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College Football Cheat Sheet: Week 12

Adam Luckettby:Adam Luckett11/15/24

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Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel
(Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK) Tennessee wide receiver Chas Nimrod (81) is taken down by Georgia inside linebacker E.J. Lightsey (25) and Georgia inside linebacker Smael Mondon, Jr. (2) during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.

We have reached the midpoint of November and the college football regular season only has three weekends left. The 100m dash sport has almost come to a close as teams are jockeying for playoff positioning.

The Week 12 card is not the best, but there are plenty of intriguing matchups. KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet sets the table for another college football weekend.

The Slate

Wyoming at Colorado State8:00pm ET (Friday)CBS Sports Network
North Texas at UTSA8:00pm ET (Friday)ESPN2
UCLA at Washington9:00pm ET (Friday)FOX
Houston at Arizona10:15pm ET (Friday)FS1
No. 25 Tulane at NavyNoon ETESPN2
Utah at No. 17 ColoradoNoon ETFOX
Louisiana Tech at UMassNoon ETESPN+
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Northwestern (Wrigley Field)Noon ETBig Ten Network
No. 3 Texas at ArkansasNoon ETABC
No. 20 Clemson at PittsburghNoon ETESPN
ULM at Auburn12:45pm ETSEC Network
Coastal Carolina at Marshall1:00pm ETESPN+
Murray State at Kentucky1:30pm ETESPN+
Mercer at No. 10 Alabama2:00pm ETESPN+
FIU at Jacksonville State2:00pm ETESPN+
Florida Atlantic at Temple2:00pm ETESPN+
Michigan State at Illinois2:30pm ETFS1
Syracuse at California3:00pm ETThe CW
Sam Houston at Kennesaw State3:00pm ETESPN+
Hawaii at Utah State3:00pm ETPPV
USF at Charlotte3:30pm ETESPN+
Oregon State at Air Force3:30pm ETCBS Sports Network
No. 19 Louisville at Stanford3:30pm ETACC Network
Boston College at No. 14 SMU3:30pm ETESPN
No. 22 LSU at Florida3:30pm ETABC
Virginia at No. 8 Notre Dame3:30pm ETNBC
No. 4 Penn State at Purdue3:30pm ETCBS
Nebraska at USC4:00pm ETFOX
Baylor at West Virginia4:00pm ETESPN2
James Madison at Old Dominion4:00pm ETESPNU
Troy at Georgia Southern4:00pm ETESPN+
No. 22 Missouri at No. 21 South Carolina4:15pm ETSEC Network
Arkansas State at Georgia State5:00pm ETESPN+
Rutgers at Maryland6:00pm ETFS1
Arizona State at No. 16 Kansas State7:00pm ETESPN
No. 13 Boise State at San Jose State7:00pm ETCBS Sports Network
South Alabama at Louisiana7:00pm ETESPN+
Southern Miss at Texas State7:00pm ETESPN+
No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin7:30pm ETNBC
No. 7 Tennessee at No. 12 Georgia7:30pm ETABC
New Mexico State at No. 15 Texas A&M7:45pm ETSEC Network
Wake Forest at North Carolina8:00pm ETACC Network
Cincinnati at Iowa State8:00pm ETFOX
UAB at Memphis8:00pm ETESPN2
No. 18 Washington State at New Mexico9:30pm ETFS1
Kansas at No. 6 BYU10:15pm ETESPN
San Diego State at UNLV10:30pm ETCBS Sports Network

Top Games

  1. No. 7 Tennessee at No. 12 Georgia
  2. Arizona State at No. 16 Kansas State
  3. No. 25 Tulane at Navy
  4. No. 20 Clemson at Pittsburgh
  5. No. 22 Missouri at No. 21 South Carolina
  6. No. 3 Texas at Arkansas
  7. No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin
  8. No. 22 LSU at Florida
  9. Kansas at No. 6 BYU
  10. Utah at No. 17 Colorado

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Last stand for the Dawgs

Last week’s loss to Ole Miss knocked Georgia out of the current playoff field. That creates a must-win scenario for Kirby Smart‘s team to get into the College Football Playoff. UGA hosts one-loss Tennessee on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium and the winner will feel like a lock to make the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has not cleared concussion protocol, but the expectation is that the redshirt freshman quarterback will be in the lineup. But this game will be decided on the other side of the football. Tennessee can do everything the Ole Miss defense did to Georgia. The Dawgs will need to play much better on offense.

Another monster Georgia-Tennessee game has arrived as Josh Heupel continues to make these games matter. The Vols have a chance to deliver a knockout punch to Smart’s juggernaut program on Saturday night. A Georgia win will make everyone in the College Football Playoff field just a little bit more nervous.

Playoff contenders hit the road to play unranked foes

Will this weekend deliver a big upset? If that occurs odds are that it could happen in one of the games where four top-five teams are on the road playing unranked foes.

No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin: The Badgers get the undefeated Ducks at Camp Randall Stadium at night. This is a great chance for Luke Fickell‘s squad to save a disappointing season and deliver a signature win. This could be a dangerous spot for Oregon with a bye arriving next week before the revenge spot against rival Washington to end the season.

No. 2 Ohio State vs. Northwestern (Wrigley Field): There will be more Ohio State fans at this one in a college football game played in a Major League Baseball stadium. This one shouldn’t be too much of a challenge as Northwestern simply does not have the offense to truly challenge the Buckeyes.

No. 3 Texas at Arkansas: The Longhorns have the toughest challenge among those top-five teams hitting the road. Arkansas has a legitimate top-15 offense, had an extra week to prepare, and has been a strong underdog under Sam Pittman. Texas will need to play well to leave Fayetteville with a 9-1 record.

No. 4 Penn State at Purdue: The host Boilermakers are well on their way to a 1-11 season with nothing but losses since Week 1. Penn State should not be in much trouble here with a much more tricky road contest against Minnesota next week awaiting the Nittany Lions.

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Can BYU keep doing this?

BYU’s magical year continued on Saturday night in Salt Lake City with the help of the officiating crew. The Cougars (9-0, 6-0) are 4-0 in one-possession games and keep finding a way to survive. Kansas, Arizona State, and Houston are the ones standing in the way of an undefeated regular season.

Kansas (3-6, 2-4) could be game for an upset thanks to their strong running game. In the after dark window, we get a big game in the Big 12 where one playoff contender looks to keep their magical run alive and a few other contenders in the Big 12 will be rooting for the Jayhawks to pull off the upset.

The rest of the college football card

— “Big Noon Saturday” is back in Boulder where No. 17 Colorado will look to extend their three-game winning streak against Utah. Travis Hunter remains the Heisman Trophy front-runner and Deion Sanders could be coaching in the College Football Playoff if the Buffs get a few more wins. The Utes have the defense to present some real problems, but might not have the offense to truly challenge Colorado in this spot.

— No. 20 Clemson (7-2, 6-1) is still alive in the ACC title race but will need some help to get to the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers must beat Pittsburgh on the road to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Dabo Swinney‘s squad cannot get to Charlotte unless SMU or Miami drops a game in the final weeks.

— Florida gets DJ Lagway back in the lineup for his third start on Saturday afternoon in The Swamp against LSU. This is a big spot for Billy Napier to show the fan base that Florida’s decision to keep him for 2025 was a good one. LSU could also use a win after suffering double-digit losses to Texas A&M and Alabama. Neither team is going to the playoff, but a win could help cool some of the flames after some recent disappointing results.

— The Columbia Bowl has arrived with ranked Missouri and ranked South Carolina set to battle on Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers still have a path to 10-2 as they remain in the playoff hunt. The Gamecocks have a path to 9-3 with games remaining against Wofford and Clemson. This game’s winner will enter the final two weeks with a ton of momentum, but Mizzou is without starting quarterback Brady Cook again.

— Arizona State and Kansas State are two teams who will be watching the Utah-Colorado and Kansas-BYU games closely. Both teams are one-game back in the loss column in the Big 12 standings. K-State owns a head-to-head win over Colorado. The winner in Manhattan will have a chance to sneak into the Big 12 Championship Game if BYU or Colorado slips up.

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