Georgia-Tennessee, Washington-Oregon State, and More High-Stakes Week 12 CFB Games

Remember this crucial truth: there’s no such thing as a slow or boring week in college football, no matter what the schedule looks like. Just look at all we’ve found for teams to battle over in Week 12!

Colorado at Washington State (Friday, 10:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports 1): In Week 3, both of these schools were 3-0 and ranked in the AP Top 25. In the ensuing two months, they’ve each won a single game and lost six to put themselves on the brink of missing a bowl game. Washington State would need to beat the Buffs and then win the Apple Cup, while Colorado has to sweep road games against the Cougars and Utah. Wazzu’s only lost this game once in Pullman, in 2012, when the Buffaloes scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes to win 35-34.

Louisville at Miami (Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern, ABC): Louisville hasn’t technically clinched a spot in the ACC championship but can do so with a win over the Hurricanes. That would be the first appearance in a conference title game for the Cardinals; all of their Conference USA and Big East titles came without a championship game in place. Miami can still salvage a .500 record in conference play this year if they beat Louisville and Boston College to close the season. A win would also give the Canes a 6-1 home record, which would be their best since 2017.

Rutgers at Penn State (Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports 1): Rutgers and Penn State have played each other 33 times, and the Scarlet Knights have won two games. The most recent of those was in 1988, and in the nine games since Rutgers joined the Big Ten, it has never scored more than 10 points against the Nittany Lions. Coming off a lackluster loss to Michigan that led to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, this might be the worst possible time for James Franklin to struggle with Rutgers. Not that there are good times for Penn State to do that, mind you. 

Oklahoma at BYU (Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern, ESPN): Ten regular-season wins are still within reach for the Sooners, as is a spot in the Big 12 title game, depending on how the four-way tie for second place that Oklahoma’s stuck in the middle of works out. Step one is to beat a BYU team that Oklahoma’s played twice and lost to both times, in a neutral-site opener in 2009 and in the 1994 Copper Bowl. BYU’s in the middle of a very lopsided three-game losing streak (each loss came by at least 29 points) and needs to either beat the Sooners or Oklahoma State next week to achieve bowl eligibility. The Cougars have only missed a bowl once in their last 18 seasons.

SMU at Memphis (Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern, ESPN2): SMU’s part of a three-team group undefeated in American Athletic Conference play this season, and Memphis is right behind it with one loss to Tulane. The Tigers haven’t been to the title game since 2019, and the Mustangs have never played in it — and this is their last opportunity before they jump to the ACC next season. It’s been a decade since Memphis last lost at home to SMU.

Appalachian State at James Madison (Saturday, 2:00 PM Eastern, ESPN+): Most of the history between these two programs took place when both were playing down a division, including a great matchup in the 2007 FCS Playoffs where the Mountaineers forced a fumble when JMU was in field goal territory to preserve a 28-27 win. Appalachian State has recovered from a bumpy start to the year by winning its last three games; with a little help, they can win the Sun Belt East for the fourth time in six years. James Madison, despite having its request for a waiver to play in a bowl denied again, can improve to 11-0, which only four other Group of Five schools have accomplished since the start of the 2018 season.

Utah at Arizona (Saturday, 2:30 PM Eastern, Pac-12 Network): The Wildcats and Utes meet as ranked teams for the first time since 2014 when Arizona easily won 42-10 thanks to four Utah turnovers and 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Nick Wilson. That was also the last season Arizona won eight games, which they can do again with a win this week. Utah has an active six-game winning streak in this series and hasn’t lost consecutive games since Week 2 and 3 of the 2021 season. 

Georgia at Tennessee (Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern, CBS): Georgia jumped back up to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings and can further cement its case for the top seed with a win against a ranked opponent on the road. Tennessee hasn’t beaten the Dawgs in seven years, its longest drought in this series since it became an annual came in 1992. The Volunteers have lost their last 13 games when facing the nation’s top-ranked team; the last time they beat No. 1 was in 1985 when they knocked off Auburn during Bo Jackson’s Heisman season.

UNC at Clemson (Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern, ESPN): The Tigers pulled out of their dive by beating then-No. 12 Notre Dame and an often-frisky Georgia Tech, and defeating No. 22 North Carolina would probably put a stamp on this season as “disappointing” instead of “outright disaster.” (Pending the outcome of the South Carolina game, at least.) UNC and Clemson didn’t play much under the ACC’s old divisional setup; two of their last five games, all Clemson wins, came in the ACC Championship. The Tar Heels last won in Clemson in 2001. With a win, Mack Brown can become the first UNC coach to win nine games in consecutive years since … Mack Brown, who pulled it off in 1996 and 1997.

UCLA at USC (Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern, ABC): After some lopsided stretches in this rivalry – USC won 12 of 13 from 1999 through 2011, and UCLA won eight straight from ‘91 through ‘98 – things have evened out a bit with the arrival of Chip Kelly, who’s 2-3 against the Trojans. This is USC’s regular-season finale and a loss would be their fourth conference defeat. That’s only happened twice in the last decade of USC football. 6-4 UCLA hasn’t lost five games since Chip Kelly’s first two seasons with the Bruins. I’m not saying the loser of this gets fired, but they will be an easy Google result for “2024 hot seat.”

NC State at Virginia Tech (Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern, ACC Network): NC State had to erase a 21-3 deficit in the third quarter last year to beat Virginia Tech, its first win over the Hokies since 2004. (This is another ACC matchup that only happened sparingly when the conference was split into divisions.) Virginia Tech’s one win away from bowl eligibility after a 2-4 start, and NC State can get to eight wins in the regular season for the fourth-straight season and the sixth of Dave Doeren’s tenure. 

UNLV at Air Force (Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern, CBS Sports Network): Two consecutive losses have taken a little shine off of Air Force’s season, but the Falcons are tied with UNLV for the lead in the Mountain West. Air Force hasn’t appeared in the game since 2015, and the Rebels have yet to play in it at all. The Falcons can still win 10 games for the third straight year, which would be a first in program history. 8-2 UNLV already has more wins this year than in its last three combined, and a ninth would be a highwater mark stretching back to 1984. 

Kansas State at Kansas (Saturday, 7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports 1): The last 14 games in this rivalry have been Wildcat victories, and only two of them have been decided by a single score. And you’ve got to go back all the way to 1995 to find the last time this game featured both teams in the Top 25. All three of Kansas State’s losses this year (and none of their wins) came against currently-ranked teams, and last week’s defeat at the hands of Texas Tech was the first loss Kansas suffered at home this year.

Washington at Oregon State (Saturday, 7:30 PM Eastern, ABC): The No. 5 Huskies clearly don’t have room for error right now if they want to snag a playoff spot. That’s especially true against an Oregon State team enjoying its highest ranking (No. 10 in the AP) since 2012. Both losses by the Beavers this year have been 1) by three points and 2) on the road, and the last two games in this series have been won 1) by three points and 2) by the home team. Oregon State’s also got a shot to make its first appearance in the Pac-12 title game, though it’ll have work to do even if it beats Washington.

Texas at Iowa State (Saturday, 8:00 PM Eastern, Fox): Are you a Texas fan tired of recent close escapes from defeat by the Longhorns? Too bad; here comes the team that had a lead against Texas in the fourth quarter last year and beat the Longhorns in 2021, 2020, and 2019. 6-4 Iowa State is still contending for a Big 12 Championship spot, and a win over conference leader Texas would really throw the standings for a loop. 9-1 Texas is trying to win ten games in the regular season for the first time since 2009. 

BONUS: Here are this week’s games between teams who have never played one another.

USF at UTSA, Friday, 9:00 PM Eastern, ESPN2
UCF at Texas Tech, Saturday, 5:00 PM Eastern, FS2
North Alabama at Florida State, Saturday, 6:30 PM Eastern, The CW
Georgia State at LSU, Saturday, 8:00 PM Eastern, ESPN2
Marshall at South Alabama, Saturday, 5:00 PM Eastern, ESPN+
Sacred Heart at UConn, Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern