Thursday
Best option: No. 5 TCU at Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
Spread: TCU -6.5
Read: Frogs O War, Burnt Orange Nation
This is it for Playoff hopeful TCU. There's no Big 12 Championship Game, and next week's season finale opponent, Iowa State, might as well be an FCS cupcake. So with one spot to make up and one last game against a decent opponent to do it, Gary Patterson's guys need to play their game of the season. Texas has turned around in November with three straight decisive victories, and TCU won't be able to just push Charlie Strong's Longhorns around. TCU's still a favorite thanks to Trevone Boykin and that sensational offense, but don't be surprised if Texas pushes the Playoff into oncoming traffic.
Plan B: LSU at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, WatchESPN
Not a whole lot up for grabs. Both teams are sitting at 7-4 (3-4) on the year and a little miffed the season didn't go better. Still, these are pretty decent ball clubs, and in any other conference, they'd probably be 9-2 and easily ranked, so let's not pretend that this'll be a cover-your-eyes game. It should be close and fun, and that's the perfect kind of football for a lazy Thanksgiving evening in front of the TV.
Friday
| Time | Road | Home | TV | Streaming |
| 11 a.m. ET | Northern Illinois | Western Michigan | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Nebraska | Iowa | ABC | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Western Kentucky | No. 24 Marshall | FS1 | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| Noon p.m. ET | Houston | SMU | CBSSN | |
| Noon p.m. ET | UCF | South Florida | ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 1 p.m. ET | Ball State | Bowling Green | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 1 p.m. ET | Toledo | Eastern Michigan | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 1 p.m. ET | Akron | Kent State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 1 p.m. ET | Buffalo | UMass | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | Arkansas | No. 17 Missouri | CBS | cbssports.com |
| 3 p.m. ET | Navy | South Alabama | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | Colorado State | Air Force | CBSSN | |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | No. 13 Arizona State | No. 11 Arizona | FOX | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | Stanford | No. 8 UCLA | ABC | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 8 p.m. ET | Virginia | Virginia Tech | ESPN | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 8:30 p.m. ET | East Carolina | Tulsa | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
#HateWeek
#HateWeek
Best option: No. 13 Arizona State at No. 11 Arizona
Spread: off
Read: House of Sparky, Arizona Desert Swarm
This one's off the boards and up in the air thanks to Arizona QB Anu Solomon's ankle injury; he's questionable. If Solomon can go, the Wildcats are your favorites, but not by much. Arizona State has been phenomenal at times, and Arizona doesn't look like the physically dominant type of club that usually gives the Sun Devils the worst fits. Both teams will cheer awfully hard for Stanford at the same time; a UCLA loss gives the Territorial Cup victor the Pac-12 South.
Plan B: Arkansas at No. 17 Missouri
If you ever needed proof that pollsters care about record more than strength of schedule, please consider Arkansas at 6-5 in the toughest division in college football, with consecutive shutout wins over Ole Miss and LSU and close losses to the likes of No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Mississippi State, and once-good-not-that-long-ago Texas A&M. That team remains unranked. Missouri is safely ensconced inside the top 25 (and, to be fair, one win away from a repeat SEC East title) at 9-2 ... and a 1.5-point underdog at home to this 6-5 squad. Well, the game's off the betting boards now, since Arkansas QB Brandon Allen is questionable for the game, but if he can go, Missouri's in real trouble.
Keep it in mind: Stanford at No. 8 UCLA
A win puts UCLA in the Pac-12 title game against Oregon, and with Stanford's offense unable to get out of first gear all season long, that might not be too tough of a task. Brett Hundley has righted the ship for the Bruins' offense, but UCLA's real strength has been a ferocious front seven. Stanford will have to scrape and claw for every first down.
In case of emergency: Nebraska at Iowa; Virginia at Virginia Tech
Not the most fervent of rivalries here, and Nebraska and Iowa are essentially battling for third place in the Big Ten West. But the Cavaliers and Hokies are both 5-6, so there's at least a (minor) bowl bid on the line in Blacksburg. There's some level of malaise following all four head coaches in these games, and while I don't think Frank Beamer or Kirk Ferentz -- the longest and fourth-longest tenured FBS coaches, respectively -- is getting fired any time soon, they're both verging toward "bummer twilight" territory on their careers, and a loss this week does neither any favors. Virginia's announced Mike London's coming back.
Saturday
| Time | Road | Home | TV | Streaming |
| Noon p.m. ET | South Carolina | No. 21 Clemson | ESPN | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Kentucky | No. 22 Louisville | ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Michigan | No. 6 Ohio State | ABC | abc.go.com/watch-live |
| Noon p.m. ET | No. 16 Georgia Tech | No. 9 Georgia | SEC Network | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Old Dominion | Florida Atlantic | MyTVZ33, Sinclair | |
| Noon p.m. ET | Purdue | Indiana | Big Ten Network | btn2go.com |
| Noon p.m. ET | West Virginia | Iowa State | FS1 | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| Noon p.m. ET | Rice | Louisiana Tech | CBSSN | |
| Noon p.m. ET | Illinois | Northwestern | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | Cincinnati | Temple | ESPNews | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| Noon p.m. ET | North Texas | UTSA | FSN | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| Noon p.m. ET | Sacred Heart | Fordham | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 12:30 p.m. ET | Syracuse | Boston College | CSN, YES | |
| 12:30 p.m. ET | NC State | North Carolina | ACC Network | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 12:30 p.m. ET | Louisiana | Troy | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 1 p.m. ET | Utah | Colorado | Pac-12 Network | pac-12.com/live |
| 1 p.m. ET | Indiana State | Eastern Kentucky | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 1 p.m. ET | Morgan State | Richmond | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 2 p.m. ET | Idaho | Appalachian State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 2 p.m. ET | Texas State | Georgia State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 2 p.m. ET | Southeastern Louisiana | Sam Houston State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | Grambling State | Southern | NBC | |
| 3 p.m. ET | New Mexico State | Arkansas State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 3 p.m. ET | Wyoming | New Mexico | ROOT | |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | No. 10 Michigan State | Penn State | ABC or ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | No. 18 Minnesota | No. 14 Wisconsin | Big Ten Network | btn2go.com |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | No. 4 Miss State | No. 19 Ole Miss | CBS | cbssports.com |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | No. 7 Baylor | Texas Tech | ABC or ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | Florida | No. 3 Florida State | ESPN | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | Notre Dame | USC | FOX | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | Rutgers | Maryland | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | San Jose State | San Diego State | CBSSN | |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | UAB | Southern Miss | ASN, CSN | |
| 4 p.m. ET | Kansas | No. 12 Kansas State | FS1 | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
| 4 p.m. ET | Connecticut | Memphis | ESPNews | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 4 p.m. ET | Tennessee | Vanderbilt | SEC Network | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 4 p.m. ET | Liberty | James Madison | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 4 p.m. ET | San Diego | Montana | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 4 p.m. ET | South Dakota State | Montana State | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 4:30 p.m. ET | BYU | California | Pac-12 Network | pac-12.com/live |
| 6 p.m. ET | ULM | Georgia Southern | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 7 p.m. ET | Wake Forest | Duke | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 7 p.m. ET | Hawaii | Fresno State | themw.com/#!/watch-live | |
| 7 p.m. ET | Pittsburgh | Miami | ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 7 p.m. ET | Middle Tennessee | UTEP | Sinclair | |
| 7:45 p.m. ET | No. 15 Auburn | No. 1 Alabama | ESPN | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 8 p.m. ET | No. 3 Oregon | Oregon State | ABC | abc.go.com/watch-live |
| 8 p.m. ET | Stephen F. Austin | Northern Iowa | espn.go.com/watchespn | |
| 10:15 p.m. ET | Utah State | No. 23 Boise State | ESPN2 | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 10:30 p.m. ET | Nevada | UNLV | ESPNU | espn.go.com/watchespn |
| 10:30 p.m. ET | Washington | Washington State | FS1 | foxsports.com/foxsportsgo |
Early shift
Best option: Michigan at No. 6 Ohio State
Spread: OSU -21
Read: Maize N Brew, Land-Grant Holy Land
It's The Game, and while Michigan has nothing but pride to play for, Ohio State's looking to slide right up into CFB Playoff position and embarrass its interstate rival in the process. Urban Meyer is not a particularly merciful coach, especially when his team's got a bigger goal in front of it, so if Michigan's not up to the task this might get ugly in a hurry. Then again, the Wolverines have played this one to a 102-102 over the last three games in aggregate, so it's awfully presumptuous to say this won't be a competitive game.
Plan B: No. 16 Georgia Tech at No. 9 Georgia
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is what they call this one, and with both teams jockeying for a January 1 bowl game spot, there's plenty more on the line here than your average non-conference game. Heck, Georgia might still be alive for a Playoff spot if the Bulldogs reach the SEC Title Game, win it, then get a little help. It's not impossible. Georgia has dominated the series as of late, but seven of the last 10 games have been decided by one possession, so expect 60 minutes of hard-fought ball ehre.
Keep it in mind: South Carolina at No. 22 Clemson
Most rivalries have a healthy sense of competition and some friction naturally comes with that, but few rise to the level of outright malice, especially the way South Carolina and Clemson harbor it for each other. Clemson's hoping Deshaun Watson can go at quarterback; if this game's left in the hands of Cole Stoudt, it'll probably end up intercepted and returned for a touchdown, just like everything else he touches.
In case of emergency: Kentucky at No. 21 Louisville
The Wildcats are slumping badly, having just gotten 50 hung on them by Tennessee, but they're still technically in the hunt for a bowl at 5-6. Louisville is awfully tough, though, especially with its opportunistic defense and bruising ground game. The backfield duo of Brandon Radcliff and Michael Dyer is one of the best in the country, and Kentucky's going to need its best game of the season to keep Louisville from finishing the regular season at an eminently respectable 9-3.
Middle shift
Best option: No. 4 Mississippi State at No. 19 Ole Miss
Spread: Mississippi State -2
Read: For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, Red Cup Rebellion
Mississippi State has a tenuous grasp on the last playoff spot, and that's before a Championship Week that will likely come and go without MSU in action. In fact, if there's anything saving the Bulldogs' hide, it's that TCU and Baylor won't be participating in a conference title game either. Regardless, the Bulldogs still have some convincing to do, and this Egg Bowl* against a still-dangerous Ole Miss team is the perfect opportunity. Dak Prescott won't win the Heisman this year, but a monster game here just might get him a plane ticket to New York.
*As an aside, I can't even read the words "Egg Bowl" without thinking of "Egg Man." This is not a complaint.
Plan B: Florida at No. 3 Florida State
The line on this one has slipped to FSU -7.5, which seems insane-FSU is a near-lock for the Playoff, and Florida just fired its coach on account of how bad it was this year-but the Noles have chosen to take first halves off this season, so here we are. It would be sort of touching and sweet to see Will Muschamp knock off a hated rival in his swan song with the Gators, and for that reason it's basically a guarantee that Florida State will win this with a last-minute touchdown. Such is the life of a villain.
Keep it in mind: No. 18 Minnesota at No. 14 Wisconsin
The battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe is suddenly a lot more consequential than anyone would have guessed even two or three weeks ago, as Minnesota and Wisconsin have both caught hot streaks at the perfect time and are now playing for a spot in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State. We're as surprised as you are. Melvin Gordon III will set the new Big Ten rushing record with one more yard from scrimmage, so we feel confident saying that'll happen on Saturday. In fact he may get more than one yard. Maybe even way, way, way more than one. How many more? One hundred? Two hundred? Five hundred? Tune in and see!
In case of emergency: No. 7 Baylor vs. Texas Tech at Dallas, TX
Baylor must be feeling an increasing sense of desperation as the season lurches toward finality and the Bears can't even push past No. 7. In other words, they're going to have to win sensationally, which means lots of points, and wouldn't you know it here's an extremely permissive pass defense, just ready and waiting to give up 60+ points.
Late shift
Best option: No. 15 Auburn at No. 1 Alabama
Spread: Alabama -9.5
Read: College and Magnolia, Roll Bama Roll
Come on. Like it could be anything but college football's single best in-state rivalry, under the lights and with Alabama's postseason dreams potentially on the line. Gus Malzahn is as qualified as anybody in America to put points up on Nick Saban's world-class defense, and for as crazy as the year has been in college football, we're still not at the point where a team can lose twice, not even win its division and still have a prayer at making the CFB Playoff. Oh, and lest we forget, last year's Iron Bowl had quite possibly the greatest finish in college football history. So.
Plan B: No. 2 Oregon at Oregon State
Oregon's had the Pac-12 North sewn up for a while now, but an upset loss here would be absolutely ruinous for the Ducks' postseason dreams, and Oregon State is acutely aware of that. The Beavers would love to add a chapter of calamity to the Civil War, and the bowl eligibility they'd get from pulling off the win here would be a happy bit of serendipity on top of it all.
Keep it in mind: Pittsburgh at Miami
We're recommending this for one reason and one only: Pitt RB James Conner vs. Miami LB Denzel Perryman, two of the absolute best and most physical players in college football at their respective positions. Decals will be flying off the helmets, and if the cameras are good enough we might even see shockwaves at impact.
In case of emergency: Boise State at Utah State
It's late night mountain ball, and with a lot potentially at stake; Boise State wins the MWC Mountain Division with a win here, and if Colorado State loses at Air Force on Friday, Utah State can capture the division crown. Either way, we've got a pair of solid, well-coached teams on the field here.