There’s plenty to keep an eye on as Week 12 of the 2023 college football season kicks off. Here’s what you need to know as the season keeps rolling in November.
Oregon State favored at home vs. Washington
The biggest game of the weekend is in Corvallis as No. 12 Oregon State hosts No. 5 Washington. The Beavers can ruin the playoff hopes of both the Huskies and No. 6 Oregon over the next two weeks while also putting themselves in position to win the last Pac-12 title before 10 other teams leave for different conferences. Oregon State QB D.J. Uiagalelei has thrown just four interceptions and is having the best season of his career. His mistake-free football is why Oregon State is a slight favorite.
Michigan heads to Maryland without Jim Harbaugh
No. 3 Michigan is set for its second straight road game without Jim Harbaugh after the school and the Big Ten reached an agreement Thursday that Harbaugh would serve a three-game suspension in the wake of the in-person sign-stealing scandal at the school. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will again be the team’s interim coach like he was in the win over Penn State. Michigan is a 19.5-point favorite at Maryland.
Will Louisville meet Florida State in the ACC title game?
No. 10 Louisville is a 1-point favorite at Miami as the Cardinals can clinch a spot in the ACC title game with a win. Florida State awaits either Louisville or North Carolina in the conference championship game. Miami will start Tyler Van Dyke at QB after freshman Emory Williams suffered a broken arm late in the fourth quarter of the Hurricanes’ loss to Florida State. Van Dyke opened the season as Miami’s starter but had been benched in favor of Williams against Florida State after throwing three interceptions against NC State.
Arizona is still in the Pac-12 mix
No. 17 Arizona can keep its hopes of a Pac-12 championship alive with a home win over No. 22 Utah. The Wildcats need to beat both Utah and Arizona State and hope that No. 6 Oregon loses to No. 11 Oregon State in the final week of the season and Oregon State upsets No. 5 Washington on Saturday night. If Washington gets the win, Arizona needs Oregon to lose to both Arizona State and Oregon State to have a chance.
A Sunflower Showdown with two ranked teams
Week 11 is just the second time ever that both No. 21 Kansas State and No. 25 Kansas have been ranked when playing each other. Until Saturday, the only ranked matchup between the teams was in 1995 when both teams were in the top 10. Kansas State won that game in a blowout and needs a win against the Jayhawks to keep any hope of winning the Big 12 alive. Kansas should have QB Jason Bean back after he left the team’s loss to Texas Tech because of an injury.
Can Tennessee give Georgia a scare?
No. 18 Tennessee hosts No. 1 Georgia after being reduced to the role of spoiler. The Volunteers got throttled by No. 9 Missouri and were officially eliminated from the SEC title race with the loss, though Georgia would have clinched the East with its win over Ole Miss anyway. The blowout loss to the Tigers means the Vols are likely out of the New Year’s Six mix too. How motivated will Tennessee be?
Texas heads to Iowa State
No. 7 Texas’ path to the Big 12 title game is straightforward; the Longhorns are in with two wins. But Saturday night’s game in Ames could be tricky. Iowa State has won four of its last five games after a 2-3 start and is still in the mix for the Big 12 title. If Texas gets up early on the Cyclones, it needs to put Iowa State away. UT has made things too close for comfort late in wins over TCU and Kansas State the last two weeks.
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Iowa wins the Big Ten West with a victory
No. 16 Iowa can earn a spot in the Big Ten title game against the winner of Ohio State and Michigan with a victory over Illinois on Saturday. The Hawkeyes will be without star CB Cooper DeJean after he suffered a season-ending leg injury during practice this week. If Iowa loses to the Illini, it can still clinch a title-game berth with a win at Nebraska on Black Friday.
Sam Hartman and Notre Dame host Wake Forest
The stakes are not nearly what Sam Hartman would have hoped for when he first envisioned playing his former team. The Notre Dame QB takes on his old school for the first time Saturday as the No. 19 Fighting Irish are 7-3 on the season and Wake Forest is 4-6. Notre Dame is a 24.5-point favorite against the Demon Deacons. Hartman, meanwhile, is still looking for his second 300-yard passing game of the season.
Sliding UCLA and USC meet for the final time as Pac-12 teams
UCLA’s trip across town to USC comes with both teams now eliminated from Pac-12 title contention. The Bruins have lost three of their last five games — their only wins are over Stanford and Colorado — while USC has lost four of its last five games. This is a game about bowl positioning and rivalry bragging rights as the Trojans play their final regular-season game. If QB Caleb Williams elects not to play in a bowl game, it could be his final game as a USC player.
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