The flip of the calendar to November brings increased intensity to the college football schedule. Some leagues, especially the Big XII, gerrymandered the schedule to ensure that the projected top teams in the league all play each other in November.
It works out that way for the rest of the Power 5 conferences, certainly in the ACC and SEC this week. Clemson hosts Florida State in what amounts to the de facto ACC Championship Game. LSU visits Alabama on Saturday night with the winner likely to represent the division in Atlanta next month.
This week's schedule is long on excitement. Your viewing guide follows. Our apologies to the #MACtion on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Northern Illinois beat Toledo on Tuesday night and Bowling Green hammered Ohio, 62-24.
THURSDAY
Arkansas State at Appalachian State (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.). This game might be a subtle gem on Thursday night. These are the two remaining unbeatens in the Sun Belt. Both Appalachian State and Arkansas State are 4-0 in league play. Appalachian State's lone loss was at Clemson.
Baylor at Kansas State (FOX Sports 1, 7:30 p.m.). This game will probably command most of the attention on Thursday night. No. 6 (AP no. 2) Baylor is again on the outside looking into the playoff. Fortunately for Baylor, it will have a chance to better state its case this month with games at Kansas State, vs. Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State, at Texas Christian, and vs. Texas to play. However, it will have to play these games without Seth Russell. True freshman Jarrett Stidham takes over quarterback duties tonight.
Mississippi State at Missouri (ESPN, 9 p.m.). This game may have commanded more intrigue if it were played last year. Mississippi State has done well to be at least middle of the table in the SEC West, notwithstanding attrition from last year's Orange Bowl team. Meanwhile, Missouri is just dreadful. It scored just 12 points in all of October.
Nevada at Fresno State (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.). A loss here would eliminate Fresno State from the postseason.
FRIDAY
Temple at Southern Methodist (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). Temple will hope to rebound from last week's loss to Notre Dame. Meanwhile, 1-7 Southern Methodist is playing for pride at this point.
Rice at UTEP (CBS Sports, 8 p.m.). The pickings are routinely slim on Friday night. CBS Sports' 8 p.m. slot on Friday night features two teams in the middle of the table in the Conference USA's West division.
BYU at San Jose State (CBS Sports, 11:30 p.m.). This will immediately follow the Rice-UTEP game. Brigham Young is a two-touchdown favorite on the road.
SATURDAY
Akron at Massachusetts (CBS Sports, 12 p.m.). This option is here if you want it, though you can probably skip it.
Central Florida at Tulsa (ESPN News, 12 p.m.). Central Florida is still looking for that first win. It's unlikely to come in Tulsa. Tulsa is a 17-point favorite.
Penn State at Northwestern (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). Penn State's front four is fearsome and analysts expect it won't be as easy as last year's 29-6 win in Happy Valley. Northwestern is about a field goal favorite in this game.
Illinois at Purdue (BTN, 12 p.m.). Darrell Hazell will evidently return for a fourth season in West Lafayette, notwithstanding poor results. Illinois interim coach Bill Cubit will hope for a reappointment as well, but his chances are not looking that good at the moment.
Texas Tech at West Virginia (Fox Sports 1, 12 p.m.). Texas Tech conceded 70 points last week. The over/under for this game is 80. Take the over on this one.
Duke at North Carolina (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). Remember how officiating incompetence cost Duke a win against Miami last week? That could prove costly. Should Duke lose here, that might effectively give the division crown to North Carolina. UNC already has a tiebreaker over Pitt and Duke would have two losses.
Vanderbilt at Florida (ESPN, 12 p.m.). Florida is a 21-point favorite this game, and with reason. The Gators are likely headed to Atlanta to play the SEC West champion next month.
Kentucky at Georgia (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). Kentucky needed a two-touchdown rally in the fourth quarter to beat Eastern Kentucky, an FCS team, earlier this season. It followed that with three straight losses. At 4-4 this season, Kentucky could still make a bowl game in Mark Stoops' third season in Lexington. However, would a 6-6 season save Stoops' job?
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (ABC, 12 p.m.). Notre Dame is the playoff no. 5 team right now, if you can believe that. The playoff committee members are willing to forgive the rain-soaked loss at Clemson. However, it may need to make a statement in Pittsburgh against a resurgent Panthers team. Pat Narduzzi is having a coach-of-the-year kind of season.
Stanford at Colorado (Pac-12 Network, 1 p.m.). Stanford's a 17-point favorite on the road. I may honestly watch bits of this just to marvel at the remodeling job at Folsom Field. It doesn't look at all liked how I remembered it.
Florida State at Clemson (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). The winner of this game has won the ACC in the past four years. The loser finished second in the division each time. A similar story should unfold this year.
The playoff committee's evaluation of Florida State, should it win, should be interesting. Florida State's only loss was at Georgia Tech on a fluke play. If Florida State runs the table (which would also require a win at Florida), that should get the Seminoles in the playoff again.
Arkansas at Ole Miss (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). This season has derailed for Ole Miss after its upset win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, though it's a two-score favorite in Oxford. An Arkansas loss drops the Hogs to 4-5 on the season with a game at LSU next week.
Army at Air Force (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). This is the penultimate Commander-in-Chief's Trophy game before the Army-Navy game at the end of the year. Navy beat Air Force earlier in this season and has beat Army 13 straight times.
Arizona State at Washington State (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 p.m.). Last week's loss to Stanford may have been disappointing, but a win this week for Washington State makes the Cougars bowl-eligible for just the second time since 2003.
Iowa at Indiana (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). Iowa could improve to 9-0 with a win in Bloomington. Though Indiana is still looking for its first league win this year, its offense poses challenges to anyone it plays. Looking ahead, this might be the last major hurdle for Iowa before a possible Big Ten Championship Game berth. Its next games are Minnesota, Purdue, and at Nebraska.
Wisconsin at Maryland (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). Maryland will try to avoid its sixth-straight loss, which would also eliminate the Terrapins from the postseason.
Rutgers at Michigan (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). Brady Hoke's inability to beat either Maryland or Rutgers last year may have been what lost him the Michigan job, more than the third straight loss to Ohio State. Michigan already got a sense of vengeance earlier this season with a shutout win at Maryland. It will likely extract revenge on Saturday.
Texas Christian at Oklahoma State (FOX, 3:30 p.m.). This game is an interesting match-up of two of the remaining three unbeatens in the Big XII. Texas Christian enters the game as a five-point favorite on the road.
Cincinnati at Houston (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). Houston is an eight-point favorite at home, though all eyes may be on next week. Houston hosts Memphis in what should be the game of the year in the American Athletic Conference.
South Carolina at Tennessee (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). God help Butch Jones if Tennessee loses this game, though I'm not sure this is the market to be hiring a new coach. A South Carolina loss drops the Gamecocks to 3-6 with games left to play against Florida and Clemson.
UCLA at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network, 4:30 p.m.). Oregon State is still looking for its first league win under Gary Andersen. A loss at home to UCLA would deny Oregon State that and a chance at the postseason. The Beavers are just 2-6 this year.
Navy at Memphis (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). Memphis is a touchdown favorite in this game, though we're all looking ahead to next week's tilt at Houston.
Iowa State at Oklahoma (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). I completely missed that Iowa State took a belt to Texas last week, beating the Longhorns, 24-0. By the transitive property of college football, that should amount to a 31-point beatdown of the Sooners.
Michigan State at Nebraska (ESPN, 7 p.m.). At least first-year head coach Mike Riley is, by all accounts, a "nice guy." He'll have to swallow his nice through the offseason when Michigan State hands the Cornhuskers their seventh loss this season.
Utah at Washington (FOX, 7:30 p.m.). The no. 2 (Washington) and no.3 (Utah) defenses in the Pac-12 meet in Seattle.
Auburn at Texas A&M (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). Things were rosier for both squads before the season began. Auburn crashed and burned almost immediately while A&M saved its meltdown for consecutive games against Alabama and Ole Miss. The angst in Auburn could be interesting should it drop to 4-5 on the season after this game.
LSU at Alabama (CBS, 8 p.m.). This is arguably the best series in the SEC since Nick Saban rejoined the conference in 2007. Still, Alabama has won four straight games in the series, if that gives you an idea of how dominant Alabama has been in the past eight years.
Leonard Fournette is the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman. His odds are almost better than a coin flip, which is astonishing for this kind of race. However, Alabama is built to stop the kind of offense that LSU wants to make work in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is weakest at defending teams like Ole Miss. It thrives on shutting down programs like LSU.
Fans likely groaned, quite audibly, at Alabama's inclusion into the playoff field with the committee's first rankings earlier this week. Alabama's inclusion was likely pro forma. We just assume they belong and concoct explanations ex post for it. This likely motivates why Jon Wilner has Alabama at no. 1 on his AP ballot.
However, an Alabama win here would cement the Tide as a playoff favorite and favorite to win the SEC West. Ole Miss still has the tiebreaker over Alabama, but it won't have it long. LSU visits Ole Miss in two weeks.
Minnesota at Ohio State (ABC, 8 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
California at Oregon (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.). Remember when previous viewing guides drew reference to California's 2007 season? Therein, California started the season 5-0 but needed to wait until late November to get its sixth win. Likewise, California is riding a three-game skid since starting 2015 5-0. It'll get a reprieve next week when it hosts Oregon State, but games at Stanford and against Arizona State will end its regular season.
Arizona at USC (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.). The Coliseum under the lights will be the final venue for the night. Arizona will try for just its third win over USC this century.
