12. Notre Dame
Pros: Winners of 8 straight; defeated USC and Pitt along with four other Power 4 teams; ended Navy’s undefeated run
Cons: Lost to Miami in the opener; non-Power 4 team; has Syracuse and Stanford remaining
5. Texas Tech
Pros: Big XII leader; kings of the state of Utah by defeating Utah and BYU
Cons: Lone loss to Arizona State; final game against West Virginia
The Matchup: The Irish can go on the road to the State of Texas to avenge their early season loss to Texas A&M, while the Red Raiders can prove that the Big XII is like that with a win against a hot team that’s not a conference opponent. Let’s not forget how Arizona took a loss to Texas after giving the Longhorns all they had last year.
4. Georgia Tech
Pros: ACC leaders; defeated Clemson early in the season; has Pitt and Georgia remaining
Cons: Late season loss to NC State; last three opponents are 3-22 on the year
11. Virginia
Pros: 2nd in ACC; stunned Florida State early in the season; last 3 opponents are 18-12
Cons: Loss to Wake Forest; season finally vs. Virginia Tech
6. BYU
Pros: Past 3 opponents are 22-11, second in Big XII; next game at Cincinnati
Cons: Loss to Texas Tech
The Matchup: Virginia has proven that they can go across the country to take on an opponent after winning at Cal. BYU would need a good showing to justify the Big XII edging out other conferences to get more than two teams into the playoff and cannot afford anymore let downs in the remaining games this season.
3. Ohio State
Pros: Defending champions; 2nd in Big 10; season ending contest vs. Michigan
Cons: Last 3 opponents are 9-22; Rutgers next week
10: James Madison
Pros: Lone loss to Louisville; undefeated in conference play; Washington State next week
Cons: No wins vs Power 4; Sun Belt Conference program
7. Georgia
Pros: 2nd in SEC; defeated Ole Miss; host Georgia Tech to close the season;
Cons: Needs help to make SEC Title game; has not played any non-conference Power Four teams
The Matchup: On paper, this is a mismatch. James Madison had an early test against Louisville where the fell by 14. They’ve rolled through the Sun Belt since then all while averaging 37 points per game, scoring 50+ in 3 of the last 4 games. UGa and the Dukes share Marshall as a common opponent, and Georgia thrashed them in season opener 45-7. While JMU doesn’t have a darling like Ashton Jeanty to display, they are just as good of an option to plug in as Boise State was last year.
2. Indiana
Pros: Big 10 leader; defeated Oregon on the road; can lock-in a Big 10 Title appearance with a win at Purdue
Cons: Last 3 opponents are 11-19; a loss would put them in a tie breaker if USC defeats Oregon and could potentially keep them out of the Big 10 title game
9. Ole Miss
Pros: Defeated LSU and Oklahoma; travels to Mississippi State to close the season; can get in without making the conference title game
Cons: Can lose a tie-breaker to Alabama; loss to Georgia; lack of games versus non-conference Power 4 teams
8. Oregon
Pros: Defeated Penn State on the road; hosts USC next; last three opponents are 15-15
Cons: Lost to Indiana at home; 3rd in the Big 10
The Matchup: The biggest factor in this game would be Lane Kiffin; will he remain on the sidelines for the Rebels? Both teams have had some big tests this season, and both have had differing outcomes. The offensive output could be video game-like on paper. It would come down to which team can make a stop in a critical moment. This is probably the best matchup of the four, but would the survivor have enough to last the next round?
1. Texas A&M
Pros: 1st in the SEC; defeated Notre Dame and LSU on the road; travels to Texas to close the season
Cons: Past 3 opponents are 16-10; a loss would put them in a tie-breaker for the conference championship game
Games to watch for Week 13:
Missouri @ Oklahoma; Miami @ Virginia Tech; Washington State @ James Madison; USC @ Oregon; Pitt @ Georgia Tech; BYU @ Cincinnati
