Eisen questions why Michigan or Ohio State would want to play in Big Ten Championship (2:39)Rich Eisen argues that there is no upside for the Ohio State-Michigan winner to play in the Big 10 Championship game. (2:39)
Somehow, 13 weeks of college football have already come and gone, leaving us with one, last Saturday of regular-season action. It’s hard to believe that, a mere three months ago, we thought LSU, Clemson and Penn State were top-10 teams, that when Florida State beat Alabama, it meant times had changed in Tallahassee, and that when Miami beat Notre Dame, it meant that the Hurricanes would have a better shot at the playoff than the Irish. What fools we all were!
But the beauty of Week 14 — of Rivalry Week — is that the 13 weeks that preceded it are little more than periphery details.
Who cares if Ohio State has been the best team in the country, when all that matters is beating Michigan?
The massive disappointment felt by Clemson and South Carolina fans is of little consequence this weekend, when at least one fan base will earn some needed redemption after a lost season.
Florida fired its coach. Florida State is keeping theirs. None of that matters when the two face off Saturday.
Georgia Tech’s defense has collapsed and so, too, the team’s playoff hopes, but a win over rival Georgia would make this a magical season nevertheless.
Alabama has largely proved its playoff pedigree, but there’s still the small matter of the Iron Bowl, where Auburn can get a head start on scripting a new story for a program still in search of its next head coach by not only beating its rival but by sending the Tide to the back of the playoff line.
Up and down the docket, the games are big — not because of the records or the postseason stakes, but because Rivalry Week means something different altogether. It’s bragging rights for a year, it’s talking smack to your neighbors, it’s a chance to right anything that has gone wrong in the past 13 weeks and finish the season with a defining moment. — David Hale
Vanderbilt wins if: Quarterback Diego Pavia continues to carry the Commodores. He has played spectacularly this season and has the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, per ESPN BET. Pavia has turned it up a notch down the stretch, throwing for more than 350 passing yards in each of his past three games with 14 touchdowns (three rushing) and one interception. In last week’s 45-17 win against Kentucky, Pavia threw for a school-record 484 yards with five touchdowns on 33-for-39 passing.
“Beating them does a lot for me,” Washington’s Jedd Fisch said ahead of Saturday’s visit from Oregon. “Knocking them out is just another part of it. We want to do everything we possibly can to get a win on Saturday. That is our plan to do everything possible to get that done. We will work exceptionally hard, knowing that we have a really, really good opponent coming into town.”
The stakes: The Wolverines are seeking a fifth straight win in the series, which would be their longest winning streak in the rivalry since the 1920s. With a victory — coupled with either an Oregon or Indiana loss — Michigan could also advance to the Big Ten championship game while entering the CFP at-large bid conversation. The Buckeyes probably have already clinched a playoff berth. But they’re still aiming for a first-round playoff bye and potentially the No. 1 seed. With a win over Michigan, Ohio State would also advance to the Big Ten title game for the first time in five years, while ending Michigan’s hold on the rivalry — the only blemish on Ryan Day’s otherwise sterling tenure as Ohio State’s head coach.
Michigan wins if: The Wolverines can hang around in the second half and intensify the pressure on the Buckeyes (9.5-point favorites), forcing Ohio State to play tightly yet again. Unlike last year, the Wolverines have the firepower on offense this time to test Ohio State, with dynamic freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, steady running back Jordan Marshall (who’s expected to return from a shoulder injury) and budding freshman receiver Andrew Marsh, who has emerged as Underwood’s go-to target in Big Ten play. If the Wolverines can land some big plays on offense and make the Big House crowd a factor, they have the defense (No. 5 nationally in EPA) to make this a fourth-quarter game, where, as this rivalry has proved over the years, anything can happen. — Jake Trotter
The stakes: For Texas, its playoff hopes. For A&M, it’s history. The Longhorns, who have made the CFP semifinals the past two seasons, need an upset to stay alive. The 11-0 Aggies, who haven’t won a conference title since 1998, can tie the school record of 12 wins and earn a trip to the SEC championship game. It’s a rare high-stakes matchup for both programs; this will be only the 12th time both teams have been ranked coming into the game, which is being played for the 120th time. Texas has won eight of the previous 11 meetings under such circumstances.
Texas A&M wins if: If the Aggies’ offensive line controls the game. A&M QB Marcel Reed completes just 42% of his throws under pressure but has been pressured on just 25% of dropbacks. The Aggies average 5.3 yards per carry between the tackles, and the Longhorns give up only 3.5 up the middle. On defense, if A&M can get Texas into third downs, it will have a distinct advantage. The Aggies have the best third-down defense in the country, allowing conversions only 21.5% of the time, second best in the FBS in the past 20 years, while Texas converts 41% of opportunities, 11th best in the SEC.
Texas wins if: Arch Manning continues to be efficient running the offense. The Aggies average a sack on 10.6% of dropbacks, second best in the FBS, and Manning has been comfortable throwing quick strikes to Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V, who have combined for 40 catches and 785 yards over the past four games. Defensively, it will have to limit big plays, something that has bedeviled the Longhorns of late: Reed has 43 passes of 20 or more yards, second to Alabama’s Ty Simpson (45). Texas has given up 37 such passes, second only to Arkansas (49). — Dave Wilson
The stakes: For two teams who’ve spent the bulk of this season with playoff aspirations, there’s remarkably little postseason impact to be drawn from this one. Georgia Tech’s disaster against Pitt almost certainly means the Yellow Jackets are out, short of a miracle berth in the ACC championship game. Georgia’s win over Texas two weeks ago all but locked up a playoff bid for the Bulldogs. So, what’s at stake here? Look no further than last year’s eight-overtime thriller to understand. For Georgia, any postseason success would come tinged with regret if the Dawgs don’t take care of business here. For Tech, finally toppling the hated Bulldogs would be more than enough to ensure this season went down in the history books as one of the school’s best.
Georgia wins if: The Bulldogs’ defense can stop Haynes King. A year ago, the Georgia Tech QB tormented the Dawgs throughout the game, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another 110 yards and three scores in a 44-42 defeat. The Jackets’ offense is relentless, thanks in large part to King’s brilliance, and though he’s guaranteed at least one more game with Tech before his college career ends, this will be his true farewell performance, meaning a player renowned for his toughness will leave nothing left in the tank. That puts the burden squarely on the Dawgs’ defensive front, which has to manage to corral King in the pocket but also not let him burn them downfield.
Georgia Tech wins if: It can stop the run. Georgia’s rushing offense has taken strides lately, but it still averages just a tick over 4.5 yards per carry — solid, but hardly spectacular. But Georgia Tech’s defense has made a habit of turning middling rushing attacks into unstoppable forces. The Jackets have given up at least 150 rushing yards in eight of their past nine games, and have surrendered 10 rushing touchdowns in their past three contests — two of which were losses. Tech has to figure out a way to keep Georgia’s offense one-dimensional, and if November’s performances are any indication, that’s going to be a major undertaking. — Hale
The stakes: There’s more at stake for the Commodores, who can win 10 games in a season for the first time in school history and keep their CFP hopes alive. Depending on what happens elsewhere this weekend and next, Vandy could be in line for an at-large bid if it beats the Volunteers. Tennessee has won each of the past six games in the series (victories in 2019 and ’20 were later vacated because of NCAA rules violations) and most of the scores weren’t close. The Vols can win at least nine games for the fourth straight season and improve their standing in the SEC’s bowl pecking order.
Tennessee wins if: If the Volunteers contain Pavia and play keep-away as they did last season. In Tennessee’s 36-23 victory in Nashville in 2024, it limited Pavia to 104 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. He ran for 45 yards. The Volunteers ran for 281 yards and went 11-for-15 on third down, limiting the Commodores to only 11 offensive plays in the second half. This UT defense isn’t nearly as good as the one that led the Vols to the CFP last season. The Vols rank 14th in the SEC in scoring defense (27.2 points) and passing defense (247.1 yards), so they’re going to have to sustain drives on offense again. — Mark Schlabach
The stakes: The stakes are fairly straightforward: Alabama clinches a spot in the SEC championship game with a win over its rival, and that would put it in position to get into the CFP. As it stands, Alabama is on the bubble. A win in Atlanta would guarantee the Crimson Tide a spot in the 12-team playoff; a loss and things might get dicier. As for Auburn, nothing would be more fitting than clinching bowl eligibility with a win over its hated rival as a massive underdog. This has been a disappointing season for the Tigers, but a victory would make its year.