No. 23 South Carolina
Time/TV: 4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network.
Why watch: Like South Carolina’s last opponent, Missouri remains mathematically alive in the SEC title hunt but in need of a lot of help. The Gamecocks, winners of three in a row, can put an end to that as they did with Vanderbilt. Mizzou survived last week’s visit from Oklahoma without starting QB Brady Cook, thanks to some timely defensive plays and late throws from backup QB Drew Pyne. Cook remains doubtful, and whoever takes snaps this week must beware of Gamecocks DE Kyle Kennard. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers and RB Raheim Sanders have broken plenty of big plays of late. The effort of keeping them bottled up will be led by Tigers LB Corey Flagg Jr.
Why it could disappoint: Road trips in the SEC have not gone well for Mizzou, having lost at Texas A&M and Alabama by a combined score of 75-10. Things might not go much better for the Tigers despite playing in the conference’s other town called Columbia. Sidenote: hopefully everyone reading this nailed that recent Final Jeopardy clue on that topic – but we digress.
Arizona State at No. 19 Kansas State
Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN.
Why watch: The turnaround Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham has engineered in Tempe should probably be getting more attention. K-State is most assuredly aware of it as it takes the field for the first time since the puzzling loss at Houston two weeks ago that cost the Wildcats control of their own Big 12 fate. At the helm for the Arizona State offense is QB Sam Leavitt, whose arsenal includes clutch WR Jordyn Tyson and versatile RB Cam Skattebo. They’ll give LB Austin Romaine and the K-State defense plenty to think about. Wildcats QB Avery Johnson is as slippery as they come, but he can be a bit loose with the ball at times. He’ll want to get RB DJ Giddens involved as much as possible, but Sun Devils DB Myles Rowser will prepare accordingly.
Why it could disappoint: Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, Leavitt wasn’t available for their road loss at Cincinnati that cost them a share of the Big 12 lead. This road trip should go a lot better for the offense, so the Wildcats will have to eliminate the mistakes that have plagued them recently to keep pace.
Utah at No. 20 Colorado
Time/TV: noon ET, Fox.
Why watch: The Big 12 is there for the taking for the Buffaloes,, who have made significant progress since closing the 2023 campaign on a six-game skid. Things have not gone nearly as well this season for the Utes, but their near upset of league leader Brigham Young a week ago indicates they can still cause havoc the rest of the way. Utah QB Brandon Rose handled the pressure of his first career start well under the circumstances, but the offense bogged down after halftime. He can expect a lot of heat early from the hostile crowd as well as from LB Nikhai Hill-Green and the improved Colorado defense. Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders now sports a healthy 72.9% completion rate with 24 scoring throws on the season, but he, too, can expect frequent pressure from Utes DE Van Fillinger.
Why it could disappoint: Given the Utes’ scoring difficulties, the Buffs might put this one to bed quickly despite the early kickoff time. But if Utah can keep it close into the second half, there could be a fair bit of intensity once again in the closing minutes.
Virginia at No. 7 Notre Dame
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC.
Why watch: Three challenges remain for Notre Dame in its quest to reach 11-1, which should stand it in good stead for at-large playoff inclusion. First up is this date with the surprising Cavaliers, who are remarkably a win away from bowl eligibility. UVa snapped a three-game slide last week at Pittsburgh, and it will take another huge effort from DB Jonas Sanker and the defense to pull off another stunner against the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard has boosted his completion percentage to a respectable 64.4% while continuing to contribute nearly 68 yards a game on the ground. The Cavs will counter with QB Anthony Colandrea, who can run a bit himself but would prefer to leave the heavy lifting to RBs Kobe Pace and Xavier Brown. Finding real estate against the likes of Notre Dame LBs Jack Kiser and Drayk Bowen and DB Xavier Watts, however, could be a challenge.
Why it could disappoint: Notre Dame has been all business since that September hiccup against Northern Illinois. The Irish might get more resistance from the scrappy Cavaliers but should still have things in hand before intermission.
Tulane at Navy
Time/TV: noon ET, ESPN2.
Why watch: We’ll step out of the Top 25 for a peek at this contest, which is about as big as it gets with the winner all but guaranteed a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Navy has – er – righted the ship a bit after a two-game losing streak, but the Green Wave come to Annapolis on even more of a roll having won their last seven games and are No. 25 in the playoff rankings. Navy QB Blake Horvath has accumulated 2,037 yards of offense with 24 total TDs on the season, with plenty of help from FB Alex Tecza and SB Eli Heidenrich. Expect to see LB Tyler Grubbs and DB Bailey Despanie stepping up regularly in run support for Tulane. The Green Wave backfield features the one-two punch of QB Darian Mensah and RB Makhi Hughes, leading a high-octane attack averaging 41 points a game. LB Colin Ramos captains the Midshipmen defense that will try to keep them contained.
Why it could disappoint: It won’t as long as the Mids take care of the ball. A spate of uncharacteristic miscues rapidly undid their upset bid against Notre Dame, but if they eliminate those they should be able to hang with the potent Green Wave attack in a fun shootout.