Games of the Week
It’s a rivalry week and it’s the last week of conference games. That combination means that there are more exciting and high stakes games than usual. Instead of a single game of the week, here is a list of some of the highlights.
- Texas A&M @ Texas- The Aggies are undefeated in the SEC but haven’t clinched a spot in the CCG. This game is probably the most evenly-matched of those impacting the conference race. If A&M wins, they are in the CCG. If they lose, they can still make it if Alabama and Ole Miss both lose.
- Alabama @ Auburn- Alabama can make the recent loss to Oklahoma sting a lot less if they win the Iron Bowl. They have the tie-breaker over Georgia (who finished their SEC schedule) and would therefore clinch a CCG spot with a win, regardless of what other teams do.
- Ole Miss @ Mississippi St- In addition to the Kiffin drama, Ole Miss also has a chance to become the “leader in the clubhouse” with an Egg Bowl win on Friday. They need help- both A&M and Alabama to lose since they lost to Georgia H2H and don’t have that tiebreaker.
- Ohio St @ Michigan- The Big 10 CCG scenario is clearer. If Ohio St and Indiana win as double-digit favorites, they will play each other, both undefeated. Oregon can leapfrog Ohio St if the Buckeyes lose to Michigan and the Ducks beat the Dawgs. It’s unlikely, but still possible, for Michigan and UW to win and send the Wolverines to play Indiana in the CCG. Michigan can also leapfrog Indiana if Purdue pulls off the shocking upset.
- Texas Tech @ West Virginia- Like the Big 10, the Big 12 has two teams who are a game ahead of the pack- TTU and BYU. Arizona St can still get in by beating rival Arizona and BYU losing OR TTU and Utah losing. Utah has a narrow path- they have to beat Kansas with losses by all of BYU, TTU, and ASU.
- Miami @ Pitt- The ACC is weird. They have no top-10 teams, but 5 ranked between 12-23. The highest ranked team (Miami) is in 5th place and needs the most help to get to the CCG. The list of CCG scenarios is too long to list. Virginia is in with a win over VT or an SMU loss to Cal. SMU is in with a win or an insane combination of other factors. If both of those teams win as heavy favorites, it will be SMU-Virginia in the CCG. Pitt can get in by beating Miami here and UVA or SMU losing.