Start preparing your "goodbyes" to college football.
Rivalry week means the end is near and we're starting to sort out conference championship game berths.
Few of the conference championship games are already set. The Big Ten Championship Game was set last week. We've known about the ACC Championship Game for several weeks. The Mountain West Conference Championship Game is also set in stone, despite both teams incidentally playing each other this weekend before next week's bigger contest.
Still other conferences will finalize their championship games for next week. Oklahoma is going to the Big XII's new championship game. TCU is set to join it with a win over lowly Baylor. The Iron Bowl will crown the SEC West's representative in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. Likewise, the Apple Cup could send Washington State to its first Pac-12 Conference Championship Game. Stanford will hope Washington does it a solid by beating the Cougs to advance the Cardinal to Santa Clara.
Don't sleep on South Florida-UCF either. This will be the Group of Five game of the year with the winner advancing to play Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
Here's your viewing guide for this weekend.
Thursday
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). Thanksgiving is usually the domain for the pros, but the college fans will get a viewing option after their turkey dinner.
The only intrigue for me this game concerns whether Bert finishes last place in the SEC West despite Ole Miss conceding the season up front when it fired Hugh Freeze. Ole Miss is 2-5 in conference play while Arkansas is 1-6. Ole Miss is indeed responsible for Arkansas' only conference win this year but it could guarantee a last-place finish for Arkansas with a road upset in the Egg Bowl.
This is probably wishful thinking on my end. Mississippi State is a 16.5-point favorite.
Friday
Western Michigan at Toledo (ESPNU, 11:30 a.m.). Friday games in Week 13 have proliferated over the past decade or so. The day will start in the a.m. with Toledo looking to secure a berth in the MAC Championship Game. Toledo and Northern Illinois are tied on top the MAC West but Toledo has the tie-breaking win from a few weeks ago.
Akron, by the way, clinched its berth on Tuesday.
Miami at Pittsburgh (ABC, 12 p.m.). Miami has been set for its first ACC Championship Game for several weeks now. It'll be interesting that Miami will get an extra day-plus of prep. It finishes its regular season with a Friday game at 12 p.m. while its opponent next week, Clemson, plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Baylor at TCU (FS1, 12 p.m.). It's not yet clear who has the second berth in the Big XII Championship Game. Oklahoma is in; that's been certain for a while.
TCU won a saddle last week, but wants a bigger trophy next week. (Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
TCU is the safest pick for the second berth. It just needs to beat a lowly Baylor team at home to secure the second-best record in the Big XII, whose new/stupid conference championship game format is to play a round-robin schedule in a ten-team league and then compel the No. 1 and No. 2 finishers in the standings to play again because of what happened in 2014.
Things get far more interesting if TCU loses. That would drop TCU to three conference losses and ostensibly tie it with five other teams in the league if WVU pulls off the upset at Oklahoma.
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan (CBS Sports, 12 p.m.). Northern Illinois needs to beat Central Michigan and hope Western Michigan does it a solid against Toledo.
Navy at Houston (ESPN, 12 p.m.). This game is for second place in the American Athletic Conference's West Division. Memphis locked up the division weeks ago. These are the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the division.
Missouri at Arkansas (CBS, 2:30 p.m.). Missouri is quietly one of the hotter teams in the country. Missouri began the season 1-5 but has since rattled off five-straight wins. All have been blood-lettings, including over Florida and Tennessee by a combined 57 points. Indeed, no team has come within four touchdowns of the Tigers in that stretch, and that team was Vanderbilt last week.
Basically, root for Missouri this game because Arkansas would be guaranteed a last-place finish for our old friend Bert and an 8th loss on the season that would disqualify it as even a mercy bowl game selection.
South Florida at UCF (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). Here is arguably the Group of Five game of the year, and a game for which the build has been real all season. The only complaint you can raise is South Florida has that one curious blemish, a home loss to Houston. It's otherwise 9-1.
Thinking ahead to the next contract. (Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)
UCF, though, is the team to beat for the New Year's Six invite. It's undefeated and comfortably manhandling all opponents. Its closest game this season was a seven-point road win over SMU. Memphis, its 9-1 opponent next week in the conference championship game, lost to UCF by 27 points.
The winner of this game gets to play Memphis next week. This will likely be the team coached by Scott Frost, who is probably getting a major payday and contract from a Power Five program next year.
New Mexico at San Diego State (CBS Sports, 3:30 p.m.). I haven't wasted an opportunity to talk up Rashaad Penny, who would probably be my Heisman vote if I had one. It's curious that Penny, despite leading the country in rushing yards, wasn't even a Doak Walker Award finalist. May he take that out on a New Mexico team that, despite its promise, is clearly having a down year.
Iowa at Nebraska (FS1, 4 p.m.). I was one of those curmudgeons less than enthused for the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten in 2011 on the grounds that Nebraska's best days are well behind it. Still, its addition has made this season-ending contest one of the marquee attractions in the Big Ten. It has the right blend of homophily (i.e. flagship institutions from states that are little more than corn-subsidy sponges) and contrast (i.e. football prestige and color schemes) to make it a game to see.
The series is perfectly balanced since Iowa routed the Huskers last year in Iowa City. Nebraska will be looking for some retribution, but will do so as 3.5-point underdogs.
Virginia Tech at Virginia (ESPN, 8 p.m.). This one of the most lopsided season-ending rivalries we have in college football. Virginia Tech has won every encounter since 1999, except for the 2003 encounter. The games are typically not even close.
It seems like this could be one Virginia might get. Virginia Tech is not so good this year and Virginia is not so bad that a rout of the Hoos in the Commonwealth Cup is a fait accompli. Still, Virginia Tech is favored, and by a touchdown in this contest.
Texas Tech at Texas (FOX, 8 p.m.). I'm hoping for a Texas win, combined with an impossible Baylor upset of TCU earlier in the day, to produce max chaos in the Big XII Championship Game picture. Texas shouldn't have too much problem with the Red Raiders in this contest.
California at UCLA (FS1, 10:30 p.m.). The Justin Wilcox era in Berkeley started strong but has petered out. It will try to end on a positive note when it takes on a UCLA team that just fired its head coach. Loser is assured a 5-7 record in 2017.
Saturday
Georgia at Georgia Tech (ABC, 12 p.m.). It's Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate in Atlanta as Georgia looks to secure its path to the playoff with back-to-back wins in Atlanta. Next week's contest in Atlanta will be a different animal, though.
Ohio State at Michigan (FOX, 12 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game that we hope won't be as nerve-wracking as last year's classic was.
Kansas at Oklahoma State (FS1, 12 p.m.). Kansas' season comes to an end with a mercy killing in Stillwater.
East Carolina at Memphis (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). Memphis is still very much alive in the consideration for a New Year's Six invite. It'll get its chance to prove it next week in its conference championship game. However, it should take care of business in the Liberty Bowl as 28-point favorites.
Florida State at Florida (ESPN, 12 p.m.). Both teams are abjectly terrible and, as I type this, I'm not sure when was the last game between these two in which both had losing records.
Florida hasn't had much to celebrate in 2017. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
After some digging following this stream of consciousness, the last game between these two programs in which both would finish with losing records was 1961. Florida and Florida State played to a 3-3 tie and each finished 4-5-1 that season. However, that game was the second game of the season. It had yet to become the end-of-the-season attraction it is now, which it effectively did in 1977 (in Bobby Bowden's second year).
In other words, this is uncharted territory in the history of this rivalry. Florida is finishing with a losing record no matter this game because of Hurricane Irma forcing the cancellation of its cupcake game against Northern Colorado. Florida State is guaranteed a losing record if it loses this game despite adding a previously canceled game to next week's docket to backdoor its way into a 6-6 record.
Louisville at Kentucky (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). Louisville seems to be finding its mojo too late into the schedule. Lamar Jackson is putting up Heisman numbers, but on a mediocre team whose mediocrity he hid last year until Louisville limped to the finish line. That cost Lamar Jackson a whole lot of grace from Heisman voters this year and it's why you're not hearing his potential to repeat next month.
Indiana at Purdue (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). Indiana and Purdue play for the Old Oaken Bucket Saturday afternoon. That's as much as I can say about a rivalry in which the last time both teams were good was, what, 1967?
Connecticut at Cincinnati (ESPN News, 12 p.m.). How did Luke Fickell's debut go in Cincinnati? Not well. The Bearcats are 3-8 and, with just one conference win, last place in the American's East division. It'll need to beat UConn to avoid that last-place finish in 2017.
Alabama at Auburn (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). Iron Bowl. Enough said.
Winner of this game goes to the SEC Championship Game. The Ohio State fan's rooting interest is probably Alabama because Alabama is going to the playoff no matter what. If it loses at Auburn, it'll be barred from the SEC Championship Game but will still go because of its record (much like Ohio State last year). If it wins and loses next week to Georgia, it'll still go no matter what. I think the Ohio State fan still hoping for a playoff berth is conceding at least one spot to Alabama and hoping it can knock out Auburn and Georgia in the process.
As for me? I wish the worst things in life on Alabama, Tuscaloosa, their knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing fans and I hope they never learn any semblance of true happiness. I want their existence to be pain, punctuated with every labored breath between their bites of Dreamland Bar-B-Que. I wish them restless nights for which sleep is fleeting and, yet, it is sleep from which they hope to never awake. War Eagle... I guess. Not that their fan base is necessarily a panacea in the Yellowhammer State.
Wisconsin and Minnesota (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). On that note, I normally wish Minnesota victory in this contest but Ohio State probably needs Wisconsin undefeated for next week. Yes, I know I just contradicted myself from my prior discussion about the Iron Bowl but if you have a problem with that you can write your own feature.
Penn State at Maryland (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). The most interesting part of this series since Maryland joined the Big Ten is Maryland's players refusing to shake Penn State's hands prior to the 2014 contest. Maryland even won that contest. It's lost both games in this series since.
North Carolina at NC State (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). NC State needs to win this game to secure a second-place finish in the ACC Atlantic Division.
Boise State at Fresno State (CBS Sports, 3:30 p.m.). This will be the second straight year in which the Mountain West Conference Championship Game featured two teams who played each other at or near the end of the regular season. Last year, San Diego State and Wyoming met in their penultimate regular season contests before meeting again in the conference championship game. This year, Boise State and Fresno State play again next week.
That seems... suboptimal from a conference-scheduling perspective.
Iowa State at Kansas State (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). Iowa State could secure an 8-4 regular season, its best finish since 2000, with a win at Kansas State. I know Oklahoma is playoff-bound with a first-year 34-year-old head coach, but an 8-4 record for a team that hasn't won a conference championship since 1912 is amazing.
Michigan State at Rutgers (FOX, 4 p.m.). It seems to make more sense to me that Michigan State would've closed with Penn State while Maryland and Rutgers have a season-ending game. I don't know why the Big Ten is doing it this way.
Northwestern at Illinois (FS1, 4 p.m.). Illinois will try in vain to get its first conference win of the season, and only its second in the past two years, against a Northwestern team that just annihilated Minnesota last week.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). What an awkward segue for Tennessee football when I'm likening it to Illinois for also searching for its first conference win this season. Vanderbilt is also 4-7 and 0-7 in SEC play.
Basically, this Brady Hoke coaching in a battle for a last-place finish in the SEC. Sign me up.
Oregon State at Oregon (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). It's "Civil War" in Eugene as Oregon looks to finish 7-5 in Willie Taggart's first year. Oregon State, 0-8 in the Pac-12 and 1-10 overall, is playing for pride at this point.
Will Muschamp is having a fine year in Columbia. Beating Clemson would make it finer. (Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)
Clemson at South Carolina (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). South Carolina had recently dominated the series when Dabo Swinney took over the program in the middle of 2008, winning every contest from 2009 to 2013. Thereafter, Clemson has gotten its pound of flesh from the Gamecocks, winning the 2014 game by 18 points, the 2015 game by five points, and routing the Gamecocks by seven touchdowns last year.
South Carolina is an improved unit in Will Muschamp's second year. They're second-place finishers in the SEC East and they'll challenge Clemson and its playoff aspirations. Miami is hoping it does. The Hurricanes will be watching this game having concluded their regular season early Friday afternoon.
Notre Dame at Stanford (ABC, 8 p.m.). ABC's game of the week comes with deceptively little drama or intrigue. Stanford's not going to the playoff. After getting hammered by Miami, Notre Dame isn't going either. Perhaps the biggest drama/intrigue in this contest is how much of Bryce Love we'll see. Bryce Love is a certain Heisman finalist but he's been playing injured down the stretch and Stanford might need him more next week, if there is a next week.
On that note...
Washington State at Washington (FOX, 8 p.m.). It's Apple Cup time.
Stanford's win over California in the Big Game means Washington cannot defend its Pac-12 championship next week. The most it can do is beat Washington State in Seattle to send Stanford to the championship game next week to play USC.
That's about it. The stakes are simple. Washington State advances to the Pac-12 Championship Game with a win in Seattle. A Washington win ties the Huskies with the Cardinal on top the Pac-12 North. Stanford would advance on the tie-breaker.
BYU at Hawai'i (CBS Sports, 9 p.m.). I haven't quite seen a team that didn't know how to "football" like BYU this year. There are teams that are arguably worse, like Oregon State. However, Oregon State has no talent. BYU, by contrast, doesn't know what it's doing.
It's still somehow a three-point favorite on the road at Hawai'i and, I don't know about that. I'm taking Hawai'i in this game.
Colorado at Utah (FS1, 10 p.m.). This is a battle for last place in the Pac-12 South. Colorado, last year's Pac-12 South champion, will at least finish with a 6-6 record should it defeat Utah on the road. Utah is hoping to avoid a losing season as well.
Utah State at Air Force (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.). Your late-night viewing option this Saturday is at least scenic. Falcon Stadium is a cool view at night. The teams themselves aren't great. Utah State is 6-5 and Air Force is 4-7.
