The College Football Playoff picture is starting to crystallize, and each weekend offers important decisions as teams jockey for four spots on the field.
No. 3 Michigan in an important early marquee matchup against No. 1 in a crucial Big Ten matchup. 10 stifled Penn State. No. 8 Alabama delivered the most compelling result of the day, knocking off Kentucky in an SEC West-clinching beatdown in Lexington. Then, no. 5 Washington beat Utah 35-28 to keep its Pac-12 title and CFP hopes alive.
Many of Saturday’s late games have implications beyond the CFP as teams compete for spots in their respective conference title games. It should make for another action-packed night.
Here’s what we’ll see tonight:
Time: 7 pm ET | TV: ESPN | Line: UGA -10.5 | Total: 58.5
Ole Miss has an enormous opportunity Saturday night in Athens. The Rebels have played in some big games under Lane Kiffin, but they’ve rarely gone according to plan. To beat Georgia, Kiffin’s team will have to step its game up a notch. The Bulldogs, of course, are the two-time national champions and enter Saturday at 9-0 and No. 2 in the latest CFP rankings. UGA will need another big effort from QB Carson Beck to keep the program’s 26-game hitting streak alive.
Time: 10:30 pm ET | TV: Fox | Line: UO -15.5 | Total: 73.5
Oregon is looking more and more like a national championship-caliber team. The Ducks started the season 5-0 before dropping a heartbreaker to Washington in Seattle. If the Ducks want a rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 title game, they need to keep winning. That quest continues with the visit of the reeling USC Trojans. USC has lost three of its last four games, 6-0. Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley has finally fired his longtime defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch. Will the Trojans travel to Eugene to face the Bo Knicks and a high-flying Oregon offense make the difference?
