As we finish out October, college football is blessed with an unusually large group of legitimate title contenders at this point in the season. Will that list start to narrow this week?
There are several key opportunities for a culling, some of which appear on our list of the week’s most watchable games. While the Big Ten may be down to just one serious contender after this week, the races in the Big 12 and SEC are still wide open, making every game between the league’s top-half teams hugely consequential.
Here are our picks for the five games most worthy of some time on your screen this weekend.
5
Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss (7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network)
Favorite: Ole Miss (-2.5)
When it comes to personal drama, I don’t know that any game on this list can top Texas A&M hosting Ole Miss one week after both teams suffered demoralizing losses. While Ole Miss has still overall outperformed expectations for the season, last week’s heartbreaking loss to LSU deflated a lot of the enthusiasm surrounding the team, and a bounce back this week is crucial as Lane Kiffin’s squad heads into a brutally difficult November schedule.
Meanwhile the wheels seem just about ready to fly off at Texas A&M with multiple players being suspended after a post-game locker room incident following last week’s humiliating loss to South Carolina. This game is a potential turning point in the season for both programs.
4
UCF vs. No. 20 Cincinnati (3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Favorite: UCF (-1)
The AAC has itself a nice competitive race as we finish out October, and this matchup is one of the games that will go a long way toward determining that race. UCF has been a bit of a head-scratcher this season, dropping surprising losses to Louisville and ECU but absolutely throttling the rest of its schedule. When Gus Malzahn’s Knights get going on offense, they can be tough to handle, and they’ll certainly be one of the toughest challenges the stout Cincinnati defense has faced all season.
3
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 19 Kentucky (7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Favorite: Tennessee (-12.5)
Can anyone stop this Tennessee offense, or even slow it down a little? Kentucky may actually be the team best built for the job.
.@Vol_Football has scored 30+ points in 10 straight games…longest streak in program history.
.@UKFootball has allowed 24 or fewer points in 11 straight games…longest active streak in FBS.
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 26, 2022
Something’s gotta give this weekend.
2
No. 22 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State (3:30 ET on FOX)
Favorite: Kansas State (-1.5)
This Big 12 race… hoo boy! Week after week, the conference continues to deliver drama and nail-biting competition thanks to one of the deepest groups of teams we’ve seen in the conference’s history. This week the spotlight is on two teams that are both very much in the running for a shot at league-leading TCU in the conference title game, both with mercurial quarterbacks and consistently strong defenses.
1
No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 2 Ohio State (Noon ET on FOX)
Favorite: Ohio State (-15.5)
The nation holds its breath to see if anyone can stop the Buckeyes from storming their way back into the College Football Playoff again, and while Ohio State is the clear favorite here, the home crowd in State College will certainly try to have its say. Penn State will need its best offensive performance of the season and probably a few big plays on defense to make sure the crowd becomes and stays a factor. Ohio State doesn’t get rattled easily, but if it can happen anywhere, it might be here.
