Two weeks remain in the regular season and the debates regarding the College Football Playoff rankings are as fierce as ever. Thankfully, we have just a few more meaningful games on the slate before what’s sure to be a thrilling rivalry week.
All eyes will be on Eugene, Ore., this weekend as the Big Ten looks to solidify its pecking order past Ohio State and Indiana. Plus, the ACC still has five real contenders to make its league championship game, though it’s likely at least one of those will bow out with the matchups this weekend. And finally, two of the top five teams in the Big 12 will try to make their case for who’s worthy of competing for their conference’s automatic bid.
Here are the best college football games to watch in Week 13.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (7–3) at UNLV Rebels (8–2)
Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, FS1
There’s nothing better than a little Mountain West after dark. Hawai’i beat the brakes out of conference leader San Diego State two weeks ago, scoring 38 points on the league’s best defense in just three quarters. But now the Rainbow Warriors will have to prepare for the complete opposite approach against the best offense in the conference. UNLV puts up gaudy numbers (459.3 yards and 36.6 points per game), which rank in the top 20 nationally in both categories. Whether Hawai’i will lean on the quarterback-receiver combo of Micah Alejado and Jackson Harris (who have connected for seven touchdowns in their last three games) or bank on its defense again remains to be seen, but this game could shine bright during a busy F1 weekend in Las Vegas.
What’s at Stake: This is the only game on this list without playoff ramifications—but that shouldn’t make this matter any less! These are two of the five Mountain West teams tied for second in the conference right now, meaning the winner would stay alive in the race for the league title game.
No. 22 Missouri Tigers (7–3) at No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners (8–2)
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
This game has lost some juice in recent weeks as Missouri has bowed out of playoff contention with the loss of starting quarterback Beau Pribula to a serious leg injury. Plus, Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz could start commanding interest from around the league for any one of the four (or more) current coaching vacancies. Still, Missouri could play spoiler in a major way this weekend should it be able to replicate last weekend’s shellacking of Mississippi State. Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers just needed eight completions because Ahmad Hardy reminded everyone why he’s one of the best ballcarriers in the country with a 300-yard, three-touchdown day. But running the football in Norman will prove to be a tougher task. The Sooners’ defense sure picked the right time to play its best football to cement road wins at Tennessee and Alabama. But John Mateer hasn’t quite looked the same since injuring his hand earlier in the season and may need to play a more central role against a stout Missouri defense.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?@Ahmadhardy29 pic.twitter.com/ueYPAhh0nP
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 16, 2025
What’s at Stake: Oklahoma’s margin for error is extremely low. Sure, there are wins over Tennessee and Alabama, but a loss at home to Missouri would be the worst defeat on the Sooners’ résumé. With so many teams still hovering on the bubble, it remains to be seen if a three-loss SEC team would be given the benefit of playing in the nation’s deepest league—and Brent Venables probably doesn’t want his program to be the test case.
Louisville Cardinals (7–3) at SMU Mustangs (7–3)
Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2
If you’re still having trouble deciphering every ACC championship game combo, that makes two of us. Thankfully, Sports Illustrated has you covered—and if there’s one thing to know, it’s that plenty will be decided this Saturday before rivalry week locks in the two participants. SMU remains firmly in the running and may not control its own destiny with Georgia Tech and Virginia in better position, but could apply some serious pressure with wins in the final two weeks. The Mustangs have gotten hot at the right time to rattle off five wins in their last six outings—and it hasn’t really been the result of veteran quarterback Kevin Jennings, though he has been much improved. Rhett Lashlee’s defense has been exceptional for the last two months, allowing no more than 24 points in any of those six games. Louisville presents a challenge with its deep cast of talent at the skill positions, but SMU’s pass rush (32 sacks, tied for sixth nationally) should be able to apply pressure on Cardinals QB Miller Moss all afternoon.
What’s at Stake: A loss eliminates SMU from ACC championship game contention, which represents the program’s only chance to return to the CFP. The Mustangs also will have a rooting interest later Saturday, needing Pittsburgh to muddy the waters and beat Georgia Tech.
Washington State Cougars (5–5) at James Madison Dukes (9–1)
Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Few fan bases felt as aggrieved at this week’s CFP rankings as James Madison’s. The Dukes were entirely left out of the rankings, with the committee seemingly not valuing the Sun Belt nearly as much as the American Conference. But JMU can only control what it can control and so far Bob Chesney’s program has done so, housing its conference competition by 24 points per game across seven conference matchups thus far. The Dukes won’t get the benefit of a weaker Sun Belt opponent this week, which presents an opportunity to prove themselves against stronger competition. On the road, the Cougars pushed both Mississippi and Virginia to the brink and have lost three of their five games by three points or less. They’re no slouch, which should make this a strong matchup—and one that should be valued as such if James Madison wins.
What’s at Stake: JMU not only needs to stay unscathed and win the Sun Belt title game, but also probably needs to win those three games commandingly. Washington State may not be considered to be at the same level as your run-of-the-mill Power 4 team, but a commanding victory would go a long way in getting the Dukes some sort of respect compared to the top programs in the American.
No. 15 USC Trojans (8–2) at No. 7 Oregon Ducks (9–1)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
In by far the singularly most consequential game of the week, a pair of former familiar rivals from their Pac-12 days will take to the field with serious playoff ramifications on the line. Both programs recently escaped pitfall games against Iowa, so the winner seems likely to earn the Big Ten’s third bid to the CFP, but it’s the talent on the field that should excite you about this matchup. USC’s explosive offense, headlined by star receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, will have to solve the best pass defense in the country from the Ducks. On the other side, Dante Moore will have to play better than he did in moments against Wisconsin and Iowa and lean heavily on his own stars like running back Noah Whittington and tight end Kenyon Sadiq to set Oregon up for success. It’s just excellent to still have rivalry games from the past matter—and few recent additions of this matchup matter as much as this game does.
What’s at Stake: Ohio State and Indiana seem bound for the Big Ten championship game, so the third-place team in the Big Ten seems fairly secure in the field of 12, barring a shocking collapse. Michigan is still tied with each of these teams but would need a win over Ohio State in The Game to get in, meaning this is effectively the third-place game. The question will be whether or not Oregon could survive a loss in this game and still receive one of the last two at-large bids.
Pittsburgh Panthers (7–3) at No. 16 Georgia Tech (9–1)
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
As mentioned above, this second ACC tilt has even more bearing on the league’s standings. This is Georgia Tech’s final conference game before a rivalry week game against Georgia, and the Yellow Jackets seem to be limping to the finish line. Brent Key’s team almost got eked out by one-win Boston College last weekend, the week after it gave up 48 points in a loss to NC State. And it’s the defense that’s been a problem, seeing as the Haynes King–led offense ranks first in the nation in yards per play. It wouldn’t be surprising for the Yellow Jackets to continue rolling against a middling Pitt defense, but the Panthers will have a potent attack of their own to put points on the board. All in all, this should be a high-scoring game with a lot on the line, i.e., the perfect November college football game.
What’s at Stake: Georgia Tech is guaranteed a spot in the ACC championship with a win, and given that the league seems to be getting only one team into the CFP field, playing in that game is a necessity. Pitt will need a bit more help.
No. 11 BYU Cougars (9–1) at Cincinnati Bearcats (7–3)
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
If Texas Tech is in the driver’s seat in the ever-chaotic Big 12 race, then these two programs aren’t far behind. BYU still has just one loss and is looking for a chance to validate its at-large résumé, so winning on the road against a good Cincinnati team would go a long way. The Cougars are also catching the Bearcats at a good time, seeing as Cincy has lost two straight and was genuinely outplayed by Arizona while at home last Saturday. The usually reliable Brendan Sorsby threw two interceptions, doubling his season total, and racked up just 174 total yards of offense—a season low. It’s difficult to see him repeating that performance, but the BYU defense is for real and should come out with plenty of juice in its last major test of the regular season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Best Week 13 College Football Games to Watch: All Eyes on a Big Ten Playoff Decider.
