The final Saturday of November is the greatest day on the college football calendar.
It’s better than all the concocted conference championship games that follow a week later. Better than New Year’s Day. Better even than the College Football Playoff semifinals and title game.
Week 14, as it were, is the true pinnacle of the college game. Playoff implications aside, this is rivalry-games-gone-wild bliss.
It cuts right to the core of what differentiates the college game from the NFL — what makes it so successful — and that’s the traditions, pageantry and on-campus revelry that continue to make those regular-season mega-rivalries mean more than anything else.
We in the media might be guilty of being obsessed about the playoff. Compared with Week 14, though, the college postseason is anticlimactic.
Which brings us to two Big Ten matchups: No. 1 Ohio State (-9) at No. 13 Michigan (11 a.m., Fox-32) and No. 12 Wisconsin (-3) at No. 8 Minnesota (2:30 p.m., Ch. 7).
One is known simply as ‘‘The Game.’’ The other is a tooth-and-nail scrap for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
One is up there with the most storied rivalries in sports. The other is the most-played rivalry in the history of college football.
Sure, the stakes are especially high. The Buckeyes (11-0) can taste the playoff, and the Wolverines (9-2) are shooting for a New Year’s Six bowl destination. The Badgers (9-2) and Golden Gophers (10-1) are playing for the Big Ten West title, with the Gophers still harboring playoff hopes themselves.
But the urgency surrounding these games is inherently present.
‘‘Nothing matters if we don’t win this game,’’ Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said.
Day is the first-year successor to Urban Meyer, who was an amazing 7-0 against the Maize and Blue. Ohio State leads the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense and might be a better overall team than any Meyer had in Columbus. The talent on this roster, from quarterback Justin Fields to running back J.K. Dobbins to defensive end Chase Young, is mind-boggling.
But Michigan has the fourth-best defense in the land and a Shea Patterson-led offense that has been clicking for two months. Patterson’s trio of big-time receivers — Nico Collins, Ronnie Bell and Donovan Peoples-Jones — will test the Buckeyes’ ‘‘D’’ like it hasn’t been yet.
A lot of this comes down to the preparations made by Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff. The Michigan man is the first to start off with four consecutive losses to Ohio State.
‘‘I love the competition,’’ Harbaugh said. ‘‘This is the biggest game of the year.’’
He’s got that right — unfortunately for him. Buckeyes, 27-24.
TAKE. IT. BACK.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 29, 2019
Chapter 12: AXE pic.twitter.com/f3wRZdPBdy
And can anybody explain to us why the go-go Gophers are underdogs against the Badgers? Minnesota ended a 14-game losing streak in the series with a blow-the-barn-door-off 37-15 victory last season in Madison. And the Gophers seem to have the overall edge this season in skill guys, especially at receiver.
Wisconsin has the best offensive player in this game in running back Jonathan Taylor. It probably has the best defensive player in pass rusher Zack Baun. But the Gophers have an array of offensive playmakers, studs on both lines and all kinds of mojo. Minnesota, 31-24.
In other Week 14 action:
No. 3 Clemson (-27) at South Carolina (11 a.m., ESPN): The Gamecocks are a down-and-out 4-7, but this is the Palmetto Bowl, dang it. Just imagine how taking down the big-boy Tigers (11-0) would rock the college football world. And now imagine your great-aunt Edna winning Olympic gold in the triple jump. Tigers by 35.
No. 4 Georgia (-28½) at Georgia Tech (11 a.m., Ch. 7): Is there a more colorful and evocative rivalry name than Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate? The Bulldogs (10-1) are only 3-2 in their last five games against the Yellow Jackets (3-8). Dogs, 38-14.
No. 5 Alabama (-3½) at No. 15 Auburn (2:30 p.m., Ch. 2): Do the Crimson Tide (10-1) really have a good shot to move into the playoff four if a spot opens up? The picture will look a lot better if quarterback Mac Jones has an eye-opening performance against the Tigers (8-3). Beware, though: This Auburn ‘‘D’’ is wicked. How wicked? Upset wicked.
Texas A&M (+17) at No. 2 LSU (6 p.m., ESPN): There’s real danger here for the 11-0 Tigers. The Aggies (7-4) are battle-tested after having faced a schedule so severe, it included a nonconference visit to Clemson and a divisional crossover at Georgia. This is A&M’s Super Bowl. LSU sweats it out, 34-30.
No. 7 Oklahoma (-13) at No. 21 Oklahoma State (7 p.m., Fox-32): The last Bedlam defeat for the Sooners (10-1) came in 2014, but the Cowboys (8-3) traded punches admirably in a 62-52 loss in 2017 and a 48-47 loss in 2018. Can the Pokes get over the top? Time to run that Boomer Schooner off the playoff road with an upset.
My favorite favorite: No. 9 Baylor (-14) at Kansas (2:30 p.m., ESPN): The Bears (10-1) have covered three weeks in a row and in all three Big 12 road games. They’re trying to show the playoff committee a little something, too.
My favorite underdog: Florida State (+18) at No. 11 Florida (6:30 p.m., SEC Network): The Seminoles (6-5) have been duds all season, but they’ve won seven of nine in this series and desperately need a respectable showing to take into the offseason.
Last week: 7-1 straight-up, 3-5 against the spread.
Season to date: 69-27 straight-up, 52-43-1 against the spread.
2️⃣4️⃣ hours...
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 29, 2019
✊#Illini x #BeatNorthwestern pic.twitter.com/Db5MEnHVIX
THE LOCALS
NORTHWESTERN AT ILLINOIS
The facts: 11 a.m., FS1, 720-AM, 890-AM.
The records: Northwestern 2-9, 0-8 Big Ten; Illinois 6-5, 4-4 Big Ten.
The storyline: Will the Illini ever tire of getting their rear ends handed to them by their purple-clad rivals? They’ve lost four in a row — and 12 of the last 16 — head-to-head, a truly remarkable achievement in awfulness. Another loss at home to a Wildcats team that’s winless in conference play would be brutal, but it probably won’t happen, right? A seventh victory would be a nice milestone for coach Lovie Smith and his players.
The line: Illini by 8½.
Greenberg’s pick: Illinois, 26-20.
NO. 16 NOTRE DAME AT STANFORD
The facts: 3 p.m., Fox-32, 1000-AM.
The records: Notre Dame 9-2; Stanford 4-7.
The storyline: Rainy, miserable conditions are expected in Palo Alto, California, which might make it a fun day for the defenses. Stanford’s inept offense, on the other hand, has no idea what fun is. As long as Irish coach Brian Kelly’s team isn’t flat, it should be nice and lopsided, like it was a year ago in South Bend, when Notre Dame won by three touchdowns to end a three-game losing streak in the Legends Trophy series. The Cardinal have won seven of the last 10, though.
The line: Irish by 16½.
Greenberg’s pick: Notre Dame, 27-10.
