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We won’t have any court drama today after all, but we have the perfect video description for targeting from last night’s Pitt–Boston College game. Yikes!
Here’s what’s happening in college football Until Saturday …
Week 12 Schedule
What to watch
College Football Playoff implications
Noon: No. 3 Michigan (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) at Maryland (6-4, 3-4), Fox: Jim Harbaugh accepted his three-game suspension from the Big Ten yesterday and won’t go to court today to fight it, meaning he will not be on the sideline for the remainder of the regular season. Regardless, the Wolverines are still ranked third and sailed past a big test at Penn State last week. Maryland is not on Michigan’s level, so I’d expect the Wolverines to cruise again.
Afternoon: No. 1 Georgia (10-0, 7-0 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3), 3:30 p.m., CBS: The Dawgs jumped to No. 1 in the CFP rankings after soundly defeating Ole Miss. Grabbing a third consecutive ranked win Saturday would solidify Georgia at No. 1 for this week, and the Vols are coming off an uninspiring 36-7 loss to Missouri.
Prime time: No. 5 Washington (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12) at No. 11 Oregon State (8-2, 5-2), 7:30 p.m., ABC: The committee kept Washington on the outside of the top four despite having a resume that’s worthy of a Playoff spot. That’s OK because in a Pac-12 as talented as this one, ranked opponents just keep coming. The Huskies’ trip to Corvallis gives them another chance to change the committee’s minds.
Group of 5 spotlight
Noon: SMU (8-2, 6-0 AAC) at Memphis (8-2, 5-1), ESPN2: No team has been able to stop the Mustangs’ offense, which is averaging an AAC-leading 40.5 points per game. But maybe the Memphis attack, which puts up 39.7 points per game, can match it. SMU is tied with Tulane and UTSA atop the AAC standings. Will all three make it past this week undefeated in conference play?
Afternoon: UNLV (8-2, 5-1 Mountain West) at Air Force (8-2, 5-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network: With these teams tied for first place in the Mountain West, this game has major conference implications. Once 8-0, the Falcons have spiraled on a two-game losing streak, including a conference loss to 4-7 Hawaii. UNLV will offer a challenge but also an opportunity for Air Force to get back on track.
Prime time: Old Dominion (4-6, 3-3 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (6-4, 3-3), 6 p.m., ESPN+: Old Dominion’s offense has struggled and scored just 10 points in its last game against Liberty. These defenses, however, are fairly evenly matched.
Sneaky good games (Plus: An action meter from
tame 🤯 to terrific 🤯🤯🤯🤯)
Noon: Louisville (9-1, 6-1 ACC) at Miami (6-4, 2-4), ABC: The Cardinals will clinch a shot at Florida State in the ACC title game if they beat Miami. The Canes are an interesting case study, suffering a few bad losses but also not looking terrible in a 27-20 loss to FSU last week. Action meter: 🤯
Afternoon: No. 20 North Carolina (8-2, 4-2 ACC) at Clemson (6-4, 3-4), 3:30 p.m., ESPN: More ACC football! The Tar Heels prevailed in a shootout with Duke last week and now turn to a Clemson team that has been rolling the past two games. Action meter: 🤯🤯🤯
Prime time: No. 21 Kansas State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) at No. 25 Kansas (7-3, 4-3), 7 p.m., FS1: A true Top 25 rivalry game! Kansas gave us one of the best wins of the season against Oklahoma, but the Jayhawks lost last week to 5-5 Texas Tech. Meanwhile, Kansas State rolled past Baylor 59-25 and is playing its best football at just the right time. Action meter: 🤯🤯
Feldman’s Files feature of the week: Florida at Missouri, 7:30 p.m., ESPN: Missouri has proven that it’s not a flash in the pan and rose to No. 9 in the latest CFP rankings. The Tigers will reach 10 wins if they handle Florida and Arkansas the next two weeks. Here’s Bruce Feldman on the team’s rise.
Feldman’s Files
How did Mizzou upgrade so quickly?
Mizzou, a team that got zero votes in the preseason AP Top 25, has three wins over ranked opponents, including last week’s beatdown of Tennessee.
The transformation of a team that went 6-7 in 2022 has been the most stunning of any in the SEC this year. The Tigers have been solid on defense, but their dramatic improvement on offense has turned heads. They lead the nation in red-zone scoring percentage after ranking No. 90 last season. They’re No. 18 in yards per play, up from No. 87.
Credit the arrival of offensive coordinator Kirby Moore from Fresno State and offensive line coach Brandon Jones from Houston for helping create that spark. RB Cody Schrader leads the SEC in rushing behind a much-improved offensive line. Moore hasn’t overhauled the running game, which features a lot of outside zone with some gap scheme, but the passing attack has changed. The Tigers are getting more vertical this year, and they’ve moved star WR Luther Burden inside to get him the ball quicker. Burden is in the mold of 49ers star Deebo Samuel, a strong, physical running-back-type WR who can bully DBs.
The other wideout, Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease, is a good complement. He’s among the national leaders in contested catches.
One thing coach Eli Drinkwitz loves about what Moore has brought is a lot of window dressing to force defenses to communicate more because the Tigers now utilize a lot of shifts, motions, stacks and bunches. It helps that the Tigers have a dynamic dual-threat in QB Brady Cook, who can burn defenses with his arm and his legs.
