Most college football teams will play their final game of the season this week but for the remaining squads, there is still a lot left to be determined (with championship games). It’s rivalry week, so you better not get caught looking at spreads and assuming things. Anything can happen when hatred is on the line. Here are the can’t-miss games of Week 13:
No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes @ No. 10 Michigan Wolverines
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
It was certainly good while it lasted for Buckeyes’ fans but considering the way things came to an end last weekend, all bets are off when it comes to Ohio State’s season finale at Michigan this Saturday. The Buckeyes have won some big games under head coach Urban Meyer but last week’s collapse against the Spartans was pretty epic. It could be hard to recover from on the road at the Big House. Despite his comments to the contrary, there should be no doubt that Jim Harbaugh has had this game scheduled on his calendar since the start of the year. While the Wolverines haven’t looked as dominant of late, they are good enough to think they have a legitimate shot to beat the Buckeyes at home. OSU is coming off its second loss of the Urban Meyer era and it will be interesting to see if Michigan can kick them while they are down.
No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ No. 9 Stanford Cardinal
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
Both teams are technically still in the mix for this year’s playoff but it will take a convincing win this weekend and a lot of help in order for either of them to get in. Notre Dame is coming off a very close win over Boston College and Stanford is probably their toughest opponent since their loss to Clemson back in early October. The Cardinal have locked up a Pac-12 North but it will take a pair of dominant wins over the Fighting Irish and in the Pac-12 championship game, plus some help in the form of losses for other top contenders, in order to have a shot at the playoff. If one of these teams can notch a definitely win, they can possibly vault themselves into the Top Four conversation. This is the game of the week.
No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners @ No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
Oklahoma survived a scare from TCU to improve to 10-1. They are in control of its own destiny in both the Big 12 and the playoff heading in to this weekend’s showdown with the rival Cowboys. The Sooners will need star quarterback Baker Mayfield to step up with a strong performance on the road against an Oklahoma State side that came up short last week against Baylor, but will be gunning for a measure of redemption. Bedlam and the opportunity to upset Oklahoma’s playoff hopes is enough to get them excited. The Cowboys will need to be a lot better against the run in order to have a shot. When you consider the way they were torched on the ground by the Bears last week, it’s hard to envision them being able to repair things enough to win this game.
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No. 13 Florida State Seminoles @ No. 12 Florida Gators
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
The combination of Dalvin Cook and Sean Maguire have made Florida State worth watching week-in, week-out. This game in particular will be worth tuning into as they attempt to earn a signature win at Gainesville. A win this weekend will be challenging with the Gators coming off four straight wins, including a close victory against Florida Atlantic to keep its slim playoff hope alive. The fact that Florida still has just one loss this year is testament to the job that Jim McElwain has done. However, they are coming off three wins by a combined 3.5-point average and this could be the week they finally fall short. Regardless, it’s nice to have the Florida-Florida State rivalry back where both teams are on equal footing.
