The college football schedule Watchability Grid guides you to Nov. 12's best games

Hey, they're gonna do a college football weekend. That's pretty good.

It's a solid weekend too, but they all are. Thursday night looks fun, Friday night looks [mumbles], and we already had two nights of MACtion. There are only two games between pairs of ranked teams, but that's fine.

Below, the Watchability Grid, a schedule designed to highlight the best games (with TV times and streaming info) in each slot, based on a subjective combo of stakes, quality, competitiveness, and what else is on at the time. This is a weird week with a few weirder picks!

This won't be the most Playoff-defining weekend of the season (yes, we're trying to jinx the universe into chaos by saying things like that), but it'll still be fun.

Please find some moments of joy and community this weekend, whether your team wins or loses.

All times ET.

(Weeknight games removed, for your Saturday convenience.)

Notes on the WATCH THIS games:

• Yes, a Big 12 game ahead of Baylor-Oklahoma. For one thing, that's now a 16-point spread in OU's favor. For another, who could be excited about the idea of watching Baylor play Joe Mixon?
• WVU-Texas, however, offers the Big 12's last real Playoff contender (not buying OU's chances this year, despite teams in the teens making it in before) against a coach who's juuust about moved beyond MUST-WIN status. Knocking off another ranked team would bring Charlie Strong one more step away from the brink, to say the least.
• Penn State-Indiana pairs two teams that've been in plenty of exciting games against all kinds of opponents in recent years. PSU's a bit better on offense than the casual observer would guess, and the same goes for Indiana on defense.
• The middle shift is thick with potential upset alerts, but it's hard to zero in on a couple. Let's go with the hating-est rivalry in the group and the one involving Texas Tech's ability to turn any game into a shootout. (Elsewhere, Appalachian State-Troy is likely the Sun Belt title game.)
• LSU-Arkansas, technically a ranked game and technically a trophy rivalry. Both teams are interesting. Keep it on until USC-Washington, at least.
• The Huskies host the game of the weekend, and we find out exactly how good the Trojans are with new quarterback Sam Darnold in charge. If this is your second time watching USC all year, after the Alabama game, prepare to be somewhat impressed. (And then if you aren't impressed, you can transfer that impressed-ness over to UW, I guess.)
• The night game: an extremely late rehash of the drunkest Pac-12 late-night matchup possible. It will be over at sunrise, no matter your time zone, somehow.