Around CFB Week 13: Rivalry Week
Rivalry weekend is one of the best weekends of the season in college football. Kicking things off Thursday night, we saw the Mississippi State Bulldogs outlast Ole Miss by a final of 24-22. North Carolina fell to NC State 30-27 after a missed field goal in overtime and Florida State defeated Florida 45-38 in a thriller down in Tallahassee on Friday. We will continue to see great and historic matchups throughout the weekend. Here are some of the must-watch games:
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan - Noon on Fox
This game may have the most at stake as two undefeated teams meet in Columbus, Ohio. Heisman front-runner C.J. Stroud will look to solidify his campaign as well as clinch the Big 10 East for the Buckeyes.
Harbough and the Wolverines have other plans as they look to finish 12-0 for the first time since 1997, when they were led by Lloyd Carr. Safe to say the winner of this game will have a good resume for the playoff committee.
Michigan beat the Buckeyes for the first time in eight years last November by a score of 42-27 and went on to be the No. 3 seed in the playoff after a Big Ten Championship win against Iowa.
Notre Dame vs. USC - 7:30 on ABC
The Trojans look to stay undefeated with another Heisman contender in Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams. The Trojans, currently ranked at No. 6 in the playoff rankings, are potentially closing in on their first-ever playoff berth.
The Fighting Irish have recently played very well after starting the season with a tough loss to Marshall, knocking off Clemson and having impressive wins over Boston College and Syracuse.
Will Notre Dame have an answer to the Trojans' offense?
Must watch games
South Carolina at No. 8 Clemson - Noon on ESPN
The Gamecocks coming off a very impressive victory against Tennessee, will look to come into Death valley and knock off the No. 8 Tigers for the first time in nine years Saturday.
Spencer Rattler threw for six touchdowns and 438 yards last week against the Volunteers. The win has the Gamecocks riding high, but will they be able to prevail against a Clemson defense featuring a front four that many consider the best in the nation? The Tigers have returned to their expected play after a slipup at Notre Dame, putting up 71 points over two weeks against Louisville and Miami.
Also important to note here is that South Carolina is 0-4 in day games and 1-3 on the road. A trend Tiger fans hope will continue.
Auburn at No. 7 Alabama - 3:30 on CBS
This matchup is always interesting and a heavily followed game around this time of the year. Both teams have had a down year. Alabama will not be featured in this year's playoff after losing to both LSU and Tennessee on last-minute plays. Auburn, who parted ways with Bryan Harsin, is coming in at 5-6 looking to become bowl eligible.
Auburn has been featuring a dynamic run game with Tank Bigsby leading the way. However, Alabama is one of the hardest teams in the nation to run the ball on.
Despite The iron Bowl not holding as much significance this year as in years past, the state of Alabama takes this rivalry very seriously, and the game will be played with a lot of passion and intensity.
No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 23 Oregon State - 3:30 on ESPN
Another game with a conference championship berth on the line. Oregon, who was back in playoff conversations until last week, has struggled the past two weeks, losing to Washington and looking fatigued against Utah. The Ducks will have to return to their normal intensity level of play as they take on the 23rd-ranked Oregon State Beavers.
The Ducks will need a good performance from Bo Nix in order to take down the Beavers at home. They will also need to continue the good work on the defensive side of the ball, featuring a Top 20 run defense over the course of the season to slow quarterback Ben Gulbranson and runningback Damien Martinez down.