For the first time this season, college football fans have rankings from the College Football Playoff committee to bicker about. The ACC was dealt a rough hand, Notre Dame seemed to greatly benefit from name-brand bias and really, if you tried hard enough, there was pretty much something for everyone to get upset about—outside of the Ohio State faithful.
Here’s the thing: It’s early November! Look at this week as just the next opportunity for your program to gain favor with the committee.
All eyes will be on Lubbock come Saturday as undefeated BYU arrives to take on a Texas Tech team eager to separate itself from the rest of the Big 12 hopefuls. Elsewhere, jockeying continues in the SEC, which features a classic rivalry that will fade away from the annual schedule in the era of realignment. Plus, a pair of non-American Conference programs try to wiggle their way into the Group of 5 race.
Here are your must-watch games of the week:
Tulane Green Wave (6–2) at Memphis Tigers (8–1)
Well it looks like Jon Sumrall’s Green Wave couldn’t avoid the rat poison of last week. In fact, he may have generated bulletin board material of his own for UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, who fired back over accusations that his team was pumping crowd noise into its home stadium, the Alamodome. The result was the Roadrunners hanging 48 points on the Green Wave and knocking Tulane out of a clear path to the American title game. Things only grow more challenging with a trip to Memphis for a prime-time matchup. The Tigers have rallied from a bad loss at UAB and control their destiny in the American with three games against the other top five opponents in the conference left on the schedule. But in a Group of 5 race that remains completely wide open entering the final four weeks of the regular season, the winner of this game takes back control of pole position.
No. 7 BYU Cougars (8–0) at No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders (8–1)
It’s the matchup of the season thus far in the Big 12, a league that may look more positively on its chances of getting a second playoff team after the release of Tuesday’s rankings. Despite being undefeated, the Cougars are double-digit underdogs coming out of their bye week and hit a Texas Tech team playing inspired ball after its sole loss to Arizona State. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier will be tested more than he ever has before against one of the best defenses in the country, led by linebackers David Bailey (11.5 sacks) and Jacob Rodriguez (seven forced fumbles). Plus the Red Raiders need this game more—not only to bolster their résumé and prevent a second loss, but also just to stay clear of Cincinnati in the push for the conference championship game.
No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (9–0) at Penn State Nittany Lions (3–5)
If you’d like to criticize any pick on this list, including a 3–5 Penn State team with a backup quarterback behind center is the place to do it. We all thought this game would mean a lot more back in September, but it’s at least still an intriguing matchup with plenty of talent on the field. The real reason this game falls on the list is a bit of a litmus test to help us further compare the Hoosiers to the Ohio State Buckeyes. There was a real movement going into the first CFP rankings that Indiana should be ranked No. 1. After all, the Hoosiers have the best win of the two teams, on the road at Oregon, and beat Illinois by 25 points more than the Buckeyes did. Ohio State cruised at home to a 24-point win over Penn State thanks to a big second half from Julian Sayin, so keep an eye on what Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza is capable of in Happy Valley.
James Madison Dukes (7–1) at Marshall Thundering Herd (4–4)
Frankly, it took too long to find space for James Madison on this list, but welcome to the Dukes in the playoff dark horse race. The Sun Belt leaders have largely cruised through the conference since a respectable early season loss to Louisville, a result that has aged well with the Cardinals now No. 15 in the CFP rankings. The Dukes have a deep and diverse run game, with quarterback Alonza Barnett III (23 total touchdowns, 10 rushing) and running back Wayne Knight (6.2 yards per carry, five TDs) leading the way. James Madison will need to win out and have the American continue to cannibalize itself for a chance, but the schedule is gettable with games against Washington State and Coastal Carolina looming as the biggest tests. Don’t sleep on Marshall though. The Thundering Herd have played a pair of double-overtime games this season, against Louisiana (lost 54–51) and Texas State (40–37), and are coming off of a wacky loss at Coastal Carolina, making this matchup bound to have some shenanigans.
Texas A&M, fresh off of earning the top SEC spot in the first CFP rankings, has a solid chance at locking up an SEC championship game berth with a win Saturday. Marcel Reed seems to be hitting his stride at exactly the right time with four total touchdowns in each of the last two wins, which bodes well for the stretch run. However, the sophomore quarterback will be up against it with Missouri’s defense. The Tigers have continued to stifle some of the most explosive offenses in the SEC this year, including most recently Vanderbilt, despite coming up short in a road game in Nashville. Unfortunately for Eli Drinkwitz, starting quarterback Beau Pribula was officially diagnosed with a dislocated ankle leaving freshman Matt Zollers to start in his place come Saturday. With playoff elimination on the line, that’s a tough test for any player, let alone one with 29 career pass attempts.
LSU Tigers (5–3) at No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (7–1)
You’re welcome to call me out for SEC bias for including a matchup featuring an LSU team that’s been eliminated from playoff contention, fired its head coach and athletic director and incited an in-state civil war of words thanks to the highest-ranking political figure in Louisiana. However, this is your reminder: This historic rivalry is not an annual guarantee following this season. These two programs can’t stand each other and there’s nothing that would give a new president and new athletic director at LSU a perception boost quite like going into Tuscaloosa and taking down the Tide. Alabama nearly got caught napping by three-win South Carolina last weekend and seems to have come down off of its midseason run of dominance against four straight ranked teams. Whether the result is close or not, enjoy this epic rivalry and be sure to gripe about the perils of realignment as frequently as possible.
Navy Midshipmen (7–1) at No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6–2)
Navy’s control of its own destiny in the American conference hit a massive roadblock last week when the Midshipmen tripped up on the road against North Texas. Three turnovers from quarterback Blake Horvath was the real dagger, but giving up 190 yards and four touchdowns on the ground didn’t help. Rather than a get-right game, Navy now has to play one of the most dominant defenses in the country in South Bend. Say what you want about Notre Dame’s Top 10 ranking, the Fighting Irish have been dominant since their opening two losses and star running back Jeremiyah Love is making as compelling a case for the Heisman as any non-quarterback in college football. The reality is, after this game, Notre Dame will want Navy to run the table in order to claim at least some sort of legitimate win when making its case to the CFP committee. But for this weekend, the Fighting Irish will want to make a statement and have a major opportunity to do so.
San Diego State Aztecs (7–1) at Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (6–3)
Yes, you read that right. If you’re willing and able (and not a resident of Hawai’i), take out those devices, download the Mountain West app and get ready to rumble. San Diego State remains the only team in the league with a path to the playoff, but closes with a gauntlet. The Rainbow Warriors are on pace for their best finish since 2019 and have a lot to like—led by a relentless passing attack. No, seriously, Hawai’i leads the nation with 408 passing attempts, which makes sense when you can throw to dynamic wide receivers in Jackson Harris and Pofele Ashlock (90 catches, 1,199 yards and 13 touchdowns combined), plus finish drives off Kansei Matsuzawa, the most accurate and most used kicker in the country (21 for 21 on field goals, 28 for 28 on extra points). All that said, San Diego State has a top-10 defense when it comes to yards allowed and only Ohio State and Indiana have given up less touchdowns this season, so the Rainbow Warriors will have to get creative to put points on the board.
