The Holy War takes center stage, as does the most important Miami-Notre Dame game in almost 40 years. Maybe it really is 2007 again, or is that NIL-induced parity finally in effect?
Week Nine Recap
The New Mexico Lobos are unbeaten in the Mountain West, earned the first ranking in program history, and nothing else of note happened. Just kidding! Top 5 teams Miami and Indiana narrowly avoided losses to unranked conference foes (where have I seen that before?), while USC showed that they may still have some gas in the tank with an emphatic win over Ohio State. UCLA is somehow the only undefeated team in the Big Ten, and a few big games are up next on the docket for the Big 12 and SEC.
Top 25 Matchups
Rankings are from CFP Poll, All game times EST
Friday 11/6:
- TCU @ #22 Arizona, 10:15 PM, ESPN
Saturday 11/7:
12:00-3:00PM
- #9 BYU @ #3 Utah, ABC
- #7 Texas @ #18 Missouri, ESPN
- #8 UCLA @ Minnesota, FOX
- Texas A&M @ #21 South Carolina, ESPN
3:30PM-6:30PM
- #5 Alabama @ #14 LSU, ABC
- #23 Oregon @ #12 Ohio State, CBS
- Merrimack @ #16 Wake Forest, ACCN
- Cincinnati @ #17 Houston, FOX
- #25 Boise State @ Colorado State, USA
- #6 Kentucky @ #13 Tennessee, ESPN
7:00-10:30PM
- #1 Miami @ #11 Notre Dame, NBC
- #2 Gorgia @ #10 Ole Miss, ABC
- #19 Iowa @ Northwestern, FOX
- Oklahoma @ #24 Florida, SECN
- West Virginia @ #15 Texas Tech, ESPN
Most Interesting Matchups
BYU @ Utah: The Holy War is back, this time with first Top-10 matchup since the start of the series in 1896. As such, this year’s edition has become the most important matchup in the history of the rivalry, with control of the Big 12 and an inside track to a top 4 playoff seed on the line. Throw the Vegas line and early-season trends out the window; this one will be crazy no matter what.
Texas @ Missouri AND Alabama @ LSU: I put these two matchups together because the stakes are similar for all four teams involved. All four teams have two conference losses, all four teams are stuck precariously in the second tier of the SEC, and a loss from any of the four (especially Missouri) means they can kiss a trip to Atlanta goodbye.
Kentucky @ Tennessee: Time to see if the midseason momentum from the Wildcats is sustainable through the last month of the regular season. This is the first of three tricky matchups for Kentucky and a rivalry game to boot, even as Tennessee struggles to keep their at-large playoff hopes alive.
Miami @ Notre Dame: The most important Miami-Notre Dame matchup since the infamous 1988 “Catholics vs Convicts” game wraps up the featured games for this week. A win for Notre Dame makes them a near lock for a playoff spot even with another loss, while a Hurricanes victory will keep them at the top as they reach the home stretch in their ACC slate.
FCS Game of the Week
Stephen F. Austin @ Lamar, 11/7 4PM, ESPN+
An all-Texas showdown takes the spotlight this week, with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference. Did I mention that it’s also a Top-15 matchup?
Selected Pick ATS
My Picks:
Last Week: 5-0 Season: 25-23
- BYU (+5.5) @ Utah
- Texas (-2.5) @ Missouri
- Alabama (+5.5) @ LSU
- Kentucky @ Tennessee (-6.5)
- Miami (+6) @ Notre Dame
Coin Flip Picks
Rules – Heads: Home Covers, Tails: Away Covers
Neutral Site: Heads picks the first team alphabetically
Last Week: 3-2 Season: 24-24
- BYU @ Utah (-5.5)
- Texas (-2.5) @ Missouri
- Alabama @ LSU (-5.5)
- Kentucky @ Tennessee (-6.5)
- Miami (+6) @ Notre Dame
